He keeps going and going and going....

He's awesome! This morning he used one of his soft furniture pieces to stand on and reached up and grabbed a hold of, and tried to turn, the bathroom door knob. What's the use in putting locks on the doors? He's just gonna figure out how to open those next week!!

Everyday brings something new.....

Yesterday he carefully backed down the steps until he reached the bottom!! Can you believe that? I think that's a pretty major step for a kid who tackles every thing with wild, manic energy. I expected him to just throw himself down stairs until he gets much older, like in his teens. But, nope, he tried the first two steps several times over and over until he got the hang of it and then he just went all the way down, one step at a time. He is so smart!!! I really didn't expect that kind of problem solving at such a young age. I'm beaming, can you tell?
And, I'd like to take this opportunity to heap huge amounts of thanx on my sweet sis. Several people expressed concern when they heard we were moving in with her 'cause Sis and I tried cohabitating waaaayyyyy back in the day and it didn't turn out well at all. But we're both older, wiser and better people now and I have so much love and respect for her. If you don't know my Sis, you're missing out. THANK YOU SIS!!! You're a great person and I love you immensely!! We are very happy living in your home with you and I'm very glad that Baron gets the chance to grow in your presence. Thank you.

The only constant is changing diapers

Stuff, stuff and more stuff. It never stops. And neither does Baron!
We've moved into my sis' condo off of Marine drive and we're lovin it. L. O. V. I. N. it!! Baron has so much more space to get his crazy on and we can tell he really likes it here. He finally has his own room!! WE finally have our own room!!!!! Dear God, I don't have the words to help me convey just how much of a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. 'Course, we are in such a deep pit of financial misery it's frightening. Everyday we check the account to see if our salvation has arrived in the form of our long awaited tax refund and everyday it isn't there is more late fees, more phone calls, more spiraling down, down, down.....

But hey, we've got each other. And that's a lot for love.
We'll give it a shot!
Whoah, half way there, Whoah, livin on a prayer!!
Oh Jon Bon, could I borrow a few bones?
It's hard to feel the pain of scraping bottom when it's coming from a millionaire.

Aaaaaanyway... We'll make it. We always do.
Baron had his follow-up appointment with his surgeon yesterday and every thing's lookin good. We have some at-home maintenance to do on his unmentionables and I was going to give a brief description but then I thought 'Ya know, this blog could still be around when he's older and it would really suck for other kids to find this blog and use the information within to tease and taunt him'. I shudder to think what my childhood would've been like if my folks had kept a public account of my upbringing.
But, yeah, he's doing great. I love his surgeon, Dr. Newman. He's a good, good man. The kinda guy I'd like to shoot the shit with over a cold six pack. I should invite him over to a barbecue.

Baron is in a forward facing car seat now.
He loves to clap with his parents when something fun happens.
Yesterday he shoved puffs into my mouth after I shoved puffs into his mouth. (And anybody who truly knows me knows that me letting a baby stick his nasty, sticky, grubby cherubish hand INSIDE of my mouth is a big, big step for me. Ucky!!)
He can pop the lid off of his container of puffs. (uh oh!)
He LOVES LOVES LOVES watching the Sesame Street spin-off for toddlers, Play With Me Sesame!!!!
I've been reading Treasure Island to him. We're half way through it.
He freaks out whenever we're in a store and he sees a balloon. Freaks out!! And it's amazing how many places have balloons! I'd never paid attention before. They're everywhere!!!
Last week I took him to the kid play area at Clackamas Towne Center early in the morning. We had the whole area all to ourselves and it was friggin awesome!!! He had a blast, he was playing so hard he was gasping for air and still trying to go, go, GO! The first time it was just the two of us and then we made Mommy come with us last Saturday. I can't believe that of all of the thousands of babies in this city that we are the only ones to take ours to the Clackams mall at seven in the morning. It's FREE people!!!
He gets nibbles of whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating now. More Mommy than Daddy though 'cause she eats better than me.
He's just doing fantastic, as always. His tolerance for pain just seems to get stronger and stronger. Yesterday he crawled into the bathroom, stood up, grabbed one of the drawers by the sink and pulled it out so it smashed into his face and then slammed his fingers into it. It looked painful (if not a bit comical) but he only cried for a couple of seconds. He just doesn't have time for the pain!!
HA!
I put him in his stroller last week and it took us fifteen minutes to walk to Jantzen Beach. How rad is that? We are going to have an awesome, radtastical spring and summer.
Look out, here we come!!