Garden of Words

The Baby Factory: Germs

In retrospect, we probably should have put Thea in daycare months ago.

If we had, I'm convinced we'd all be dead -- or would have developed a resistance to every viral strain on the planet.

As fortune would have it, she's not in daycare and we're not dead. But we all have been fighting off varying degrees of mucous, phlegm, green shot, coughing, sneezing and otherwise feeling miserable.

Thea and Nikole started the drill on our return from Deltaville two weeks ago, and Thea signed up for a round of antibiotics the following Friday. She immediately started to bounce back -- literally as Nikole and I were both falling off the proverbial cliff.

We spent last weekend in abject misery -- one of the two of us was asleep as often as we could possibly manage it.

On Tuesday, I lost my voice.

Even Nikole admitted that it wasn't as entertaining or relaxing around the house without my constant commentary. For more than 48 hours, I could barely whisper and was under strict orders from my doctor to keep my yap shut.

By Thursday, I was on the mend and Nikole was on her way back downhill.

Apparently, that's how life with baby works. Even one who doesn't swap germs with 27 other kids every day.

The Baby Factory: Getting Lit for the Holidays

 

The best thing about a baby's second Christmas is that she's more likely to enjoy it -- especially when she's as verbal as Thea has become sliding into month 20 of her time on this mortal coil.

When we pulled into Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden this evening, the sun had set and the sky was darkening. Thea had no real clue what we were talking about when we told her we were going to "see the lights", and proceeded to gawk with amazement as we turned into the parking lost -- past the gigantic LED butterflies at the gate.

By the time she was in the stroller and could see the glow of blue lights on the bushes outside the main building, Thea was clapping her hands, flailing her feet, straining forward and yelling, "Lights, yay! Yay! Yay!"

She sat back and soaked it all in as we strolled down toward the Children's Garden (which now has a very mod, curving bridge giving quick access across the lake) until she saw him. "Man!" she exclaimed. "Yellow man!"

 

 

Yes, the Yellow Man. The man who must be touched to be believed.

The stroller was soon discarded so that she could run as fast as her tiny feet could take her to the top floor of the massive tree fort, then sat on a stump staring out the window at the illuminated gardens.

 

 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a fixated baby.

Fortunately, we picked the perfect evening to visit. The weather was mild, Thea was energetic but not out-of-control, and we both actually had enough energy to move.

 

We also got a taste of what a motor mouth we're raising. (Somewhere, my long-dead father is smirking.)

"Water. Train. Buddy. Woman. Woman. Woman. Lights. Water. Fish," she muttered as I carried her to the car. She was still muttering to herself as she went to sleep.

Particularly about the house down the street we visited before heading home. You're good, Lewis Ginter, but you're not tacky lights good.

 

The Baby Factory: Crafts with Dad

 

I can draw a multi-colored box with sidewalk chalk.

The Baby Factory: Emergance

I like that all of these photos focus on Thea emerging out of something. I particularly like the brave adventurer feel of the second photo. Nikole took these shots (and probably most of the others I've just posted).

The Baby Factory: Crafts with Omie

 

Another hat shot. Thea's hanging with her Omie at a craft sale, where she fell in love with a hat my mom made out of an old sweater sleeve. Because she's crafty, my mom is.

The Baby Factory: Cute Baby. Hot Mama.

 

A thousand words, right here. They look utterly Scandinavian, and cute.

The Baby Factory: Happy Ween! Tritreat!

 

Thea's Halloween costume was a labor of love, and more fascinating for everyone in the household than the candy that our allergenic tot is unable to enjoy.

Nikole has dabbled in sewing over the years, but turning Thea into Little Red Riding Hood was a labor of love. She spent several weeks on the cape and dress, and while it took Thea some time to warm up to the idea that her grandmother was ultimately going to be eaten by wolf, she made a fine fairy tale character.

Nikole used a mirror to get Thea past the lukewarm stage with her costume, and then we headed out into the neighborhood. Our neighbor Sam and his daughter Imogen joined us for much of the candy collecting foray while his wife stayed home and doled out pretzels and little tubs of Play-doh (incidentally, the perfect Halloween item for a child who can't eat anything with corn syrup or dairy products -- for instance, all candy and chocolate).

We wrapped up the evening at a block party near my friend Richard's house, and Thea experienced the delight of her first hay ride.

The Baby Factory: Bubblicious

 

Nikole found these awesome bubbles at Gymboree that last forever -- and come out in a mad flurry. Thea finds herself more obsessed with the bubble blowing implements than she actually is in the physical bubbles themselves. She's also started treating our seasonal decorations on our front stoop as part of the family.

The Baby Factory: Baby Rocking the Vote

 

In one of the more sallow elections in which I've actually had the sad pleasure of participating, Thea and her stuffed lion "Kaffee" joined me at the polls earlier this month. I think she also voted with Nikole, which raises all sorts of questions about the political process.

The Baby Factory: Chalk It Up

 

In the past few weeks, Thea and Nikole have been experimenting with crayons, sidewalk chalk and Play-Doh. I imagine it's pretty typical for small children to eat everything. Because why would you want to actually use crayons or chalk, for instance, for something as ephemeral as drawing?

 

Check out my blue lips!

Thea had the opportunity to live in the imaginary world of Play-Doh while we were in Charlotte last month visiting her cousin, Baker. The magical, colored dough vanished from her consciousness until last night when our neighbors, Sam and Kat, presented our little trick-or-treater with a small bag of her favorite snack (pretzels) and a container of Play-Doh.

They let her pick out the color. She chose black.

Daddy's girl.

 

In case you're wondering, Nikole took all three of these amazing photos.