WHAT- 6 months!

Well, Arlo is the good stuff that takes me away from my work, and pleasure, and new blog. Now over 13 months old, running around the house and has his #9 and 10 teeth coming in. It's been an amazing 6 months since I have blogged, a lot of good work, crawling, an EU vacation, first words, first steps, a First Birthday, the Holidays and a trip to Mexico, I jotted a few notes here and there, kept meaning to sit down and type it all in...

....but rather than play catch up, I will just report today was special. He was nodding "YES" for the first time. "NO" has been an easy one for months, almost a game, but this was a good solid head nod. Also, we had a nice game of roll the ball across the coffee table. A deliberate roll and catch. Very smooth. This is all great growth, but amazingly he was doing all this while suffering a 102 fever as a result of his Chicken Pox vaccine a week ago. He was really in such an upbeat mood despite the fever. He was dashing across the room, weak and out of breath, would rest his upper body on the chair, and then go again, until he collapsed and fell asleep. What a trooper. Not even a fuss. Poor guy. It had been a long while since he had just fallen asleep in my arms. I love it.

Daydream Believer

Work has pulled my orbit too far from home this week for too long. Only Hollywood, but leaving home before everyone wakes and coming home when Arlo is asleep breaks my heart. I can't take not seeing him for at least a few hours. It affects my mood, my health. I want to wake him at night when I get home. I can't wait till he wants to eat at 2 or 5 am. I live for it. I know it is only for this week, but really it seems a month.

I am so blessed work has me on my computer as I can steal away a few minutes now and then to glance at a picture or two of him and Markus. It simply makes my heart sing and gives me and energy blast, my cigarette break.

Arlo is closing out his 6th month next week. He celebrated the July 4th with a bang of 2 teeth through his gums. All items under 30" are soon to be his as he scrambles from room to room now, sweeping up the dust bunnies with his tummy. All his white onesies now with brown tummy stains are a sign of progress. Growth. Bye bye baby... hello toddler... snif.

A bunch of new things

Arlo about to crawl backwards 10 ft. to impress young Olive.

This has been an exhausting and exhilarating week!

Arlo grew by leaps and bounds in just a few short days. Markus returned to work, first of his 8 weeks back, and we had Arlo in the wonderful care of Victoria here at the house.

-Tuesday, Victoria calls at about am to tell us Arlo is STUCK in his highchair. Really stuck. So much that she really didn't know what to do. I was 1/2 hour away in Hollywood, so in a weird request, I had her lube up his legs with cooking oil. She did, laid the hight chair on it's back, and he popped right out! The high chair Infant attachment that fit 2 weeks prior, was way too small now.

-Wednesday, Victoria helped throw out a bunch of ill-fitting clothes. He is now sporting 12mos old cloths, a week before he turns 6 mos old.

-Thursday night at Carey and Olive's, he was so inspired to be around Olive, that he started to crawl. Only problem is he kicked it into reverse, and went 10 ft back.

-Later the same night, he go up on all 4s, and began rocking, and growling for some reason. Very impressive and entertaining!

-He had his first meal on Friday night, a few spoonfuls of rice cereal and breastmilk.

-Sunday morn, he was so inspired by my necklace hanging on his hammock basket, that he found the high part of the mattress and did a "triangle pose" to reach up and try to grab it. Almost as bad as sitting up. This hammock was supposed to be his bead for a year- or longer, but now, we have taken it down, ready to store and give away. Tonight, he is now asleep in his tent.

-Sunday afternoon he had a great play time with Markus and did a good mimic of his daddy. Markus growled and nuzzled his backside while rubbing his face back and forth. Afterwards, Arlo would growl and shake is head back and forth.

-Sunday eve, he reached out to play with a toy in his room and really shimmied a few steps. He's been pivoting on his belly for the most part this whole week, so a shuffle from knee to knee, in the forward direction, was exciting.

I have just spent the day covering corners with rubber foam and locking down the more interesting and filled-with-chemical cabinets.

I await your next move, little man, ready as I'll ever be!

Arlo is a blur as he rocks and growls with excitement!

One of his favorite past times, admiring the "other" cute baby on the other side of the camera and iChatting with Grandma, Grandpa, Erin, Rick and PJ.

Are you a Hand Holder? Probably not. The Chinese are, and they own us.

I had an interesting time recently, at a job for 15,000 Chinese Amway salesmen, that took me by surprise. I was shocked at how warm and fuzzy the Chinese were. Sure, they were shrewd business folk, but to see through that to the person, they were fascinating. It took my mind back to my visit to Hong Kong years ago and how lovely I thought the people were there, very warm and friendly, so very high in contrast to my cold austere visit to Japan. Some how at that time, I gave the former British Imperialism the credit for the friendliness and would never expect any of that from a (gasp) communist country.

Weren't they all miserable? Just a piece of the puzzle? All wearing the same clothes? Well, yes in fact they were wearing the same clothes, an Amway company jacket, and quite proudly, I might add. But they were all so enthusiastic and friendly, and looked so...happy. Not the large mega-red ga-zillion strong people I thought, former best friends with old USSR. I realized what a child of the cold war I was, how I truly believed I would die in a nuclear war and not live to see 25.

There was a moment in the show when the audience needed to be corralled away from a moving set piece. The volunteer Chinese stage crew that were working the room automatically, without rehearsing, linked hands and formed a human chain as a barrier. This chain was respected by those on either side of it, and wasn't challenged by anyone. After the set piece moved and the human chain was not really needed anymore, I watched as at least 75% of them maintained their handhold with one another. There was no fidgeting, embarrassment or discomfort. ADULTS holding hands with each other. Co-workers or strangers, you'd NEVER see Americans behaving so... unassuming and unafraid of each other, not without getting paid a lot, like actors- maybe. So comfortable in their own skin.

At what age did we learn to keep our distance? Is it cultural? Are we that jaded? Is it cooties?

It is hard to know if this is just the 2010's and our behavior now, much more guarded, that maybe we lost it since the '70's. I discussed this with Sarah and we tried to think of a time we'd seen Americans holding hands in public. The closest thing we could come up with was the singing and swaying hippies on a hill during the "Coke and a Smile" "teach the world to sing" add campaign of the early 70's. So simple. Happy. Of course that song made everyone want to hold hands, and even hug, but you have to hold your Coke in one hand, so it probably wasn't that easy to make a human chain. Ok. Now maybe the commercial is fuzzier now. Yeah, actors, paid to hold hands. Ok. Never mind.....

I want to hold Arlo's hand forever. I mean, I hope he wants to hold my hand forever, without fear, for him to be comfortable in his own skin. He already has a mighty grip.

Arlo reaching out boldly for Olive's hand, without fear.

So, I HAD to see if it was posted, and yes, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mOEU87SBTU&feature=related

I haven't seen it in 30 plus years. Amazing. Watch it. NO ONE is holding hands. Just Cokes. Ahh, America. Just the fuzzy memory of a handhold without really touching each other.

Flippin' Great

Rollin'
We found Arlo outside his tent the other morning. I had put him in to chill for a few minutes when Markus called me in. He had not only rolled, but pulled out and over the scooped opening and onto the newly cushioned floor. A day later, he's not on his back for less than 5 seconds without flipping over. Ahh, power.

Techno
He watches my finger on the pad on my computer. He mimics the movement with his hand and stares at the screen- like a zombie-mouth agape and eyes blinkless. Scary. We used to call the TV the Boob Tube. I propose this new child/techno world as the Computer Coma. I gave him raspberries yesterday, today he gave them back. Mimicry has begun.

Hipstamatic
As if having a bambino doesn't make you nostalgic, the iPhone is going to make you love your childhood all over again. For like $5 the Hipstamatic app is just as important to me as a child safety seat or fresh wipes. You see why, samples below. Filling good phone pics with emotion and romance to last forever. That silly camera phone is silly no more.

Going...going...

GONE!


Plan and Side Views


At dog training class



and the Farmer's Market....



At a birthday party chilling with a cold one.


Sleeping in. What a weekend!

Rainy Days and Blogging Always.....

...makes me sleepy and want for nap. So I drank some coffee to help the day last a bit longer.

Something fun that work friends and I started while spending much time in Vegas, awaiting for "magic" to happen,we'd take pictures in off-hours of us sleeping, or pretending to sleep. This became known as the "Sleeping Series". I noticed my cheeks always fell dramatically like a waterfall. Not at all flattering. Arlo's cheeks though, however large they may be, are like ripe heirloom tomatoes and defy gravity.

Here's just a few of our Sleeping Series from way back in Dec '09 to present:

Birth, ok, a good excuse for a nap.


Fireside Friends


Dreaming of sharing toys


I never seem to sleep as deep as them. How is that?


I am happy to report my boobs are no longer bigger than his head. Viva le leche!


subliminal Kung Fu moves


Power to the people!


After his first flight and nice walk through town.


A siesta


suspended sleep and face-plant


Should be an album cover for a soft rock band.


Special old school FX courtesy of iPhone app Hipstamatic. All the best technology in the world to make life appear as simple as it once was.


California Dreaming, in a car seat in traffic, duh.


We've been fortunate to have such a sleepy babe, almost 10-12 hours each night, except for last night, of course. Worst night ever, hence, my blog about sleep. Maybe I shouldn't drink coffee in the afternoon.

What goes in...

Doll faces

Bottles


Knuckles


Boobs


Dog tongues


Shoulders


iphone covers


Chins


Feet


Fingers