This should be my last post of the month, so I can archive this month's posts.  I can't believe how big Little-Boy is getting!  It's chilly here today, and we'll soon have to turn on the heat.  It was warmer yesterday in the pool than it is now in our livingroom.  Edwin is asleep on my lap all snuggly.  This house is sortof in a disarray, but it's not too bad.  Mostly just 'stuff' strewn about.  There seems to be alot of stuff that's not in the right place.  Meanwhile, we need to figure out how to rid our house of wasps (still!) and rats/mice.  I have grading to do which I am NOT interested in doing.  I want to start working on something for Edwin to wear for Halloween or new  hats for him.  Grading seems so boring.  Last week's hat turned out great!  More next month!  (Sniff.  Sniff...  September is gone!!!)

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So, Wednesday, they finally put the LINES back down the middle of Rt. 13!  I was soooooo excited Thursday when I drove in!  Some portions of my morning commute (ie Monday) have been really horrible with no yellow or white lines, 55mph major highway which is one lane in each direction.  Idiots, of course, try to pass.  This is part of the reason I go in so gosh-darned early..  fewer other idiots on the road!  But I was even having nightmares about this stretch of road b/c it would be dark and foggy and have no lines.  Oncoming traffic trying to blind me.  Fun.  Monday I even had to slow down to 20 mph for about half a mile, of course w/a tailgater.  But all that's in the past now b/c they PUT IN THE LINES!!! WHOOPPPIEEE!!!!  So, Michael was asleep on the way in Thursday when I figured this out.  I couldn't wait to get to work to tell him!  But, when I told him, he said "yeah, I know".  He seems to know everything.  "But, you were asleep!"  However, Wednesday after the dentist, I drove on about 5 minutes ahead of the line-painting vehicle he apparently got stuck behind.

This week we also had fun w/my former student Amanda, who's been fighting roaches!  She was at wit's end and I'm so far away and can't really help her.  But she hadn't been eating or sleeping or showering for several days on account of it, so I put her in a hotel for one night under the premise that if she doesn't fix the physiological problems, she'll never fix the housing problem.  So, several small miracles occured and now she's staying w/a math professor for awhile until she can move out of student housing into somewhere roach-free.  This has to happen in the next 2-3 weeks or so.  I think she can do it!

Edwin likes to try to eat his toes now.  He's so very cute when he does this!!!

On the eating end, he hasn't taken any frozen milk from Debbie lately, he'd rather hold out for me, but he did twice yesterday take *freshly* pumped from Daddy.  (One ounce each time.)  It was odd.  He was very hungry yesterday, and always 10 minutes before  class had to start.  So, I'd pump one side and let him eat from the other.  Then, Daddy had some fresh to give him.  That seems to work well. 

Aunt Crissy sent Edwin a cool teething ring which he likes and can hold!  He also plays with the blue dog that Cindy and Keith brought when they visited.  Small toys are best now! 

Oh yes, and ... he met Yin and Yang yesterday.  Those are Dina's cats.  They're from the same litter and they sleep in the Yin/Yang position.  One white, one black.  ADORABLE!  Yin is normally shy, but she came right up to Edwin and he very gently touched her face.  She didn't mind at all.  Then, she got bored and walked away.  Yang was happy to stay near Edwin.  See, I  was right!  Edwin instinctively knows to be gentle with animals!!!  He's just such a cool awesome kid!!!

So, Tuesday at 11, I had to run off to class right after nursing Edwin and I'd dripped a bit.  So, I quickly donned my spare shirt which just so happened to be the exact wrong color of pink and clashed horribly with my pink skirt.  I should've taken the 15 extra seconds to also change into my spare skirt, which is white so it won't clash with anything.  Ahhhhhgggg..  But it was still better than teaching in a milk-stained shirt. :)  Tuesday was exam review, so I don't know if they much noticed.  They were all horribly afraid of today's exam (which is nearly identical to the practice exam) so I don't think they were in the mood to critique my lack of fashion sense.  I guess I'll find out on my teaching evals at the end of the semester.

16 lbs 10 1/2 oz

This could be why my back's been sore this week!!! :)

Debbie's is great fun for Edwin!  Whenever I come to Debbie's to nurse Edwin and pick him up, a crowd of kids gathers around me.  Today, Stephen (who calls Edwin "Ed-in") jumped up on the sofa next to me so he could be near his friend "Ed-in".  All the little girls think he's cute too, but Stephen especially likes him. Debbie said this is why she likes a cross section of ages.  She said it's fun for them to be in this big family-like atmosphere.  They really enjoy each other!  It's so cool!

Edwin's BM's are starting to solidify, slowly.  Instead of being like brown mustard, they're slowly becoming more like peanut butter :)

So, last Friday, I took Edwin to the pool at Mansfield.  I changed him in my office and put a disposable diaper under his swimsuit.  When I took his diaper off after swimming, I was horrified to see how filled up it had become.  What kind of substance could be inside this diaper????  So, I mentioned this to Michael and he told me the diapers are filled with some kind of dehydrated gel.  So, I experimented.  I actually found out that one of these diapers holds (without much of a leak, really!) 3 whole cups of water.  That's more than one and a half pints!  And, the liquid CANNOT be squeezed out!!!  I was kindof grossed out here. 

Tonight, Robyn came over and I showed her.  I gave her a diaper and 4 cups of water and asked her how much she thought would hold.  She guessed a cup.  Nice guess.  3 cups.   She said, "What kind of a baby would pee this much!?!!?"

Well, I went to Greenstar this afternoon to pick up some cotton/paper-based disposable diapers.  I'm really grossed out by all this.  It's NOT at all good for the environment either!!!  I also picked up a starter pack of gdiapers. (See http://www.gdiapers.com, especially their little story bit!  They talk alot about the environment!)  I don't know how they will work or not, but the liners are the same size as the cloth diapers we already have, so we may just use the cloth at home and liners when we go out.  We'll see how it all works first and go from there.  Edwin has two gdiaper shells, orange and red.  Robyn thinks he'll look cute in them.  :)  Anyhow, there is a video at the website so you can see how they work!

Ok, ok, ok....  You are right, Robyn.  You are right!  Edwin is more cute than average.  Yes, probably at least in the top 10% of cuteness, maybe higher.  Why am I starting to believe her?  I took Edwin in his cute carrier (that Grammy made) to pick up food at CTB this evening.  So, I am not even *close* to the place when this table with 2 women and a guy are pointing at Edwin and smiling, talking to each other.  We were planning to go there anyhow, so upon reaching their table (it's a crowed area in the outdoors section of CTB) I introduced Edwin to them.  The women cooed over him and said how cute he was and how cute the carrier was.  Then, the table next to them had starting staring too, so I introduced Edwin to them.  They asked his age and name and if we had any nicknames.  (I replied that a friend of Edwin's calls him "Ed-in", because he can't say the "w" quite yet.)  I did manage to make it into CTB and place my order without further 'interruptions', but at least 3 other people gave these look-away-smiles at him.  (People want to smile at him but don't want me to catch them doing it, because they seem to think it's rude or something.)   So, then I figured we were all set, but the lady behind the counter asked me Edwin's name/age/etc.  And, then, waiting for my order to finish, I ended up talking to two women who were sitting by the front window. It's not my fault, I swear.  So, these women are staring and saying 'howwww cuuuuuttteeee!' and the one says to me, "I'm sorry, I can't help but look. I love babies, but this one is super cute! He's one of the cutest babies I've seen!"  So, I tell her about my friend Robyn who claims the same thing (but whose claims have been in dispute due to suspected prejudice).

So, why does a stranger's opinion count?  Or large proportions of strangers?  I just think they're less likely to be swayed by the personal connection.  You know, blood relatives, close friends, being there for the birth, that sort of thing tends to make a person think a kid is cute.  But even male Asian grad students talk about Edwin to each other when they get on the elevator at Rhodes.  They are not exactly known for being expressive about such things. 

Ok, Edwin calls! :)

16 lbs 1 oz today

oh yes.. one more item..  he swam at Mansfield with me yesterday.  Barb Morgan was there to help me juggle things a bit, because Michael was unable to come.  What fun!  It wore us both out! 

I'm feeling very fortunate.  Yesterday was the first pay of the new school-year cycle, so we got raises!  It will basically pay for Edwin's day-care, almost exactly, provided I set up the pre-tax account.  So, how lucky am I to get paid maternity leave, then have my pay raise cover his daycare?  This will be nice, so maybe we can still save up for a repaint on the house or something like that!  We'll need that done soon!  Today, we get to see the Dixons!  Can't wait!

So....Robyn left us 2 voicemessages.  They attest to Edwin's cuteness, so they need to be documented....
The first was in response to the last post.

1) Hi Guys.  It's Robyn.  It's I don't know... 6:15 or so...I'm walking the pood(le).  I just got your message (to read the blog). yeah.  Donna, he is definitely cute! I mean he is *exceptionally* cute.  I know you're his mom; I know you expect to hear these things, but in this case, I would have said it to anyone.  Even if you were just his babysitter, I would say, "WoW!  That is one friggin CUTE kid you're babysitting!"  'cause after all he is just really really really really cute.

Later, on the phone she added that I ought to pretend to be his babysitter, except that that wouldn't work, because we look too much alike, so it's obvious that I can't be just a babysitter.  At least, I would have to claim to be a close relative.  She said to try that and then see that people would react the same way.

I think she's right.  I'm kindof afraid he might cause an accident because he's so cute.  Every day when I walk (on the sidewalk) beside Rt 6 where my building is, I notice people turn their heads as they drive by.  Mostly women. But what if someone loses their concentration due to the extremely cute distraction?  I would feel soooooo bad!

Anyhow, here is Robyn's other message (from today) in reference to the set of videos I emailed her.  (You can email me to ask for them if you like.)

2) Oh my Goooood, I just got the videos of Edwin. The ones when he's got the song and he's like dancing and he's under the... OH my Gooood were those cute!  I am sooo glad you sent them! I almost.  Oh my God.  I almost died.  Those were like among the cuter videos I've seen of Edwin, in a long long time and he is like a little... Goooood... he is really cute Donna, thank-you for sending them.

This, if you've forgotten, is the friend who was there with us in the hosptial when I was in surgery to have Edwin extracted from my innerds.  (There has GOT to be an easier way to get babies out!!!)  She claims that since she's not a family member, she's not in any way biased or anything.  ha.  I think she's biased.  But she does have some claim to disinterest...

Ok, gotta go be with my super cute kid!

So, is he just a normal kid? Do people just tell me he's super cute because I'm the mommy? They all say 'no'. They all claim Edwin is really really cute. Megan, at Sears Portrait Studio in Ithaca said it's because he doesn't have any disfiguring qualities like so many kids often have. Each kid tends to have 'something' that's not cute, like weird ears or a funny nose or a weird birthmark... But Edwin doesn't. So, Shelly Clark had another way of expressing it (today). She said Edwin is much more interactive, aware, friendly, content, and of course cute too... than other babies. She said it's the whole package deal.

Edwin is almost all over his cold, but he still coughs sometimes.  He sleeps a bit more than in the past.  But right now, he's playing with Daddy and 'talking'.  He's sooooooo cute!  I figured out that his canvas carrier can be used side-saddle.  He had his shots on Tuesday, and was so unhappy that I couldn't imagine carrying him in it facing all in or all out.  So, I put his legs out to one side and just cuddled him in the carrier.  I just wanted a little support from the carrier (as he's getting heavier!) and I figured the carrier wouldn't work that way, but it does!  It's quite secure that way!  He normally prefers to face out, though.

For the record:  He is totally aware that smiling occurs *between* people! :)  He is a FLIRT! :))))

He keeps learning and forgetting and being on the verge of 'getting' what's going on.  It's fun to watch!  He doesn't 'really' get the cow thing now, nor the rolling over thing.  But he 'could'.  He just seems to be paying attention to different things.  I still don't think it's dawned on him yet that he can affect changes in his environment or his state.  This doesn't make logical sense to me, because he's well aware that if he hollars or wiggles sufficiently, he will get help from someone.  Maybe to him, he's just expressing himself freely and he doesn't totally understand that we all respond to his expressions???  Or perhaps people are just so very different from things that he understands people can help him satisify his needs but things can't???  That's just one more way nursing is so beautiful.  He gets hungry and wants *me*, not food.  Of *course* we know he really *needs* food, biologically, and *wants* me.  But, in a real sense, he *needs* me.  However, I am very thankful that he's taking a bottle at Debbie's!  I really want him to be able to take my pumped milk if I have to be away.  This will allow us to nurse longer, actually.  Eventually, there will be a time when I must be away and Dad or someone must take him for awhile.  Cathy hit that point this summer with her baby who is 2 this month.  After nearly 2 years, she wanted a long-weekend with her husband, and her parents were taking the boys.  She said she didn't want her little son to feel that not only was Mommy away for the weekend, but so was breakfast!  They may have actually weaned over this.  I should ask her.  But, it's understandable.

I came straight home today and took a nap.  It was just before 1:30 when I hopped into bed and just after 5:30 when I hopped out.  (Michael came home right behind me today.)  I hope this cold thing finally goes away now.  That nap makes me feel much better now.  But, I'm sure I'll still get to sleep quickly tonight!

So, just minutes ago, Edwin finally realized he can grab the orange handle and make the cow sing!  He was able to let go and regrab and pull all by himself, repeatedly.  I think he finally understands that he can make this happen!  It's so fun to watch his consciousness grow!

Well, Edwin seems to be much better, but Michael is wiped out.  Michael didn't get to sleep until 3am last night, because even sitting upright in the rocking chair, he was choking on his drainage.  Maybe Edwin picked this up at daycare, but it's just as likely that Michael or I got it from a new school year and brought it back to Edwin!  (I have also been fighting drainage but chalked it up to the change in my schedule.)  Anyhow, after a day of making pesto-colored/textured poops, Edwin's poop looked right this morning!  Yippeee!  It's so odd seeing that color of poop.  I thought only cholorphyl was that color, and there's no light inside his belly!  Very weird. He looked like he'd been eating spinach or something! 

Anyhow, we got some really cute pictures from Aunt Carolyn's camera yesterday.  How cool!  Her camera is a professional quality digitial camera from Cannon, I think.  Anyhow, when she "clicks", the picture is instant, so she can get much better shots!

So, Little-Boy is sick for the first time. :(  He's got a drippy nose.  I noticed it yesterday afternoon when he was face-down on the sofa.  I was thinking maybe he was choking because he was face-down, but then I saw the snot coming down.  Lovely visual, huh?  He is basically his usual self, except he had trouble falling asleep when the phlem was rearranging itself.  It's so nice to be able to snuggle him and nurse him when he's unhappy.  In the hospital, they didn't let me sleep with him, which was understandable but really heart-wrenching.  I wanted so much to fall asleep with him next to me.  Now, I do it all the time, and it's wonderful!  It is also good to know I've got PLENTY of milk for him, so no matter what's wrong, I can give him milk!  It usually helps whatever is wrong!  Milk is a wonderful thing.  Sometime maybe I'll post about it.  I feel like my milk comes from my heart, not my body.  It's so special to feed him.