wild*life

It’s the last day of 2011… and I’m getting Nate’s 9 month stats up on the blog just 27 hours before he turns 10.  I’ll aim to be more timely next year.

Weight: 22 lbs 3.4 oz: 76.30% (down from 85.65%)
Height: 2′ 4.5″: 59.91% (down from 90.85%)
Head Circumference: 45.5cm: 56.72% (up from 53%)

It appears, based on the data, that Natesy is now rollier than he is pollier.  I’m pretty sure this is just the calm before the storm.

He’s now a super speedy all-fours crawler.  Grandma can no longer refer to him with her politically incorrect description of his previous method of transport.  You should see him when he hears Jakey coming full-force from another room.  He either gets really excited and rushes to see what all the raucous is, or he turns and crawls for his life.  For good reason.

Based on this new level of activity, you’d think he’d be slimming down, but there’s been another turn of events.  Mr. Bananas Only Clamp-Lips now opens his little birdie mouth when anything resembling a spoon enters his airspace.  I was gearing-up to donate the exotic baby food medleys to a holiday food drive: banana, beet and blueberry?  Maybe for some unconventional, extreme-sport loving baby.  And broccoli, peas and pear?  I’m pretty sure a little pear will not be enough to mask the flavor of an actual vegetable.

We don’t really know what happened.  I’d like to take credit for some kind of grueling food training regimen or parental culinary miracle, but alas, I can’t.  His food switch flipped and now he likes it all.  He still does the Nate-shudder at the first bite of something new, but I fed him tuna salad today without incident.  Sometimes he’ll store up bites in his little squirrel cheeks, but those chubby fists can’t seem to shove cubes of pumpkin bread in fast enough.

Up next: locating his sleep switch.

Well, I wrote that blog earlier today… and then I saw this:

How impressive is that?!  To think, before he was famous, he used to call my cell phone, babble and then hang-up.

(Costa, if you’re reading this… Call me. *wink*)

All parents are over-impressed with their kids’ gifts and talents… it’s just an endearing fact of raising miniature people.  Last Thursday Natesy waved goodbye to Grandma for the first time.  We cheered and clapped like love-sick groupies.

It’s been no different with Jakey.  Just a week ago, he was looking at his favorite “cooking magazine” with his Daddy.  It’s actually a toy catalog.  They seem to rain down on our home in torrents from October through January.  “I want Santa bring me all these toys.”

So they’re reading the cooking magazine and Jake notices a telescope.
“Look Daddy, a listenscope.”

He’s told us about listenscopes before… we have no idea where they came from.

“What’s that for Jakey?” I ask.
“For watching meteor showers.”
“What’d you say?”
“For watching meteor showers.”
“Huh.  I thought that’s what you said.”  (See?  Clearly, as his mom, I’m impressed that at 2-years-old we’re discussing meteor showers.)

This morning he was using his toothbrush to “paint” on the bathroom window.

“Jakey, please stop putting your toothbrush on the window.  It goes in your mouth and that’s probably dirty.”
“I’m painting Mama.”
“Yes, I see you’re painting, but that’s yucky.”
“I’m painting a masterpiece Mama.”

Never argue with an artist.  Just nod in awe.

I do my best not to publish our dirty laundry on the internet– though it is tempting.  When surrounded by little boys, there is no limit to the number of embarrassing incidents and humbling anecdotes that are best not documented for the entire world to read.  Now with that said… here I go:

One of our favorite family rituals of 2011 has been waking-up on a weekend morning, driving the hill to Kelly’s Bakery for breakfast on the west side and then grocery shopping at New Leaf.  I must put in a plug for New Leaf as the unspoiled, crowd-free alternative to Whole Paycheck.  Jake can run through the aisles, barely harassing a soul.  I love it.  Except for inadvertently buying a jar of organic almond butter for $24– we’ve only had positive experiences with New Leaf.  Fortunately they accepted the return of said platinum-infused sandwich spread without hassle.  It had to have contained precious metals, right?

So back to my story.  We eat our usual deliciousness and Jake and I decide to go outside to chase birdies while Daddy and Natesy finish-up.  We’re in this very cute boutique store and Jakey is being so good “Not touching anything because it’s fragile, Mama?” when my cell phone rings.  In a tone I can only describe as irritated desperation, James implores me to meet him at the car immediately.

Jake and I show-up in our naivete and Nate is half naked on the tailgate on a brisk December morning, as I have the diaper bag.  Please pardon yet one more tangent…  when Jakey was a little baby I clearly remember one changing table incident I’ll describe no further than to say: Armpits.  OK, back to the tailgate.  If Jake can be summed-up as Armpits, Nate can be summed-up as Ankles.  There wasn’t a shred of clothing that survived.  Normally I would be prepared for such calamities, but I seem to have gotten overconfident.  We had to wrap a naked, freshly diapered Nathaniel up in a blanket and take him grocery shopping.  James was mortified to report on the state of the high chair he had frantically vacated–  when I heard this additional detail I must admit, I almost peed my pants laughing.  I really hope we can go back without being recognized.  You may find us at Gayle’s Bakery for the next few months…

It seems that was day one of Nate’s first bout with the stomach flu.  After a four outfit day yesterday, today I wised-up and dressed him in camo.

I’ve never really wondered what the best sound in the entire world is… and then I heard it.  The virtuous cycle of Natesy giggling, which makes Jakey giggle, which makes Natesy giggle even harder.  I’m sure even Mozart would agree.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, Jakey started calling us Mom and Dad.  And he wouldn’t stop begging to drive the car.  Apparently 2 is the new 16.

Today’s Natesy’s 9-month birthday!  I can hardly believe how fast he is growing up.  Happy Birthday my adorable baby… or should I say big boy?!

It seems he’s just become horizontally mobile and then… last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, he pulled himself up into a standing position.  I just about fell over into the fetal position.

Maybe it’s all this talk of the Greek debt crisis.  Maybe it’s just that “back to school” time of year.  I’ve come to a distinct and indisputable truth… I’m the only girl… living in a frat house.  And my fraternity house is called Sigma Zu.

Case in point:
* Cars and trucks parked haphazardly, everywhere.
* Every week is rush.
* Someone threw-up in the bathroom.  Claimed it was milkshakes.  For all I know it was mudslides.
* Constant late night partying, yelling, whimpering.
* Heavy drinking.  Every three hours.
* Force-feeding new pledges.
* Wrestling.  Non-stop wrestling.
* Hours of required reading.
* And many a night I’ve woken-up wondering who is lying next to me.

I’m thinking of running for President.

Jake only knows the name of one place in the whole world.  And I’m pleased as punch to report that once place is…  Santa Cruz.  I’m so proud.

Lately he spends a lot of time telling us about “his work.”

“Mama, I need to get my jet shoes.  I forgot them at my work.”

“Where’s your work?”

“In Santa Cruz.”

His work also has a fire pole, big jet, horses, a broken computer, and all kinds of good food.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think maybe Jake’s landed a job at Google?