Happy Thanksgiving!

Big Boy Shoes

When I got home from work today, this is what Calder looked like. Pretty normal; he usually falls asleep on the way home but today something seemed off. And no, it was not the fact that he is way to big for his car seat. Hrrmmmm, what could it possibly be?

Hey! Hard soled shoes! THAT'S what's so different. Up until today, every time we put these shoes on Calder's feet he would drop to the floor screaming, absolutely convinced that he couldn't stand or walk in them. Usually Bruce and I would let him roll around for a bit, try to prop him up, watch him fall down, roll, rinse repeat until we couldn't take all the hollering and just took the damn shoes off. Of course as soon as they were off, Calder's feet were magically healed and he would pop up and toddle off grumbling to himself about what assholes his parents are.

I am not sure how Bruce managed to get Calder in the shoes this morning nor do I care but here he is now, enjoying some stomping.

Posing to show off the new kicks.

Check it, aren't they rad? Calder thinks so. Now anyways.

11 Months!

Calder is getting very close to not being an infant any more. Technically with his walking prowess and all, I suppose you could already call him a toddler but I am not sure that I am quite prepared for that yet. I swear he was just a little floor blob not that long ago and now he can do so much.

Calder can walk really well and sometimes even tries to break into a run. Calder is not reliant on his bottle any more and eats all sorts of food, most of which he feeds himself since he no longer has the patience to let Mommy or Daddy spoon more than a few mouthfuls into his gaping maw. Have you ever seen a baby try to eat yogurt with his hands? It's not a pretty sight. Same for a breakfast burrito, just add beans. Calder will hold out his arms and legs to let us dress him and often tries to help. He'll even try attempt to put his own shoes on. Mostly he just holds the shoes up to his feet and gets frustrated when they don't just stick there but at least he's got the right idea. Calder will try to copy you when you do something he finds interesting whether it be clapping hands or making sounds. Calder can even fetch Daddy a beer from the beer fridge. He doesn't necessarily come right back to Daddy with the beer but it gets there after a short chase. Calder is getting the hang of treating his pets properly. Elby, Sam and Molson are receiving more pats and scritches and less ear pulling and definitely less biting. They are all very grateful. Calder is starting to try to hold big people conversations. Although he seems to grasp some words only he knows what we're talking about but it's still nice to feel like I am communicating with my son. Calder does all this and so much more. I am sure I miss half of it while he's at daycare and I'm at work.

In another month Calder will be a big one-year-old boy, not a little baby any more. While that makes me somewhat sad, I can't wait to see how my clever little guy keeps growing and developing. Plus, if I ever want to relive the times when he was a tiny, mewling infant , I can just convince Bruce to have another kid.


HAHAHAHAH Just fuckin' with ya. Not in this economy. Weirdos.

No FFF...

...but I think I've found a way to get around all those expensive airline fees when we go home for Christmas.

All I Want for Xmas

Is for Calder to go to daycare for a full week. Seriously, between the ear infection, the Hand, Foot & Mouth and now some whack-ass norovirus gut bug, Calder hasn't been to day care M-F for about five weeks. What the hell are we paying for? He'll go for a day, get the soupy poops and get sent home for that day and the whole next one too. There is also occasionally barfing. The days Calder is at home he's totally fine. It's just when he gets back to school that he insides start acting up again. Perhaps it's a psychosomatic reaction to his new found clingy-ness and separation anxiety.

But this isn't really about what I want. Since Calder's birthday is next month along with Christmas people have started asking what to get him for presents. It's a Bard family tradition for each member of the gift giving community to write out a wish list, a handy dandy if you will. While this does remove some of the surprise on present opening day, it prevents situations like in the days of yore when the senile old ladies would wrap up anything they found around the house. While most of the old ladies have passed on (still wish I had that muumuu you gave me one year Aunt Gertie!) and the remaining old ladies aren't wrap-up-the-cat-crazy yet, life is a lot less stressful when you don't have to guess and mind read while buying presents for over a dozen people.

So. Calder's handy dandy. This is a little tough. What does he want? Calder doesn't necessarily want a Little People Farm or a Fisher-Price play kitchen. Hell, he isn't even aware these things exist, therefore he cannot possibly want them. At this point in his cognitive development, Calder is pretty much only capable of wanting things that he has encountered before and is familiar with and knows will make him happy. These things... probably can't be added to an Amazon wish list. So, until such a time that he can indicate otherwise, here is a list of things that Calder most likely wants for his birthday and Christmas.

Calder would like:

• to be able to eat dog food with impunity.
• to stick his hands in the toilet
• to stick his hands in Elby's water bowls.
• hell, to stick his hands in any self contained unit of liquid, the germier the better.
• to have Mimi the day care cook move in with us.
• ditto Miss Kathy even though she isn't even his teacher anymore.
• to dip his pacifier in Daddy's beer as many times as he wants.
  
• to rip the covers off of every catalog, magazine and instruction manual in our house.
• also, eating those covers would be ideal.
• for Daddy to install his new car seat already.
• to empty every cabinet, shelf and drawer he comes across.
• to never EVER have to wear hard-soled shoes.
• for Elby, Sam and Molson to stay still and submit to enthusiastic baby hugs for once.
• for Mommy to stop trying to make him drink apple juice.
• to have the ability to use a spoon to feed himself.
• to be free from the tyranny of pants. and diapers.
  
• for Daddy to not have to go to hockey so much.
  
• same for Mommy and work.

That's pretty much it for now I suppose. Most of these things won't ship very well and they can be pretty pricey so friends and family may still have to resort to the good ol' Toys 'r' Us but Bruce and I will try to do our best to make him happy. Within reason of course. I'm not sure I can ever really get down with Calder's penchant for toilet snorkeling.

A New Day in the US

Last night Bruce took Calder to hockey practice with him and I was able to observe history. I was one of the lucky few thousand to be allowed to attend President-Elect Barack Obama's victory rally in Grant Park last night. It was an incredible and moving experience to be in the midst of such a large and diverse crowd, all gathered to celebrate the man whom we hope can help guide our country out of the doldrums. This is probably the singularly most important cultural event in which I will ever personally participate. Even though we were so deep into the morass of people that we could not see the stage, I am still honored and proud to be able to say I was there.

I Haz a Sad

I got a ticket to the rally in Grant Park on Tuesday night and no babysitter. Any takers?

To clarify, I want a sitter. Not to give away my ticket. Duh.

Urban Pastoral

Bruce and I had wanted to do the whole pumpkin farm/apple picking hayride crap with Calder this year but we kind of got derailed. You see, November 1st, the first Saturday Bruce has had off since hockey started is exactly the day all of these stupid operations shut down for the season. That is total bullcrap. They should AT LEAST stay open until Thanksgiving. People still need pumpkins and corn stalk decorations for all that Pilgrim shit. Anyway. I was not going to be deterred from getting my agricultural fix on, so Bruce managed to find a farm stand that was still open and had pumpkins for sale. So I decided to fake it. Some of the pictures look like we drove waaaaaaaay out into the country side and gallivanted around the fields. Or found a table full of pumpkins. Whatever. The illusion was ruined in a few however, due to the major street and large, shiny building in the background. What can I do, this isn't goddamn New England.