Da Da

Dexter uttered his first (and much anticipated) Da Da yesterday! He said it to me but Ben was there and we both were thrilled.

After Dinner Drinks

Now that Dexter has mastered self-feeding, he's working on feeding his dinner to My Bologna. Needless to say, My Bologna is Dexter's best friend at dinnertime. Dexy likes to wash down his meal with big gulps of refreshing water from his sippycup.

Bursting at the Seams

There's not much that's funnier than when a diaper full of pee pee pops the crotch snaps.

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.