The Burden of Broccolli

The other night at dinner we decided to introduce a plate full of mixed pasta and veggies to Hollis. This was the first time we gave him a mixed dish and he dove right in. After a few bites Chris and I noticed he was very agitated. He kept his mouth tightly shut--"mmmmrrrr, mmmmmrrrr, mmmmmmmrrrrrrrr, " he yelled. He continued to shove food in his mouth but would not chew or swallow. With his cheeks packed for more than 5 minutes we decided to intervene and see if we could help. Not knowing what the "problem" actually was, I gave him some water to see if he would drink. He drank with is cheeks packed like a chipmunk but wouldn't swallow any of the food. Chris and I couldn't help but laugh at him. I then began to dive into his mouth to check out the situation. Index fingered hooked, I tried to clear a path from his tongue to his throat. He would not let me in at first and continued to say "mmmmmmrrr, mrrrrrrrmmmmmrrrrrr." Finally I was successful: pasta, peas, broccoli and carrots started dropping out on the table in front of him (tons of food). I thought I had everything out but he continued to say "mmmmmrrr, mmmmrrrrr, mmmmmmmrrrrr." After wiping away the tears from laughing so hard, I stuck my finger in a second time and fished out a piece of broccoli that was approximately 1.5"X 1.5".

Chris and I will never know how such a little guy could pack away so much food. We know he can eat a ton but had no idea he had the cheek capacity of a lion's belly

Children's museum

Today Mom, H and I went to the Children's museum. Hollis had a blast! We set him down in the Rising Star area (for the little kids) and he took off. No fear at all.

Mmmmm, fish!

I can play the Xylophone!!

Hmmm, what's over there?

There was a big plastic tube that you could pump bubbles through. Hollis was mesmerized!!

My New Past Time(s)

Toys are of no concern to me...I like to find things in the house that I can experiment with. For instance, the stereo. It has become my life's mission to see what these buttons do.



Shoes...You would have thought they had become a thing of the past, but I have found a new way to use them! They make a tasty snack. Think of it as recycling.
In this next shot I am testing out the couch. Is this object a match for my strength?


I take my work seriously and hope that one day my work will be recognized by Scientific American. It has become so hard in this world to get published; I only hope my efforts are not meaningless.

First Sign!

It was too hot for Hollis' Monkey Costume in the parade

Happy Birthday, Hollis! I can't believe nine months has passed so quickly. I am so proud of your discoveries!

For all of you readers out there: Hollis turned nine months on Halloween. He had a great day full of fun and play and the evening ended with a walk in the neighborhood Halloween parade and a trip to a friends house. Our friend was doing a documentary/photo op of trick-or-treaters and we got a great family picture taken that I hope to have soon to post.

H and one of his little neighborhood friends. They kept petting each other.

Mom and Hollis. Can you guess what mom is!?

Tonight while I was running (still training for that dang 1/2 marathon) Hollis showed off his new sign "milk" to Chris after dinner. I guess he wanted desert! Life couldn't be any better!

Chow!

Fall has finally arrived!

We are so happy that the weather finally changed so we can enjoy our yard without being eaten by mosquitoes! A lot has been happening since we last updated the blog. Hollis had his third cardiologist visit with an awesome report on the special holes in his heart (we like to call them Love Butterflies). The holes are all still present but there has been no change in their sizes and Dr. W. felt that the left chamber was actually on the "high side or normal" instead of being "slightly enlarged". The evidence of tissue that was sucked into the VSD hole is not assisting the holes closure yet, but I know that it is waiting until the right moment. Hollis is just as normal as any kid and does not seem to be affected in any way by this little anomaly so we will keep on truckin' like there is no tomorrow!

Hollis is busy pulling up and working on all sorts of sounds. He has also contracted a mild aversion to strange men. He smiles and flirts like he does with everyone from afar but the minute they come close he looks at me and makes a series of awful faces and says "uhh, uhh, uhh". I am sure I have forgotten to write about a lot, so I might be adding to this later. Hollis will be 9 months on Halloween! Can't wait to see what he learns by then!

OOOOOOhhh! OOOOOOOhhhh!

You must all obey my primate commands..ooohhh...eeehhh...aaahhh.

Who left a monkey in charge of this house? Halloween is approaching and we decided to see if H's outfit would fit him by the time the festivities arrived. Sure enough, the outfit fit just fine.
We have been busy with swim lessons, except had to go see Doc Caldwell yesterday bc he was not really acting himself. I suspected ear infection, but it turns out he has a virus. Nothing we can do for that accept nurse him and give him lots of kisses. You would not know by the pics that he is sick and he has decided to talk up a storm tonight. We are getting an ear full!

Chris and I made Hollis his very own car out of a cardboard box to pull him around the house and yard. We have yet to decorate it pretty, but we will get there. We also got a great video of him being pulled at top speed, but he could have cared less. He was more interested in leaning over and touching the grass. (video to come later)

What are they doing?


I gotta see what this is all about!


Faster, faster, faster!


On the move and learning everyday how to mimic a monkey! Here is a preview of our little monkey for Hallows Eve. The pictures say it all! He was cracking Chris and I up because he would not stand up in the costume because the elastic felt weird on his feet and he would just roll his ankles around.

As one of H's toy sings, "I'm a monkey...I'm furry and I'm funky. I hang from the trees...do as I please!"

Day 1--Swim Lessons

Hollis and I were the first to arrive this morning for our 30 minute swim class at Tom's Dive Shop. The pool is indoors and quite small. After I dressed H in his suit the other students started to arrive: a 14 month old, a 2 year old, a 6 month old and the lovely, lively Hollis were all waiting to start class. Smiling, with his dolphin fins on, he eagerly bolted for the pool and I swear he would have dove head first had we not been forced to sit for our "safety" intro. After we lowered ourselves into the pool we practiced blowing bubbles (I practiced blowing while he ignored me watching all of the other activity around him), kicking (his choice means for chasing after a floating plastic gold fish), paddling ( he didn't really have an interest), floating (relaxed while I sang to him) and getting out of the pool (amazingly enough, once I put one elbow on the side of the pool he did the rest pulling up and then crawling out). One of our exercises was to climb up a pvc pipe and then fall to the bottom and blow bubbles. I thought to myself, "oh! this is a little advanced." To my surprise H started climbing the pole and was so quick I had to catch up to help lift him out of the water. Is he ten years old or 8 months? I am having trouble keeping count!!! Once back down in the pool he watched while the instructor blew her bubbles and was taking a lot of mental notes :)! He drinks water so Dad and I have some homework to teach him how to blow bubbles and/or spit out the water so his brain does not swell with pool water.

Once again, I was amazed at his enthusiasm and fearless efforts as the 14 month old is crying next to us not taking part in any of the activities. We are so blessed to have such a happy, determined son! He trusts us so much that I am convinced our methods of babywearing and co-sleeping have laid the foundation for an independent, confident little boy.