A.B. Kagledom

Adlai would like you to know that he can ring the bell on Simon's old tricycle and he can almost climb on and off of his push-truck wthout assistance.

We're all very proud.

Posted by kagledom at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I was on my way out the door this morning, Adlai blew me a kiss.

Posted by kagledom at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Adlai and the rest of us had a relaxing weekend. I came down with a cold on Friday and the boys' noses started running ever so slightly this afternoon. Fortunately, we still managed to make it into San Francisco today for some fun. Adlai has come up with a few new tricks lately. He gargles his milk before swallowing, can and will climb anything that is climbable and always turns around to let himself down from heights legs first (cautious boy!).

He has been extremely cranky lately but we forgive him because he has three top teeth all breaking through and it looks very painful.

Hey, look, I'm finally posting photos! These are from Matthew's phone over the past few months. There are around one hundred on Flickr.

Matthew took the boys out for some flaming cheese last week

Adlai after his new haircut

The first car trip with both boys facing forwards. (Notice the hand holding!)

Back when the leaves fell

Adlai "hugs" Ben

My birthday present!

Playing in the shower

What do I do?

Swinging at the park

Simon and two of his close friends

Posted by kagledom at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you were paying attention to business news last week you may have heard last Wednesday that Motorola was laying off 4,000 people starting immediately. That news was rumored internally to be happening on Monday, and then on Tuesday, and then there were 8 hours on Wednesday where we Motorolans were waiting with anticipation for the chopping to begin. The cuts were brutal and impacted a great number of my friends and coworkers in the Chicago office. Sure, life goes on but I didn't feel like posting anything cute or silly so I didn't post at all. Oh and then there was that big deadline on Friday to make - even with all the turmoil.

Last night I tried to get the pictures off of Matthew's phone - he has over 100 mostly adorable shots from the past few months - but the cheap laptop we bought is not making things easy so after an hour of trying to get Bluetooth to STAY ON I gave up. I'll use one of my work laptops sometime soon.

Adlai stopped crawling sometime last week. He's a cute walker - sticking his chest forward and toddling with a wide stance. We spent more of the weekend outside enjoying the warmth than inside and, on one trip to the park, he nearly started running. He loves his new independence and is occasionally insisting that he walk - especially when it is inconvenient.

This toddlerhood of his has us thinking we should go back to using the crank-o-meter on this site. Boy does this boy have a temper! It is clear that Adlai is very frustrated by not being able to do everything we do. He expects to use adult utensils - especially sharp forks - so meal time is a struggle. He expects to dress himself and put on his own shoes. He hates having his diaper changed - treating it as an exercise in how loud he can scream and cry and experimenting with squirming away.

Luckily, we know this will pass. Adlai is getting better at talking with "What's that?" and "Hey there!" And his pointing and leaning skills get across what he wants and where he wants to go (when held).

I asked him on Monday morning if he wanted to nurse and it was clear that he wasn't all that interested so he took a cup of milk instead and that was the end. He has been very loving toward me these past couple of weeks so it was a good enough time to let go. Still, it is a bit sad knowing that it is the end of nursing and babyhood - forever.

And then he was cranky and misunderstood and Simon was verbally charming and I was reminded of how much we have to look forward to in the future.

Posted by kagledom at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Both boys had hair cuts this afternoon which marks the first professional hair cut for our dear Adlai B. Neither boy suffered. Neither boy cried. No, we didn't keep any hair to stash away for the future. I think that is an odd practice and either Matthew agrees or he forgot.

Here is the spot that I'd normally post photos. Alas, the camera (Matthew's cell phone) is currently stashed away in Matthew's pocket which is currently not in this house. Tomorrow is another day. You'll just have to take my word for it that both boys look smashing.

Posted by kagledom at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Adlai is walking almost 100% of the time. Adlai is drinking out of cups (instead of bottles) almost 100% of the time.

Adlai is adorable 100% of the time (ok, almost fits here as well as he has recently discovered that he is a toddler and should SCREAM when he doesn't get what he wants). Still, he is very very cute.

Posted by kagledom at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There hasn't been much to say here and work is piling up once again so time is tight. I disinfected and packed up my pump, Frieda Medela, and she took a one-way trip to Chicago this afternoon to live with a friend and coworker who is about to have her first baby. I'll admit that it was a little sad to see Frieda go once and for all. We've spent a lot of time together over these past four years. It is a comfort to know she will be used and "appreciated" - she still has a lot of life left in her.

This week was also sort of momentous in that we weeded all of Adlai's 12 month clothes from his drawers after realizing that his pants were way too short. Unfortunately, his 18 month pants are all too long and/or fall off because he is so thin. Looks like he is going to be in overalls or sweatpants with elastic waist bands for the forseeable future.

Adlai has also started to walk about half of the time so it was fairly easy to catch him on camera this evening...

Posted by kagledom at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adlai has finally forgiven me for kidnapping him during the Christmas holiday. Although he still prefers Daddy, over the past weekend I was given a few hugs (Adlai is a big hugger) and even a giggle or two. He has made his point very clear and, no, you can't pay me to take him away from Matthew for more than a few hours. The rejection may have something to do with me weening him or his case of Roseola. I'm just happy to no longer be an outcast. Simon, the social skills expert in the family, did try to make up for the loss by paying me extra attention and yelling "I LUUUUUV you, Mama!" at every chance.

Adlai can walk. Sometimes he does. Sometimes he doesn't. Last night, we three cheered him on and he kept trying to use walking as his primary mode of transportation. He is a very fast scooter (he scoots on one knee and one foot) so walking isn't very enticing. Simon is thrilled to see Adlai on his feet and often runs over to hug him which, unfortunately, makes our new walker a bit unsteady.

Besides experimenting with mobility, Adlai enjoys mimicking noises, finding and talking to Winslow (our bird), trying on shoes, feeding himself with utensils (he is obsessed with adult size metal forks because he isn't allowed to have them), and cuddling with us, pillows, his brown bear and his glow worm. Bath time (usually with Simon) is the best time of the day. We're moving him away from bottles to cups which *sometimes* is acceptable and sometimes is NOT. Adlai lets us know of his displeasure by arching his back and crying and picking up an object and dramatically throwing it back down on the floor. If he isn't in the mood for one of Simon's bear hugs, he has started to push him away with a shout (but usually, he appreciates the affection). His top center left tooth has made its way in enough that it can be seen when he smiles. Its neighbor on the right is pushing through the gum at this very moment. Perhaps that is why he cried on and off for four hours in the wee hours this morning?

Posted by kagledom at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry for the holiday delay. We've been a bit busy around these parts. I could write a novel with all the details but, seriously, you don't want to read that. Here is a summary:

Christmas
- Grammy took the train here and then drove with Simon, Adlai and I to Sacramento on Christmas Eve
- Simon had the time of his life. He kept Grammy up until 11 pm!
- Adlai was not pleased to be away from home and away from Daddy so was super cranky until we got back in the car with Grammy to return home on Christmas afternoon
- Both boys passed out on the way home marking the first time (?) both boys have napped at the same time

Hanukkah
- Both boys enjoyed spending the first night and the last night of Hanukkah with the Feefadders
- Adlai loves candlelight
- Simon lit the candles on his own for the first time

Sickness
- Matthew came down with a cold on Christmas and was out of it until Sunday
- Adlai came down with a fever on Sunday which lasted until Tuesday morning
- Sick and angry at me for taking him away from Daddy, Adlai wanted nothing to do with me for the entire week
- Adlai came down with a full body rash on Wednesday so we took him to the doctor
- Adlai had a case of Roseola and just started to cheer up and look normal this afternoon

New Years
- Matthew's brother's family came into town so all eight Kagle men/boys were together for the first time
- Adlai the introvert has been a bit overwhelmed by all the people and activity but spent some time hugging Andrew (age 3) this afternoon
- Neither boy stayed up to ring in the new year (neither did we)

Cheer
- Simon recorded this video for Calvin after Calvin recorded an adorable Hanukkah video for him:

Weaning
- Adlai and I are down to one nursing a day and that will most likely end soon since he doesn't appear all that interested.

Posted by kagledom at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)