The Milky-Faced Cherub

He's still working on nipple control.

Conversation with Atty

Me: Atty, don't you want to play on your mat?

Atty: No, Mama, I just want to climb on you and bite your face.

M: Um, I'd rather be working on some other things right now. Don't you know you're supposed to just play quietly and coo at me periodically when I have other things to do?

A: No, Mama, I just want to climb on you and bite your face.

M: Is that the only thing you want to do?

A: Yes. And maybe pull your hair or burrow into your chest. Those would be fine, too.

M: How about if I put some formula in a small bottle so you can feed yourself?

A: Oh ok, but only for a minute. Then I'm going to want to start kicking you.

M: Ok. Just as long as my hands are free.

So I type this while being kicked by a milky-faced cherub. Maybe I can embroider while he sleeps...soon...I hope.

Clap on, clap off

We have our Christmas tree lights hooked up to "The Clapper," which greatly simplifies our tree lighting and enjoyment. The other night, though, Atty got upset and shrieky, and he kept turning on and off the tree with his cries. We thought that was pretty funny. It hasn't happened since we switched to the three-clap mode. Maybe he needs to start working on timing his crying better if he wants to keep turning off the tree. :)

**Update** Atty is smarter than the Clapper. He succeeded in turning it on/off twice today (15 Dec): once when he hit himself in the face with his jingle ball, and again when he didn't want to take a nap. That kid can shriek.

"...brown paper packages tied up with string..."

These are a few of my favorite things. Obviously not my VERY favorite, like my family and faith and country, but more like a few items I've come to love enough to want to tell you about them. If I were Oprah I'd send you each a gift basket of these things, but I'm not Oprah. Sorry. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Songs for Christmas by Sufjan Stevens. His version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" just makes me happy. (The bells toward the end make it Christmasy...) I'm also very fond of "Sister Winter." I have yet to buy the whole album, so there are probably other favorites waiting to be discovered.

2. 100 percent cotton 800-thread-count sheets. It's like a little present to myself every time I put them on our bed. They are heavy and silky and drape like a dream, and will probably last forever. It was a bit of an indulgence, but I found a great deal online and haven't regretted it once. The only drawback is that they wrinkle like the dickens when washed and are impossible to iron, so I have them dry cleaned. Needless to say, I have only one set and rotate it with our regular sheets, but that makes it that much nicer when they are on the bed.

3. "Excite" personal lubricant. Oh my, it works. I will say no more.

4. Hershey's chocolate truffle kisses. They're dark chocolate kisses with a truffle filling. I've been disappointed by some of the other limited-edition Kisses (cherry cordial and candy corn being the most stomach-churning), but these are fantastic.

5. The MoTab/Sissel version of "Angels from the Realms of Glory" (available here). Best listened to on headphones, with the volume as high as you can tolerate. Absolutely thrilling.

That's it for now. What are some of your favorite things?

TEEF!!

Atty cut his first tooth on Saturday--the bottom right--and the bottom left broke through today. I'd post a picture, but they're really hard to see, especially since he keeps his tongue over them most of the time. But you can definitely feel them. He's been drooly for a while, but lately he's really earned his new nickname, "Droolicus."

We're still trying to get him to eat solid foods. I tried mixing some canned pumpkin with a little cereal, and he liked it ok. He still doesn't get the spoon concept, though. I have to feed him by putting food on my finger and wiping it on the inside of his cheek. You can see how impressed he is:

But he does like playing with the spoon.

As far as non-spooned solid foods, we've discovered he really likes salty things. I gave him a Ritz cracker on a whim one day, and he licked and sucked all the salt off, rotating it in his hands to get it all. I took it away from him after he broke it so he wouldn't choke on the big pieces, but he ate all the crumbs off of his shirt. The other day I gave him a jumbo olive, and he really dug it. I've tried ice cream and chocolate, and he wasn't nearly as excited. He definitely takes after James. :)

Friday Cuteness

It's been a while since I've posted any pictures of Atty, so here we go. The one above is him in his Halloween costume. He's supposed to be a bear, but I didn't have the right color felt for the ears, so he looks more like a furry deer or a Monchichi. Either way, he's adorable. Auntie Lara gave him the bunting when he was newborn and tiny, and I swore he'd never be big enough for it, and then I was afraid he'd outgrow it before it was cold enough to wear it. But it was perfect. I added the ears. He was the cutest thing EVER.

In this next one he's just chillin', showing off his new bottle-holding skills like it's something he's done all his life. Yes, it's a tiny bottle, but he's good at getting it into his mouth.

He's becoming more aware of and interested in his surroundings, craning his neck to check out the shadows on the ceiling or inspect the textures in the couch fabric. He's really vocal, too. I love his babble chatter, but I'm not so fond of the high-pitched squeals and shreiks. We call him "teradactyl boy" when he gets shreiky like that. He chews on anything he can get his hands on, especially his rubber pacifier, so we know those teeth are on their way. I just looked over and he had the entire pacifier in his mouth. Silly boy.

I'm officially on Etsy!

I've talked for a while about selling some of my Christmas stockings and ornaments online, and I finally got it all put together. Check it out here: http://www.bennetthp.etsy.com/. Let me know what you think!