Stay Classy

Splish Splash...

Brady has really been too big for his infant bath for awhile now, but for some reason I just never took it out of the tub. Lately, though, he's been actively trying to climb out of it (which is both frustrating and dangerous)... so I decided it was officially time to graduate to the normal tub.

I wish I had done it sooner.

Brady had so much fun. Seriously. He now thinks the bath is the coolest. thing. ever. There was kicking and splashing and giggling and general frivolity-- so much so that I couldn't get a decent in-focus picture (we SO need a better camera). This was the best I could do.   

 

That little dinosaur he's chewing on was also a big hit. There's a set of 5 or 6 of them, and they squirt water, which Brady thinks is hysterical.

Maybe Ernie was right after all-- maybe tubbie time is the very best time of day!

Maybe now he'll believe

It's one of the funny things about human nature-- we tend to take for granted the things that we're best at.

Take Paul, for example. He's a good designer. A really good designer. I don't just say that because he's my husband-- in fact, I don't feel qualified to proclaim anyone a good designer because I don't have enough insight into good vs. bad design. But according to people who really know what they're talking about, my husband is one pretty talented guy.

The problem is that designing is easy for him. He'll create something pretty astounding (lately it's been e-books), and then be confused when people are impressed. He's even been reluctant to charge people for his work, because it was, for the most part, easy. Sure, it took time and concentration and creativity and insight-- but if they had the right training, anyone could have done it, right?

Wrong. And now we have the proof.

Paul's latest design venture was an e-book for a group called Triiibes, which was started by Seth Godin. If you're not a part of the world of marketing, you probably have never heard of Seth Godin-- but in that world, he's pretty much the guru. Something like a quarter of a million people read his blog every day, and he's had multiple books on the New York Times bestseller list. When Seth speaks, people listen.

Anyway, the e-book Paul designed was a labor of love by a couple of dozen people, all volunteering their time to create a product. Paul worked on it late at night, after putting in a full day's work and watching Brady all evening. Lately, he's always up working when I get home at 11pm, even though he gets up for work at 5:30am.

The book was published today on Seth Godin's blog, along with a note from Seth that said (in part): "Not only is there a juicy insight on every page, but I'm comfortable saying it's the best designed PDF I've ever seen, worth making into a template for your next project." He also sent Paul an email telling him that he wouldn't have said it if it weren't true.

One of the best-known marketers in the world just called the e-book, which Paul did 100% of the design for, the best designed web document he's ever seen. And he did it in a hugely public forum.

As you might imagine, I'm just a little bit proud of him.

But of course, anyone could have done it... right, honey?

Houston, We Have Teeth!

Well, tooth. But I think that little tooth on the bottom is about to have a friend right next door. And he's actually had that one little tooth for about a month, but I haven't been able to really get a picture of it until now...

 

I'm also thinking a second tooth in the near future is a safe bet because of Brady's new favorite game. He wants to be chewing on something all the time, but his little hands are just too busy to hold anything. The result is that my little boy carries his toys around in his mouth like a puppy, which we find pretty darn hysterical. (And yes, he's in his froggy pj's again. I guess our pajama rotation is predictable.)

 

Happy Friday, everyone!

This post is way too disjointed for a clever title

"Random" I asked for, and random I got! Seriously, you people are weird. I love it! If you have a chance, go read the comments from yesterday's post-- they're pretty darn entertaining. Thanks to everyone who accepted my 'tag'!

As it happens, it was Christina who gave me my 500th comment. For a prize, how about all my wedding books and magazines? Oh, wait... I already dumped them on her. Actually, I was thinking something edible... she'll just have to wait and see. :)_______________________________________________________________________________________

Because of some special assignments I've been doing at work lately, I've found myself in elementary school classrooms three times in the last few weeks. It makes me so happy! As I've mentioned before, my intention when I graduated college was to be a kindergarten teacher, and there's still part of me that wonders what life would have been like if I'd followed that path. Kids that age are just so great-- they want to learn, and are so excited about new information and experiences. 

I've been in the classrooms as part of a series we're doing honoring local teachers. I'm so glad we do it, because I really believe that a good teacher is one of the most powerful things in the world. I've gotten in a few arguments over the past few years with people who insinuate that teaching must be such an easy life, what with being done for the day at 3pm and getting holidays and summers off. The only thing I can think is that these are people who don't know any teachers personally. I know quite a few teachers, and none of them go home at 3 o'clock. The good teachers-- the ones I'd want Brady to have when he's ready for school-- usually end up working far more than 40 hours a week. They do it because they love their students, and believe in them enough to invest their time generally far beyond the 8am-3pm school day.

There's a danger, however, in assuming that teaching is a "calling". While I do believe that the best teachers are probably "called" to the profession, I think that becomes a slippery slope to believing that teachers should be working out of the goodness of their hearts-- and therefore not need to be paid very well. I want my child's teachers to be well-paid professionals, who are valued for their skill. I guess my point is that of all the silly things our tax dollars go to, providing good-- maybe even great-- pay for teachers is not something I worry about. I think this is yet another area that I have a new perspective on now that I'm a parent. If there's anyone we should remember to appreciate, it's the people our children spend their days with-- namely, their teachers.

We all know who the good teachers are-- so let's remember to say thank you!

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There I went on another soapbox! What's with me lately? Y'all came for baby poop talk, right?

In that spirit, I should mention that when I've gone in to get Brady the last few mornings, he has had at least one bogger stuck to his face. Yesterday, it was on his forehead. This morning it was on the bridge of his nose. I think it's because we've had to do a little bit of letting him cry it out lately, and he gets some pretty good snot going... but I'm telling you, this stuff is like dried cement on his face. I have to scrub them off with a wet cloth, which he of course loves-- it causes great wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth and smacking of Mom.   

So how's that for a disjointed post? Clearly, I'm ready for the weekend. Is it Friday yet? 

Tagged Again!

It wasn't that long ago that I was tagged to tell you 6 random things about myself... and now Amanda has tagged me to bring you 7 more! That's a total of 13 random things, people-- more than I'm sure any of you could possibly be interested in. But I do as I'm told, so here goes...

1) Totally unintentionally, every dog I've ever had has had a human name (Lucy, Al, Bella, Molly...). Why don't we just name something Spot already? Do we think we're too good for pet names? What is our problem, anyway?

2) The first thing I ever noticed about Paul was his voice. We were in a show together, but it was a big cast and we'd never spoken. Actually, I don't even think I'd ever really noticed him. Then one day during rehearsals I heard this huge, wonderful baritone... and the rest is history. I also remember thinking he had really nice forearms (is that weird?).

3) My feet are almost completely flat. It's a family trait, and it brings with it really fun ankle and knee issues. I do leave freaky-weird footprints when I get out of a pool, though, so that's kinda neat.

4) My two brothers are almost exactly 20 years apart-- actually, 20 years and 3 days. My younger brother will be 21 next month, and my older brother (who is actually my half-brother, from my dad's first marriage) will be 41.

5)  Depending on how you look at it, the best paying job I ever had was teaching disabled kids to swim when I was in high school. I made $25 per half-hour... which would have been great, except for the fact that I only taught like two lessons a week. Looking at it that way, I suppose you could also say it was the worst paying job I ever had.

6) New sweatshirts and sweatpants are among my favorite things in the world (how sexy is that, right?). Someday when I'm a millionaire, I'll wear them once, then wash and donate them. They're never as soft once they've been washed!

7) My entire college dorm room was decorated in light purple and yellow. It sounded like a good idea at the time... but it ended up being a lot like living in an Easter egg.

So rather than tagging more people, how about I just tag you all? Leave me one random thing about yourself in the comments. One of the next few comments is going to be my 500th... there just might be a prize in it for the person who helps me reach my little milestone!

My Spoon is Too Big

 

We've discovered that old pots and pans + plastic spoon = happy baby.

(If you're not laughing hysterically about the title of this post, you need to watch this. I'm warning you though-- you won't be able to stop saying it!)

Blah

On the one hand...

-It's freezing and raining. Honestly, if it's going to be this miserable out, why doesn't it just snow already?

-It's Monday.

-I'm having a really bad hair day. I blame the freezing rain.

-Brady is either teething or melting. Seriously-- the amount of drool coming out of my kid boggles the mind. Plus, he was up screaming about 8 times last night and refused to go back to sleep. Of course it never occurred to us that he might be teething again, and that there was a medicinal answer to our woes. Now I feel both really guilty and really, really tired.

-It's Monday.

-I have to work on Thanksgiving (and the day after) this year, which means that I'll miss Brady's first Thanksgiving. Actually, I think we're going to just skip Thanksgiving this year, since it's not like Paul is going to stay home alone with a baby and make a turkey.

On the other hand...

-I made Brady laugh so hard with my funny faces this evening that he just started screaming with joy.

-The brown rice and lentil casserole (so healthy! so yummy!) that I made last night was even better reheated tonight.

-My husband doesn't even hesitate to offer to sacrifice for my happiness. It doesn't matter what this was in reference to-- just that he offered.

-I don't have to work on Christmas (or the day after) this year, which means I won't have to miss Brady's first Christmas.

-I love my new winter coat. It's not actually new, but last winter I was too pregnant to button it and it was really more of a cape.

-I have the best baby there ever was. Of course I don't know every baby there ever was, but I'm willing to go out on a limb on this one.

Sometimes a good list can make you feel better, especially on a Monday with freezing rain (which really are two words that should never, ever go together).

Not quite a giant

Quick update...

Brady had his 9-month check-up this morning, and everything looks good.

He's now 20.8 lbs, which puts him in the 50th percentile.

He's 29in long, which puts him in the 75th percentile.

His doctor assures me it's normal for babies to slow down a little in the growth department as they get older... but it's looking like he might not turn out to be the gargantuan kid we thought he was.

You do still have to be nice to him, though, or he'll totally kick your butt. :)

The World's Tiniest Party Animal

Things I learned at Christina and Sean's party on Saturday night:

1) Christina and Sean are awesome for going out of their way to invite Brady to an adults-only party (well, I knew they are awesome... but they proved it once again by figuring out that literally everyone who has ever watched Brady was going to be at their party, meaning we either had to bring him or not go).

2) It is perfectly acceptable to sit down on the floor in the middle of a crowded party, so long as you have a baby with you. People do not look at you like you are weird-- they go "Ohhh, look at the baby!".

3) Real friends are the ones who will sit down on the floor with you in the middle of previously mentioned crowded party.

4) Babies who get all serious in crowds and focus their attention on studying people are extremely intelligent. A doctor told me this, so it must be true, right? Apparently this makes Brady a genius.

5) If you would like to hold my baby, I would really prefer that you ask me directly. Asking the obviously non-verbal child over and over if you can hold him in some passive-aggressive attempt to get me to offer him to you is annoying, and frankly a little creepy.

6) If I have never met you before and you have a beer in your hand and you want me to hand over my baby, the answer is going to be no.

7) I have the greatest baby ever, who will hang out at a party way past his bed time! He didn't even get a little fussy until like 2 hours after he should have been in bed. Clearly, he is a party animal in training.

Froggy Friday

In my humble opinion, there's no better way to end the week than with a happy little boy in froggy pajamas... 

 

But you better look quickly, because he has places to go and things to do! Holding still for a photo shoot is NOT on his adgenda.

 

Happy Friday, everyone!