corn fed

Happy Birthday Uncle Michael! And Happy Belated Birthday to Aunt Kristin! The Independence Day holiday is always extra special for them. We celebrated Michael's birthday in high style, with another big fish fry and banana pudding and cake and brownies, and (one of Dennis's new favorites) corn on the cob. Too bad Michael wasn't actually here to partake in the festivities, but I'm certain that his day was wonderful all the same. I hope it was, at any rate.

Dennis had a so-so day. He didn't sleep his normal 12 hour night last night, finally going down after midnight and waking us up 3 times needing some cuddling during the night before waking up before 8 am. Maybe it's teeth again, or maybe he was tired from lack of sleep, but he whined at me a good bit this afternoon. Or maybe it was me, because after I told everyone that he was a little bit pitiful today, he showed up and smiled and talked happily to them all. We got him to bed at a normal time tonight, in his own bed instead of in his pod, and maybe things will straighten back out for him.

He exhibited a good bit of his sweet personality today. When Steve came in from a phone call about some difficult news about a loved one, he was pretty down. Dennis saw him coming in the door and ran over to the door and said (very plainly) "Hi Steeee" when he came in, and he reached up to be picked up and cuddled. I like to think it cheered him up a little. Everyone told me that this was the second time he'd said hi to Steve today, and that both times he spoke very clearly. He was also sweet about sharing with Chloe, offering her the toys she wanted and taking turns with her in the rocking chair. She ran him over yesterday, and I think he started out the day watching her a bit warily, but they were soon giggling at each other and playing sweetly. I loved when they were on either side of the storm door, smiling and laughing at each other. Chloe even kissed the door, and Dennis just stared in astonishment. Chloe gave him his first kiss not too many weeks ago, just grabbed his head and leaned forward and planted one right on his mouth. It's going to be fun to watch them grow up together, and it is our hope that they become lifelong friends. They first met on the day she was born. Ellen and I got a little teary eyed when we watched them together. We have a picture of them together taken last July 4th, and they've grown so much! Unfortunately we didn't manage to keep them still long enough to get a picture this year, and I'm so disappointed! They were so cute in their red, white, and blue!

We're home tonight, but the party's not over yet. More to come tomorrow!

independence day

We did what Southerners do for our 4th of July holiday--we spent it at the lake! We grilled hamburgers, we splashed around in front of the dock, we rode on the boat, and we watched fireworks. It was a fabulous day, spent with family and friends. Dennis was excessively cute, of course. He enjoyed a swim with Ellen, Chloe, and me. He played with Monte and Gran and Ju-Ju and Pop and Chloe. He cuddled with Dianne and his Grandma and Gigi. He waved to all of us repeatedly. He even helped Gran and Pop test out their brand new porch swing. It was a big day for him. The cutest thing? We were all sprawled out on the dock watching the fireworks (all 15 of us!), and whenever a firework exploded, Dennis would say "boom" and point to it.

Right now we are trying to get him down to bed, but he's been up way past his bedtime, and he's not having it. We just got him out of his pod, where he was screaming and crying, and he's sitting on David's lap, and I looked over at him and he gave me his serious glare (where he looks just like his Daddy giving me a dirty look). He and Chloe are both up, whining at us. Perhaps it was a little bit too exciting of a day for the babies. All the relatives and food and excitement and swimming... Makes me tired just thinking about it, so I think I'll be going to bed very soon myself if Dennis will cooperate. Happy 4th of July (boom)!

reunion

I was so glad to see Dennis again when I got back into town today. I had been away from him for 27 long hours, and I missed him! He gave me that special smile as soon as he spotted me, and he ran in the door at the lake house and I swooped him up and covered his face with kisses. I probably don't have too much longer before he won't want to be covered up in kisses, so I'm stealing as many as I can now.

He delighted in entertaining us all, just like I new he would, and Julia ("Ju-Ju") taught him a new word. He learned "star" today as she was pointing stars out to him on a flag chair. His Gran enjoyed his company as well, picking him up when he bumped his head and picking him up because he wanted to be with her. He also said "cracker" for me, very plainly, so of course I gave him one. And one more thing totally impressed me: he reached over and grabbed the lid off of a ceramic jar and waved it around, and I feared he would break it, but he only showed it to us and then turned around and very carefully fit the lid back on the jar. I had no idea he could do this! He repeated the action 5 more times, and we praised him profusely. Tonight when we got home, he walked over to the corner of his room, picked up the cars and car ramps that were on the floor, put them all back into the bin where they go, put the lid on the bin, and then clapped his hands and said "yay". We were so proud! He cleaned up under his own initiative, which is more than I can say for myself a lot of times. Then he walked over and patted his crib and said "night night". We kissed him, and he smiled, and we put him down in his crib. He went right to sleep. Could there be a sweeter baby? I don't think so.

the care and feeding of a golden retriever

Dennis is feeling much better today. He was happy and cute and didn't seem to be feeling any pain from his shots yesterday. He accompanied me to the lake house and hung out with his Grandma while I finished up getting the place ready for the weekend. He had some KFC for lunch and took a nice nap. He woke up in time to say goodbye to me before I headed down to be with a friend while her mother is in the hospital.

Tonight he had a guys' night with David and Jason, and he had a good time with them. David reported that he was being snuggly (Dennis, not Jason) on the couch with him. I miss the little guy but will be back with him tomorrow, watching him charm and entertain his Gigi and Ju-Ju and Steve and Monte and Dave and Ellen and Chloe and his grandparents. We're going to have a big holiday weekend!

The picture I snapped while he was feeding Honey from his high chair. She has a well-balanced diet now of Dennis leftovers, and she's been enjoying all kinds of foods that she hadn't had much of before. He still calls her to the kitchen to eat what he's about to drop on the floor. Many times she'll be leaving the kitchen and we'll have to stop her and remove the food that Dennis tossed onto her back. She's so great with Dennis, and now she's reaping her rewards for being so sweet and patient while he learned the correct amount of pressure to apply when petting a dog. I think she loves him--I know he loves her. She has stopped that loud sigh that she used to give when we arrived back at the house and Dennis was with us. I used to think that she secretly hoped we'd be taking him back where we got him, but I think she's past that now. She's seven years old now, and she's been the best pet ever. I hope she'll be with us many many more years.

15 month checkup

After two delayed appointments (while getting over his ear infection), we finally took Dennis to the doctor for his 15 month checkup. He was unhappy from the moment the nurse told us to take him to Room 2 and "get him naked". He started to cry when we pulled off his shirt, and he kept crying while they weighed him and measured him. He cried even harder when the doctor checked his ears to make sure he had managed to clear the infection. And he cried while she listened to his lungs and took off his diaper to check him for that mystery thing that doctors check baby hips for. He usually cries at the doctor's office, sure, but it's usually for shots or ear checkups. He usually tries to grab and eat the stethoscope, not tremble miserably and let big fat tears roll down his cheeks. He was pitiful except when she asked us to put him on the floor so she could see him walk. This part was fun for him, and the tears dried right up. Because he was wailing his little head off, his ears looked red, and we had to go for a tympanogram to check the fluid levels. If he still had fluid, we were going to have to go to an ENT. Thank goodness he passed this test! She said his ears were 100% back to normal. She also said she expected as much since we reported that he had a 40 word vocabulary, which I know since I tallied it earlier for the blog, and then thought of more words I had forgotten. Doc said I was the first parent in 18 years that was able to spout off a number that quickly when she asked that question. At any rate, his hearing must be fine if he knows and uses that many words. I have Jason to thank, too, because he always reported how many words Jayden knew when she was in her second year, so I was mindful to count them up in case I was asked.

Here are the vital statistics:

Height: 30.5" (25th to 50th percentile)

Weight: 24 lbs. 8 oz. (50th percentile)

Head circumference: 47.5 cm (50th percentile)

He got two vaccines today, and he cried terribly over this. We were told that his right leg would hurt today and his left leg will hurt tomorrow. He was fine for several hours, but we did have a nice long screaming fit this afternoon, where he wanted me to hold him while he screamed, but he fought me. I'd put him down and he'd come right back and hold up his arms to me, so I'd pick him up and hold him while he screamed some more. I felt so bad for the little guy. I know he was miserable, but I couldn't do anything for him past a little Tylenol. Funny how when I went to tell David that he wasn't doing well, he clammed right up and gave Daddy all his sunny smiles and giggles. I'd have pulled my hair out, but Dennis had already ripped out big handfuls while he was screaming in my arms. He slept hard in the car and we woke him for dinner. He ate well and went right to bed. I hope his legs don't hurt so much that he's not able to sleep well. I was able to stay calm and soothing through all the screaming, and I didn't get the least bit frustrated. I just felt so helpless that I couldn't do anything. I hate when he hurts. It's the worst feeling ever. And I wish I had figured out a little sooner that he wanted his Daddy. It's usually me that he wants when he bangs his head or falls or hurts himself in some way, but I just didn't cut it today. And this doesn't even bother me, I just wish I had gotten the message a little sooner so I could have saved him some agony (and myself some hair)! I did enjoy playing with him this afternoon before he started feeling bad, and he's learned that sitting in his rocking chair is better than standing in it, because we praise him for sitting down. So when he gets himself into the chair and sits back, he claps his hands and says "Yaaaaay!". And so do we. I think his whole life is a celebration sometimes, or maybe I just feel like celebrating him all the time and he agrees with me.

little climber

He has learned to climb in and out of chairs very well. He's mastered his Cracker Barrel rocker, and now has turned his sights to the rocking chair in his room. It's an adult-sized rocker, and it's a special one. This is the chair his Grandma rocked his Daddy in as a baby, and it rocked David's sister and cousins. We have rocked Dennis in it. And now he can climb into it with no assistance and rock himself silly, and then get back out of it with no assistance. He's so proud! He walks over to it and rocks it forward with his hands on the handles, facing the chair. He reaches as far as he can and grabs hold of a side rail in each hand. He rocks the chair down lower and hikes a knee onto the chair. Then he grabs the slats on the back of the chair and hauls himself the rest of the way up. He stands up briefly, holding on to the back, then turns around. He sits down, rocks the chair, and claps his hands to celebrate his accomplishment. Next, he immediately scoots his rear end to the front of the chair, grabs the side handles, and gently eases himself out of the chair to a standing position on the floor. He walks a lap around his room, returns to the chair and repeats. And repeats. And yes, it is as cute as it sounds.

bath fun in the sink

He took a bath in the sink tonight because I didn't think my back could hold up to bending over the tub, and I didn't want to take a bath with him at the time. He was pretty disgusting after supper, so I thought I'd go ahead and wash him up in the kitchen after we finished the dishes! He thought the sink was terribly fun, especially when I turned on the faucet to rinse him. He played in the water, trying to catch the stream and taking a drink every now and again.

Tonight he fussed while we were rearranging some things in his room. We packed up some toys that don't get played with, and we stored some of the good ones to bring out again in a few weeks. The farm that has no cows is now in a cabinet, and I'm hoping Fisher Price sells replacement cows. We think he might have thrown them in his trash can and we missed seeing them when we took out the trash. Weird. Don't know why it's just the cows and not any other species... At any rate, he was happy that we were in the room, but I don't think he liked seeing all the toys moving around and not under his control. He eventually helped me clean some, but then, at the end, in a final act of rebellion, he scattered his Noah's ark animals all over the place. He threw them down to the floor aggressively, and he looked to see if I was watching. This was when we decided that maybe he was so irritated because he was hungry, and that seemed to be the case. He ate an entire Tilapia filet and some broccoli and cauliflower and nine grain bread. He finished this and his milk and then pointed to his raisin box and asked for raisins! He was a hungry little guy tonight.

His naps were off, too. No morning nap, one very long mid afternoon nap, no other naps. We put him in bed at 7:00. We'll probably regret it in the morning, but he went right to sleep, and we knew he was tired. Tomorrow we'll be working on his play room at Gran's house again. I can't wait to see it finished!