11 Month Photodump

I've been slacking in terms of writing here, partially because I've been sick, partially because I've been busy, partially because I can come up with all sorts of good excuses. But I do have a ton of photos sitting in my inbox that I need to jump dump out, so...

What's New, Dashycat?

So Dash is nearing 10 months old right now, which is just kind of mind-blowing. I'm glad he's growing up quickly, because the older he is, the more I can do with him. He's so much more responsive now than he was 5 months ago, and I'm just more comfortable with older kids.

It's pretty cool. He's mimicking us a lot now, and he's kinda sorta learned Patty Cake, which is hilarious. It's just a lot of fun to see him making more and more connections, developing his own interests, and so on. It's great!

Dash's first Christmas was this past year, so it was fun to see him with wrapping paper and balloons and such. My mother was put in a nursing home that is supposed to be a respite stay, but may very well end up being something more permanent, so the run-up to the holidays, something I generally love, was a bit of a downer. It's hard to focus on the good when you're completely unsure of the more negative stuff, so we did our best to make the most of it. Dash has been a loyal visitor to his Nanny, though, and we tried our hardest not to let the entire situation bring the holiday down.

We got him some smaller toys, but the biggest win for him were two balloons. I've never seen a kid enjoy balloons as much as he does, but go figure. He's an absolute maniac when it comes to them. Such a simple boy...

Dash has also finally figured out crawling. We had sort of convinced ourselves that Dash would skip the crawling altogether and go straight to walking given his interest in standing up all the time. It's kind of obnoxious in that cute way, but what was amusing about his switch to crawling was that he spied a can of Manwich on the floor and decided that was worth crawling to. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

He's very mobile now, though. Has a great interest in wires and cell phones and television remotes. It's great, really.

Oh, and the dog. And the dog's food. That, too.

While he still doesn't sit attentively enough to really enjoy reading a book, he has really taken to having books all over the house. He has little baby-sized books he plays with constantly, and whenever I walk by with one of my own, he is so excited to see them. I can't say I'm 100% good at modeling good behavior for him yet (or even 50%, let's be honest), but if he figures out early that it's never wrong to have a book with you, I know I've left him with something of value.

Essentially, Dashypants is a full-on troublemaker now. This is a mixed blessing, but we're really getting a sense of his personality now, and it's great. He's not anxious around strangers, he flirts with every old lady at the supermarket or at Dunkins or anywhere he is, he gets all up in our business, he plays with toys and paper and stuff as if he was a little kitten, and we really couldn't be happier. He's a bright spot. Someday we'll be able to explain to him exactly what that means, but until then, it's his world. He's our soldier leading the charge...

...and we're so, so screwed.

A Merry Dash-mas to All

We're approaching our first holiday with Dash, and it's been a lot of fun even though it's been kind of difficult at the Raymond Compound as of late. My mother was admitted to a nursing home for a respite stay that might end up being something more substantial than that, but, as of writing, it means that we don't know what's going on and it becomes a waiting game. Prior to this respite stay, though, she was really difficult, and, to be frank, it makes it hard to enjoy the holidays. We're a week away from Christmas and it barely feels like it at all.

Thankfully, we have Dash.

Dash has embraced Christmas like any baby would. We put him in ridiculous outfits, he's ridiculously cute in them (as seen above), and we pretty much exploit him for our own personal gain. He's in love with the Christmas tree, especially the lights. At our family Christmas party, there was a singing centerpiece that confuses and enthralls him all at once. He even got to open his first Christmas gift!

Sadly for us, he was much more interested in the plasticware.

Dash will be nine months old this weekend, and the time really does fly. He's not crawling yet, but he really wants to, but the fact that he can lift himself to a standing position and wants to walk around with us constantly is almost certainly holding him back. He's more interactive by the day - he does this weird Shakespearean hand motion a lot where it's as if he's doing a monologue with a skull, and he learned how to clap, which is a constant source of amusement for us (especially when he applauds toilet flushes). He's also still not sleeping - we're on 6 straight months now where he hasn't slept more than three hours in a given chunk, and we're choosing to chalk it up to the fact that he's had 5 teeth come through over that time with more still coming. We might be in denial, but I'm to understand that it's what parenting is all about.

He also eats better and better every day. Loves mashed potatoes and avacado, kind of iffy on pasta and rice. We're trying to make it more of a habit for the three of us to eat together, and it's really shown in regards to Dash's interest in food. I'm really interested in trying to model a lot of things better for him now that he's becoming more aware, but it's hard when you're dealing with a lot of mental health issues that go along with uncertainty with your mother's condition. But I'm trying.

One thing he's not into, though? Snow, or at least his snowsuit:

At the end of the day, he's worth it. He was always worth it, but he becomes more and more worth it every day. When he starts laughing at new things, when he starts noticing more things around, he becomes more fun. Ann is horrified about Dash's impending mobility, but how can you not be charmed when he finds a random gate and starts banging it maniacally against the metal leg of the desk?

It's hard not to love a kid like this. He's really become the bright spot in our lives, and to think he'll be talking soon and walking sooner and all sorts of craziness is coming down the pike? Time flies, man. Time flies.

And this guy is our pilot. We're screwed.

Updates: Mom and Dash Photo Breakdown

As summer turned to autumn and we start hitting the holidays, it's been kind of crazy. Thus the lack of updates period. You may recall the last update, where Mom was in the hospital. She is home, but things are kind of weird and precarious as we sort through the general changes that everything is bringing. So just know that we're doing well, more help is coming, and this means we can focus on this cute little guy with another photodump.

Remember when we said good things happen to our sports teams when good things happen to us? It turns out the secret sauce is making sure the good thing survives a full season. On the left is Dash on Opening Day, 2012, roughly two weeks after he was born, when few thought the Red Sox would break .500, never mind win the World Series. For good luck, Ann put Dash in his outfit from Opening Day on the first day of the World Series. He's a trooper.

Dash loves going on walks nowadays. He's incredibly observant, moreso than I thought he would be, and walks are just about the most interesting thing he can do now. Ann and Dash go on walks nearly every day while I'm working, it's great.

I honestly forget the context of these, but Ann made a Labyrinth comment one night, and the next thing we knew, Beth was shopping Dash's face on scenes from the movie.

"Dude...wait, what?"

Ann didn't want to drive home just yet given how long Dash had been in the car seat, so she sat in a parking lot with him in the front seat. He was much happier.

We've started experimenting with real food. He's not so into it sometimes, but over the last few days, as long as it's something someone else is eating, he's on board. This shift happened when he visited our friends Tiffanie and Josh, he loved the applesauce. Since then, pancakes and waffles are a big hit, as were sweet potatoes last night.

He still prefers pumpkin stems.

Speaking of Halloween, Dash was a hamburger. Yep.

It prompted another Beth photoshop.

Dash got to interact with a baby for the first time a few weeks ago. It was predictably hilarious.

We also learned that Dash has learned to be the master of the photobomb early.

Dash is also able to sit up in the grocery carriages now, which is pretty cool. He charms the old ladies and helps carry the groceries.


We also had a dance party at a recent wedding. That was fun!

He's just really a happy kid these days, which is really great. I hear so many horror stories about kids that cry all the time or have a lot of problems, and Dash is only upset when he's teething or can't get something he wants. It's pretty solid.


He also gets REALLY happy and excited with new things he likes.

It does mean that nothing's safe already...

...and that it's only a matter of time before he doesn't need us to move him around...

...and that he's only going to put up with our nonsense for a little while longer...

...because he's seven months old now...

...and he's developing his own interests...

...but I think he gets how lucky he is to have this lady as his mother. I know I'm lucky to have them both in my life.