Weeding the Garden

Carly and I were embarrassed at all the weeds in our garden so we headed out there this morning before George and Renee came to visit. We picked the weeds and Logan was kind enough to help us, only most of what he picked was mud and pebbles which went into his mouth. He got very messy and it was adorable. Didn't take any pictures, but I am going to start that up again.

Anyway, we're looking forward to a nice weekend with the family.

Start the Day with Crying

Logan wakes up nearly every day crying. Doesn't seem like the greatest way to start the day, but he does it that way.

I'm headed to the Cubs game today with Kevin and so I am dropping Logan off at my parent's house for the day. I had contemplated taking Logan to his first game, but it might be a little hot in the bleachers for him. Anyway, that's all for now, folks.

Mmm...Lunch

I got somewhat creative today for lunch and got out the ol' food processor. I threw a pink lady apple in there along with some raw pecans and some yobaby yogurt. After slicing and dicing Logan had a refreshing and healthy lunch. He really enjoyed it. I was getting jealous and tried some myself and I have to admit it was delicious.

Been spending the day cleaning house. I also called Empire today to get an estimate on new carpet. They had a buy one room get two room free deal that seems too good to be true. I guess I'll find out. Well, not too much more to say right now.

Yuck, McDonalds

Logan tried his first McDonald's cheesburger yesterday...and he didn't like it. After Carly got back from school we took a long walk to the post office. Of course it started to rain when we were the farthest point away from our house, but no worries since we brought an umbrella and Logan has his waterproof Chariot jogging stroller. Anyway, McDonald's was across the street from the post office and we decided to get dinner there in hopes of waiting out the heavy rain. Logan has had homemade burger patties and enjoys them most of the time, but was not into the McDonald's burgers. Most all of it ended up on the floor. I guess a dislike for cheeseburgers runs in the family because Carly doesn't like 'em either. Logan filled up on fries and when we got home he had some yogurt and fake chicken patties. Maybe he's a vegetarian baby after all?

Busy Memorial Day

The Hill family was busy this weekend and blogging didn't happen. We went to a fabulous wedding on Saturday. The bride and groom got married at the courthouse and then had a big party in their parent's backyard. They cooked a whole big spread of Indian food which was amazing. It really inspired me to try to make my own homemade Indian food instead of the canned/bagged stuff I usually get. At the party, Logan made a friend with a girl his own age, Sage. They didn't do too much together, but Logan seemed fascinated by her. He also was interested in the awesome pond that was in the yard, a pond replete with tadpoles.

On Sunday we had a nice time at Leah and Josh's BBQ festivities. Logan was a good boy although was a bit too interested in Josh's nice t.v. and gaming systems for my comfort. We made it a somewhat early night and got Logan in bed a little later than usual, but no big deal.

Yesterday we had a nice Memorial day although we didn't do too much. We made a shopping trip and pretty much hung out around the house. I spent from 6:00 to 12:30 doing some plumbing work in the basement in preparation for the shower I am re-putting in. I took my time and soldered a whole bunch of joints and guess what: no leaks! I feel like a genuine Mario brother plumber. Logan was quietly sleeping the whole time I was plumbing and he even slept in this morning so I got a bit of extra rest although Carly still had to go to school and wake up early. Not too much longer though.

Time is a Flyin'

I didn't blog yesterday and I didn't even realize it. Oops. I fear that Daddy is Home will lose some steam as the summer gets ever closer. Perhaps I will have more quality posts if I blog a few times a week instead of my promised everyday? I started this blog because I wanted to capture the minutiae of my experiences with Logan when I was at home full-time. And actually, (here's my loophole justification), Carly will be at home with me after June 9th. So yeah...I will try to blog everyday until June 9th and then see how it goes from there.

Yesterday was a good day with Logan. We had fun during the day (pushing his lawn mower up and down the sidewalk) and he had a lot of fun in the evening. Mom got home early and I spent the whole afternoon and evening replacing a drum trap with pvc piping along with the whole tub/shower get up. It took longer than I had thought, but I got it done (despite gluing the wrong pipe to the wrong pipe) and Logan took his bath on time.

While I was doing this, Logan and Mom were playing outside, going for walks, and eating good food. I took a break around 7:00 and Logan was playing with Jackson, the next-door neighbor two-year-old, in the backyard like a big boy. It felt all summery and I was happy and got nostalgic. Logan is growing up so quick and he'll be all independent before I know it.

Mr. Crabby Learns a New Trick

Logan has learned how to turn the t.v. off and on. It's annoying! Before, he thought the logo was more interesting than the on/off button. Pressing the Samsung logo doesn't do anything. Pressing the on/off button however turns the t.v. on and off! Go figure. When you are trying to watch Oprah or Jeopardy, well, having a baby turn the t.v. on and off gets old real quick. Maybe it's for the best though.

Logan has cranked up the crankiness today. I took a grape sucker away from him and he freaked out. Oh well.

Logan has also learned how to close doors...sometimes open them. He has been closing his nursery door and then cries when he can't open it. Gotta go and open it. Later.

Can't Think of a Title

Logan is becoming such an agile little monkey. He really seems to enjoy climbing on/over things now. I boost him onto the couch and he crawls across onto the little table we have. He then tries to stand on the table. It's cute and dangerous.

He walked all over the place today. We visited my parents and he was walking up and down little molehills, running down the hill and tripping over his feet, and trudging up the hills slowly. He also chased the cat and dogs around the house. He did a nice job on the stairs (supervised of course) and is getting the handle on walking on uneven surfaces. It really is adorable watching him toddle around because he still seems so tiny and his little buddha belly sticks out in front of him. I love it. Anyway, I'm so very proud of little walking Logan.

Phew

Logan is asleep now and I am grateful. I was ready for a break! Carly was too and is at the salon getting a cut and color; I'm glad she's getting some time to herself. She needs it. Only a little over two weeks of school left! We are ready.

I put Logan down early for his own safety. Seriously, he must have fallen down hard at least 20 times today. He was all over everywhere. I'd say he walks places now over 50 percent of the time and so he falls more.

He loves outside and we went swimming in his little froggy pool today which was fun. In the afternoon he was Mr. Crabby and, yes, Mr. Fally Down. He bit his tongue or lip during one episode and drooled blood all over the bed sheets. Let's see, what else was trying today? He had four dirty diapers, count 'em: four. Why is he pooping that much? His diaper rash is still hangin' on despite our best efforts to eradicate it. What else? We did not have a cooperative dinner experience. Logan was being bratty and pitching a fit. That seems to be the way he is now. Carly and I are a bit worried that we are going to have a bratty child. If you take something away from him, or do something he doesn't want to do, Logan whines/cries and goes into a full body convulsion and or limp goosey. I understand he can't yet communicate and gets frustrated sometimes because he wants to do something and can't (or we won't let him), but it seems like he does his tantrum routine all the time. All the time! We are at a loss for how to change this behavior or stop it from happening. Hopefully it's just a phase and when he gets words he won't be so bratty, although I'm not so sure.

The answers to my questions ended up in my email inbox.

Monday, Monday, Monday

Carly is almost done with school and I am so excited about that. She only has two more Mondays (since next Monday is off). It's hard to believe, but I might actually survive this adventure at home with Logan. Starting off I wasn't sure how I would like staying at home. Logan and I soon fell into a rhythm however and we haven't looked back. More to come on these thoughts...

Broken Nose Baby

Last night before bed Logan decided to flip a little wagon into his face. Carly thought he broke his nose, and for a second, I did too, but Logan quickly calmed down and so I felt better about it. I assumed a broken nose would hurt a lot more and give Logan something to cry about, and since he wasn't, I figured it would be alright. He looks like a little baby prizefighter. Poor guy.

Springin' a Leak

Since we are sick and tired of Logan's diaper rash, we've decided to let it air out today. For most of the day he has been diaper-less which leads to, well, pee-pee on the floor-ee. Watching Logan pee on the floor doesn't ever get old. He's done it about three times now already and I'm sure there is more to come. The good news is that he has only done it on the linoleum and wood floors so nothing to soak up; if he had chosen the carpet or the couch or the bed or our jeans I don't think it would be so cute. Anyway, it's been a cleaning day so far this Saturday and in a few minutes or so I think it's going to turn into a gardening day. We're headed to Lowe's to get the last vegetable plants for the garden.

Rainy Day Garage Sales

I knew the weather wasn't going to be very pleasant today and I didn't feel like being stuck in the house so Logan and I ventured out to a neighborhood garage sale in St. Charles near my parent's house. I was hoping we could get lucky and have a few hours of dry weather. We met my sister, Jackie, and made it to about 5 or so sales before it started to drizzle on us. For the amount of times that Logan was in and out of his car seat, he did surprisingly well and was not crabby. In fact, he was in a pleasant mood, smiling at my sister and flirting with random strangers looking for good garage sale pickings. In about 20 minutes, the rain was coming down a little too quick and it was time for Logan and I to make the trip back home. It was also nap time so Logan got his snooze on in the car, and even is asleep now in his crib. I managed to spend about 10 dollars at the sales and got some good stuff. Logan has some water shoes, a new pair of pants, swim trunks, and a swim shirt. I also bought a small fishtank, a bedrail guard for when he is sleeping in a big boy bed, and a few other nick knacks like baby hangers. These sales were in a rather "upscale" neighborhood so they had lots of good stuff. My sister bought a lot of gear for her new arrival in November. Exciting! Logan will have a cousin.

Freak Out at the Pediatrician's Office

I think it is fair to say that Logan now understands the doctor's office is not a fun place for him. We took him in to get his diaper rash checked out, in fear it was a yeast infection, which it is. T.M.I. I know. Anyway, Logan was not having any sort of examination done to him. He even cried when I undressed him to get weighed. I think he knows the routine now and he knows that unpleasant things happen to him in that place. Granted, it was close to his nap time, however, he is still playing in his crib now so I guess he wasn't that sleepy. He was shrieking and wigging out which made the whole visit very unpleasant. I hope it's not always like this, although I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Nobody really likes going to the doctor, do they?

Request for Pictures

Here are more pictures from Mother's Day. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Baby?

How do you raise a vegetarian baby? Our plan is to feed Logan extraordinary amounts of meat until he implodes. Just kidding (in case you couldn't tell). Our plan to make Logan a vegetarian, or flexitarian as I like to think of myself (hey, I had to try the new KFC grilled chicken the other day) is to allow Logan to have whatever the heck he will eat, and then hope that our influence as his parents leads him down the path that we've chosen for ourselves (and not so secretly for him). With that said, Logan enjoyed some juicy chunks of cheeseburger yesterday at the Mother's Day festivities. Carly and I were happy that we found another source of protein that Logan seems to like to eat; however, now we have to buy meat and shop for it and cooking it isn't pleasant for us anymore--the power of conditioning, I guess. But we'll suffer through the aroma and satisfying texture of meat because of love. We love Logan and want him to grow up big, strong, and hearty. As long as the fire is hot enough, it doesn't matter what the fuel is, right? Anyway, ideally, of course, we'd like Logan to eat the same things we do but for now, he gets anything he wants except excessive sweets and all the processed crap out there. We are trying the whole reverse psychology thing. If we were to force a vegetarian diet on our baby, I think he'd end up rebelling eventually and be the biggest carnivore on the planet. But if we take the moderate path and let him eat meat then hopefully he'll become conscious of the food he eats and someday come to the same ethically-based conclusions we have. And if not, well, we'll be able to live with that.

Bad Touch!

When you take 186 photographs in the course of a half an hour you're bound to get some good ones and some bad ones. One of these pictures is bad touch, the other is cute. It's not hard to tell which is which. Well, Mother's Day was a good time had by all. Hope everyone else got out and enjoyed the weather like we did.


Good!


Bad!

Walk Hard

Logan has been steadily getting more confident in his walking. I thought you should know.

Kickin' the Bottle

Logan is almost officially off the bottle. It wasn't very hard and he doesn't seem to miss it all that much. We've been giving him whole milk for a month now and for the past two weeks or so we've been giving him sippy cups primarily. I expected him to have a harder time with getting off the bottle, but so far it's been easy. He fusses still during nap time a bit and especially when we put him to bed for the night, but overall it's been ok. It's awfully cute watching him feed himself with the sippy cup although he does get a bit frustrated sometimes if you don't let him do it himself. Anyway, I can't say I miss mixing up the formula, but I do occasionally miss giving him his "ba-ba". Logan is growing up and him kickin' the bottle is another reminder of just how fast that is happening.

Interesting Quote

"We don't own 'em [kids], they're just on loan to us."

I heard this quote the other day on t.v. from Justin Chambers. He's on the ABC day-time circuit for the 100th episode of Grey's Anatomy--he plays the swarthy doctor in love with Izzie, the character who "jumped the shark" when she was seeing her dead boyfriend because of a brain tumor. Yes...unfortunately I have seen a few episodes. Anyway, I was struck by that quote and appreciated the sentiment.

We don't own our kids. Truly, they are a gift and it's our job to do the best we can in raising them. Being conscious of the fact that they are their own little independent selves is an important thing to remember from day to day. Sure we have to set boundaries and try to get them to stop throwing their sippy cup full of milk on the ground, but then again, we also have to realize that they are independent beings with their own purpose here on earth. No one owns anyone else in this world, even though it seems like people try.

This train of thought gets me thinking about something else I saw on t.v. I also watched a Frontline documentary on the sex trade involving women in European countries. It broke my heart to hear these stories and see people still treating people/women like property. It's maddening the world we live in. Makes me want to scream. How can all sorts of good things happen while simultaneously all sorts of bad things happen? What is the nature of this world? Of humanity? Of myself even? Carly was using this really interesting article for class the other day. It discussed an ethical issue. From what I read, this guy, Peter Singer, calculated that it would take $200 dollars to save the life of a starving child. It's more involved than how I am expressing it, but basically he states that if we are to consider ourselves "moral" then everyone with disposable income, i.e. Americans, should forego all luxury spending and give it to those in need. If we don't, then we shouldn't fool ourselves self-righteously proclaiming we are "moral" people. Again, I've way simplified his argument and it was much more convincing than I'm making it out to be. However, he has a strong point, I think. Google the article yourself for the moral of this story. Well, enough philosophical angst for now. If you've stayed with me let me get back to my original point. We should cherish our children and the time we have with them. Simple, but difficult when they won't nap and are being fussy.

Panera: Lunch Paradise

I wanted to get out of the house today so I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart (our Target is now closed) in order to get a sheperd's hook and some water softener salt. I plan on hanging the hummingbird feeder outside our bedroom window on the sheperd's hook so hopefully we have some little birdie visitors. After out shopping extravaganza it was around lunchtime and I decided I didn't feel like going back home so we went to Panera. I was going to have Logan nibble off my food but then I decided what the heck and bought him the kiddie grilled cheese meal. It came with yogurt and I also bought a milk. Logan nearly ate everything. He seemed to really enjoy the sandwich and was slurping down the milk and yogurt like there was no tomorrow. I don't know what got in to him, but he was hungry this lunchtime and I was pleased considering it cost us $14.00 for him and I to eat lunch. Panera is good, but it's expensive. Anyway, it was nice hanging out and being social with my baby. After the meal we went home and planted some herbs in the garden. Logan decided to eat dirt and throw dirt up in the air, getting it all in his hair. It was cute, but messy.

Oh, the Messes He Makes

Logan slept through the night last night and is doing fine with the rash. It looks horrible but he seems ok.


I'd like to blog about his messiness today. "Babies be messy" to say it in slang! It's awfully tiring to mop the kitchen floor (or watch Carly do it) and then have Logan, in one meal mind you, completely destroy all semblance of cleanliness. Sure, it comes with the territory of raising kids, I get that. But the nature of a blog is to bitch and so I'll continue to complain about Logan's messiness. He took four gross, disgusting poopies today. And as one of my first ever posts said, we use re-usable fuzzi bunz diapers, so the poop just doesn't go away...we have to clean it out. There's a pile of stinky diapers stinkin' up our bathroom right now because I can't bring myself to face them. Anyway, ok. I got the complaining out of my system. "BABIES BE MESSY!" In the background of this picture you can see our dirty kitchen floor.

Rash-tastic!

Logan has a rash all over his poor, little body and it's itchy and nasty. It seems he has had some sort of allergic reaction to the antibiotics. Luckily he got seven days in before this happened so at least he's kicked out the ear infection, however he was supposed to be taking it for 10 days. He's not anymore because of this:



The rash came on last night in the middle of the night. (Why does he always get sick on Sundays?) He did not sleep well, at all. Therefore, we did not sleep well, at all. We thought he was just being fussy pants Logan and so we tried to ignore him, tried to soothe him, and tried to bring him to bed with us--normal stuff. None of that worked too well so we just suffered, as did he. When he woke up with the morning light I then saw what he was so fussy about. Poor guy. I took him to the pediatrician yet again and it's benadryl and anti-itch cream for Logan. It seems that this is a fairly common thing, but it still sucks. Nobody likes to see their child covered in itchy rash.

Crab Walk

We spent most of the day outside enjoying the beautiful weather. I was busy hanging a new door so Carly watched Logan quite a bit today. He was in shorts since it was warm outside and he decided to do a hilarious version of the crab walk in the grass. He didn't want to walk, yet crawling didn't feel good in the grass I guess, so Logan arched his back and crawled like a crab. We want him to walk but he doesn't feel confident yet. Anyway, we had a good day and I got sunburned. Hopefully Logan is ok.

Back to Blogging

Sorry that I've been M.I.A. the past two days. I have no excuse for my absence from the blogosphere other than a touch of laziness. But I'm back with a vengeance now and have plenty to say...along with pictures. For example:

Carly and I have had three nights of uninterrupted sleep. Logan finally feels better so the antibiotics must be doing the trick. He loves his twice daily medicine, sucking down the orange flavored antibiotics like candy. They don't really seem to be having any side effects so that is good.

Logan has a new trick in his repertoire: he discovered that he has the ability to peer through his legs while upside down. It's very cute and endearing. He stands up, then rests his head on the ground peering through his legs upside down. He played this game for about 15 minutes the other day and I thought at one point that he was going to transition into a full headstand. Maybe he'll be a gymnast someday. Time for another picture:


Logan had a nice time at his great grammy's 75th birthday. Here he is enjoying the company of his great aunties. Well...I guess that's enough for now. We are getting ready to enjoy our nice weather weekend. There is so much to do in the yard, garage, and garden that I have to get busy. Stay tuned for our practice camping adventure...perhaps even tonight we might set up the tent in the backyard in preparation for our camping trip to the grand canyon. We'll see how Logan likes to "rough it."