Winter Wonderland

This is the view out our windows that we've woken up to every day this week. It is a very enchanting winter wonderland. I love everything about it - except for driving in it.

Ready for Bed

Calvin last night ready for bed. I let him watch a little bit of Make Way for Noddy before tucking him in. He was being cute, so I took pictures. Probably only his grandparents will care.

northern virginia in a nutshell (by special guest blogger Andrew)

I'm back in Northern Virginia, home to the entitled masses, endless traffic, and ...well... if you've ever been here then you know. I was sitting at the bar of a restaurant in Reston town center, either because it's usually quicker as a lone traveler to get food this way or because I'm just a raging alcoholic. It's Monday, but the bar is packed with people drinking, carousing, and generally having a merry time. However, beside me sat two local IT workers discussing their support responsibilities such as fixing workstation IP addresses, resetting misbehaving routers, and other minutiae that only an IT person would discuss over a beer. Dressed in embarrassingly ugly Gap clothes and old loafers, they belabored politics and local housing prices and I had to listen because beside them was the only seat left at this busy bar.

Finally, when they were on their third beer (that I had seen), and acting really somber, the guy with a crewcut stated "I can't stand to have my cell phone near my head any more. It's giving me memory loss."

The guy with the uglier sweater replied, as if in a separate conversation "Yeah, if a cop sees you talking, he can pull you over."

Mr. Crewcut IT-man then said "I only use speakerphone and hold my phone out in front of me. I can't stand to make it any worse." and he finished this by taking another long drink of his beer.

I almost spit out my dinner. I wanted to buy him another round for being so brilliant, but I needed to leave before I laughed in his face. So remember kids, every time you use that cell phone, you're ...ummm... I don't remember.

Thirteen Months Old Today (9 days ago)

Dear Calvin,

I had intended to stop writing you these letters at your twelve month mark, but you still continue to grow and amaze me every day. It would be a shame to miss out on recording those special moments. For your thirteenth month, here are the things that stand out:

• You are becoming increasingly independent. You will run off and play on your own for extended periods of time, and then return to me at the dish sink or laundry room or computer, put your arms out for me to pick you up, give me a big hug, and then scamper back to whatever it is you were doing. It's like you love feeling like a big boy on your own, but every once in a while you like to make sure I'm still there.
  
• Every night when I put you to bed, I fan your face with your fuzzy blue blanket. You laugh and laugh, and then once I turn out the light you go straight to sleep. You are a wonderful sleeper.
• Your daddy gives you a bath every night so mommy has 10 minutes of alone time. Sometimes we both give you a bath together. You still love the water.
  
• You still take two naps a day. You love sleep. For the past month you've been getting up increasingly later, taking a morning and an afternoon nap, and you still go straight to sleep at night.
• You still drink a bottle when I put you down for bed. It's horrible that I still let you, and every night I say to myself, "tomorrow is the day I'll start to wean him." But it always makes you so happy, and that makes me happy. I'm a sucker - someday you'll appreciate that about me.
  
• You don't remember how to just walk anymore, your little feet have to run everywhere you go.
• You love to hear yourself talk. Your current favorite things to say are apple, gob'm, and Oh Doe. We aren't sure what gob'm means, but you say it most often. Oh Doe we think may mean "oh no" because it's usually when you fall or drop something or don't get what you want. You also love to shake your head no.
• I love that you'll come take one of my fingers in your pudgy fist and lead me where you want to go - if you want to take a nap, watch tv, go downstairs, play outside, or whatever, you'll just come take us by the hand and lead us there so there's no mistaking your needs.
• You're obsessed with Gerber cheese puffs. Even when I'm trying to be tricky in the store so you don't see them, you always spot them in the cart and then try prying the lid off with your two bottom teeth.
  
• You are becoming increasingly determined to get your way. You wiggle down when people try to hold you; if we tell you no, you hurry to run and do it anyway before we can catch you (like throwing the comb in the toilet yesterday), and you have this long, high-pitched screech that we are privileged to hear any time you are not happy. Today at church, you were mad that I wouldn't let you run around, so you took the wooden puzzle pieces that I was trying to get you interested in, and before I could stop you, you threw them as hard as you could at the head of the man in front of you. You're a rowdy, rambunctious, energetic little boy, and it's always interesting to see what you'll do next.
• You love watching 101 Dalmations - it's the only full-length cartoon you'll watch. We think it's all the puppies.
• People still think you're the cutest kid ever.

Calvin, you are a sweet and cuddly little boy when you're in the mood, and you're an inquisitive, determined little pill when you're in that mood. We wouldn't change a thing about you. You make our lives so much richer and more fulfilling, and we're so grateful that thirteen months ago you came to live in our home.

We love you!

Daddy and Mommy

Snow Day

Today we had about 6 inches of perfect snow and attempted to introduce Calvin to the fluffy white magic. He was less than impressed in the beginning, but after getting acquainted with the stuff it was all we could do to get him back into the house.