the first six weeks

working hard...

or hardly working?

baby's blues are navy blue.

"Seriously Daddy, I promise they're blue. Take another look."

little lamb, who made thee?

glamour-puss

When we found out we were having a boy, I did momentarily lament that there would be no ruffles or bows. I am from a girly family. Girls are what I know. And in my family, we go in big for the ruffles and bows.

So I thought that Jack would have a few plain onesies and some jeans. You know, like his father--the man who still wears t-shirts that he's had since he was fourteen because they haven't fallen off his back yet. Richie is a minimalist to say the least.

Meanwhile, Jack has been blessed with so many lovely gifts from friends and family that I have NO DOUBT that he has more 0-3 month clothes in his closet than all the clothes that Richard has ever bought.

Before he gets too big and too wiggly, I wanted to take a few pictures of Jack with some of the gifts he received from his European family. And, as it turns out, it can be pretty fun to dress a boy, even if there are no bows in sight.

one-der boy.

ten things i want to remember from your first month:

1. the way you excitedly put your hands to your face and pant when you are about to eat. sometimes, you snort, too.
and yet, it always makes me think of an polite little old man who is bowed over by the generosity of a great gift. it is this quality about you that also makes Daddy and me think that if you were a character in cartoon, you would be a happy little mouse.

2. you are fascinated by the lights and by the family photos in the living room. you could stare at your extended family for hours. we hope you'll get to meet your English relatives some day soon.

3. your dad was pleasantly surprised that your, "poo doesn't smell like real human poo yet." boys!

4. sometimes when you cry, you sound like a baby pteryodactyl.

5. you absolutely hated your first christmas present.

6. you also really hate baths.

we think that you inherited this tendency from Biz, who is twenty-five and still hesitates to shower sometimes because she doesn't "like the feeling of being clean." maybe this is the same since you never cry because your diaper is dirty, but you often cry when we change it.

7. your eyelashes are long and light and lovely.

8. you flex your toes when you are satisfied with the rate at which you are being fed.

9. even though you have less than a cupful of hair (as Bibi would say), you still wake up with bedhead.

10. you don't do social smiling yet, so you are a pensive little person. when you are sitting and thinking, you remind me of a baby version of Uncle Theo.

(and one to grow on...)

11. you do know me--even if you can't really see that well, even if you can't speak or smile yet--i know that you know me. i can comfort you even when you cry like your heart is breaking.
may it always be so, sweet boy.

face the nation.

like so many, we had high hopes for our horns.

it was an agonizing defeat.

but nothing that a good kiss and cuddle couldn't cure.
at least until next season.

until then, hook 'em horns.