Happy Passover

Last night Ben, Dexter, and I were treated to our first ever Passover Sedar thanks to Elissa and her wonderful family. It was a truly wonderful experience! Elissa did an incredible job preparing all the food, the table, the sedar plate. Grandpa Larry put together a play telling the story of Passover (this was very helpful for Ben and I who were pretty close to clueless). Everybody had a part in the play and I got to voice God's words to Moses: Tell Pharoh to let my people go! Dexter got to play with Ian and his cousins. Ben and I got to partake in some grown up conversations with interesting people. We ate and ate and ate. The food was amazing! I tried gefilte fish and charoses - Dexter could not get enough gefilte fish until he discovered the matzoh ball and then couldn't get enough matzoh ball! I couldn't get enough of the carrot kugel! I feel so honored to have been included in this special celebration with a such a lovely family. My "first time" couldn't have been any better.

Of course, I brought a camera and forgot to take pictures (par for the course). If Elissa has any good ones, I'll post them.

How Much Is Too Much?

Lately, Dexter can't seem to get enough food. He wolfs down just about anything we put in front of him and then asks for more. Ben weighed him on Saturday - 27 lbs even. After lunch at the Olive Garden on Sunday (lots of minestrone soup and some lasagna and bread), Dexter weighed in at 28 lbs even! My sister reassured me that he would poop out a good half pound in the next day. He did a super-sized poop this morning but I just weighed him again and he's 28 lbs 2 oz! Granted, I weighed him immediately after a big dinner of crunchy green beans, swedish meatballs, and fresh strawberries but still...

I'm guessing we're in for another growth spurt soon.

Up Close and Personal

Dexter's Delight

He can't contain his enthusiasm for his new furry friends.

Up and Down

A week ago Friday it was a gorgeous, sunny 70 degree day and Ben and I took Dexter to the park for the first time this season. He enjoyed the swings and the slide and ran around in a huge sandbox. But what really got him going was a two-inch curb. He carefully stepped up onto the curb, delighted and proud. Then he turned around and stepped down from the curb. Again, beaming with joy. He did this for about 10 minutes. Up and down in the same spot, mastering the skill. When we got home, I suggested we see if he could climb the steps into the house. Sure enough, he put his hands down on the third step, put his foot onto the first step, lifted his weight onto his foot, and straightened himself up. He repeated the process until he had climbed all the stairs into the house! Two days later, I was working at the computer and out of the corner of my eye I noticed Dexter's head peeking over the swingset we still have in the living room. For a minute I was completely confused about how he could be so "tall". Then I peeked over the swingset and saw that he had somehow gotten himself onto his rocking chair and was standing up there, quietly looking at me. He had discovered how to climb up onto the chair all by himself! Then it was 10 minutes of up and down onto and off of the rocking chair. The next day, he pushed the rocking chair over to the couch and used it to climb onto the couch! He's fearless.

Table Manners

OK, he's not quite ready for tea with the Queen but we're making progress on the utensils front.

Honored Houseguests

We are babysitting a colleague's sweet pets for spring break. Everyone is loving the new energy they bring to the house. Here is Andy's introduction to Dexter and My Bologna.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Ben put Dexter's outfit on backwards is what's wrong with this picture!!

Facing Fears

On Friday, I presented my colleague's and my work at a conference in Philadelphia. While I was appreciative of the professional development opportunity, it meant facing some pretty serious fears. First, I would have to fly (and I HATE flying). Second, I would have to speak in public...at a podium...did I mention in public? On top of all that, I would be away from Dexter for 2 days. But thanks to the support of Ben and some friends at work I mustered the strength to face these fears and everything went wonderfully. We had a small but highly engaged group for the talk so I was quickly able to forget about how uncomfortable I was at the front of the room and actually enjoy the intellectual exchange. And there was nothing like getting off the plane in Chicago and having Dexter run towards me with open arms saying, "Mama!" I can't say that my public-speaking fears have been obliterated but I can say that I'm not as terrified of it as I was a week ago.

Potty Update

Well, Dexter is certainly not scared of his potty. He happily sits on it and looks around (no poops or peeps though). However, when he's not sitting on it, he pulls out the cushy potty "seat" and chews on it (his 17th and 18th teeth are coming in so he's teething at the moment). Not exactly the kind of familiarity with the potty that we were looking for. Dexter's potty is now put away for a little while - we'll bring it out again later and hope he's no longer intensely interested in eating it.

Top Notch Field Researcher

For all the years that Ben and I have been together, I have helped him with countless gigs, lugging equipment and providing support. The other day, he had the opportunity to help me out with one of my "gigs". Ben, Dexter and I spent the morning documenting community-based organizations in a south side neighborhood - Ben drove, I located and photographed, and Dexter chirped happily in the back sea. Having worked up an appetite, we all enjoyed a Top Notch Beefburger at Top Notch Beefburgers on 95th.

The Ins and Outs of Dexter's First Sandwich

It was a delightful chicken salad with red grapes.

Potty

I told the doctor that Dexter gives me the sign for potty when he's doing a poops and I asked if we should try to potty train him now. She said we should get him a potty and let him try to go on it but not to expect much. She thought it was a good idea to get him used to the potty so he's not afraid when we really start to toilet train him between 18 and 24 months. We stopped at KMart and bought Dexter his potty on the way home from the doctor's office. Wish us luck!

The Latest Stats

Dexter had his 15 month check up today. The doctor was impressed with how friendly he was with her. He's doing great in all areas - no developmental concerns at this point. He weighed 26 pounds and 11 ounces and measured 32 inches long. He's up to 75% percentile in height, and 90% in weight. The doctor wasn't concerned with his weight - he's a solid little growing boy.

Music To My Ears

Dexter has been perfecting "DaaaaaDeee" for weeks now but it was only after we got back from our roadtrip that he began to call me Mamma with intention and meaning. This past Wednesday, I called home from work to check in and when Dexter heard my voice he exclaimed, "Mamma!" I couldn't hold back the tears.