Surfing Trip #1

A typical northwest surf picture: boards and pine needles.


Theo hanging out on top of the van with Sara.

The beach scene; Theo's sleeping in his tent.
See? Totally racked...

Theo Stares Down Orange Tire Man

Grrrr! Also, compare to this post, where it seems my adulation of his ability to raise his head was a bit premature.

Teeth

We haven't been skilled enough to get a picture of it yet, but Theo has cut his first teeth. The two lower front teeth broke through this week. It's hard to see them as he doesn't like to move his tongue out of the way, but they're easy to feel, and sharp.

Sleeping

I suppose I should make some notes about Theo's sleeping. For the past couple of weeks, Theo had been very good, going to bed between 7:30 and 8:30, and sleeping consistently all the way to 6:30 or 7. Then on Sunday night, just when we were getting comfortable congratulating ourselves on our parenting skills, Theo woke up twice during the night. We don't remember much, sort of a haze of nursing in bed, moving him back to the crib, and moving him back to the bed.

On Monday night he woke up at 1, and I spent 45 minutes calming him back to sleep in the rocking chair in the nursery and swinging him in the bassinet. Tuesday it was worse, with Theo waking up at 1:00, 3:30, and 5, as I mentioned below. I had dreams of writing out sheet music of Clementine that night. Sara nursed him the first two times; at 5 we let himself cry himself to sleep. It took to trips of swinging the bassinet, but it worked. This was the first time he'd gotten himself back to sleep while crying, so that's a milestone of sorts.

Tonight, he seemed to go to sleep after being put down in his crib at 7:30 or so, but by twenty minutes past 8 was up and crying again. I took two trips in between dinner courses trying to calm him down, but as soon as I'd leave, he'd start crying again (the late dinner was because of another first, my going out to do intervals on Madrona with John and Ben. The first workout since Theo).

Sara brought up the swing, and when I put him in it he was in a great mood, smiling, grabbing at my face, and playing with my lip. Very endearing, but not very sleepy. I couldn't stand to just leave him while he was so obviously enjoying my presence, so I hung out with him until his attention drifted off to the night light and the fascinating blank patches of wall he always seems to find. I slipped out of the room, and after an hour switched off the swing and moved him into the crib (actually, into the bassinet in the crib. A babassib, baby-bassinet-crib, analogous to a turducken). Will he sleep through the night? Our fingers are crossed.

Lineup

Sara's PEPS group. I just love the piles of babies. Can you pick out Theo?

Troubadour

Tonight I broke out the guitar, looked up the chords to Clementine, and sang Theo to sleep. He responded by waking up at 1:00, 3:30, and 5:00.

A Hike... This Time with Pictures

We had hoped to go windsurfing this weekend, but the wind forecast was lame. In the middle of the week it looked just hot on both sides of the Cascades, but with faint hopes of westerlies. By thursday the report had changed to westerlies on Saturday, and easterlies on Sunday: the change in direction signifying almost certain calm.

So we went hiking instead, up to the ice caves at Big Four. Omitted are pictures of me crossing the creek on precariously balanced scrap wood. Instead, happy and always very safe father and son.

Below, Sara shows Theo his very first snow. Theo doesn't seem very impressed.

He's not very impressed by the ice cave, either. When he gets older we'll have to tell him that we visited a dragon there.
In that picture I'm keeping his feet warm, from the cold draft blowing out of the cave.

Lunch at least calmed him down.
See, he's smiling!

The Little Elf

Our little elf sometimes needs to sit and think for a while by himself. Other times, he gets his helpers to carry him around town.

Shaw Heritage

Sara thinks this looks a lot like her dad. The resemblance would be closer if we had a picture of Joe when he was irritated, but we have better sense than to take a picture at a time like that.

Bushels of Babies

From our birth class reunion this afternoon. Babies in bulk are fascinating to look at. I love how they lean on each other, and how it appears that the are forming cliques already. Theo, on the far right, has hooked up with Josie, apparently. Tarren, Carter and Ruby are a gang. Tom's hanging tough by himself.

Grabby Grabby

Theo's really started to grab stuff with his hands. Before, it wasn't clear if he was reaching at things, or just running into them. Now he's definitely grabbing. The picture also shows the rattle-socks he has on; Theo really does have bells on his toes now. Not that he really notices them yet.