happy new year!

Aunt Laurel had to leave today & we were so sad to see her go. It was great to visit with her & Xavier loved playing with her & getting to know her (& Mama loved having the extra hands so she could get a few things done that weren't Xavier-related). We are so lucky to have such an awesome person for our sister/aunt.

snow!

We all went out to Carlton for the afternoon, planning to spend the evening & head home. Alas, a massive snowstorm caught us out at Grandpa & Grandma's house & there was no way to safely make it home & we had to spend the night (note: any amount of snow is a "massive"amount in a state that has approximately 4 snowplows total). Big thanks to the grandparents for taking such good care of us! Laurel teaches Xavier a thing or two about wine (i.e. wine bottles make highly entertaining toys).

Snow!

Sweaty after-nap hair

If there is a sweeter face than this in all this world I haven't seen it...

busy day in the city

We went downtown to try out a swanky new coffeehouse called Barista. It was incredibly high priced & uber high tech, but I'll admit they made an awfully mean latte. Even Xavier agrees:
When we got home Xavier took a bath & a got an amazing (albeit fast -he doesn't lie still for long!) Swedish massage from his American Auntie (thank goodness for family members who are in massage school! -when are you coming back, Laurel??).

crazy happy bed head

Xavier woke from his nap to find all three of us (Matt, Laurel & I) peering at him through the crack in the door. It's amazing what a bunch of grownups will do to get a little kid to smile. And thankfully with this one it doesn't take much. I am so thankful to have such a happy, good-natured child.

farm attack!

Xavier & Aunt Laurel demonstrate their crazy bowling skills:

windy river walk

The wind has been fierce this week here in P-town & it has been really hard to get out & about (I am finally able to walk a little without pain! -hooray!). We decided we would try to beat it the way we usually do -by walking the Springwater Corridor where it wends under the bluffs in Sellwood. But it was still pretty crazy windy. Thank goodness for the BOB stroller weather shield:

Pretty cozy, huh?

Bubble Boy enjoys the ride

After a couple of days in her company, Xavier is finally warming up to Aunt Laurel:

1st christmas

Good morning! -It's Christmas!

Xavier doesn't quite get what this whole giant sock thing is all about...

Oooh, so there's stuff inside! (this particular item is a dog chew toy purchased last minute for $1.00 -he's a baby! -he doesn't care!).

Mom lends much needed assistance (note the bandage on my inner arm -a Christmas eve surprise: a 2nd degree burn! -this is why I do not bake cookies...)

I sewed him a big stuffed block, each side featuring a different textured fabric. He just wanted to play with the Tupperware & Papa's Blackberry.

The Remains of the Day

Hey, hands off! -that's Papa's present! (yes, we got each other lots of beer -so what!? -we're romantic like that...)

After the gift-giving extravaganza was over Xavier promptly turned into a baby zombie & went down for a morning nap.

When he woke up, Aunt Laurel arrived (she flew all the way from the Minnesota tundra to share our holiday with us!) & we all headed out to Carlton for Christmas dinner with Grandpa & Grandma Cooper (I am sadly lacking in photos from the rest of our day, but it was perfectly lovely -much thanks, T&L!).

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!! -xo

***Thanks to all the grandparents for the lovely gifts! -We appreciate your thoughtfulness very much, even though Xavier could not be less enthused than he is:).

twas the night before christmas...

...and all through the house not a creature was stirring...except for Xavier, who had a Santa-anticipation-related spaz attack (what else could it be?):

drinking

Who knew drinking water from a glass could be so much fun?

first christmas stocking

Matt & I have never been huge holiday tradition sort of people, but having this little guy around makes us more inclined to get into the Christmas spirit. On that note, I decided to make Xavier a patchwork stocking. It is strange to think this stocking will probably be stuffed in a bin in our garage for the better part of the next several decades...

where most of his food winds up:

kitchen helper

"Helping" load the dishwasher

Chilling in the kitchen & digging his first teething bisquit

christmas tree

how mom gets shit done:

Lately, Xavier has taken to commando-crawling around the house in my wake, whimpering &/or pulling on my pants leg. Clearly he is wanting more attention than I am able to give him 100% of the time (someone has to do the laundry, after all). I am certain it is owing to his increased mobility. I understand that a lot of babies get somewhat anxious about their new-found freedom & tend to cling a bit more to their parents for a bit until the newness wears off.

In any case, we've been able to merge our competing desires by utilizing the miraculous Ergo in the back-carry position (pictured above) -I am able to get shit done, and he gets to be near me. He hangs out here for waaaay longer than you would think possible. I have done laundry, made cookies, & cleaned the kitchen --all with him riding along. Of course, I am usually also simultaneously singing Old McDonald & bouncing up & down a lot(he likes that stuff).

stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down

antagonizing the kitty is a lot of fun..until it isn't

proud to be standing tall

Pleased as punch at his new-found ability

We are moving at great speed towards toddlerdom and I confess I am more than a little wary of what's to come. I have spent the better part of my so-called "free time" (hahaha -what's that?!?) baby-proofing the house, & that includes removing the metal frame from the bed to get it a little closer to the floor. Today I learned that I must also remove the box spring (done), since apparently Xavier is determined to dive face first off the bed in the middle of his afternoon nap (true story! -saints preserve us!). I know, I know...I could use the crib....maybe someday....

well child

Xavier had his 9 months well-child appointment at our new clinic this afternoon. We switched from OHSU South Waterfront to Sellwood Medical on the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Emily:) & we had a really pleasant experience overall, despite not being able to see his new & very popular pediatrician (we will meet her at his 1 year).

Obviously, Xavier ranks in the higher percentiles in terms of weight (80th) and height (92nd), but his head size is still off the charts (thanks, Coopers:). He weighed in at a whopping 23lbs and measured 30 inches! -so, he is a very tall little boy (thanks, Franz's:). He also got his H1N1 and seasonal flu boosters -- one in each thigh & he didn't even flinch! Matt and I were also given the H1N1 shot, so it is nice to have that over bit of worry behind us. No one wants to stagger through new-parent duty for weeks on end while barfing & suffering a high fever.

All told, we are so grateful to learn that Xavier is a very robust & healthy baby boy & that he is right on target developmentally.

someone's ready for bed!

...and he's not a huge fan of green beans, apparently...

sleep is overrated

Did I mention Xavier has been on some kind of weird nap strike? -I think it is owing in part to having kept him up a wee bit too late at the party on Saturday night (oops!). Also, I fear that he may be changing over to a once daily nap instead of two (god save me!). In any case, it has been exhausting for both of us. He so dearly needs the sleep but the stubborn little thing will not give in to it. These two videos give you a tiny taste of how slap happy & bizarre he gets when he is painfully short on sleep.

lazy sunday

Notice how his right eye sags a little when he's overtired (so does Mom's)?...poor guy...

First jam session with Papa

Actually, despite appearances, Sunday was anything but lazy...we brewed a big batch of Porter with our friends Vic & Kim & Matt B. Before they arrived, I spent the entire day whipping up a crazy Thai feast --green curry from scratch, fresh spring rolls with dipping sauce, basil cream cheese wontons...delicious! And little Xavier refused to nap more than 1/2 hour, so it was a hectic, fun, busy, exhausting and anything but lazy day...

holiday play date...er, I mean party

Tonight we spent the evening in the home of our friends Mark, Juli & Dalia. They hosted a fabulous holiday party & we got to see a bunch of people that we don't see often enough. There were so many kids running around, it was sort of like a play date with booze. Most of the kids were a little older than Xavier, but he loved watching them play.

Sharing a brew with Papa

Rocking out

Ms. Dalia

Ms. Neva

Ms. Violet

finger painting fun

A few weeks ago I ordered a couple jugs of finger paints in primary colors from a great school supply place (thanks for the tip, Carr). Today Xavier & I gave them a test run. I am happy to report that while he did not seem to understand what the hell was going on, he really enjoyed squelching his fingers in the paints & attempting to eat the freshly painted paper. We made a royal mess but it was totally worth every second of clean-up.

Exhibiting his early style which consists of broad, bold sweeping strokes punctuated with random patches of goober

Eat the document

A cute shot of Mr. Toofers eating his favorite lunch: sweet potatoes mixed with spinach & home-canned apple sauce for dessert