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Adventures of a spectacularly active, incredibly clever, and insanely adorable little boy.
Birth date: June 15, 2004
| aug 15 - sept 14 2005< previous month | next month > Start at the beginning of Simonial Kagledom |
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Archives by Age
The Fourteen Month Old
this month's photosSeptember 13, 2005 
There are a couple of things to celebrate today. 1. it is, once again, Simon Existence Day2. the existence of caffeine
Simon was up from 1 AM to 2 AM. Simon's parents were up from 1 AM to 4 AM. If we were to do things over, we might not have bought a townhouse with excellent acoustics or bedrooms next to each other - lesson learned.
September 12, 2005
Last night we were discussing how quickly Simon gets bored; how, even from the very beginning, even when he couldn't move of his own volition, he wanted to be "over there!", "no, over there!", "wait a minute, what's that over there?!" In the beginning we couldn't hold him on our laps for long while keeping him happy and we are fairly certain that, if he could have talked, he would have said "this is BOOOOORING!" Simon must always be a part of the action (and we, of course, attribute this to that whole being perfect thing). Then we started to wonder how different having a child must be for those parents with babies who are content to sit still and watch. Hava ran into a woman with twins the other day, six month old TWINS, and the woman was lamenting how sad it is that they have to grow up past that age. Hava wondered "is this woman CRAZY?" Now she remembers the twins sitting in their stroller, fully content to just sit IN THEIR STROLLER (and not even a moving stroller). Then we realized that Simon is pretty much always happy around friends, extended family, and strangers. When he is causing a fuss and a stranger walks by he immediately stops and all is well with the world until the outsider has passed and he can fuss alone with his parents. So it now occurs to us ... what if WE are what bores him?
New favorite word: "hi, chair" (we bet he wonders why we always say hi to the chair around meal times and not, say, to the couch or the table)
September 11, 2005 
After a lovely day Saturday - swimming, napping, walking down to the Mountain View Art and Wine Festival and spending time with Mountain View's Guitar Man - Simon woke up at 4 AM Sunday and wouldn't go back to sleep until 9 AM. He was so cranky that he scared everyone away from his play date. He moaned and cried and screamed. We took him to the store to get some fall clothes. He moaned and cried and screamed. He walked over to Calvin's place to see his little friend ...
Hooray! Calvin's coming back!
Knock. Knock.
No one home. (Moan, cry, scream.)
Hooray! Calvin's coming back!
Knock. Knock.
No one home. (Moan, cry, scream.)
September 10, 2005 
We're back to having the sweet, napping, Simon that we know and love (but getting here hasn't been easy). Thursday Simon wouldn't take his morning nap so Matthew decided to take the opportunity to go to the gym for a workout and leave Simon to play in the kids area. Fifty minutes later, when Matthew returned, Simon was no where to be found. After a few moments of panic, the attendant pointed to the corner where lay Simon, face on the carpet, butt in the air, fast asleep. Apparently he had been that way for almost the entire visit. Since he had a mere forty minutes of nap, he wouldn't nap again which led to a very cranky boy. Friday we tried to keep him up to the one-nap-time time of 12:30 but he fell asleep in the car for 15 minutes and decided that was enough for the entire day - at least until we all went on an evening stroll and he fell asleep in the backpack, head and arm lolling freely to one side. Today we've managed to get it right. Home from swimming by 11 AM, lunch by 11:30, nap by 12:30 and he's still sleeping. Who knew our "the bed must be soft, the light must be dim, the air must be cool" boy would ever fall asleep on the hard floor of a daycare center?
September 8, 2005 
Simon says: Happy Birthday Aunt Jackie!
Simon quickly went from to the dreaded yesterday afternoon. Matthew called Hava (several times) for ideas (it is hard to think straight with someone yelling nearby). She suggested food and taking him outside; two tried and true methods for keeping the crankies at bay - at least until yesterday. About an hour after the first call, she was on her bike peddling as fast as possible to reach the Kagle male contingent before insanity took over the Kagle abode. When she arrived, Simon made it fairly clear through gestures and cries that he is in withdrawal. Calvin is away and Simon's daily fix has been interrupted. We thought he might miss Calvin but had no idea that incessant crying would be involved. The problem was compounded by the fact that Simon is finding it hard to take his second nap. We're fairly certain that he has another month or so to go before he switches to one nap (and, clearly, one nap isn't enough) but we may have to start keeping him up until noon or 1 PM so he will nap later and longer (easier said than done). On the positive side, when he naps at 12:30 or 1 PM he sleeps for three hours which is a very nice respite in the middle of the day. Matthew, however, is really fond of those two one-and-a-half-hour breaks.
Simon calmed down after we all sat down for dinner. He consumed a large peach and two cups of Dad's fried rice with tofu. Why he refused snacks when he was clearly hungry is anyone's guess.
Calvin, come back! We need you.
to the dreaded yesterday afternoon. Matthew called Hava (several times) for ideas (it is hard to think straight with someone yelling nearby). She suggested food and taking him outside; two tried and true methods for keeping the crankies at bay - at least until yesterday. About an hour after the first call, she was on her bike peddling as fast as possible to reach the Kagle male contingent before insanity took over the Kagle abode. When she arrived, Simon made it fairly clear through gestures and cries that he is in withdrawal. Calvin is away and Simon's daily fix has been interrupted. We thought he might miss Calvin but had no idea that incessant crying would be involved. The problem was compounded by the fact that Simon is finding it hard to take his second nap. We're fairly certain that he has another month or so to go before he switches to one nap (and, clearly, one nap isn't enough) but we may have to start keeping him up until noon or 1 PM so he will nap later and longer (easier said than done). On the positive side, when he naps at 12:30 or 1 PM he sleeps for three hours which is a very nice respite in the middle of the day. Matthew, however, is really fond of those two one-and-a-half-hour breaks.
Simon calmed down after we all sat down for dinner. He consumed a large peach and two cups of Dad's fried rice with tofu. Why he refused snacks when he was clearly hungry is anyone's guess.
Calvin, come back! We need you.
September 6, 2005
"Simon, where is your nose?"
Simon, smiling, shakes his head from side to side.It took us a while to get the joke.
September 5, 2005
Simon had a wonderful Labor Day. In the morning he, Mom and Dad took off to San Francisco and, for some reason, he was overwhelmingly excited to be in the car. Maybe he understood that he was going to play with Mike and Cindi and that they always provide a good time. This time we met them at the Exploratorium to learn about SCIENCE. In between experiments, we had a picnic at the Palace of Fine Arts. When we were putting away the cheese and bread and fruit and cheese and cheese and brownies, we got a little carried away. Someone had the idea to throw Simon in the blanket. Up and down. Up and down. If any of us were as light as Simon, we would have taken our turn.
Mike and Cindi thinking about putting away the blanket.
Simon being thrown around in the blanket.
And then it was time to go.
No Daddy! I want to go back that way!
No really, I do!
Mike and Cindi thinking about putting away the blanket.
Simon being thrown around in the blanket.
And then it was time to go.
No Daddy! I want to go back that way!
No really, I do!
September 4, 2005
It has been a while since we updated; it feels even longer because it has been a very rough week. We are thankful at times like these that we don't have television reception. Simon knows little (we might just say nothing) of the tragedy in the South but this week has been marred as if he did by the crankies, falls, and trouble sleeping. Simon is pretty clumsy on his best days. You may notice bruises and scrapes on his face but in fact they are everywhere. The kid can't seem to walk more than a few feet without tripping over himself. First we thought it might be his new shoes but, frankly, he is just as bad barefoot. It is more likely that he is so anxious to get where ever he is going that the message doesn't have time to get to his feet. His erratic movement also nearly caused Matthew to lose vision in one eye this week and he gave Hava a bruised eye and a blood blister on her finger which is still swollen. Play is dangerous; plastic toys in the hands of toddlers are deadly. Simon inserted a new element into his routine this week: standing on a stool and looking out the bathroom window (our only real "view"). He enjoyed talking with the birds, taking in the cool air, and seeing if anyone, besides us, was out and about. Here he is one morning last week:
Only we had to cancel his appointment with the bathroom window because he started standing on the arm of the stool and, once, he fell hard on the tile, hitting his head on the wall on the way down. Now the stool is in a softer place:
But Simon really wants it to be in the bathroom and has attempted on more than one occasion to put it back:
There were also some really good times this week like all those play dates (Thursday alone there were FOUR), a really fun trip to the library/park/City Hall fountain, an excursion to IKEA (including consuming Swedish meatballs and baby shrimp), and this morning's walk to the Farmer's Market and lunch out at Pasta? where he and Hava shared a plate of gnocci with pesto. What's new developmentally? This morning Simon said "That is a bear" to Mom while reading a book about a bear and Hava spent the rest of the day trying to prove to Matthew that HE REALLY DID SAY IT! Hava: "Simon? What's that there?" Simon: silence like his Mom is a crazy ladyHe now wants to wash his hands in the sink all the time. This would be more of an exciting development if he could reach the faucet by himself. As it is, one of us has to hold him over the sink and, according to Simonial Clean, we never let him wash long enough (even the stool doesn't make him tall enough). But he is getting taller. Hava noticed just this week that his legs are leaner and he has lost the little bit of belly he had. We wonder if the cranky Simon of this past week was due to a growth spurt; that would at least explain why he woke up in the middle of the night a few nights back and consumed 6 ounces of milk in a few minutes and another 6 ounces a few minutes later after having had a large meal, a snack, and bedtime milk. He can't keep eating like he has been and remain thin unless he intends to be very very tall. It is also interesting to note that a day hasn't gone by in the past two weeks when Simon hasn't asked for milk from Mom in the morning. He is now fine with being offered a cup but he is clear about missing the closeness of morning milk from Mom; he hasn't forgotten. Hava misses it a lot too.During spells of extreme cranky, Matthew pulls out the laptop to show Simon the eggs. Once he has seen a few episodes, he forgets whatever was upsetting him and we can start over. Now, whenever Simon sees Matthew's laptop, he wants to see the eggs. We're currently hiding the laptop most of the day (Mom's laptop isn't associated with viewing pleasure so she can surf as long as she wants).
Only we had to cancel his appointment with the bathroom window because he started standing on the arm of the stool and, once, he fell hard on the tile, hitting his head on the wall on the way down. Now the stool is in a softer place:
But Simon really wants it to be in the bathroom and has attempted on more than one occasion to put it back:
There were also some really good times this week like all those play dates (Thursday alone there were FOUR), a really fun trip to the library/park/City Hall fountain, an excursion to IKEA (including consuming Swedish meatballs and baby shrimp), and this morning's walk to the Farmer's Market and lunch out at Pasta? where he and Hava shared a plate of gnocci with pesto. What's new developmentally? This morning Simon said "That is a bear" to Mom while reading a book about a bear and Hava spent the rest of the day trying to prove to Matthew that HE REALLY DID SAY IT! Hava: "Simon? What's that there?" Simon: silence like his Mom is a crazy ladyHe now wants to wash his hands in the sink all the time. This would be more of an exciting development if he could reach the faucet by himself. As it is, one of us has to hold him over the sink and, according to Simonial Clean, we never let him wash long enough (even the stool doesn't make him tall enough). But he is getting taller. Hava noticed just this week that his legs are leaner and he has lost the little bit of belly he had. We wonder if the cranky Simon of this past week was due to a growth spurt; that would at least explain why he woke up in the middle of the night a few nights back and consumed 6 ounces of milk in a few minutes and another 6 ounces a few minutes later after having had a large meal, a snack, and bedtime milk. He can't keep eating like he has been and remain thin unless he intends to be very very tall. It is also interesting to note that a day hasn't gone by in the past two weeks when Simon hasn't asked for milk from Mom in the morning. He is now fine with being offered a cup but he is clear about missing the closeness of morning milk from Mom; he hasn't forgotten. Hava misses it a lot too.During spells of extreme cranky, Matthew pulls out the laptop to show Simon the eggs. Once he has seen a few episodes, he forgets whatever was upsetting him and we can start over. Now, whenever Simon sees Matthew's laptop, he wants to see the eggs. We're currently hiding the laptop most of the day (Mom's laptop isn't associated with viewing pleasure so she can surf as long as she wants).
August 31, 2005
Simon has learned to left click. What does this mean? Approximately 8,401 days until Simon graduates from graduate school and starts looking for work using his newly acquired skill. How many days left to save for college? 6,209. And, according to the College Board Calculator, if we intend to send Simon to Harvard, Stanford, or Yale for six years (graduate school as well as undergraduate - a worst/best case scenario depending on your point of view), we should expect to pay $431,487. That means we need to be collecting $69.50 a day for the next seventeen years. All contributions are welcome.
August 30, 2005 
Simon is getting really really picky - not about food or clothes or his daily routine - just about music. Music must be on at all meals and in the car and we, his telepathic parents, are required to know which CD he wants when he points to the various music machines. Setting the iPod to shuffle is just asking for trouble. New CDs arrived yesterday and so far he is pleased with "School House Rock" but not yet during mealtimes. Mealtimes are serious business and require something equally serious ... something like the free CD that came with the purchase of a box of Huggies. This CD includes favorites such as "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Ring Around the Rosey" sung by people who might have been singing for as much as the CD cost ... nothing. For pretty much his entire life we've been singing "Good Night, Sweetheart (Well it's time to go)" as we put him to sleep. Now he's not sure that song will do. Last night Mom started out with "Snuggle Puppy" and moved to "Goodnight, Sweetheart" only to be told "No no no!" The night before she went through every song she could remember only to be told "No no no!" after a few words of each. When she found herself singing the theme song to "The Greatest American Hero", she knew it was time to put him down and let him cry-it-out. No one should have to sink to that level. Though "No no no!" is probably the most useful of Simon's words, his favorite thing to say these days is actually "Hi!" We're pretty sure he has combined "Hi" and "Daddy" together to make his first two word sentence but it somewhat hard to tell what he intends to say (he has a habit of meshing phrases into single words such as "eywan" for "I want" and "whatis" for "what's this"). His enunciation and pronunciation are just plain baaaad. For weeks now he has been pointing to Winslow and uttering gibberish which, just this week, turned out to be (obviously) "bird". When he hears sounds overhead outside he looks up, points, and says "plaugueueu". When signing for "all done" he says "ahd ahd". The more we listen, the more Simonese is sounding like English -- though perhaps a version spoken while extremely intoxicated.
August 28, 2005
Yesterday, Simon said: "Happy Birthday Grandma Whee!"
Dear Grandma Whee,Mommy and Daddy have told me that on my birthday, if I'm really really good, I may expect to see a few gifts. Do I also need to send gifts on my birthday? See, this present arrived for me from you and it was your birthday, not mine. Whatever the reason, I am always grateful to receive gifts. Mom and Dad took a few pictures of me and my new pug-in-a-box.It has been a busy weekend. Friday Matthew surprised Hava with a night out alone at Mountain View's finest restaurant, Chez TJ (fabulous). He arranged for Simon to play with Calvin and his parents and by the time they were home Simon was nowhere near ready to leave. He tried to bargain his way into being Calvin's new brother but wasn't using very persuasive techniques: swatting Mom away and squirming out of Dad's arms. Matthew believes this is only the first of many opportunities Simon will have to trade his parents in for more interesting models. Yesterday we took Simon out for Indian food. He was being a really good kid, sitting in his high chair, slurping up some of Mom's mango lassi, when Dad gave him some papadum with green sauce. Matthew didn't think the sauce was spicy and, since that time, Hava has brought up several times how taste buds die with age and that his, being older than hers, might have departed this life some time ago. In any case, because he didn't think the sauce and the papadum were spicy, he gave a full mouthful to Simon who, very quickly looked like this ...
Thank you.
Love, Simon
August 26, 2005
Favorite Foods: macaroni and cheese, gnocchi, rice, corn on the cob, carrots, watermelon, grapes, Kashi TLC crackers
Favorite Toys: his learning home (best purchase ever),squeeges, little tikes racer, the remote control for the television
Favorite Music: For the Kids, NO!, Oy Baby, Universe of Song: French, Halloween Hits (We've just bought a new selection of CD's *coming soon* to rescue us from hearing these over and over.)Favorite Activities: playing outside, getting attention from strangers (or, pretty much anyone), running, climbing stairs, eating, being read to, attempting to hop, playing with plants, rocks, and dirt
Best Games: Ring Around the Rosey, Itsy Bitsy Spider, being chased, hide and seekLeast Favorite Activities: brushing his teeth, coming inside, drinking milk from a sippy cup early in the morning, being stuck outside the kitchen gate while a parent attempts to prepare food
Least Favorite Foods: bananas, cantaloupe, papaya, meatNew tricks:
Where is Simon's tongue? (he sticks out his tongue) Where is Simon's head? (he grabs his head with both hands behind his ears) Where are Simon's ears? (he grabs an ear) Where is Simon's nose? (he grabs the same ear) Where are Simon's feet? (again with the ear)August 24, 2005
We were married in 2001, bought a townhouse a year later, and had a child a year and a half after the purchase. Our neighbors, Darienne and Doug, just three doors down, can claim all of the above stats as well. What is even more interesting is that Hava, Darienne, and apparently many of the other Mommies in the Mountain View 2004 Las Madres group were born in the same year, married in the same year, and gave birth to their first babies all in the same year. We are lucky to have Calvin and his parents as neighbors. Simon has created a new routine which includes going outside every morning around 8 AM and rounding up Calvin for a game of "Tug Away the Squeegee"; Squeegees are apparently the ultimate toy. Some mornings they play with Calvin's balls or Simon's bike. The division of labor works out pretty well: Simon wants to push and Calvin likes to ride. Here are a few shots taken of Calvin and Simon playing in the complex yesterday morning (thanks to Darienne!).
Or with Calvin's ball ... 
August 23, 2005
Simon had a rough night which means we all had a rough night. He woke up for the third time around midnight and wasn't going to be quelled by all the preliminary tactics (milk, rocking, stories, and singing) so we brought out the big guns (the lap top and some snacks). Our "out of sorts" policy is this: affection, distraction and food. The distraction was, in this case, provided by a web site a friend showed us just after Simon was born. Not only did it work but we have literally never seen Simon so thrilled to be alive; bouncing, falling over laughing, just allowing the drool from his painful gums to gush forth onto his chapped chin and pruned hands. What's so entertaining? Dancing eggs. But that is the simplistic view; these eggs don't just dance, they bounce; they race and swim and fly; they turn into any number of incredible Japanese characters, depending on the need. At first we just watched the music video but then, of course, we became entranced and wanted more! more! more!
Feeling out of sorts? Come and meet the eggs. Choose "egg song" in the upper right for the video or the "animation" button for the rest of the episodes.
August 21, 2005
What a busy day! A friend provided us with free tickets to Raging Waters so we lathered Simon up in sun screen and took him to the various kiddie pools. It suddenly feels like fall here in Mountain View and the cool breeze was a little much for the mini Kagle to bear as he stood in the foot high water. He seemed interested in the small water slide so Dad sailed him down to Mom only he did a turn (or two) in the tube and came out fast, face-first under water. Though he didn't complain, Simon had had enough "fun" and decided the duck and the goose living on the edge of the park (far away from the pools) were much more interesting (and safe). As he lay there with his head on Dad's lap while Mom changed him back into his clothes, he picked up Dad's hand and brought it directly over his eyes to block out the sun. Clever kid. After his afternoon nap Simon was in quite the funk. We decided a walk was in order and took him to the library where he found a few other kids his age, grabbed one boy's hand, attempted to walk him in another direction, and had a great time pushing a little girl's doll stroller. New things for Simon ....
He really likes holding hands these days and showing people where to go.
He has become quite fond of throwing leaves, bark, and, unfortunately, rocks.
He pretty much constantly says "noNOnonononononono" (it means "I'm generally unhappy about the state of affairs lately").
A few weeks ago he started saying "Mama" again. He uses it when he wants something (did we mention he was clever?).
It is safe to say that, at this point, he is fully weaned.
He has started being more imaginative with his dietary selections. New selections include beans, mushrooms, and meatballs.
For that matter, he hasn't had any pureed food in the past week (texture has been the main barrier to eating some vegetables).
He still thinks bananas are the work of Satan.
August 20, 2005
There is a silver erase board in the dining room which lists our names, "Matthew", "Simon", "Hava", and under each name is a list of things for each respective person to accomplish. For a while now, the Simon list has had the same four items: "The Queen's English", "Earn Keep", "Wean Self", and "The Marquise's French". In fact, the last time something was erased was "Walk". Today we are proud/sad to announce that it is almost time for another of the items on Simon's to-do list to be erased; the item in question reads "Wean Self". Simon has now gone almost 48 hours without nursing. How did the boy who loves the boob so fervently finally decide it was time for him and his comforters to part? The past few weeks he has been needing less and less time to nurse; when Grammy was in the room he didn't want to nurse at all; when Dad gave Mom a glass of water while nursing, he wanted the water from the glass more than he wanted Mom's milk. We distracted him during nursing times yesterday and he noticed that it was nursing time but he didn't so much care. This morning, when he woke up earlier than he would have liked, he wasn't so easy to distract but, since he started this course, we decided to stay on it and quickly whisked him away to breakfast at a local diner. It is morning nursing that Simon likes the best - those times when he wakes up at the crack of dawn unhappy with the darkness, the cold, and just wants to go back to sleep but can't seem to manage. He likes nothing more than to immediately crawl onto the pillow on Mom's lap and snuggle in for some nice warm milk. For the time being, we've hidden the Boppy pillow in the closet and we wonder how long it will take before Simon forgets about his use of the pillow, the song we sang every evening, and the comfort of Mom. If you know the tune (and even if you don't), sing with me one last time ... to the tune of It's Howdy Doody time ..."It's Simon's boobie time! It's Simon's boobie time! Get out your boobs and rhyme, it's Simon's boobie time ..."
August 18, 2005
We've been preaching "share" a lot these days and are proud to report that Simon is finally getting the picture. For example, just this past week Simon shared his cold with his Mom and, chances are, he will witness how his Mom shares her cold with his Dad in the coming days. It is amazing to see the difference between Hava and Simon's reactions to a cold: Simon: up, up and away!Hava: very very stillSimon: happy bubbly sillyHava: cranky, cranky, just let me be, crankyAfter sleeping in an extra hour yesterday and napping for four hours, Simon had some trouble going to bed on time. We were watching NetFlix, in this case, All Creatures Great and Small, when he started to "request" that he not be in his crib any longer. Although Simon is not normally allowed to watch TV, we let him sit on Hava's lap and see the last 10 minutes of the show. He was mesmerized -- much more so than his brief encounter with the Baby Einstein videos on the plane. One might say he was genuinely concerned that Molly was going to take Calum away from Deirdre. He sat still, occasionally pointing at the screen, muttering a few phrases, and looking to us for a valid response. Maybe when it is time for Simon to start watching TV, we'll really screw him up with the other kids by only allowing him to watch old BBC shows.
August 15, 2005
Happy fourteen months to Simon!
Simon with his cousins, Amanda and Sarah, at the California State Fair.
Saturday, Simon woke up with a cold so all weekend plans including opportunities for drooling with other toddlers were scrapped. Simon, of course, doesn't stop for a mere cold or low fever so we quickly made new plans involving a long car trip to Sacramento to visit family, animals and rides at the California State Fair. Simon is really into his Grandmothers so we gave him the extra treat of taking Grammy Joan home for a few days. How fun is Grammy? Simon gives up the boobies entirely when in her presence. To make sure he wasn't interested last night, Dad laid down on the boppy pillow as if he were going to take Simon's place and Simon, very Freudianly, said "nononononononono", pushed Dad off Mom's lap and hopped up on the boppy himself (though only briefly since Grammy was there and what good is a boob when you could be playing?). If we could just keep Grammy around, weaning would be a snap.
In other family news ... Simon would like to re-thank Aunt Judy and Uncle Dave for one of his favorite toys. After many months of abuse, it had run out of batteries and they were finally replaced today. We are left to wonder if Aunt Judy and Uncle Dave intended to kill us slowly through quack song torture; Simon is, of course, thrilled that his toy has been brought back to life. Here is what prompted Simon to say one of his first words long ago ... (our first words when we see it are ... well ... different -- though equally enthusiastic).
DUCK!
Simon with his cousins, Amanda and Sarah, at the California State Fair.
Saturday, Simon woke up with a cold so all weekend plans including opportunities for drooling with other toddlers were scrapped. Simon, of course, doesn't stop for a mere cold or low fever so we quickly made new plans involving a long car trip to Sacramento to visit family, animals and rides at the California State Fair. Simon is really into his Grandmothers so we gave him the extra treat of taking Grammy Joan home for a few days. How fun is Grammy? Simon gives up the boobies entirely when in her presence. To make sure he wasn't interested last night, Dad laid down on the boppy pillow as if he were going to take Simon's place and Simon, very Freudianly, said "nononononononono", pushed Dad off Mom's lap and hopped up on the boppy himself (though only briefly since Grammy was there and what good is a boob when you could be playing?). If we could just keep Grammy around, weaning would be a snap.
In other family news ... Simon would like to re-thank Aunt Judy and Uncle Dave for one of his favorite toys. After many months of abuse, it had run out of batteries and they were finally replaced today. We are left to wonder if Aunt Judy and Uncle Dave intended to kill us slowly through quack song torture; Simon is, of course, thrilled that his toy has been brought back to life. Here is what prompted Simon to say one of his first words long ago ... (our first words when we see it are ... well ... different -- though equally enthusiastic).
DUCK!