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I love watching Ian crawl around the house. He does it with such gusto, obviously pleased at himself. His favorite things to do:

• Unplug the lamp
• Unplug the DVD player
  
• Pull on the shower curtain
• Pull on the living room curtains
• Pull on George's - the cat's - tail, until he whacks Ian on the head
• Pour George's food and water out onto the kitchen floor
• Eat cheerios and leftovers off the dining room floor
• Find two objects and bang them together

Can't wait for the adventures to begin once he starts walking.

Separation anxiety

Ian is usually sucking on his bottle when I leave for work in the mornings, oblivious to anything that is going on more than a few inches from his mouth. But Silvi has been breaking down as I try to walk out the door.

We've "solved" this by letting her call me as I drive away and I tell her where I am. "I'm at the stop light, passing the hardware store, by the lake..." It's so utterly heartbreaking to see her tear-streaked face as I pull out of the driveway.

Sure hope this phase doesn't last as long as it takes Congress to agree on something.

Community

Annie works at an Episcopal church once a week as well as sings in the choir. She's developed quite a few good relationships through this and it's wonderful how Ian is so accepted in this small community.

The choir director especially gives him a lot of love and Ian is a favorite in Child Care. We are so incredibly fortunate to have this for both he and Silvi, and plan to hold onto it for as long as we can.

Sometimes, she wins. Sometimes.

Some nights, those nights when Silvi is more Wicked Witch of the West than Snow White, she wins. She gets to sleep with us. With me, that is. Annie sleeps on the futon because even though we have a king-size bed, Silvi is a snuggler.

Last night there was a wide open space where Annie usually sleeps and one contented little girl snuggled up to her restless daddy.

Wiped

Annie makes it look so easy. The taking care of two kids thing. She's at a meeting right now and I'm in charge of lunch and naps. And getting them out the door later.

I'm wiped. I could shoot for a 10-hour day and not be this tired.

Winter whiner

I don't care how long I live in Minnesota, I will always be a winter whiner.

A cup of cold water

About once a week, Silvi throws a colossal fit when she goes to bed. Christian Bale's little meltdown pales in comparison.

We let her scream it out for a good 10-15 minutes, then I go in and nonchalantly offer her a drink of cold water or milk, wipe the sweat from her forehead and quietly tell her that's enough.

Works wonders.

Guys home alone

Silvi spent the night with Grandpa and Grandma, Annie's out with a friend and it's just the two guys home.

What do you say we kick back and find a soccer game on the Spanish channel, eh Ian?

Slice o' life

Ian has learned how to feed himself. Well, sort of.

If you place food in front of him, whether it's cheerios or lasagna, he'll shovel it in until his high chair tray is empty. And his cheeks are squirrel-cheeked packed. Of course this causes him to choke half the food back up. But at least he hasn't swallowed his hearing aids yet.

And if he's motivated enough, say, to pull our cat's tail or reach for the DVD cables, he can pull himself into a standing position. But he mostly crawls. He has a funny little crawl; throws his hands down with force. Takes breaks often.

I should also mention that his vocal cords show no signs of underdevelopment. If his bottle isn't in his mouth fast enough, he lets us - and our neighbors - know. He's quite easy to find in the department store.

He smiles easily, except that he's got a molar coming in. He endures his sister's rough loves. She also gets him to laugh. And cry.

Slice of our life.

Phone calls

The favorite phone calls that I get - almost on a daily basis - are from Silvi. Her small voice. Her big, "Hi! Do you know who this is!?"

Apparently she was having a bad day today because I could barely understand her through all the sobs and tears.

Still the best call I got all day.