Young Old Moves Out

Last night, Young Old finally exercised his independence, bravely gathered his resolve, and packed up all his belongings, moving down the hall to his very own room.

Let me tell you, it was a sleepless night.

We've developed a minor case of separation anxiety, though Young Old is absolutely thrilled to have his own space for once.

Let's just hope he at least drops us a call once in a while.

We miss you, Little Buddy.

Young Old, The Movie XIV

Young Old was mad at us for a week for withholding his daily dosage of chocolate cake, but teasing him is an essential part of our parenting style.

Pictures from Illinois, Pt. 3

The final batch...

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Cousin Busch Lt. sporting the marsupial sack.

The infamous "Walk To The Square."

Great Uncle Dutch, playing the babe-accordian.

Cousin Amanda and our bare-footed country boy.

Uncle Ginger, reigning Champ of the Curried Chili. Young Old is obviously getting tired of all this picture posing.

Cousins Matt and Megs, getting in some last minute baby-time before we headed back to Portland.

Take care, fam. We look forward to the next visit...tag, you're it.

Pictures from Illinois, Pt. 2

Young Old meets his first baby, Alexis, his eighth cousin thrice removed. It was a touching moment. Really, just look.

Young Old with Mama K, her Cousin Stephanie, and "that other squirmy thing that looks kinda like me, but not really, and makes kinda the same sounds as me, but not really, and likes to play with all my toys, which I'm cool with as long as one of these giants wipes her spit off afterward, 'cause we just met."

"Hey! I can do that, too! You're cool, in my book."

Bath time at Great-grandma's.

As you can see, Young Old's patience is wearing thin with all the obligatory family photos. "Okay, let's hurry this up people...gotta date with a diaper change and some boobs in three minutes."

Pictures from Illinois, Pt. 1

A month or so back, Young Old, Mama K, Auntie Ren, Uncle Railroad, and meself headed out East, on The Boy's first plane trip, to visit Mama K's family in Illinois. Flying into Chicago, we rented a car and headed south to the small town of Macomb...Young Old handled the long hours of travel like a G, barely fussing, soaking in all the new sights and sounds, loving all the extra time with Mama K, and just basically have a great time. Arriving in Macomb, Young Old quickly touched all his relatives' hearts with his loving charm (and a generous dose of vomit). He handled the dozens of new faces extremely well, soaking up all the attention as he was passed from hand to hand, and delighted in meeting another baby born only a few days before him. It was good times for all, a true midwestern experience, with time spent at The Pub eating fried things smothered in cheese sauce, walks to the town square, tears shed over the death of the local Made-Rite burger shop/health inspector's nightmare, innumberable cans of PBR and Busch Light consumed, and the amazing experience that is the All-American Chili Cook-Off.

All in all, a great experience for the little one, though, goddamn, if it wasn't the dal-garn hardest thing to get him back on his sleep/feed/shit routine once we returned. We're only now coming back into focus around these here parts.

Anyway, thanks folks for the hospitality and the love. Young Old misses you already.

The inevitable barrage of pictures, with more to come tomorrow:

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Young Old enjoying his first visit with Great Grandma J.

Auntie Ren feeding Young Old the contents of his previous diaper. We're all about recycling in the Northwest.

Young Old demonstrating the proper way to play with the new toy Great Aunt Mo bestowed upon him.

That's a mischievous grin if I've ever seen one.

Lap time with Great Aunt Janis.

A moment alone amidst the writhing chaos that is a family reunion.

Great Aunt Marsha getting some baby love.

"You guys feast on delicious homemade chili, while I get to gnaw on plastic. What's up with that?"

Young Old the Liver

Of the cards we've received for The Boy, here's another personal favorite. This one's from my pal, Reid.

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Young Old Makes a Discovery

Young Old found his genitals today and thinks they're just the coolest.

It's all downhill from here, right?

Parental Advice

To parents and parents-to-be, a bit of hard-earned wisdom.

Don't let your child wave his arms outside the window whilst driving past mailboxes.
Sorry, Young Bud, but I'm sure you'll quickly learn how to compensate for your loss.

Young Old, The Movie XIII

Fattening the Lamb

We recently introduced Young Old to solid foods, and the boy has taken to it like a newborn to titty. So far we've been sticking to the basics: rice cereal cut with breast milk, cooked and mashed fruits and veggies, chewy hunks of beef jerky, etc. The Kid has some appetite on him.

A few flicks of the first several feedings, with movies to follow tomorrow.

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I love the look of complete concentration on Mama K's face. She received the honors of providing the first taste, since, in a way, this was the first step towards turning him away from her life-giving milk supply (though we'll continue to supplement each meal with it).

Papa Old's turn.

Mikey likes it. Frisco the Cat, seen creepily in the background, wasn't sure what the hell was going on.

Taking a break...deep breaths, buddy.

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Don't cross the streams!

All done! Don't ask about the sock or the teething ring. He performs these little tricks when our heads are turned.
He looks seriously fattened already. A few more weeks of this, and we'll all be enjoying some foie gras de bebe.