Today is Simon's last day as a nine month old and his last full month as a baby. Last night he took six unaided steps. He doesn't realize it but he no longer really needs us for physical support. Simon is almost a toddler; this must be what they mean when people say "they grow up so fast." Our little boy; so independent; so much like a little kid. He plays alone well, he tries to talk, he feeds himself; pretty soon we'll be sending care packages to Stanford ... or Harvard (we understand that he may not want to live right around the corner).

New things for Simon: he waves "bye bye" at food he intentionally drops from his high chair tray, he waves his arms in the air, conducting to music, when he hears a song he likes, and, for the first time, he is learning "NO."

Simon is testing us every evening by trying to pull down the free-standing lamp we have tucked away in a corner. We say "Simon, No!" and he looks at us intently with a smile as if to say, "you don't really mean for me to stop, do you?" So far we are winning the game but every night we play again just in case we change our minds and let him pull at the lamp. And, on more news of bad Simon, he has started to use his upper half tooth along with his bottom two teeth to bite Mom. It's not what you're thinking, Hava's boobs have been safe for months since she got mad and immediately took the milk away after the first biting attempt, no, Simon likes to bite her back and her arms and her stomach - anywhere he can pretend to "boo" and bite instead. This is not a thrilling development but we rest assured that the novelty of having upper AND lower teeth will wear off soon (he also bites fabric toys and carries them around in his teeth).

New finger foods: swiss cheese, cherry tomatoes, whole fat asparagus

Last night, for the second time in two days, Simon tried to repeat the word "duck" after Mom while reading a story. "Duh" = duck. Perhaps he is following in Dad's love-of-birds footsteps. One of his favorite toys is a small duck finger puppet (which actually doesn't look like a duck at all). Of course he prefers his puppy and kitten books to his duck book so it is hard to tell if "duck" just sounds interesting and is easy to say or if he tries harder because he cares more.

In other news, Simon stopped by Mom's work for lunch today and broke his record: five steps! Poor guy almost made it to his destination before he collapsed.

Simon says: Happy Birthday Auntie Tonya!

It's a social weekend for the mini Kagle. Grandmother and Grandfather visited yesterday for a trip to the Children's Discovery Museum and today we will see Jody, Anatole and Martha for brunch and Susie for dinner.

Yesterday: four unaided sequential steps. Today? So far, we're up to three.

Last night Matthew poisoned Hava with some near deadly salmon chowder. She will assume that it wasn't intentional since he ate it as well and only had minor problems. The greatest thing about weaning Simon will be giving up Salmon once a week. Hava has had to endure Wild Caught Pacific or Alaskan salmon once a week Since she could choke it down in the second trimester of pregnancy. The long chain Omega 3 fatty acids are supposed to help Simon's brain development. Why not another fish? When Matthew did the research he found that the only environmentally friendly, low mercury, high omega three way of getting long chain fatty acids was salmon or Idaho Trout. Since Idaho Trout isn't in abundance in these parts we go with salmon. EVERY WEEK. And EVERY WEEK we try to disguise it in some form so it doesn't taste like salmon. Last night might have been Hava's body's way of saying ENOUGH.

[On a side note, we tried flaxseed until we found out that it only has short chain fatty acids which is apparently not the same thing and Hava's doctor recommended she stay away from oil supplements since they don't report mercury content.]

Sorry, we didn't mean to take away the link to the current photos. The link is now over on the left.

Walking is right around the corner. Just over the past two days Simon has started taking one or two small steps to get from one piece of furniture to another and he now likes to walk while holding onto one adult hand instead of two.

Woah! What happened to this page? Hava figures that she should actually care more about the design and implementation of this site so she is re-coding everything from scratch. CSS will control the design, the content will be contained within HTML and XML tags and there WILL BE PERL SCRIPTS! Alas, this will take a while; everyone likes change, right? Everything taken away will return but from the statistics we're betting no one will be able to name what's missing. In fact, if you can name everything missing from the old Simon page, we'll send you cookies (and not the JavaScript kind either).

Simon is really starting to grasp language. His pointing ability is particularly helpful when trying to decypher what he wants or, rather, what he's talking about. He can be quite the chatterbox these days; he even talks gibberish to himself while playing. Here are some of the new sounds which are consistently used to mean something:

"aye dada" = "Hi Dad"

"ba bye da da" = "Bye Dad" or "I wish Dad were here"

"da da" = "Dad"

"ma ma" = "Mom" (sometimes)

"ba!" = everything else

(He hasn't said "thissss" in quite a while.)

On the physical front, Simon has a renewed interest in holding adults' hands and walking; for a while there his super fast kneeless crawl squashed his desire to walk. No more! When an adult isn't available to walk with him he takes matters into his own hands by strolling around the house by pushing the laundry basket or his plastic table.

Simon's newest tooth (front top right) broke through the gum yesterday and is causing quite a bit of discomfort. The name of the game for the next day or two is d-i-s-t-r-a-c-t-i-o-n. Tooth number four (top front left) looks to be not far behind. We're hoping the summer weather returns so he can be distracted by grass, leaves, and the "big kids" at the local parks; indoor distraction is hard to find (and not very exciting for Matthew).

Are you an April Fool? (Matthew isn't lactating; though Hava thinks it would definitely be a plus if he would.)

Yet another big day in this Kagle household. For months we've been working on a way for Matthew to relieve some of the burden from Hava. We first read about male lactation online and thought, "why not?" So Matthew has been (secretly) pumping during Simon's nap times for months. Today is the first day he actually produced milk. What a man! What a husband! What a father!

Proof that a little pain and a lot of devotion can go a long way.

For more information about male lactation ...

Milkmen: Fathers Who Breastfeed
The Third Gender
Being Daddy: Got milk?

Hear ye! Hear ye! Simon Lucas Kagle has a new favorite food. A food which is so utterly divine that no other can compare; step aside blueberries, bread, cheerios, and peaches! You are no match for plain firm cubed tofu.

After a slow start, picking up and staring at the new white squishy objects on his tray, Simon downed two cups of slightly warmed tofu at dinner (in addition to one cup of broccoli). It was the first time we've seen him stuff his face with such zeal. Love of avocados may come from Mom's side but love of tofu? Mom blames it on Dad's upbringing in the land of soybeans (Illinois).

P.S. If Matthew or Hava ever find themselves in a persistent vegetative state and the majority of qualified physicians say they have no hope of recovery, pull the plug. Please. Thanks in advance. Hava and Matthew

This just in and it seemed appropriate to post while on the subject of why Simon won't be provided with any hamburgers, french fries, fried chicken, american cheese, hotdogs, soda, or sweets ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Child obesity has more than tripled in three decades and the increased health risk associated with being fat has wiped out progress in other areas, according to a report [from Duke University and the Foundation for Child Development] issued on Wednesday.

Those findings overshadowed the overall gain for U.S. children, who were found to be having far fewer babies, smoking less and using fewer illegal drugs. The report's overall measurement, called the Child Well-Being Index, has improved 4.5 percent since 1995.

An estimated 15 percent of U.S. children are overweight or obese, and studies show they are developing type-2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol and even high blood pressure at rates that greatly raise their heart disease risk.

Rising obesity has "completely obscured all progress made in the health category, dragging it 17 percent below 1975 levels," the foundation said in a statement.

Simon is officially a Californian. Hava (a native) LOVES the avocado; Matthew (an interloper) thinks avocados are disgusting. Hava and Matthew left it to Simon to decide who was right in the debate (a bad parenting technique, yes, we know). And .... he likes them! It is official, avocados are fabulous.

This week Simon will also experience tofu for the first time and then we will re-try cheese. At this point we are still following the rules of one new thing introduced at a time for three days in a row. Adding new foods to Simon's diet is, therefore, a very slow process. Last week he was introduced to plain yogurt (it's alright) and raspberries (nice). So if Simon happens to stop by, what can you feed him?

finger foods
chicken breast, peas, corn, small pieces of whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, cheerios, green beans, blueberries, summer and winter squash

pureed/mashed foods
broccoli, chard (various), sweet potatoes (various), green beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, pears, apples, bananas (yuck), avocado, raspberries, peaches, apricots

and other foods
plain whole milk yogurt, oats, barley

Simon's favorite foods at this point are halved fresh blueberries, mashed sweet potatoes, and whole grain breads.

What is missing from the list? Simon won't be receiving sugar, processed, or fried foods until he is at least two, hopefully later. It baffles us that many adults have a great desire to give Simon sugar, french fries, juice, and other foods that are not good for adults let alone children. To those people we gently and respectfully say this:

1. He doesn't know what he is missing at this point so he isn't missing a thing.
2. He enjoys the healthy options so why start him craving things that are less healthy?
3. "What to Expect the First Year" says studies show that children who are introduced to sugar in their first two years are much more likely to have intense sugar cravings later on. We're not anxious to have a sugar monster for a kid (partly because we try so hard not to give in ourselves).

He will have dessert and fried-food options available when he is old enough to understand "just one", "special occasion", and, the parental, "after you eat your broccoli" (which he currently likes).

Simon had a very eventful weekend. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday he spent time at the park where he picked up a few new tricks: he can stand from a squat and squat from a stand without using anything or anyone for support, and he can race up the stairs to the two-story slide (with Dad in tow). Oddly enough, he enjoys the climb up to the slide but sliding is, for him, jut a means to get down and climb the stairs once again.

The weekend also included Simon's first Dim Sum experience during which he tried to grab the plates off the carts which led to a shuffle of chairs and Simon ending up with a plastic soup spoon as a reward. And, as it turns out, Simon was placed directly under a chandelier which he pointed out by arching his back, raising both hands, and giving his "this-is-so-fun" special squinty smile. Chandeliers are in his blood so it seemed only appropriate that the chandelier made the entire experience.

Guests to the Kagle abode, Paul and Michelline and then Lenore and Carl, brought extra joy to Simon's life and left us with one worn out kid who couldn't help but "sleep like a baby." Oh wait, that phrase seems a bit dubious at this point ...

Simon has a new game, it's called SORT! SORT! is played by taking all of the clean clothes out of drawers, shelves, and laundry baskets and replacing the clothes with dirty clothes from the hamper or, if no dirty clothes can be found, it is equally fun to replace shirts with pants, pants with socks, etc. This game also works with the dirt from potted plants (move it from one pot to another - not quite as hard to "undo" when he isn't looking). The intensity with which he sorts leads us to believe that he may have the Organization Gene from Mom along with her birthmark, dimple, and hairdo.

Yesterday Matthew took Simon to his first Gymboree class. Simon was completely mesmerized by the bubbles and enjoyed the toys but he wasn't too crazy about being on top or under the parachute. This class may become a regular Thursday date for Dad and Simon; Dad hasn't decided. There are so many outdoor things to do now that the weather is warming again.

Today is Matthew's last class until July when he will start teaching the summer quarter. What will Simon do with both parents around on Fridays? Lots.

Mom gave Simon his first hair cut the other night - just a little off around the ears. We'd show a picture of before and after but no one would notice the difference.

Simon says "ba bye" and waves nearly constantly at this point. He is so proud that he can do something that is guaranteed to get a response from adults everywhere. We should point out, however, that Simon has absolutely no clue what "bye bye" means. He waves to Mom while she is nursing him. He insists on saying "ba bye" and waving to Dad whenever Dad enters the room. This morning, when Mom left for work? Nuthin.

Last night Simon took his first unaided step. We had friends over and he was standing alone in the middle of the room and pretty lady Sheila put her arms out and said "come here" and he stepped forward, stood still and looked like he was about to take a second step when Hava yelled (from shock) which caused Simon to get confused and sit back down. When Simon doesn't walk again for the next few months please know it is Hava to blame for traumatizing the poor baby and not Simon's abilities.

In other amazing Simon news, Simon now points at things he is interested in (pictures in books, lamps, plants, etc.) and "ba bae" is starting to sound much more like "bye bye" and it is almost always accompanied by an opening and closing of the hand.

Yesterday we took Simon to the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose. He had a great time playing in the water area, crawling around, touching things, etc. He got knocked around a bit by the older kids (2 and 3 year olds don't seem to understand that he can't stay standing as well as they can). Alas, there were many opportunities for taking pictures with our new and improved digital camera (we hope to upload the pics to ofoto later today).

New things for Simon:

When Grandmother and Grandfather left the other day and said "bye bye" he repeatedly repeated "ba bae"; now he does it all of the time. Say "bye bye" ... "ba ... bae". Yesterday Hava caught him practicing "ba bae" while waving at himself. He hasn't totally figured out why people move their hands side to side, up and down, sometimes including forearm movement and sometimes not. If a person waves in a swat! swat! motion he will swat swat back but swatting is different from princess/parade waving and he doesn't quite understand that they are intended to mean the same thing.

What's more remarkable than the Simonial saying "ba bae" and meaning "bye bye"? Clever Simon now chooses the book order for story times. He sorts through them, hands one to Mom, and then leans back and waits for the story to finish. If the book is particularly boring, he chooses another part way through the current selection. He usually picks out all of the Sandra Boynton books first but doesn't seem to like having any of them read more than once (mental note: buy more board books).

In other news, Simon has decided that he needs one hour less sleep so he has been waking at 6 am for the past week. Luckily his naps have pretty much solidified into two one and a half hour periods and as long as that stays around, we're set.

Schedule of a nine month old:

2 am	nurse
6 am	wake up, nurse, story time
7 am	brush teeth, eat breakfast
8 am to 9:30 am	nap
10 am	milk
12 noon	lunch
1:30 pm to 3 pm	nap
3 pm	milk
5 pm	nurse
5:30 pm	dinner
7:20 pm	bath
7:30 pm	nurse
7:45 pm	story time
8 pm	sleep

As long as we stick to the schedule all is well, the moment we miss a nap or meal time, chaos ensues.

Simon, dressed in green, says "Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

Though he may not ever have the Irish lilt, Simon is indeed Irish. For, in addition to being a Kagle, he is a Rubenson, a Doner, an Enlow, a Haas, a Pinkofsky, a Stein, a Ewing, a Bailey, a McPherson, a Manko, a Sobel, a Silberstein and several other lineages that you should feel free to remind us about.

Simon appears to have had his first food allergy. He developed a mild rash on his arms, front, back, and neck last night after eating quite a bit of mild cheddar cheese (it wasn't Irish cheddar).

Simon "FEED ME! FEED ME!" Kagle is in the 25th percentile for weight at 19.3 pounds, the 50th percentile for head circumference, and, at 29.5 inches tall, is around the 80th percentile for height. Where do all of the calories go? Apparently directly into the diaper pail. He is now up to three full meals a day which means about four and a half cups of solids (total), he drinks 18 ounces of milk while Mom is out and still nurses four or five times a day. Can you say anxious to stop pumping after Simon turns one? Hava can (and she does; often; call sometime and listen to the self pity).

Game of the week. Name the following Mountain View Kagles:

(Special thanks to the San Francisco Kagles for the inspiration and photo!)

Simon is nine months old! Watch him age.

It is becoming more and more difficult to remember that Simon is a baby and not a little boy. Inquisitive strangers are shocked when we tell them that he is only nine months old and, indeed, he towers over all other babies his age and his crawling speed and dexterity are mighty impressive. Tomorrow, at his nine month check-up, we'll see just how big he really is ...

Here is a list of Simon's current likes and dislikes:

Like: playing outside; dirt; grass; sand; leaves; sticks
Like: being naked
Like: FOOD. ALL OF IT. ALL THE TIME. (except bananas which are totally gross)
Like: other babies; little kids; tall balding gay men
Like: drinking water from sippy cups
Like: bouncing, climbing, getting "some air", being in water
Like: giving wet boos to Mom and Dad
Like: petting plants
Like: being startled by Mom and Dad
Like: story time (all books except "Guess How Much I Love You")
Dislike: napping
Dislike: being stuck inside all day
Dislike: being without Mom or Dad
Dislike: being hungry