Not Laboring on Labor Dabor

Ironic that this Labor Day weekend offers me a break from labor and delivery at St. Mary's!

After living in a new place for awhile, I sort of forget what the last place was like. Madison is much tamer than Detroit (duh!), but one of the things that was toughest about Michigan was the incredible aggressiveness of the drivers. Granted, I can drive with the best of 'em, but holy moly, Detroit was an altogether different animal.

I felt like driving there made me into Mr. Wheeler. I remember this cartoon from days of yesteryear, hanging out with the Parr's and watching cartoons before school.

The part in the cartoon about the parking reminds me of trying to fit Grandpa's old boat of a car into a parking spot in Allston. I can't say I miss having to park like that, but I do miss the '85 Caprice.

Hope your weekend is restful.

Silly stories about Henry

I'm hoping to relay this story in a way that will tickle your fancy as much as it tickled mine, and my sister's for that matter. Recently Caroline spent some time with us in Madison and we ventured over the to free Henry Vilas Zoo here in Madison once again. On our visit we stopped at Henry's favorite exhibit: the goats. The warning sign was noted...Aunt Caroline was feeding the goats, using the proper technique as shown above. Henry LOVED being so close and was laughing out loud as the goat ate from Caroline's hand.

Here's where the adventure takes a quick and funny turn. After accidentally spilling some food into Henry's stroller tray, the goat feeding becomes "self serve."


Taking full advantage of the goat being preoccupied with easy access to food, Henry braves a good pat on the head!! Caroline and I are laughing, trying to take pictures, and ensure that Henry's fingers aren't in harms way. A comedy of errors also led to Caroline inadvertently hitting a goat in the face as she was trying to explain to me, using gestures, that one was pawing at the ground. Thankfully, no one was harmed in this mishap, and we weren't thrown out of the free zoo on account of misconduct!

The other silly story involving Henry this week was his way of charming the UPS Store employees. I took an item in to be wrapped and shipped and when the woman helping me began sealing the package with her tape dispenser, Henry started laughing. I mean, full out, laughing like he was being physically tickled, cute baby laughing. The woman pulled off a few more strips of tape and soon everyone in the store was also laughing because of his reaction. Ah, yes. Its the little things that amuse...all he wants for Christmas is a roll of tape.

Six Months Old!

Henry is six months old today! He's so stinkin' cute, but is getting to be quite the handful as everyday his territory expands more and more. His reach has grown considerably and he's moving across the floor with greater speed and dexterity. It won't be soon enough that we get into the new house and have a better play area for him!

A side note about cute kids: I'm pretty sure this is an evolutionary survival tactic. It prevents severely sleep deprived parents from strangling their little cutie pie. Seriously, who could resist this face?!? (As you might have surmised, Henry has had some awful nights lately. Wanting to play at 3 am, then when I've refused to continually hold him...1 1/2 hours later...he's screaming bloody murder). I hope this is only a phase, and a short one at that!

Meme meets Madison

Claire and her friend, Marilyn, took a road trip to come and visit Henry and vacation in the Madison area. We enjoyed doing local things while they were here.

Our week started by meeting in Chicago so we could attend a White Sox vs. Red Sox game. A beautiful day in the "windy city" treated us to a lovely day at the baseball park, though the wrong color Sox won the game. Henry was a very good boy for the trip and even managed to make a few new friends among the fans in the stands, including another little girl who was 11 months old. It was funny watching them exchange "raspberries" as they communicated with slobbery noises.

Later in the week our adventures included local driving trips around the Madison area, a day at the zoo, a walk around the botanical gardens, and a day trip to see the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in nearby Spring Green, WI.

You can see more photos from our week by clicking on this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lottie329/MemeMeetsMadison2008

Introducing Aunt Caroline!

My sister, Caroline, safely returned from her year in China and we had a family boating weekend to celebrate, which was a lot of fun. There was some water skiing, a few cannonballs off the boat, a campfire complete with s'mores, and dinners on the deck. The weather was gorgeous and we all had a great time.

Most importantly, however, Henry got to meet Aunt Caroline for the first time!

WELCOME HOME, CAROLINE!!

"4 month Appt"

Henry had his 4 month doctor's appointment today, though he is 5 1/2 months old. There was a slight delay due to moving, changing insurance, and scheduling an appointment with a new doctor. Don't worry, we'll be back on track soon enough.

Here are his new stats:

• Weight: 19 lbs 12 oz. (90%)

• Height: 28 1/2 inches (98%)

• Head Circumference: 45 cm (88%)

The doctor was impressed with his ability to sit up by himself and predicts he may have some athleticism with such advanced motor skills. He also thinks he will take after his mother in the height department. I wonder what gave him that idea?

Henry endured the shots quite well. He settled down shortly after he told us how displeased he was, then fell asleep in the car on the way home and took a nice 2 hour nap for us!

Look alike

After I uploaded the pics of Henry yesterday, it really struck me how that first picture looks like a baby picture I saw of George. I'd like to draw your attention to the side bar so that you can also determine if you see a resemblance. I posted a baby picture of both me and George for your viewing pleasure. George's mom and my sisters see George in Henry. I now just see Henry, but you can decide for yourself.

(If you're reading this as an RSS feed you'll have to actually go to http://lottie329.blogspot.com to see the pictures I'm talking about)