Attack of the BabyMonster!

While I've been beating myself up about not posting as much to this blog lately, I've come to realize one fundamental truth about babies. They take all of your time. Changing a light bulb has gone from a 1 minute task to a one-hour afternoon adventure. Yes, we have a toddler. As a friend with older children recently explained to me, we are in the midst of the "hands-on" phase of baby-raising. We've moved fully out of the "baby-on-the-blanket" phase where only has to clear a 3-foot radius around the baby to be safe. We haven't even thought of the day when Evan will be able to play independently for longer than 5 minutes in a non-baby safe room. You see, we're right in the middle of the "I can crawl faster than you think" and "I'll put it in my mouth, thank you very much" phases.

Evan has started walking over the past few weeks, and can now confidently make it across the room without falling. He only took one major spill into the coffee table, which has led to me not wanting to take him out in public b/c of the big bruise on his cheek. Thank goodness he learns fast. Currently, Evan's favorite activities include walking while carrying something (he thinks it is hilarious), opening and closing any drawers, doors, or cabinets he can find, and pushing his high chair around the room.

NewDad continues to learn and is constantly amazed by this principle: The cheapest toy is quite often the best toy. For example, Evan was having a major crankfest this evening that was brought on by waking up at 4:30 AM with "digestive issues" and was further provoked through the day by a canine tooth coming in. Around 5:30, he'd absolutely had it with everything. Just when NewMom and I were considering running for the hills, I handed Evan a magazine renewal card that was on the table. You'd think that was the best toy ever, because it completely cleared up the storm that had been brewing all afternoon.

In other news, the Yahoo photo site I had been using before has closed its doors, so for now I've set up at Google's photo site. You can get there at http://picasaweb.google.com/ariail24. There's not much there now but a few pictures from Evan's 1st birthday and a few recent shots, but it's there.