Michael is Ten Months Old!

My oh my... 10 Months Old!! I can't believe it. Seriously. Went by in a jif. What's really freaking me out is that the little guy is going to be one in just two months... and poor thing, he's only got one friend. Yes, in an entire year I have only managed to come up with one friend. And what's really lame about that friend? He just so happens to be Emma's BFF's little brother. Uh-huh... Almost as though Baby Zachary was conceived just to make my life easier.

Here they are, two guys just hanging out in the park:



What a totally lame-o party this will be. More like lunch. With two little cupcakes. Okay, three. I suppose Emma can have one too. Well... five. Jeff & I are also deserving of a cupcake a piece. I guess we'll get six. An even half dozen. Who's got dibs on that last one?

Bear with me on this series. Solely cuz I think my little guy is ridiculously cute. Feel free to agree. Comments are appreciated. (Have I mentioned that lately?!)









So yeah. This Michael character. Turns out he's a boy. And not just a little bit of a boy either. He's as boy as boy can be. I mean, we actually have to CHILD PROOF! GAH!! We've never done that before. We never had to. And why, prey tell, must we child proof now? Cuz when I spoke to the plastic surgeon about getting eyes put in the back of my head he said I couldn't afford it.

But seriously? On a daily basis, this is Michael:

1) He totally loves pulling the carbon monoxide detector out of the electrical socket. God help us if there is ever a gas leak cuz chances are Michael is eating the detector and we will all die a relatively slow albeit painless dealth before anyone notices we're even missing.

2) He loves splashing around in the toilet water. Yes, I close the lid. Yes, he opens it. Yes, I close the door. Yes, Emma opens it. And yes, he finds his way to the water.

3) In the master bathroom we have this step-up, sunken bathtub. It used to be nice. It is now my greatest nightmare. Michael is hell-bent on climbing up the step, and leaning over the edge to try to feel the jets. Of course, he leans over much farther than he should and is just destined to fall in one of these days and seriously hurt himself. (Okay... he's fallen in once. He lived.)

4) I don't get it, but he hasn't seemed to figure out that he can't leap off the side of our bed without falling off and either totally freaking himself out, or actually hurting himself. I've actually lost count of just how many times he's attempted to swan dive off in hopes of reaching for some far-away object. If he fails grade 4, this is why.

5) He greatly enjoys eating the dirt out of the many potted plants we have scattered throughout the house. And if he's not actually eating the dirt, he's plenty happy just to throw it on the floor. Or rub it in his hair. That's proven to be fun too.

6) He has tremendous fun spinning the toilet paper from the roll. Okay... I'd have fun doing that too. (Fine... sometimes I let him do it just to see him smile. Or so I can have a peaceful shower. Shhh.. don't tell Jeff!)

So you're reading all this, and are likely asking yourself if I've tried just telling him "NO!". Duh. Of course I have. The little bugger understands "NO!!" perfectly well. It's just that he so happens to find my ever-widening stress-related bald spot particularly amusing.

And now for the milestone moments that nobody other than me cares about:

April 21 - top right front tooth broke through!

April 30 - top left front tooth broke through!

May 1 - bottom, second to the centre left, left tooth broke through!

May 8 - bottom right middle!

May 11 - 7th tooth!!! bottom, second to the centre right!

I think he's gonna need braces. GAH!!





Check it out.. Jeff actually let Michael get behind the wheel of his car! Bet that won't happen too much once the little guy is actually legal. And, more importantly, can reach the pedals!



But look how well he checks behind him before backing out... Very cautious... Emma looks a little worried though, dontcha think? And I look a little wide in the reflection...



Now that it's summer we're spending the bulk of our time at the park. I actually signed him up for music classes, but - and how horrible is this - we haven't gone back since the very first class. It got so nice outside, and to sit indoors just seems so.. so.. wrong.

Especially since we only get like 17 sunny days a year.









The other big thing we're doing these days is using our wagon. Last summer we never did cuz Michael was still an infant, and well, seeing that he couldn't sit up on his own he made it a little tough on Emma, what with demanding she squish in next to him to keep him propped up and all. These days the kids & I are using it all over the neighbourhood. Me, mostly for the exercise. Them, for the ride. And we all seem to prefer it over the nasty double stroller I bought at the garage sale for $30.

So get this... Michael doesn't nap for more than 20 minutes at home. So much as cough and he'll wake up. God help me if I should accidently flush in the middle of the night. But take him on a wagon ride... (Emma, however, that kid can sleep anywhere... Clearly.)



Okay, okay... still with me?? She who answers the skills testing question at the end may just win themselves that 6th cupcake... it's likely gonna be chocolate... (yeah, yeah... that's how I make my friends. Food. It works every time.)

Finally, this month my kids are doing what I've been waiting all my life for my kids to do together... BATHING!!!!



And if you thought THAT was cute, just get a look at this:






Fun In The Tub! from doublea on Vimeo

Yeah. I know.