Calling it: It’s official. Summer is over. Fall is here. Bring on the pumpkin!
Enjoying a delicious snack of red-pepper hummus and flour tortilla chips.
Making a to-do list.
Cooking up some homegrown peaches (Thanks, Johnsons!)—some for a crisp, and the rest for baby food.
Doing laundry. Oh. my. goodness. Always with the laundry. It doesn’t help that I’m also about four baskets behind on the folding.
Being thankful that the morning passed quickly with Rebecca’s help (we loaded the kiddies up and ran some errands).
Wondering how much sleep a seven-month-old should be getting during the day.
Hoping that Simon’s nighttime sleep habits return to normal. He’s been sleeping (or should I say “waking") like a newborn for a few nights now. Ouch.
Wiping Simons snotty nose . . . but less frequently than yesterday and the day before that (Saturday? I lose track). This is surely at least partly to blame for aforementioned sleepless nights.
Fasting from the computer every evening this week. Time to reconnect with my husband!
Remembering to thaw out the salmon for tonight’s dinner.
Wishing I had eaten more or eaten differently for lunch.
Thinking that this edition of what I’m doing has been awfully food-focused. Ah well . . .

Dear Simon,

This weekend you turned seven months old. We spent most of the day trying to find you a little red outfit--yes, this was one of Mama’s wild hairs, and your Daddy indulged me. You see, we live in a state that has big love for college football, specifically Husker football. Mommy is a fan, and Daddy not as much. We’ll let you decide for yourself. Saturday, though, we initiated you--we drove you downtown during game-day traffic (Ugh!) and we took you to our friends the Koenigs’ house to experience your first Nebraska game (all decked out in your new Husker T-shirt, of course). So far, we’ll just say Huskermania is not your favorite--you mostly couldn’t understand why people had to yell so much.

This month was full of calls to the doctor--and a couple of trips too. You had your first unexplained fever--no shots and no teeth. After our first few calls, we were thinking it was a virus of some kind, but then a week later, your fever showed up again and Mommy hauled you in. They can just hand me the overly cautious mother award right now, but nonetheless, I am so glad I took you in. The doctor that we saw (not our regular pedi) said he thought that all your problems, including the fevers, had to do with your excema issues (hoo boy, you have sensitive skin, kid). We got a prescription to heal up your cheeks, and you have been a different kid (or perhaps I should say back to the same kid we remember). You also visited the eye doctor (just to get a baseline) and the follow-up NICU clinic.

It was a bit of a tough month on the traveling front. You have suddenly decided that you don’t like the carseat after all. We have spent many short (and longer) trips with either Mommy or Daddy (or sometimes a grandparent) in the backseat trying to talk you down from the ledge. This is not my favorite new development, and I hope you will change your mind about the carseat soon.

Mommy and Daddy really enjoyed watching the Olympics this month. As you will see, it is rare that we watch sports in our household, and rarer still that we would DVR them and watch them again and again, but the Olympics are a happy exception. You weren’t allowed to watch the TV, of course, but I think you got the idea as we cheered you on to your gold-medal performance in the cutest baby all-around event. And on an Olympic sidenote, you earned yourself a new nickname this month with all your side to side maneuvers--Béla Károly. You now roll both back to tummy and tummy to back--everywhere and all the time. You are a busy, busy baby.

You are getting the hang of sitting as long as we don’t draw too much attention to the fact that you’re doing it on your own. There have been a few head bonks, but overall your balance is improving every day.

You continue to try new foods. Avacados and brown rice cereal have been the only real hits so far, although you’ve also tolerated sweet potatoes. And you don’t like pears or carrots. Next up apples, squash, and oat cereal.

The playground across the street has been fun. You love to watch the big kids play. You seem to think the swings are okay, if a little boring, depending on the time of day. You are also discovering grass (interesting) and sand (less interesting, though possibly tasty if Mama would only let you get a handful in your mouth).

And this month’s highlight: you’ve started laughing. You think everyone is funnier than Mommy is. One of your favorites is when Daddy does a baby hoedown (this involves his imitation of a banjo, and, as you know, he’s pretty good). Joie and Great Grandma Carlson (and, of course, Daddy) have also found your tickle spots. I tell you, if I could bottle the delight I feel when I hear you laugh, we could solve the world’s energy problems.

You are a joy, and I love spending my days with you. Mama loves you so, so much, little man.

(More Month 7 pictures on the Opuses’ Flickr page)

I don’t know why this video cracks me up so much, but it does. The shaking at the end is just me laughing and not being able to hold the camera still.

By request, the chore schedule that Brook drew up for us:

Daily
Do dishes
Wipe off kitchen countertops, table, and stovetop
Toss junk mail into the recycling bin

2–3 times a week
Wipe down bathroom counter and sink
Declutter living room and dining room

Weekly
Clean out fridge
Sweep and wet Swiffer kitchen floor
Clean kitchen sink with Comet
Change towels (all, everywhere)
Vaccuum (rug in living room)
Sweep living room and dining room
Put clothes away

2 times a month
Change sheets
Vaccuum upstairs (rug in Simon’s room)
Sweep stairs and upstairs
Clean bathroom well

Monthly
Dust (blinds too)
Wet Swiffer living room and dining room
Clean outside of trash can
Wipe off washer and dryer
Reorder linen closet

Every three months
Go through Simon’s stuff

Every six months
Go through closets

Doable, right?

Making a chore schedule. Just before she abandoned me (kidding) Brook helped me make a list of cleaning tasks that should be done daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc. I think I will do better if I have it in a Monday do this, Tuesday do this, Wednesday ask Jason to do this format.
Signing Simon up for swimming lessons at the Y. I’m hoping we can get into a Saturday class so that both Jason and I can go. If not, I think we’ll wait until the next session. This is just to get him used to the water, and although I want to start him somewhat early, we don’t have to be in *that* big of a hurry.
Visiting little Collin in the NICU at Children’s Hospital in Omaha. My cousin’s baby was born six weeks early.
Finishing a proofreading project (hopefully today) and starting an editing project. I’m still trying to figure out how to find time to work (I suppose I should be working instead of blogging).
Eating waaay too many of these blueberry crumb bars. I made them for the Redeemer potluck last night and have too many leftovers.
Enjoying the fall is coming weather.
Thinking that at the rate my hair is falling out, I’ll be bald by the end of the week. Seriously, what’s up with this?

They’ve finished the new playground equipment across the street, and it’s really quite nice. We’ve checked it out a couple of times, and I guess Simon likes it . . . in his own way. It does make me excited for the time when he will be able to run and climb around on his own. Soon, soon enough.

I have been encouraged by the amount of activity and the potential for fostering a sense of community with this new playground. The old playground was a little sad, and I never really saw anyone playing over there. Granted, there is the lure of the new that may eventually wear off, but so far it’s been great to see the park filled with neighborhood kids and even a few parents.

{On a different note, I have been remiss about updating my Flickr account. This is because we’ve started a new one--The Opuses--and I’m trying to wade through and decide which ones should be moved and how it should all be organized. Big job. We’ll get it sorted out, but your best bet for new pics of Simon (and eventually all family pictures) is the new account. I’ll be keeping my “old” photostream for photo projects and whatnot.}

Recovering from a long weekend of passing around yuckiness. Simon had his first fever (that wasn’t related to a vaccination) on Wednesday. Simultaneously, but maybe unrelated, I came down with the acheys and a slight fever on Thursday, then Jason was down on Saturday, and Rebecca is reporting similar symptoms today. Arg!
Unpacking from a lovely weekend spent at my Grandma Carlson’s. We had planned to go up to Yankton, South Dakota, but because of aforementioned health issues, we stuck close to home Thursday and Friday. We headed up to Laurel on Saturday, though, and, as my grandma would say, “had a real nice visit. I should say so.” (I realize that I can hear my grandma’s voice in my head, and it may not have quite the same effect for others.)
Eating yummy Swedish rye bread made by my grandma this weekend.
Planning menus for the week.
Realizing I haven’t turned the Olympics on all day. What? Who am I?
Remembering how much I enjoyed talking to Jason on the way home last night (that is, after we got Simon calmed down. That kid does *not* like his carseat these days).
Thinking I used to know the Bible much better than I do now. This should not be.
Wondering if I have enough time left in Simon’s nap to make it worthwhile to get started on some editing work.
Answering my own question . . . nope, naptime’s done.
Having a moment of total awe: I have to think about naptime. I have a child who takes naps. Sometimes it just blows me away.

The morning of our wedding, Jason and I drove all over town trying to find cinnamon rolls and were somewhat unsuccessful (if I remember right, we ended up at a Lamar’s and had to settle for doughnuts). Thankfully, the rest of the day went considerably better, and, best of all, by the end of it we were wed. This morning, the cinnamon rolls were markedly easier to find, just a few blocks from home, and we had a little tagalong that wasn’t with us three years ago. We are indeed blessed.

Happy anniversary, Jason. I love being married to you.

Dear Simon,

This week we celebrated your half birthday with a small bowl of rice cereal, signaling your official introduction to solid foods (we snuck you a bit of banana a couple of weeks ago, so that was actually your first taste). You have been watching us eat for a while now, and, of course, you know just what to do with a spoon. You are suspicious with your first tastes (it was especially hard to convince you to try pears), but you tentatively open your mouth for another bite and then another, and so it begins. A little side effect that we hadn’t prepared for was a return to stealthy pooping. Your daddy had to change an extraordinarily messy diaper yesterday--your second blowout of the week--and all I have to say about that is thank-you for timing that for when he was home.

I am beginning to understand why I’ve heard so many people say that six months is their favorite baby stage. You are getting to be so much fun--moreso every day, and I wouldn’t have even thought that was possible.

This month you discovered your feet. Most mornings I wake up to you contentedly playing with them, trying to get them to your mouth (because, well, everything must go in the mouth). You are figuring out your hands too--grabbing Mommy’s glasses is a big hit with you. You are so talented that you can even reach back and grab them when you’re sitting on my lap. Impressive, kid.

You’re not mobile yet, but I can see it coming because you are starting to scoot. If we put a toy just out of your reach, you will put your head down and pull yourself along with your arms/push yourself with your feet. Depending on what kind of traction you get, you can move a few inches at a time. Then you’ll lift your head up to check your progress and repeat. Lucky for Mama you are more interested in standing than anything else--and there’s no chance of you getting very far that way, at least for now. You love to stand in your exersaucer, or especially in your jumpy seat.

I love to watch you wake up from your naps. You are like your dad in that it takes you a while to shake off the grog. You kind of look around in a daze until you realize you’re awake, and then you always look a little frantic. I imagine that you are trying to figure out (a) where you are and, more important, (b) who is with you (see next paragraph). If you have had enough sleep, you are your usual agreeable self no matter where you wake up (Super Target, the library, the kitchen), but if you haven’t all bets are off. I think we’ve passed the stage of being able to take you anywhere, anytime. You don’t sleep through everything anymore.

You continue to be a cuddly baby, and the thing that really melts my heart is when you just need a little assurance that someone is near. Recently you were fussy on the way to Super Target, and Brook reached back and grabbed your hand, and you instantly--and I mean instantly fell asleep.  You nap best snuggled up alongside Mama’s leg on the couch--it’s the only time I get to blog (you are there now, in fact). You love when someone rides in the backseat with you or when Mama reaches over the crib rail to give you a pat at night, just enough to remind you you are not alone. I love that about you.

One of my favorite things about your emerging personality is that you are so observant. You will intently study a person’s face until she looks at you, and then you will flash that killer smile. It can be a little disarming. You will sit on your daddy’s lap out on the porch swing and watch the trees and the bugs and the cars go by for twenty minutes at a time. You are always gathering information, and I wonder how you’re organizing it all in that dear little head.

Perhaps most amusing of all, you have recently (re)discovered your voice and enjoy just yelling. A lot. Loudly. You don’t seem to be trying to communicate anything in particular--it’s like you just discovered that noise was actually coming from you, that you can control it, and you are delighting in the power. Once in a while you’ll stop and smile and give a little wiggle like you’ve just told a good joke and you want to emphasize the punchline. But mostly it’s just the yelling for yelling’s sake. It’s funny. (And speaking of funny, Mama got you to giggle, really giggle, once, but we think you’re saving the laughter as a regular habit so that I have something to write about next month.)

(This video is just a tiny taste of your “talking”; you go on and on and on. Also, the purple weirdness is why we had to get a new camera.)

You are such a joy. Mama loves you so, so much, little man.

Listening to the swishy swish of the dishwasher (I don’t think the word “dishwasher” is onomatopoeic in the strictest sense, but it’s close). Simon enjoyed his jumpy seat for a while this morning, and I actually got something done! Now, I wouldn’t call the kitchen clean quite yet, but it’s better than it was.
Planning to enjoy some corn from my uncle’s garden, some zuchinni from Brook/the Zachs’, and some blueberries from Super Target (and meatloaf) tonight for dinner.
Guessing that Simon will weigh 13 lbs., 4 oz. at his six-month checkup tomorrow. Jason has 13 1/2 lbs. We haven’t decided on a prize for the closer guesser (in other words, there won’t be one).
Wishing I had changed Simon before his last feeding. He’s asleep now, and I can already tell it’s going to be a full clothes-changing extravaganza when he wakes. Shoot.
Brainstorming various posts I need to write.
Missing Jamie, but enjoying her renewed blogging vigor this past week or so.
Thinking we should maybe have a bigger buffer between the end of watching Heroes and going to bed. We’ve been catching up on Season 2 a couple of episodes at a time, and I’ve been having weirdo dreams.
Folding loads and loads of laundry.

We’re trying to teach Simon to love books. So far, so good. He may need a little more direction in terms of primary purpose (but this is good too).

Recurrently dreaming that I am far away from home and that my only mode of transportation is a bicycle. (I have had these dreams since Simon was born. A quick Google search indicates that dreaming of riding a bicycle may signify a desire for balace. I’ll buy that.)
Drinking iced Toddy. Yum.
Wondering if the pediatrician has a flag on Simon’s file: “Warning: Crazy first-time parents!”
Enjoying reading about the adventures of little Kate.
Writing a bio so that Jason can finally launch our Red Bicycle site.
Reading A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin, Atonement, by Ian Mcewan, and The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson. (I’ve been inspired by Rebecca to start reading more.)
Remembering that I still have in my trunk four bags full of shoes and jackets that need to go to the People’s City Mission. (Brookos, who has mad skillz in organizatiion started me on a decluttering kick that continues slowly but surely.)
Realizing that the two cookies I ate for breakfast aren’t going to hold me until lunch.
Deciding how many more cloth diapers to buy this month (while Milkworks has them on sale).
Loving that my little boy is a cuddler and that he’ll still take his morning nap in my arms.
Packing the diaper bag for a daytrip to Grandma and Grandpa Morehead’s.