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.