Happy Reunion

As I've mentioned, Ricci's clinical rotations for PA school have kept him away from Isaac much more than either of them would like. For his last six week rotation, Ricci was home with us from Saturday morning to Monday morning. Last week, that rotation finished, and Ricci surprised us Friday with his early return. When he walked in the door Isaac was crying because he was mad at me for changing his diaper and putting on his PJs (I know--I'm awful). When his dad walked in, however, his demeanor changed completely, and he practically jumped out of my arms and into Ricci's. Isaac then continued his "Welcome Home" by attempting to eat Ricci's face. Ricci's current rotation is here in town and some version of this happy scenario is repeated almost daily.

To quote some famous Wild Things, "[I]'ll eat you up [I] love you so."

Isaac telling Dad about his week.

Isaac making sure Mom has also noticed that Dad is home.

Happy Halloween

Because this was one of the only Halloweens that Ricci and I would be able to choose Isaac's costume, he went as Yoda. For someone who wasn't even old enough to really trick or treat, he had a lot of social engagements including a party at our housing complex, the Bootacular on the University campus, and a baby Halloween party hosted by one of the mom's I know for story hour. By the final party, he'd had enough of the robe (which was just way too big) and, in what amounted to a blue track suit, looked a little bit like Yoda retired to Florida.

Yoda and Dad

At the Bootacular with Little Red Riding Hood (Claire) and a ghost (Douglas).


A happy Red Riding Hood and a smiling Yoda


Yoda-Retired-to-Florida

Months 6 and 7

Isaac is now 7 1/2 months old. He continues to be a pretty big guy, weighing in at 21 pounds and measuring 28 inches at his 6 month check up on October 4th. We're not sure exactly how big he is now, but he seems to have grown even more in the past three weeks. Currently, his hobbies include rolling over on the changing table, chewing on his mommy's face and, most recently, attempting to remove his own socks. His favorite toys are, in order, Mommy's phone, the TV remote (and don't try to trick him with the DVD remote--he wants the one that changes the channel), and his jumper. While sweet potatoes are still his favorite solid, we've added lots more foods in the past weeks, and he's learning to drink from a cup. He gets more water on himself than in his mouth, but that's partly because he loves drinking out of a cup so much he gets too excited to really do it. He scoots like a champ and pushes up on all fours to rock back and forth, so he'll hopefully be crawling soon.

Ricci is out of town during the week for his current clinical rotation for PA school. Since we only have him home on the weekends, Saturday and Sunday are pretty exciting days for Isaac. After 12 weeks of away rotations, I'm looking forward to getting to see the kind of excitement Ricci inspires in Isaac at the end of every day rather than just on the computer screen via skype or on the weekends. We feel like a pretty lucky little family and our favorite times are when we're all three together.

Isaac after scooting himself backwards under the couch.
While he'd like to go under head first, he can't. His noggin is too big.

Going nuts in his jumper (and also trying on the headpiece to his Yoda Halloween costume).

Eating Peas.

Nebraska

Six weeks went much faster and was much busier than I had anticipated. The following are some highlights of our time in Nebraska that haven't yet made the blog...

Grandma
Isaac and Grandma Anne are the picture of mutual adoration. Isaac looked forward to smiling at her when he got up in the morning, sitting on the front porch with her and watching the trucks go by, and lunging for whatever necklace she happened to be wearing.


Grandpa
Part of our purpose in coming to Nebraska for these six weeks was to give me the chance to work on my dissertation while my dad watched Isaac. Almost every morning, Grandpa took Isaac on a 5 mile walk around my hometown. Pretty much everyone in town knows Isaac and enjoyed seeing a softer side of Mr. Burton. On mornings when they didn't walk, Isaac was a little confused and usually spent a least a little bit of time looking around for Grandpa. I'm not sure what either of them will do with their mornings when we get home.




Uncle Justin!
Nearly all time with Uncle Justin requires an exclamation point. Isaac LOVES Uncle Justin. And Uncle Justin tosses him in the air, holds him upside down, and flies him around the house. It was Justin who taught Isaac the anticipation inherent in counting to three, since counting to three with Justin almost always means you're about to be shot straight up in the air.



Burton Family Gathering
The last weekend in August, my dad's family had a reunion in Western Nebraska. Isaac enjoyed being passed among my dad's brother and sisters, falling instantly and madly in love with my cousin's daughters, viewing the polar bear at Olie's Big Game Bar and Grill, and generally entertaining everyone.



Great Grandma
During our stay, Isaac was able to visit with my mom's mom a few different times. Whenever Great Grandma leaned in for a smile, she was almost always rewarded with a smile in return which pretty much delighted her every time.


Babysitting
Isaac helped my mom and me babysit my cousin Cassie's two kids while she, her husband, and her parents were away at a wedding. Much hilarity ensued.


Baldwin Family Gathering
The Baldwin family gathered at our house on September 12 and Isaac got his first full fledge taste of the people, the noise, and the general hilarity that are part of Baldwin family gatherings. We look forward to many such gatherings in the future. A mini version with my mom and my aunt Betty will take place in Salt Lake City at my aunt Connie's house in just a couple of weeks.

Sleep Away

Isaac and I headed to Lincoln on Friday to visit a few friends. We'd originally intended to drive first to Nebraska City to see some friends there, but by the time we'd gone a distance that should have taken a little over an hour, we'd had to stop four times for Isaac to get out of his car seat and calm down. The kid was just not having a car trip. So we scrapped the Nebraska City plan and finally made it as far as Lincoln where we went to Target and then hung out at Barnes & Noble until it was time to go meet Keller. Keller, who has just turned two, has all sorts of interesting things to talk about, not to mention some serious dance moves. Keller's mom and dad, Katie and Butch are also awesome. After some really good take-out from The Oven, my favorite restaurant in Lincoln, and some quality time with Keller and company, Isaac and I headed out again for a sleep over with his cousins. My cousin and his wife were at the Nebraska football game in Seattle, but their boys, Caden and Ian, were home and Aunt Judy was babysitting for the weekend. Caden was there to greet us and to meet Isaac, but Ian (who'd already met Isaac during our August family reunion), although he tried so hard to stay awake for us, was sacked out on the couch when we arrived. We apologize for being so late, but, like Ian, Isaac was fast asleep as well. The next morning, when everyone was up and energized, Isaac had a busy time letting Caden, Ian, and Aunt Judy entertain him.

Keller

Keller, Katie, and Baby Ike

Playing ball for the first time.

Caden hanging out under the coffee table

and looking strikingly like his dad Phillip.

Ian reading Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes to Isaac

Cuddling.

Cereal

About two weeks ago, Isaac has his first taste of rice cereal. The baby books as well as my mom prepared me for rejection--he won't like it at first, he'll spit it out, there will be more cereal on him than in him. Isaac likes to do most things in front of an audience here in Nebraska, and cereal was no exception. Gathered around the high chair were my mom, dad, grandma, and aunt. Isaac surprised us all when he took to it right away, leaning toward the spoon, swallowing the entire first bite, and eventually grabbing onto my arm to make sure I was going to put each subsequent spoonful in his mouth. He ate the entire bowl and definitely made a very distinctive "Mmmmm," at one point. Really. The first bowl was pretty runny, but I've been gradually thickening it. He's been less interested in the last couple days, so I haven't decided yet if I'm making it too thick now or if he's just bored of rice and would like something newer and more exciting. Next on the menu is oatmeal--a food Ricci loves but about which I am less than enthusiastic. We'll be interested to see where Isaac stands on the issue. Vegetables, I've decided, will wait till we get back to Idaho so Ricci can be there for that first.

"What's this Mom?"

"Interesting..."

"More please..."

"Woah. I totally love this stuff."

Uncle Gabe and Uncle Felix

Last weekend, as part of his Nebraska adventures, Isaac traveled to Hershey, Nebraska to meet Ricci's uncles, Gabe and Felix. When we drove into town, we were greeted by a parade down main street. Apparently the parade had nothing to do with us, but it did make navigating the small town of Hershey surprisingly tricky. Both Gabe and Felix had Isaac laughing and smiling during our entire visit. Isaac had a great time with his uncles, and we hope to see them again on his next trip to Nebraska.

Isaac and Uncle Gabe

Isaac and Uncle Felix