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news of the boy - 2002 archives
Thursday - December 26, 2002
Dalton has had his first Christmas and it turned out to be a White Christmas, too. As we returned to the house in the mountains last night, there were flurries coming down -- just enough to cover the ground -- which made everything feel right.
Thanks to all for the wonderful gifts bestowed on The Boy (and us!) ... he's enjoying them.
Monday - December 9, 2002
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we're headed down the home stretch towards Christmas. It was great to see Grandma & Grandpa Charlson again, as well as Aunt Karen and Uncle Mark & Aunt Jamie in Indianapolis. The 9-hour car ride wasn't so much fun, but since we left in the wee (wee, WEE) hours of the morn, The Boy slept much of the way. Everyone was amazed at how much Dalton has grown and how much more active he's become. Even the two Sled Dogs really liked The Boy.
Dalton's very first Thanksgiving meal included Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans and Turkey... though I'm glad that we didn't have to share his food. The Turkey, though the jar did say that the only ingredients were "turkey and turkey broth," smelled a little too "dog-foody" for me. Judging by his face, The Boy probably wouldn't rank it up there with his very favorites, either. Mommy has given him some banana and apple, which he really likes, and bits of bread which he enjoys, too.
Annie finally seems to be warming up to Dalton... he was bouncing around in his little jumper chair the other day and she came up and tried to "herd" him. Showing her Border Collie traits again, I suppose, but she's also been spotted hopping up on the bed with him while he takes a nap, which is a major change for her. Previously, her main efforts in regards to The Boy have been to get as far away from him as possible. She's even willing to come up to us when we're holding him and allow Dalton to pet her some. Anitta thinks I may eventually "lose" my dog to Dalton, which would be okay with me. A Boy needs a Dog (and vice versa).
We had our first snow at the new house in the mountains. We got probably five inches of the white stuff, and though the lights flickered briefly once, we never lost power (unlike millions of other folks in the rest of the state, some of whom still have no electricity over a week later!). We were going to make The Boy a snowman, but the snow was too wet to hold together by the time we got around to it, and he got a slush-pile rather than a snowman. Since Dalton is clueless about snow right now, I didn't feel too bad about it; by the first snowfall of next year, he'll probably enjoy it much more.
Wednesday - November 27, 2002
Dalton (and the rest of us) seem to have survived the move to the new house in the mountains, and if we can get all the boxes unpacked, sorted and put away before next spring, we'll all be very happy. By the way, if you need our new address or phone number, shoot me an e-mail.
The Boy got his first tooth the other day. We'd been expecting one of his top teeth to come in, since they've been visible under his gums up there for quite some time now, but surprisingly enough, one of his bottom front teeth poked through first. There's another one right next to it that looks like it'll pop in any day now, too. He's been running his tongue over his new tooth a lot -- I'm sure it's a new sensation for him.
He's getting much bigger (taller, really -- we don't have to roll his pants legs up anymore, which is nice) and more coordinated. If we put him in a sitting position he can stay upright by himself for quite a long time, unless he looks up, and then he kicks back and falls over. Dalton can't crawl yet, but has gotten the knack of rolling over, which means we have to be very aware of where we put him, lest he try out his new skills and bonk his head.
The Boy's vocabulary is expanding rapidly -- he's making all sorts of different sounds, and sometimes is a real chatterbox. He's become aware of the dogs, and though they mostly avoid him like the plague (especially Annie) he reaches out when they walk by him, attempting to touch or grab them.
On the Food Front, Dalton has been trying all sorts of solid foods -- green beans, mashed potatoes, bananas, carrots (which he really likes, though everything around or on him gets orange in the process) -- but since discovering the rich variety of tastes in other foods, he now looks with disfavor upon his very first dish: Rice Cereal is no longer acceptable to him. Too bland, I guess. I'm not sure what his Mom has planned for his first Thanksgiving meal, but it should an interesting event.
Monday - November 18, 2002
It's been a grueling few weeks for us all. We've been on the go, everyone's been spending a lot of time on the road, and Dalton doesn't care much for that anymore. He used to enjoy riding in the car (as most babies do, we're led to believe), but unless he drops off to sleep in his carseat, a pleasant journey can quickly devolve into a backseat screamfest for The Boy.
One of our options at that point is to try music to calm him down. You may ask, "What sort of music? Classical?" Nope (though that has more to do with Anitta's lack of enjoyment of it than any rebellion by The Boy).
"Perhaps he's a Country Music fan?" No, that usually increases the screaming. Not the desired result at all.
"Well, then, some good ol' Classic Rock-n-Roll, right? The Police, Van Halen, maybe the Eagles?" Uh-uh. Doesn't help.
As embarrassing as it is to say, The Boy likes Disco. God help us, he digs the Bee Gees. When he starts screaming in the carseat and we pop in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, he quiets down. He's especially fond of some of the instrumental tunes, like A Fifth of Beethoven and Night on Disco Mountain. I guess we'll have to try him on some ABBA next and see where that gets us...
Friday - October 25, 2002
Well, The Boy (and his Mom) survived another trip to the doctor. Dalton had his Four Month Checkup this morning, complete with four (count them, 4!) shots. Oww. Evidently, he was quite the little trooper about the whole thing -- he only complained a little at the first pair of shots, and got rather grumpy over the last two ("Hey! Cut it out already!").
The doctor said he was "perfect," couldn't find anything wrong with him. "That's what they're supposed to look like," the doctor exclaimed as she saw him in the examination room. His Mommy said he showed both the doctor and the nurse the raspberry trick I taught him: "Phhbbbbbtt!" What a good boy! Daddy's so proud... The doctor said babies usually don't do that sort of thing until six months or so. Go, Boy, go!
Dalton has slowed down his average weight-gain... he had been gaining about three pounds a month for his first two months (10+ lbs at 1 month, 12 lbs/11 oz at 2), and I'd guessed that when he was weighed this time he'd be pushing 19 pounds (he certainly feels heavy enough for that!). Well, not quite. Mommy was close with her guess of 17 pounds. Anyway, here are The Boy's stats at four months:
- Weight: 16 pounds, 9 ounces (80th percentile)
- Length: 24 1/4 inches (25th percentile, up from 10th percentile at 2 months - so he got a lot taller over these past two months)
- Head Circumference: 41.4 cm (30th percentile)
Thursday - October 24, 2002
The Boy made his first visit to the North Carolina State Fair yesterday. He went with his Mom and his grandparents, Billy & Bobbi. Daddy had to work. :(
According to the "Mom Report," he was a Very Good Boy, but didn't sleep much all day (too much going on!) and didn't eat much, either (ditto). That led to him getting over-tired and putting up quite a fuss near bedtime, which made us feel bad for him. He's pretty pitiful when he cries sometimes.
There was an "incident" during the outing: a hefty "Poo-splosion" which escaped the confines of the diaper and required a complete outfit change. The line at the nearest women's rest room was sizable (and aren't we all surprised by that?), so Mommy ended up behind the Village of Yesteryear for the pit stop. Changing The Boy right out in front of everybody, with poo all over the place; what fun! This is twice now he's done this trick. His previous Poo-splosion ocurred in the Explorer on our way back from the mountains, another very inconvenient location for such an extensive change.
While walking the fairgrounds, Mommy noticed that many people remarked on how "healthy" The Boy looks ... That's not the new Politically Correct euphemism for "a fat baby," is it?
Thursday - October 17, 2002
Dalton had his first "real food" last night. His Mom mixed him up an ounce or so of baby Rice cereal and spooned it into The Boy's mouth. He gobbled it down and wanted more! Dalton was lunging for the spoon and Mommy couldn't scoop it into his mouth fast enough before he started fussing for another spoonful. It looks like we won't have too much trouble trying to get him to eat (not that it's any sort of problem now, the little oinker...). It certainly made for amusing video.