Last night, because Matthew was at a class, Hava and Simon were alone for the bedtime ritual. Though he was really tired, Simon stopped nursing and looked back to where Matthew would have been and he let out a little cry. He continued to look at Matthew's spot a few more times before Hava convinced him that Dad would be home soon and he should fall asleep. This marks the first obvious "where is Mom/Dad?" moment.

Perhaps of more interest is Simon's four-month appointment this afternoon. Everything went well. He smiled and cooed at the nurses and doctor and even the lady who gave him the three shots got a big smile (before sticking him of course). Simon is in the same percentiles as last time: 50% for weight at just over 14 pounds, 90% for height at 26.25 inches and, to go with his thin body, his little head is in the 25th percentile (Hava still appreciates his little head).

We are allowed to start him with rice cereal any time and, if he shows interest in actually eating it, we will continue and slowly move on to other foods.

It should be pointed out that, at this appointment, he actually made the sour face when getting grape flavored tylenol. He promptly spit most of it out and then the rest came out in spit up a few minutes later.

Simon says: Happy Birthday to my youngest cousin Jeffrey!

Yesterday was a day of unusual events. First, Matthew swallowed his fear of being the only man and took Simon to a "Mommies Group" meeting at the park. They both had a good time and Matthew realized that Mommies are a lot like Daddies but with boobs. Second, Hava came home from work to notice that Simon was wearing the VERY SAME outfit he was wearing when she left. And, the outfit wasn't wet, slimy, stinky, or discolored. Usually Simon wears out at least three outfits in a day which translates, with burp cloths and adult clothes full of spit up, into at least two loads of laundry every day. Finally, Hava had the idea that the whole family should go out to the little Salvadorian place around the corner while they washed the bumper at the laundromat. In the restaurant, while Mom and Dad ate chips, Simon sat in his car seat, made his little sounds, smiled at Mom and Dad, chewed on his dragonfly, looked around, and then, without movement or nursing, closed his eyes and went to sleep. We woke him up in plenty of time to see the clothes in the dryers go round-n-round (which is apparently pretty darn fascinating).

Because it was a good day, Simon took his bath, had a full meal and slept eight hours in a row. Want to know how great it is to be a Dad? Matthew woke up this morning and didn't know that we had an eight hour stretch of sleep.

Stay tuned, tomorrow is Simon's four-month doctor appointment including his second set of fever-inducing shots. Saturday Mom and Simon are planning to start swim lessons together and are hoping to make it part of their Saturday routine.

Last night Simon woke up at 11:30 PM and 3:30 AM and then WE woke HIM up at 7 AM (this game can be played both ways can't it cute little Simon?). Just before we woke him, he was sleeping soundly on his stomach, perpendicular on the mattress, with both feet sticking out of the crib slats. Yes, yes, tonight we will walk the bumper over to the laundromat and wash it in a genuine full size washing machine so it can be put back in the crib.

By the way, just in case there actually is anyone out there contemplating a first child, we've learned a bit from this experience that may be worth passing on. Babies like patterns and colors! (Duh.) Monotone bedding is a bad idea for inducing baby crib enjoyment. This is especially true of a bumper which is really the only part of the bedding that the baby sees. We'd also recommend that the bumper not be a foot tall (like ours) since it squishes down in places it shouldn't and blocks the baby's view of the room. We'd buy a new one but it has to be removed soon anyway so Simon won't use it as a prop to climb on and fling himself over the side.

In other news, yesterday Matthew fixed the music box to the mobile with some ingenuity and a trip to the hardware store. "The friends" sing once again, hooray! And today Hava is officially below her pre-pregnancy weight! You may remember that she lost five pounds in the first three months of pregnancy due to nausea -- getting to that first trimester weight (without the nausea) is her actual goal.

Two! two! two! Updates in one day.

Since we really, seriously, no joke, not just being coy, with complete forethought and without malice or any intention of harming the future psyche of Simon aren't planning to use them ever again, we are about to give away the way cool Wilson bassinet, all of Simon's barely worn 0-3 month clothes, and Hava's maternity wear (all size medium) to a worthy organization. We would be more than happy to bestow them on a friend or a friend of a friend instead. Are any of you out there secretly pregnant? Hoping to become pregnant soon? Just let us know, we'll be discrete! Thanks.

It feels like we haven't slept in days - mostly because we haven't. Simon is changing his routine. Last week he started falling asleep at 7:20 PM and waking up at 7 AM but then he wasn't sure if a nap was necessary so he went for a couple of days without napping and then tried a single afternoon nap and yesterday, he went down for a mid morning nap and then a brief mid afternoon nap. Worse, he isn't sleeping for more than a few hours in a row at night.

Getting at least two blocks of a few hours of uninterrupted sleep makes for a major attitudinal shift in our lives. These past few days have been about everything that is pissy and complicated. Of course we can't be mad at the real trouble maker since he just smiles and blows spit bubbles. Part of the problem seems to be his new "I MUST roll over" lifestyle choice. At night he now rolls from back to front and can't quite remember how to get from front to back to sleep comfortably.

Simon won't stop rolling. Front to back, back to front. Some days he is more of a back to front guy and other days he prefers front to back. While we wait for him to do something new, here is a list of interesting searches which retrieved KagleAdventures over the past three months:

belly button phobia *twice* clearly Hava isn't the only person with this issue
hemorrhoids from spinning class
baby 29 weeks tickling ribs
early signs during pregnancy - loose motion and woke up early i
effects of biophysical profiles on hearing of newborns
eight months pregnant pain in pelvic area feeling cold
internal fetal monitor hospital picture
fetal hiccups biophysical profile
gestation period for green cheek conures
kagle bar
kagle dairy
fabulous ketubah
is 38 weeks appropriate time to schedule caesarian birth
simon is bored
kagle normal
kagles for men

Clearly, most of these people went away sorely disappointed (or maybe slightly amused? We can only hope).

We may be feeling somewhat better (after eleven hours of sleep) but it is still too soon to tell.

New things for Simon: He rolls over both ways with skill and ease. When on his stomach he lifts up his rear end and legs to crawl (but the front end on the floor is keeping him from making it more than a few inches). He also lifts his chest when on his stomach - just not at the same time as his back end. Looks like it is time to baby proof the house.

Simon now puts his arms around our necks and pulls himself close (first stop on the way to hugging), he splashes in the bath, grabs the parts of toys that he actually intends to grab, sucks his thumb when tired, and is starting to watch Mom and Dad eat.

No teeth yet but clearly lots of discomfort and drool.

We three Kagles are out of commission. Matthew is dizzy, Hava is nauseous, Simon is cheerful but much sleepier than usual.

Simon had a busy weekend. Saturday he had so much fun with friends Cindi and Mike that he forgot to take his nap and wasn't even cranky. Mom and Dad then took him with brother bird Winslow to the vet for a beak grind and wing trim and then it was off to the toy section of Target to by a present for cousin Sarah. Big eyed and open mouthed, Simon, Mom, and Dad weaved in and out of the walls and walls of brightly colored objects.

Sunday Mom and Dad decided that it would be better to drive the two hours to Sacramento than to take the three hour train ride. Now we know why people spend six hours on a train and spend $80. Simon napped for about 45 minutes each way, played with the back-seat parent for about 30 minutes and screamed at the top of his lungs the rest of the time. Worse yet, it took us four and a half hours to get home in all of the traffic.

In any case, Simon was able to meet and spend time with his Great Grandfather Rubenson (they both really enjoyed each other) and then meet his Uncle Art and Cousin Devon and bond with the whole family while learning about birthday cake and presents. (Presents are really pretty.)

As when we came back from Cape Cod, Simon did a little jig when he found himself back in his room on the changing table. Maybe the dance is less about being home and more about not being strapped in the car seat.

One of the most frequent conversation points that comes up these days is babysitting. Up to this point Simon has not spent time without a parent. Pre-Simon, we thought we'd have baby sitters every week or so. Post-Simon we probably should be spending time alone but we're not quite ready. We tell ourselves this is because he has no real set daytime schedule and that his evening schedule is something that can't be replicated but really, he does have a fairly set routine.

Here is the basic Simon schedule for all potential babysitters:

6 am	wake up/feeding
8:30 am	nap number 1
9:30 am	feeding
11:30 am	nap number 2
12:30 pm	feeding
3 pm	feeding
4 pm	nap number 3
5:30	feeding
7 pm	bath
7:20 pm	feeding
8 pm	down for the night

We feed him when he is hungry (which is when he starts to get fussy and it isn't nap time or just after a nap) and we give him only as much milk as he wants to take. In other words, this schedule isn't set in stone, we follow his cues. He falls asleep to nursing, the swing (which is then promptly turned off), bumpy car trips, and being pushed in the car seat in a grocery cart that has a bum wheel. He stays asleep where he falls asleep (car seat, swing, on a lap, etc.); being moved usually wakes him up. We don't keep noise levels down except at night so you can be as loud as you want and he'll sleep through it (in fact, constant noise keeps him asleep longer). We don't dim the lights or close the shades for a nap so that his body doesn't get confused and think it is nighttime. We prefer that he not watch TV or become attached to the computer monitor at this age. He is easily entertained by picture books, dancing to music, being rolled over and over and over, standing up, and taking walks (he is not currently crazy about being in the stroller).

Yes, he will be fine in the care of our trusted friends and family and one of these days we will actually go out for a nice meal and show but not yet. Maybe when he is a wee bit older.

Simon slept for almost twelve hours last night beginning just after 7:30 PM and ending at 7 AM. He needed 10-20 minute snack breaks at 8:30 PM and 3:30 AM and at 4 AM we had to convince him to keep sleeping by bringing him into bed with us but he went back to sleep without much fuss. Every morning his little body EXPLODES once he is fully awake but sixteen or so hours is a particularly long time for little intestines to contain themselves. We are pretty familiar with Simon at this point, so this morning, because he slept so long, we were ready and he was wrapped in layers of receiving blankets to control the damage. He almost always fills three diapers in his first half hour of true wakefulness. So begins the game of determining who changes the diapers. Often we play by the hot-potato rule of "he who holds the pooping baby gets to change the diaper" so Matthew, smart and fast as a whip, mysteriously disappears just after nursing winds down. Hava is pretty smart though and, if Matthew hasn't quite made it into the shower, she calls the "I put it in, you take it out" rule. Of course there is the unspoken agreement that he who changes the major explosion doesn't have to change the aftershocks.

**slight update** We provided outdated information in yesterday's news. The hybrid federal tax deduction is back up to $2,000 for hybrid vehicles purchased in 2004 and 2005. Apologies.

Simon experienced his first earthquake yesterday only he was out for a walk with Dad so neither of them noticed. In fact Mom was sitting down at her desk and she didn't feel it either. In another first, Simon had his first bucket-swing experience at the park yesterday with his friend baby Calvin. Bucket swings are great! Dad got tired of playing long before Simon.

Simon has also learned how to pinch and it hurts - a lot. He is intending just to get a better grip but his little hands grab skin and twist. Dad gets the special treat of having baby hands grab hair, twist and pull.

Finally, Simon's car song turned travel song is now just song. He sings all the time. Of course he doesn't know the words yet but "aaaah" really seems to work for him.

So here is our dilemma ...

Simon, a "banana baby" according to well known author, Dr. Sears, is expected to grow at one inch per month until at least his sixth month. Right now he is around 25 inches. After 27 inches, we need to replace the infant car seat that snaps in and out of our cars with a stationary, rear facing, much larger car seat. Matthew and Hava both have two door sport coupes with no middle seats. Now imagine a small two door car and trying to get a baby out of a rear facing stationary car seat. You can't get to the baby from the side he is on so you must crawl into the back seat through the opposite side, sit in the seat next to the baby, detach the straps and take the baby out. Sounds like fun, no?

So today we are going to think about the Toyota Prius (in blue). Are you imagining the glory of a four door midsize yet small car with a hatchback (to get things easily into the trunk), excellent gas mileage and extremely low emissions? Don't care about those things? Then how about a quiet and safe affordable ride. Let's pause for a moment.

Alas, Hava emailed three Toyota dealerships in the area and they have reported that there is a waiting list 22,000 strong (nationally) so if we order now (with a $500 completely refundable deposit), we can expect to see our new car in four to six months. And, since they don't have to make deals, there really is no deal making on price (of course there is the federal tax break of $1,500 in 2004 or $1,000 in 2005). California is also very likely to allow hybrids like the Prius into the car pool lanes starting January 1 (without car pooling). There are only 75,000 car pool lane stickers available for hybrids. How many hybrids are there in California?

Matthew would much rather the money go into the Simon college fund. Hava (also not a big spender) just wants life to be a little easier for the next ten or fifteen years. In any case, Hava feels it is important to set an example for Simon by having a car that isn't spoiling the air, contributing to global warming, or is so large that other vehicles can't see. The Prius says to Simon that we care about his grandchildren.

Maybe this weekend we'll put down the $500 and get in line. With a little luck, the car will arrive in time to get one of the car pool stickers and almost enough time to save us from too much of the back seat macarena.

Simon Says: Happy 5th Birthday to his little cousin Sarah.

This past weekend Simon was able to spend a little time with two big kids, one five and one eleven months and he thought they were way cool. Mom had to keep Simon facing their direction to stop him from straining his neck or squirming right out of her arms to get a better view. People are great. Toys are tolerable for a short time as long as they can be chewed. He hasn't registered dislike or fear of anyone up to this point.

The Simon travel song (now experienced in the stroller as well as the car seat) is getting a little more melodic. At least the pitch changes and the bursts of Simon song vary in their length. It ends up something like this: "ehhhhhhhhh, EHHHHHHHHHhhhhh, EEEHHH EEEHHHHH, ehhhhhhhh, eh eh eh, AAAAAAAAhhhhh." We'll try to capture this as the next Simon movie because it is really obnoxiously cute.

This morning Hava, Matthew, and Simon will be in the Trailblazer Race supporting the Stevens Creek Trail. It was at last year's race that Hava determined once and for all that there was a Simon in the works. See, the race is only 5K and Hava walked with friends and yet, when the "race" was over, Hava was completely exhausted -- as if she had run a marathon. On the way home she stopped at Safeway and made a single purchase. Matthew was working all weekend so Hava emailed him the graphic below:

The name of the graphic and the subject of the email was "Faint But There."

Alas Matthew didn't look at the attachment so he emailed back "I don't get it." OY!

Hava and Matthew decided to keep little George/Simon a secret for a couple of months to provide enough time to insure there was a healthy fetus inside. It was a very hard secret to keep.

Unofficial estimates indicate that Simon is now 15 pounds and 25 inches long. That is an average of two pounds and one inch per month.

Yesterday Simon cried for the first time in a really long time. We say he cries but it is actually more like loud fussiness. Yesterday, while on a walk, an ambulance turned on its siren right in front of Simon and the tears were scared right out of him. Dad is still very angry at the ambulance driver. Why did the siren need to be that loud going through a residential intersection?

Simon has fallen asleep on time (8 pm) and slept ten hours, eight of them in a row, for the past two nights. The night before that he slept no more than an hour and a half in a row. The night before that he slept five hours, woke up for a half hour, and then slept for four hours. He's still trying to keep us guessing.

We are starting to understand why people want more babies. It must be so sad when the unconditional love leaves. Simon fusses in the morning, Hava turns on the light in his room and immediately Simon coos, smiles, and bashfully turns his head away and then back with an even bigger grin. After a bit of nursing, when Simon is more awake, Dad comes in to change his diaper and Simon has trouble containing his excitement; arms and legs fly, his back archs, and he squeals in delight as if to say "Dad! It has been too long! You are the GREATEST person EVER."

Yesterday Simon was a bit hard on Matthew. Matthew had big plans to take him on a walk to the library, maybe run some errands, a nice nap for Simon and plenty of time for Matthew to grade. Alas, it was not to be. Simon cried and then he ate and then he cried and then he ate and then he cried and then he ate ... Normal intake for Simon during the period of 8 am to 3 pm is around 13 ounces; yesterday Simon ingested 23 ounces. Mom came home a bit early to stop the frozen reserves from being used up and guess what? Much to the chagrin of Matthew, Simon was finally contentedly full.

There are apparently two reasons for baby binging: a growth spurt and an impending developmental milestone. More energy is needed so more food is consumed. Simon's real growth spurts last a few days during which he eats every hour (instead of every three hours). What happened yesterday (a short period of constant hunger) must have been Simon's body gearing up for something spectacular. So today we are waiting for him to stand up, walk across the room and tell his Dad about his concerns for the environment given our current political climate (and how he should buy Mom a Prius for her November birthday because of these concerns). Stand by for miracles ...

Yesterday Hava noticed a funny resemblance between the picture of the week and another photo taken almost exactly a month ago. What is different about these photos?

Was your guess: "In the second photo it looks like you're about to send Simon to the Marines!"? Apparently Simon is still losing hair (along with his Mom).

Here is an interesting factoid: pregnant women hold onto their hair -- all of it -- because of one of the many crazy hormones. Six to eight weeks after labor, they lose what wasn't lost during pregnancy. A lot of hair. Hava could stuff a pillow if she collected all of the hair just from the bathroom sink and floor. In fact, she might fill a pillow a week. Any takers? Matthew and Hava wonder why they can't market this hormone to balding men. So men will get a little bit of milky goodness in their enlarged breasts. Isn't hair worth it?*

*This is a joke. We really don't think men should worry about baldness. Simon is cute and nearly bald. What more proof do you need that bald is beautiful?

Simon has learned his first tune and it goes something like this: "ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" (hold for 20 seconds then breathe and repeat). The "tune" is always the same pitch and volume and can be heard only when he is in the car. When we first heard it we thought there was something wrong but he looked satisfied enough so on the second car trip, we sang along.

Yesterday was our first rain since Simon's birth. It would have been nice to share it with him but the rain fell at nap time and by the time Simon was up, so was the sun.

*UPDATE* Call us and listen to our answering machine message. (Hint: Matthew was on NPR a while back ...)

There are lots of new things happening to the mini-Kagle. First off, he seems to have much more control of his hands; he is learning to hold onto Mom and Dad when they carry him, he grabs the top of one of his ears while nursing (which is really cute), and yesterday he grabbed Marshall the Moose from the changing table, held onto him for the trip downstairs and kept him in his grasp for quite a while afterword (of course the Moose went into the mouth at some point just like everything else). His fingers or his fist are in his mouth about eighty-five percent of the time and it was pointed out yesterday that his left hand is always in his mouth and his right hand is always making "the fist". We're not sure if this means he is more likely to be right or left handed; you can draw your own conclusions.

Simon is also pooping a lot less which contributes to his ability to sleep for longer periods at night (he use to poop after every feeding).

He also seems much more content just being than before. He is better at sitting on laps and using his surroundings as entertainment and he now turns his head to see what Mom and Dad are doing or to watch where they go.

Finally, a few days ago he started finding Dad's burps really funny and falls into fits of hysterics at every gassy utterance. Only three months old and he is already mature enough to understand Paulie Shore movies. We are so proud.

There is something very sharp in Simon's mouth. Dad felt it the other day and Mom confirmed the presence of it last night when Simon was sucking/chewing on her pinky. Since we tend to keep Simon away from mini daggers, we think he is cutting a tooth (on the top, though we can't agree on which side so maybe he is getting more than one). Preemie babies have developmental milestones based on the date they should have been born. Is it possible then that Simon is rolling over and teething early because he was born late? OK, we do realize he was late by only ten days but it felt like at least a month.

In other news, Simon went to sleep on the first try last night at 8 pm (usually he has one or two false starts) and he slept eight and a half hours. Hava and Matthew, not being the smartest parents, stayed up until 10 pm, giving them a whole six and a half hours of sleep before playtime. There is a lesson to be learned here, we just don't want to admit that our bedtime is 8 pm.

In unrelated news, Hava is now fitting into some of her actual pre-pregnancy clothes. She isn't ready to celebrate yet but just try to keep her away from the Stanford Shopping Center five pounds from now.

Happy three month birthday to Simon! (And Happy more than three month birthday to Grandfather Steve.)

We had a rough night including lots of waking up and very little going to sleep. Of course, we still love him - mostly because he is so darn cute.

Yesterday Simon had a guys-only trip to the hardware store. He didn't find anything particularly interesting. Since we're hoping for an interest in insects and dinosaurs more than hardware and sports, this is a good thing.