The Notorious MRA v Cooper, Round 124

This post could just as easily be entitled "Navy SEAL in training". Seriously, look at the stealth. The speed. The determination. The bravery. He never gives up, he keeps going back for more.



Sadly, he loses. Cooper is the winner. Which means, that if we roll with the foreshadowing, the SEAL thing probably won't work out in his favor.

Which also means that I should kidnap him (once he is old enough to enlist) and move to Canada before I allow a career in the military. Actually, make that Italy, at least then I would be assured that both sides of the family would come to visit us. While I am sure Canada is lovely, I am not sure anyone would venture up there to see us.

Do you feel sorry for Cooper yet?

And we'll have fun fun fun till my Daddy takes the Nissan awaaaaay

What a great weekend! We spent Saturday night and a few hours on Sunday with friends and neighbors. MRA chased dogs, slept in another little girl's crib, played in a pool and learned to wave bye bye.

Oh, and, he may have been given his first driver's lesson. (Sorry about the angle - I can't figure out how to rotate it.)

When we went to Christy and Jeremy's awesome new pool, we did not realize that we were gonna have to teach Cooper how to swim, too. He eventually figured it out. All the boys loved it!

Poop, poop, more poop... and MAMAMAMA.

This has been the week of Poop. This is the 4th straight day of diarrhea. Morgan, not me. Every morning I have been greeted with MRAs smiling face and a poopsplosion of the worst kind. It has been up the back, out the side, and even around to the front. This is NOT how you want to start the day, especially when wearing white work pants.

There are two possible causes 1.) He has a stomach virus or 2.) He has a milk sensitivity and needs to go back to the soy formula. The verdict is out but I am leaning toward the milk thing and planning to go back to soy this evening.

In a BP like attempt to stop the gush, we fed MRA lots of bananas and sweet potato fries last night, hoping, no praying that this morning would be different. Did it work, not a chance.

However, I'm pretty sure MRA said MAMA at me last night. It was actually more of a MAMAMAMAMAM MA MAMAMA. But, he said it with such determination and conviction that I am sure it was with recognition and declaration.

What do you think? I mean, he's talking to me - not the fries, right? Naysayers need not apply.

Pondering On the Work of Our New Designer

Yes, we have a new designer. Actually, I should say RE-designer. You know what a re-designer is, right? In case you don't, a re-designer is kinda like a designer except that they take all the stuff you already have and find innovative new ways of putting it together so that it appears fresh, cool, au currant, haute, etc.

Our re-designer was busy last week working on our living room. He goes by the name Alla Coupear. Here is a sample of his work. Tres remarquable, n'est-ce pas (it's good work, huh?)

In Preparation For A Career in Music

MRA LOVES, LOVES, LOVES music. He was on a big Bob Marley kick but really, he appreciates most genres.

Lately, he has been doing this thing which makes me think he will definitely have a career in music, maybe. He makes this aaaaaabbaaaaaaahhhhh sort of sound and then he takes his fist and runs it across his mouth which changes the pitch and tone (I guess that's the right term - but having no musical ability or training it could be something else). So pitch/tone, whatever, noise gets changed. It reminds me of when trombone players stick the end of a plunger into the trombone to change it up.

We have been listening to Trombone Shorty alot over the past months. In fact, I don't think that CD has been out of the player in over a year. Maybe it is all having an effect on  him? Maybe he will become a famous jazz musician. Which might be fine (if he does not get derailed by alcohol, drugs, and late nights closing smoky bars) because I would really like backstage passes to several jazz festivals around the country and I would love to meet Branford Marsalis, oh, and also Dave Brubeck (but he won't live to see MRA become a musical genius).

If the music thing doesn't work out, well... I guess there is the WWF. He practices for that, too. Just ask Cooper. Although we'll have to think of a better name for him. I don't think Butterbean or Sweet-Tart will bode well for either profession.

Morgan and Addelyn

Check out Baby Addie's 1st birthday party. She and Morgan and tons of fun.
http://babyaddelyn.blogspot.com/2010/07/happy-birthday-addelyn.html

I'm Gonna Get You Sucka

Month nombre huit (that's number eight for those of you who took Spanish) has brought many new developments and LOTS of changes to the Angel house. Most notably, MOVEMENT!!!!!

MRA figured out how to get going and can't seem to stop!

What does this mean, exactly? Well, we have to pay a lot more attention and can no longer plop him down in the hall outside the bathroom while we get ready in the morning.  Which is a royal pain in the butt. However, Cooper has probably been the most affected (effected, affected, I never get it right - but you can make the mental leap, right?)

MRA now tracks Cooper down and climbs him like Mt. Everest. Coop is a good sport for a while but he definitely has his limits. When his patience have hit the max, Cooper tries to politely walk away. At which time MRA tracks him down. This is what it may look like from Cooper's perspective...

Now with all this exciting activity, we (mistakenly) thought it would help MRA with his daily naps, but nooooooo way, Jose. MRA still fights his naps. This past weekend we put him in his crib for a nap and let him cry for a few minutes. He did, eventually, fall asleep... sitting up. He's just couldn't give in all the way. Stubborn little guy. Wonder where he gets that from????

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

Jonathan and I spent the 4th of July in Charleston, our old stomping grounds. It had been a while since we had been back. We spent the drive up reminiscing and planning where we were going to shop and more importantly eat and drink.

Upon arrival it was easy to see that things had not changed too terribly much. The city is still beautiful. We still think we fit in better there than here. We still needed reservations for our favorite restaurants (you always need reservations in Charleston) and we still did not make them - which laid waste to various parts of the plan.

Much like in years past we ended up at Wild Wing. We missed the fireworks but, hey, 13 years later Plane Jane is still playing every Sunday night so, who needs fireworks? Anyone whose ever seen Plane Jane knows that PLANE JANE ROCKS and also knows precisely when to yell that out. We had fun. Some of us had too much fun.

What became apparent Monday morning afternoon when we woke up was what HAD changed. Us. In fact, we may be the only apparent change. We were amongst the older folk in the bar (when you get old, you start using terms like folks). We felt like we were 28 again, at least Sunday night and early Monday morning. We crapped out at a respectable 1:30 as opposed to closing the bar and were back to the hotel by 2 except Jonathan went back out to find pizza (which was really good at 2:30 am - thanks, babe!).

And, oohhhhh, the hangover. I never got hangovers before (before 30 something? before baby?). But now, now, a whole different ballgame. Not the headachey hangover but the dehydrated, sour mouthed, sick-to-your-stomach-all-day-not-even-she-crab soup sounds good kind of hangover. Jonathan did better than I. It was an ALL day recovery. When I was 28, I probably would have had a bloody mary (hair of the dog) in the hopes that it would help - it usually did. But I felt like I had pushed my "I am a new mom out for the first time on a long weekend without the kiddo" status to far.

Are more changes in store. Probably. Next time MRA will be with us and we'll probably take a carriage ride and do all the touristy things that you don't do as a resident unless people are there to visit. We will probably skip seeing Plane Jane on Sunday night. I'll probably have the bloody mary!

There's A First Time For Everything

At no time in my life has this made more sense. It dawned on me today while looking through the photos of Morgan on the camera that there really is a first time for eveything. I wish I could remember some of the more joyous firsts in my life, you know, the firsts that he is experiencing right now that make him smile and laaugh and coo. Here are some pictures of his most recent firsts... most of them revolve around food. I am not sure what that says about us?????

First ride on Mamma's shoulders (during which he laughed and laughed and laughed and pulled my hair out.) Only this child could cause me to post a picture on the internet sans make-up.

First blueberry pancake (made by Pawpaw). I think he liked smooshing it in his hands more than eating it but he did, eventually, eat most of it. And yes, the Valentine Day was part of the Valentine Day package from Grandma.

First time at Phillipie Creek Oyster Bar AND eating an entire Saltine by himself (not just the little pieces I put in his mouth).  MRA must have eaten 4 of these.

                                      

First time discovering all the crazy cool things that might be on the ceiling of an oyster bar - whhhooooaaaaa.

                                                    

First Father's Day present - a dark chocolate tool set. MRA did not get to try it but the rest of us enjoyed the chocolate!

                                          

Stand tall my little Prince

Guess who walked into their baby's room yesterday morning to find him standing!? Yes, standing, standing all by himself holding on to the side of his crib.

Last week MRA learned how to move himself from lying down to sitting in his crib all by himself. At that time, we lowered the mattress which led to MRA discovering how to lay on his belly and pull down the bumper just enough to peek over and see when we were coming into his room. (He's so smart!) I have been meaning get a picture of this but I thought I had more than a few days before the next milestone.

But no, this morning, this morning, he was standing. And standing tall, smiling his toothless, gummy smile and taking it all in.

Note to self: carry camera into nursery when bringing MRA his morning bottle.