One Small Step...

Yesterday, Dexter took his very first unaccompanied step when he "walked" from Ben to me. We were sitting about 3 feet apart and he only needed to take one step to get from Ben to me but he did it! Tentatively, purposefully, and proudly, Dexter took his first step.

Mister Press-It

Dexter is busily mastering pushing buttons. Yesterday, I went to get him out of his car seat and he was pushing on the red release button with his index finger. He knew it would release his harness but luckily he's not yet strong enough to get it on his own.

Bad Mommy?

Yesterday afternoon I had a two-hour conference call with other researchers and federal government bureaucrats to kick off a project involving culling youth development theories, developing a framework for synthesizing existing knowledge and practices, and coming up with ways for federal agencies to work with each other to share knowledge and best-practices in their programs (easier said than done - and it's not that easy to say!). 20 minutes into the meeting, Dexter woke up screaming from his nap (luckily I had figured out how to work the "mute" button on the phone). I was unable to quiet Dexter and remain engaged in the conversation so for the next hour and a half I fed him...and fed him...and fed him. As long as he was eating, he was quiet. As long as he was quiet, I could hear the conversation. Do you see where I'm going with this? I've never seen him eat so much for so long. I felt so guilty for not being able to fully engage with Dexy and for not being able to fully engage with my work. I just hope Dexter doesn't develop some sort of association with food as a substitute for my love.

Indian Summer

Following a brisk morning, the sun emerged and spread its warmth across Chicago. By this afternoon, the temperature was a perfect 68 degrees. Dexter and I took full advantage with a walk in the park where we visited the ducks and swung in the swing. He couldn't have been any cuter in the handmade sweater that a friend brought back from Chile for him (thanks again Carolina!). I forgot the camera when we were frolicking in the park but remembered to get a shot of him when we got home.

Rings Aren't Balls

More (unsuccessful) attempts to move other objects through his train.

Who Cares?

I may be the only one who cares about Dexter's emerging teeth but I'm not going to let that stop me from sharing the news anyway. I'm announcing the arrival of tooth number 8 (bottom right, next to the middle).

The Back-Saver

Dexter has been all about walking using our fingers as supports. This has caused tremendous strain on our already aching backs. We ordered the Radio Flyer Push Wagon thinking it would replace us as his means of transport. It arrived in pieces in a box that had a picture of a hammer, a wrench, 2 screwdrivers, and a pair of pliers indicating that this would be no simple snap-together construction. Ben and I spend a half hour on Thursday night putting it together and introduced it to him yesterday. He likes it but still prefers to grab onto our fingers and cruise around the house. So much for saving our backs...