Is this not?

The sweetest photo? Not that I'm biased.

Dada's a Boob

Apparently Carter has decided my boobs are called "dada". He points authoritatively at them and says that, so it must be.

A Life's Work

I'm nearly done reading A Life's Work, by Rachel Cusk. If I were to begin underlining passages I poifind that speak to me, the whole dang book would be underlined. Which as I recall, negates the whole point highlighting, or underlining.

Must write more on this when I have digested it further. At the moment I'll leave it at this: well worth reading by every mother. And probably not able to be understood by anyone who is not a mother.

Mercury, I have seen you.

Today I got to see Mercury passing the sun. Very cool. In a geeky, astronomy club way. They were lined up at the park when we got there to have a playdate with one of Bun's schoolmates, and I knew what they were up to, but we were late, so we hustled over to the 'big kid' playground. About 2 hrs later I stopped with the kids and we looked at one of those slit viewers. Yup, little black speck to the right edge of a large lit orb. There were a whole slew of telescopes set up, and we also peered through a couple to see it in 'technicolor'. I can't recall exactly why, but the coolest one was red, and it was something about seeing only the hydrogen burning because of a filter. Bunny loved it, and it was the first thing she reported to Daddy upon his arrival home.

We also went to the Mommy and Me day at a mall, which was 'meh'. Bunny got a balloon flower by one of those freaky balloon artists (who you know also like to dress up as clowns [ick]). She also decorated a paper crown. I guess it was better than sitting at home, but not as good as some other things. I'd initially thought about going to The Jungle or Discovery Museum, but with the sky clearing, I wanted to make sure we kept our date with Anna at the park, and those two places take more time, if you're going to 'do it right'.

In other news, Bunny has named her toes. I'm trying very hard to not learn their names.

Civic Duty? Check.

Another election day, and this time I went to the polls. Usually I vote via absentee ballot, because I like to take my time and read the voter info guide while I vote... walk away from it and think about things, etc. But this year I figured, heck, it's on the street adjacent to me, why not just walk there and vote? I strapped Carter on my back and we enjoyed a nice stroll. I did have to rock and sway while I voted to keep Mr Sillymon from squawking too much, but hey, who said democracy was perfect?

Mostly I wanted to vote for Ahnuld and against a few propositions. I was surprised I didn't get to vote for mayor. I guess we 'county' San Jose residents don't get that. WHatever. As long as our esteemed Gonzales is out. Though it is nice to have a mayor who's so well known, it's not so great that it's for corruption, bribery, conspiracy and falsifying records. ;)

Carter at 12 Months

Carter's on the MOVE. I have to chase him constantly. Today I was putting some things into the stroller for a project at Bun's school, and he walked 20 yards down a path, making his way to the back parking lot apparently. He will follow a path anywhere. He also climbs a lot. Right as I type, he's trying to climb onto his work bench he got for his birthday. He really wants to climb to the top of the big kid slide and becomes angry when I don't let him. Yet, he does not like swings very much. I've only recently gotten him to tolerate 2-3 mins in the bucket swings, and I can't swing too fast or he'll become scared. He loves being pushed in the Little Tikes car (coupe or whatever it's called). He loves sorting things, and taking toys out of and putting back into containers.

Verbally, he's not as far along. He is constantly making noises of all kinds, but so far he only says mama, dada, dat (cat), chz (cheese), mimi (milk), niss (nurse), Cahtah (Carter). He's a little confused about who I am. Sometimes he very authoritatively points to me and says "dada!". Hmmm. I am learning a few baby signs and we're integrating those in and trying to nail down that you shake your head only for 'no', not for everything. ;) He likes to make weird noises, too. Trills and clicks with his tongue that make my mouth feel tickly when I try to mimic it (which I guess is why he does it? feels neat?).

He has 7 teeth and is threatening to teeth some more. His 12 mo checkup is next week, a little late to space for his 2nd dose of the flu vaccine.

Personality-wise, he's a neat little guy. Very easy going in general, though he can become angry if I remove him from something he wants to do (like put something in the toilet). Then he'll arch his back, screech, go limp noodle, and if possible, throw himself back and maybe hit his head on something behind him in the process. Poor guy; I just tell him *he* did that and to calm down.

He's very affectionate and loves Bunny, despite her torment. He seems to have a sense of humor for the ridiculous. He loves being chased and tries to entice us to chase him down the hall, and if we do not follow, he will peek around the corner to try and egg us on.

He still gets lots of 'sling' time in Daddy's pouch sling and also will snuggle with Daddy a lot. Me? I'm good for some snuggles, but please make the boob accessible, thanksmuch. In some ways I look forward to weaning so that we can snuggle *for real*.