My little Usain Bolt

Adam is finally sleeping in his crib from 8:15 p.m. to 6:15 a.m., thanks to the Fisher Price Ocean Wonder Aquarium.
“The gentle sights and sounds of a mesmerizing aquarium soothe your baby to sleep right in the crib. The fish swim, a crab plays peek-a-boo, seaweed gently sways, bubbles bounce, soft lights glow, and serene aquatic sounds ease baby into slumber.”
Best thing ever.
He’s also learning to walk, although walking is an understatement. It’s more like careening wildly out of control. His feet seem to move faster than his brain. Every day he gets a little more bold, but he's made it perfectly obvious that he's not in any rush to walk upright. I figure he prefers to crawl because when he’s on all fours, he doesn’t have to worry about toppling over. Plus he’s a ridiculously fast crawler. I like to think of him as my little Usain Bolt. (Only without the Jamaican accent.) Which reminds me, I read that Usain’s “secret” to being the fastest man in the world is eating chicken nuggets. Which is the only reason I let Adam eat them. (Right.)
Our little guy does everything Usain-fast. He eats fast, he moves fast, he talks fast. He also climbs stairs, turns pages in books, plays with balls and blocks and cars and Little People, says no (usually while vehemently shaking his head), says please when he wants fruit snacks (which comes out more like “pay”), helps me clean by moving a Kleenex/napkin/dish towel across the table/floor/our shoes/his nose, and loves to play hide-and-seek in his large carseat box (Aaron, genius that he is, turned the box into a fort.) He likes to look in the mirror, eat sand (and chicken nuggets), and sing. He sings every day on the way home from daycare. He also likes to dance. Aaron and I had him jamming out in the backseat once to the Beastie Boys. Is this a sign that he already knows good music when he hears it?
He may be a late learner when it comes to walking, but his vocabulary is coming right along. He has animal sounds for cow, chicken, cat, dog, horse, sheep, and my new favorite—the VACUUM. His vacuum impersonation sounds a lot like static on a TV channel. He calls me “mama” and Aaron “mama” (we try to remind him that Aaron is DADDY, which he says as “dah-ee”) and he says good morning (“morn”) and night-night. He says hi and bye-bye while doing a modified beauty pageant wave where he sort of twists his wrist and slowly waves back and forth, back and forth.
He was a lion for Halloween, courtesy of our daycare provider (she made the costume for her grandson, who wore it last year) and was a good sport about suddenly having a mane and a long tail. He even let me take about a hundred pictures of him without protesting too much. Our close friends AJ and John hosted a Halloween party for the kids, and everyone had a ball. Adam's friends Jack, Ryan, Charlie, Ellen, Greta, Nora, Leah, and Sadie were all in attendance. The costumes were all creative and adorable.
We also brought him to a Wild game, and he sat through two whole periods—absolutely fixated on the action on the rink—before he started getting antsy. Our friend Molly, who was kind enough to share extra tickets with us, was in awe.
He still does well on long car rides and he’s fairly good when we’re shopping, although he’s not as content sitting in a stroller or shopping cart as he used to be. I can’t bring him to the mall and leisurely try on outfits in the dressing rooms anymore—now he wants to get out and explore (which really doesn’t work so well in a dressing room). His hair gets more and more blonde with each passing month, and he regularly gets compliments on his pretty blue eyes.
I fall in love with him a little more every day and sometimes have to pinch myself that he belongs to me. I mean, how could I be responsible for creating such a beautiful little boy? I'm sure every parent thinks this at some point in time. The concept of giving another person life is too hard for me to wrap my head around so I don't dwell on it too much.
I can’t get enough of his belly laughs (best achieved through tickeling), his hugs and kisses, when he strokes my face and says “nice,” how over-protective he is of me when Aaron kisses me (yesterday he hauled off and whacked Aaron after he planted one on me), the way he throws his head back, closes his eyes, and smiles when he’s acting goofy, how he playfully hits his head and says “bonk” when he’s trying to make you laugh (he learned that one from Uncle Shawn), how he holds a remote between his ear and shoulder and thinks it’s a phone, how he says “vroom vroom” when he sees a motorcycle, how he equal-opportunity flirts with young pretty girls as well as old, wrinkly grandmas, how he likes to comb my hair after I comb his, and how he cuddles right before bed.

In other news:
• We were in the second row at the Beastie Boys concert Nov. 1. SECOND ROW. I could see the sweat on Mike D’s face. Also: Jack Black will always be my faux “boyfriend” (I do not think he's attractive, but he is HILARIOUS. I had two dreams that we got married prior to my actual wedding, and after seeing Tenacious D in concert, I am even more infatuated) and Ben Harper is damn sexy. I wanted him to remove his shirt while he was singing. I am sad to say that he didn't.
• We left Adam with my parents for four days to celebrate Tonya and Sam’s reception out in Idaho this September. They were happy to spend time with him and even more happy to hand him over upon our return. What can I say? The kid is adorable, smart, and funny, but he's also a lot of work.
While out in Idaho, we drank a lot, ate a lot, celebrated Tonya and Sam’s union at a beautiful reception (this was just the reception. Their wedding was out in New York City in June, and I was lucky enough to be part of that celebration, too), hiked around part of Lake Coeur D’Alene, went shopping in town, and went on a boat tour. In our group there were nine of us from Minnesota, two from Wisconsin, three from San Diego, one from Colorado, one from DC, and two from Illinois. We had a great time. Those memories will stay with me until I’m old and grey.


I also:
• Was asked to be my good friend Amy’s matron of honor in her wedding this May (she asked both me and our mutual friend Megan). I was flattered and honored.
• Joined a book club with my cousins and a few of their friends. So far, so good. Our first book was Twilight (go vampires!) Now we’re reading Love in the Time of Cholera. I also just finished Middlesex. Interesting book, to say the least.
• Went to Lutsen Resort with my immediate family, thanks to the generosity of my parents. Went kayaking, played disc golf, engaged in a few rowdy games of Apples to Apples, went swimming, searched for agates on the beach (Adam still loves looking for rocks), roasted marshmallows by a bonfire, and went on a guided night hike in Oberg Mountain. We stayed in one of the “luxurious” Cliff House Townhomes. I highly recommend it.
• Scored free tickets to the Renaissance Festival and celebrated the end of summer with my parents, Shawn, Trish, April, Aaron and Adam. I sum it up this way: delicious turkey legs, over-priced ale, cleavage, belly dancers, jousting, cleavage, strolling magicians, dust, bees, elephant rides, cleavage, role-playing lords and ladies, cleavage, and a mix of artisans, athletes, historians, dreamers, geeks, and people who wish Halloween lasted all year long.
• Made it to the semi-finals in a “Slapnuts” tournament (aka ladder golf, hillbilly horseshoes, testie toss), organized as an MS fundraiser by our wonderful North Star Roller Girl pal Mandi (aka Mickey Dismantle, co-captain of the Banger Sisters). Her friends were just as friendly and entertaining as she is. Aaron wore Adam in the Kelty backpack the whole time we competed. Our nickname was “Team Baby” and I gotta say, we were a force to reckon with.
• Had the use of The Retreat in Webster, Wis. during an autumn weekend when the leaves were at their peak of prettiness and the weather was nice enough to leave your jacket behind. We brought Shawn and Trish for an evening of cooking/eating, drinking, relaxing, playing games, and reveling in the beauty and silence of Mother Nature. Adam liked it there, too.
• Mourned the end of another fun kickball season.
• Helped throw a big party for my grandma’s 80th birthday.
• Went to a pumpkin-carving party at my former boss Stacey's house. Her friends were extremely nice and very intellectual.
• Helped elect our next president!!!
• Took a little road trip to Green Bay to visit Holly and Kevin, Kay and Joe, and Julie and Jim. Between those three college friends, they have NINE kids (one is still in utero). I am always sick of green and gold when I leave GB, but so glad to spend quality time with good friends from college.
• Organized a group of girlfriends to host monthly theme dinners during the long, cold winter. Successfully co-hosted Brazilian night with my friend Christine. (complete with Spanish guitar music, photos of hot Brazilian men/soccer players/ and sunny beaches plastered around her loft, and a menu of chicken empadinhas, caipirinhas with Cachaca, cocoa cake, and fruit dipped in chocolatey brigadeiro! Mmm mmm mmm)
• Got together at Katie's loft with wonderful Lillie friends (I love my CAKE girls, crazy Scott and J-dog!)
•Started having a solid night's sleep (finally!) after nearly 23 months. Either I was losing sleep due to being pregnant, nursing a newborn, or sharing our not-very-big bed with a restless baby.
After having Adam, I will never, ever again underestimate the value of a decent night's sleep.

And if tonight my soul may find her peace
in sleep, and sink in good oblivion,
and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower
then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created.
~D.H. Lawrence

Ok, so maybe that poem is a LITTLE much, but hey, I've been sleep deprived for NEARLY TWO YEARS STRAIGHT.

I also like this quote:

Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. ~Thomas Dekker

And this one makes me laugh:

If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters.


Good night, friends. Sweet dreams.