Having Fun in Three Hills

Hello again, all. Glad to have you here. Yes, we finally got internet access at the house, so now I can post some long-awaited pictures for you. First, though, an update.

What a crazy couple of weeks! Not only did we have this colossal move to sort out, it also feels like Theo is growing in leaps and bounds--it's hard to keep up with everything that's happening! The biggest news, in my mind, is that he's finally cut his bottom two teeth. It's really cute looking into his mouth and seeing two little chompers ready to bite down on your finger with vigour. Fun times. Can you see them in this picture? Not really. But imagine them.

At the same time, Theo getting his teeth was a little bit melancholy for me. As much as I want him to grow up so that I can get to know him a little bit better (and him me), I also sort of want him to stay a baby forever. I know that one day the time will come when he no longer wants to (or can be) carried around on my shoulders anymore. I know that one day he won't have to sleep in his crib anymore. I know that one day he'll want to ride my motorcycle and there will be no good reason to say no. Part of me just wants to grab the hands of time and stall them right at this exact moment. But I know that's not possible. And him getting his teeth represents to me the inexorable passage of time. One day, God willing, he'll even be getting married and experiencing many of the same emotions I'm now feeling when he has babies. It will all happen so fast, I know, and it makes me want to cherish every last minute. One of my favourite songs when I was a kid was a Muppets version of "Time in a Bottle." I'm not even sure what record it was on, but I remember listening to it over and over again (I still know all the words). So with that song, I echo the sentiment, "If I could save time in a bottle/The first thing that I'd like to do/Is to save every day 'til eternity passes away/Then I'd spend them with you/Because there never seems to be enough time/To do the things you want to do once you find them."

Before I drift farther into melancholia, time to snap out of it. I need to clear something up here that's caused quite a bit of strife between my parents and me: when I referred a couple of posts ago to having embarassing bath photos in your wedding slide show, I was clearly referring to some other unfortunate soul, because, as my parents rightly pointed out, my slide show did not have any embarassing bath photos in it. I was trying to be clever and witty; alas, it failed. So my apologies to my parents--thank you for not putting bath shots in my wedding slide show.

Alright, I feel like we've really made a breakthrough here tonight. Feel the healing flow. Uh, right. Oh hey, there's some other exciting news that I need to tell you about that I didn't get to with my other exciting news because I drifted off into reflective mode: it's not yet official (meaning I haven't yet witnessed it myself), but Theo said his first word last week! What word, you may ask? "Banana." Yup. After all the crap we went through getting him into the world, he shows his affection by making his first word his favourite fruit. What a kid. He's also making a very valiant effort at crawling. He's up on all fours now, but doesn't quite know what to do when he's up there. He totters a bit and then usually ends up doing a face-plant, which, although amusing, isn't something we want to be a regular part of his routine. However, he's also able to hold himself up on his feet without help, which means that he might be like his dad and walk before he crawls. The race is on! Can you handle the excitement?! I'll stop here so you can get a rag to wipe the eager perspiration off your brow.

Whew. Thanks for coming back. Let's get on to some pictures, then, shall we? Here's a good one of happy Theo with mommy...

And here he is with daddy...

And in his stroller, cavorting around Three Hills...

One of the problems with being a celebrity baby is the recognition you get on the streets. Theo's had to wear a disguise out to avoid being mobbed by eager paprazzi and autograph seekers...

So cool. Living in Three Hills isn't luxury, that's for sure. For example, we didn't have enough room to bring Theo's little bathtub, so we've had to make, um, other arrangements...

Yes, that is the kitchen sink. Fortunately, he's not picky. Another option for the bath, especially after a messy eating time, is the far more industrial-strength option...

He seems to like it, really. But at the end of the day, we can still over-stimulate him with his crib. I like how crib bedding is so bright and colourful--not really sleep-inducing by any stretch of the imagination. But hey, he loves it...

Well, he loves it sometimes...

Here he is on all fours, getting ready to crawl...

And talking to grandpa on the phone...

And back to being happy again...

That's the face we love to see!

So that's all for tonight. We've taken many more pictures today (Steph went a little bit crazy, but they're all good shots), so I'll post those probably next week. New posting on the Three Hills blog, too, so go check it out (link off on the right side of this page). Thanks for stopping by.