Can He Do It?

This is too funny not to share.

Dashing Through the Snow

In a one-dog open sled, through the alley we go, laughing off our heads.

Bundled Up

Santa brought Dexter his first snowsuit. He was warm but nearly immobile (you'll notice that My Bologna was much faster when it came to "come to Mommy").

Swingers

Dexter loves swinging with his Funky Monkey. My Bologna loves to watch Dexter and Funky Monkey swinging. Dexter loves that My Bologna loves to watch him swing with Funky Monkey. It's good times all around.

All I Want For Christmas Are My Two Top Molars

And that's exactly what Dexter got! For the last two nights Dexter has been waking us all up throughout the night. Not sick, not completely miserable, but not his normal sleep-through-the-night self. When he wasn't eating dinner with his usual gusto last night, I looked at his puffy gums and noticed the two top molars had begun to pop through.

Like Father, Like Son

Ben and I got Dexter his first real musical instrument this Christmas - a beautiful powder blue ukelele with a wooden bridge carved into the shape of a dolphin (special order courtesy of Flynn Guitars). Dexter was immediately enthralled and spent the rest of the day carrying it around while he explored other new toys. He didn't let it out of his sight, always wanting it within arm's reach should the urge to play music arise. And the urge did arise - again, and again, and again.

Merry Christmas

Somehow, Santa managed to get all the presents under the tree, fill the stockings, build a wooden rocking chair, and put together a swingset in the living room before Dexter woke up Christmas morning! Dexter was pretty amazed when he saw it all. He wasn't very interested in opening gifts but loved choosing gifts and handing them to us to open.

Christmas Cookie

Dexter enjoyed a homemade, full of sugar, Christmas cookie after polishing off his salmon and green beans Christmas Eve dinner. We enjoyed putting different hats on him while he was busy cramming cookie into his mouth.

Surprise Gift

Grandma and Grampy Fowler sent us a box full of Christmas gifts and I couldn't stop laughing when I opened it and found Dexter's "surprise Christmas gift"! It was even funnier when Ben had no idea what it could be!!! I can't wait until Dexter sees it tomorrow morning (we haven't put any gifts under the tree yet for fear of premature gift unwrapping).

The Hamburglar

My Bologna has never been a fan of the rubber squeaky toys. Dexter, on the other hand, LOVES them!

Santa's Furry Helper

My Bologna loves his annual job of pulling the Christmas tree home.

Greeting Daddy

My Bologna and Dexter get so excited when Daddy comes home from work!

Daddy is Mama

Dexter knows who you're talking about when you say "Daddy" or "Mommy" but in our house, Daddy and Mommy are both "Mama". When you ask Dexter, "where's Daddy?", he runs to Ben and says, "Mama!".

One-Year Check-Up

Dexter had his one year check up yesterday and is on track in all developmental areas. The doctor was happy that we had been feeding him our table scraps, even Mexican, Mediterranean, Chinese, Indian, and Thai foods. She said he could now be introduced to nuts, eggs, and shellfish (and we should watch for allergic reactions, of course). He weighed only 24 lbs - Ben guessed he would be 27 lbs 4 oz and I guessed an even 26 lbs (even though he feels like he weighs 50!). At the same time, he had really sprouted up in height. He now measures 30 1/2 inches long (going from 50th percentile in height to almost 75th). He got a ton of shots (2 in the leg and 1 in the arm) and blood taken from his toe. The blood showed he has plenty of iron (no anemia) and we have to wait a few weeks to find out about the lead levels (which we hope there will NOT be plenty of).

Dexter, a Balloon, a Biscuit, and My Bologna

Singing Happy Birthday to the Boy

And his first taste of cake!

At Ben's Request

Ben wanted to make sure I posted a picture of the whole tractor cake. His wish is my command (thanks to Elissa getting a good shot of it!).

Guilt

I have long believed that guilt is wasted emotional energy and have, until now, done a pretty good job of managing to not waste my emotional energy in this way. However, I'm finding it very difficult these days to cope with those creeping feelings of guilt. For the last couple of weeks I've been working very hard to reach a work deadline while preparing Dexter's first birthday party. I feel tremendous pressure to produce quality work for a lot of reasons, the most salient being that I take pride in my work (always have). That being said, I also very much want to provide Dexter the nurturing and love he deserves as well as truly experience motherhood so that we both have more than just photographs as memories of his early childhood. To top it off I went to the doctor yesterday and he made clear what I already knew - I need to take better care of myself. I'm at a loss as to how to balance these things and remain true to myself. I feel guilty when I'm at home working on the computer and Dexter is fussing for attention. I feel guilty when I have to shift my work schedule so that I can get Dexter to the doctor. And I feel guilty every time I choose coffee over a meal to get me through my day. I think the real fear for me now is realizing that this situation is not just a "crunch" that I can power through but that I am going to have to really figure out a way of living that more or less balances all of these things over the long haul. Wish me luck.