Pools and Popsicles

...or How to Stay Cool in Texas, by Amery.

Don appropriate swim gear.

Grab your inflatable duck.

(BTW, the nose scrape is his very first learning-to-crawl rug burn. I fear there are more incidents like this to come.)


Drink plenty of ice water.

Keep the sun off with papa's hat and consume as many popsicles as you can get your hands on.

It helps if you smear the popsicle all over your face and torso.

Nine Months

Amery is nine months old today! We did a little photo shoot the other day to show of his Husky pride. He looks good in black and gold. Maybe we have a future Michigan Tech alumnus on our hands?



I love the leg chub!


You're not a true fan until you wear your mascot's name on your rear end.



Everything was going really well. He was totally into the shoot until...



Hey, what's that thing hanging off the camera? That looks fun and tasty.


Camera strap discovery trumps remainder of photo shoot.

First Fathers Day

A few pics from Sunday. We spent most of the day hanging out around the house and playing.


Learning to crawl on papa.


Snuggling the Boppy.


We're trying to teach him to clap. He either doesn't get it or doesn't care, because he just laughs at us and tries to chew on our hands.


When you're learning to crawl you bump your head from time to time.


Forget this crawling business, I think I'll just stand.

Egg Fail

This morning I tried giving Amery eggs for the first time. Well, really it was just the yokes because "they" say babies shouldn't have egg whites until they are 12 months old. He's not a fan. I can't blame him, really. I have been known to discard the yoke from a hardboiled egg if I feel the yoke-to-white ratio is too high for my liking.

It's a Big Duck

The new bathtub. It's a big duck. What else can I say?

Get Outside and Play

Amery broke in a few of his outdoor toys this past week.


In his play tent with a new favorite toy - a taped-up juice bottle with a few pennies inside. Good thing we have all those expensive toys around the house for decoration.


I think play tent is our new favorite hang-out. Sometimes we sit out in the front yard and watch for papa to come home from work.


The new swing! It's a little big for him yet, but he wasn't complaining.


Mid-swing action shot.

I took this video with my little camera so the quality's not that great, but I think the message is clear enough: the swing is a hit with the 8-month-old crowd.


And since he hasn't made an appearance on the blog lately, here is a picture of our other baby with a new Hedgie sent to him from Grandma in Minnesota.

The Power of Working Mommy Guilt

When we got to daycare this morning, I realized I forgot to grab his "daycare blankie" out of the dryer for the 3rd day in a row. (Yes - stuff stays in my dryer for three days in a row, sometimes longer.) Things have been really crazy in the evenings so I keep forgetting. He loves this blankie and we keep it in his crib at daycare. We have a different blankie for home. This one is minky on one side and silky around the edges and across the back. My mom's cousin Sandy embroidered it with his name and birthdate when he was born. Mrs C, his daycare teacher, says no biggie we have one with a silky edge he can use, but yeah, he likes to snuggle his the best. ::insert stab to heart here::

I got in the car feeling very heavy. About a mile from my office I couldn't take the additional guilt on top of my usual self-inflicted daily dose. I turned around and went 9 miles back home, got the blankie out of the dryer, passed an excited Kona thinking I was home to play with him (so tack on some pet parent guilt), went all the way back to daycare, and dropped off said blankie without baby boy catching a glimpse of me because I knew he would just cry.

Blankie had nothing to say for itself the whole way. It just sat there, taunting me.

New Favorite Toys

A plastic spoon and a metal bowl. Life is good. Until he hits himself in the face near the end. No good.