Milo 1, Hamper 0

This mobile Milo is quite a guy.

He crawls everywhere and pulls himself up on the couch, coffee table, kitchen chairs, random pantlegs, and guitar amp. Occasionally he finds something not so stable and really enjoys tossing it around.

He pulled out most of the toys is his basket (now overflowing -- he needs his first real toybox!) and then was incredibly pleased when he pulled the basket on top of him. Whee!

Next up, the laundry hamper. This was even better. Upside down, it's stable enough to support his weight -- plus it makes a good noise when you smash it. Right side up, it's light and easy to move. And on its side he can crawl into it, look around, crawl out, and squeal in triumph!


Victory is mine!

Milo's Bathtime

I love bathtime.



Bathtime with Milo is a highlight of my day. Or it was, until he started being able to stand and hold onto things.

Unfortunately, he likes to use the side of the tub to pull himself up, then try to jump. Slippery, Milo, slippery. Sitting is no longer good enough for the boy.

He stands, starts to bounce, and his hands fly off the tub. This makes him lose his balance and pitch forward where his chest hits the side, he gets scared, and he cries. The other day he would have pitched right over the side if I hadn't caught him. Even so, he ended up upside down and more than a little disoriented.

I should be thankful that he hasn't whacked his noggin on the porcelain yet. He doesn't always fall though; he went through a week where he'd stand, let go, and then giggle as he stood for a few seconds on his own two feet before plopping back down on his butt. Pretty good balancing, but a poor choice of places to do it.

Enter the shark.

Milo is ten months old tomorrow and already has more bath toys than I can ever remember having. The rubber ducky, some stackable cups, a little bear washcloth, a small juice bottle (it floats and he likes to chew on it, okay?), and now a shark.

The shark (Playmobil, of course) floats and its head is just the right side for him to stick in his mouth, leading to the ever-amusing spectacle of the shark-eating baby. Bear holding a shark? Try again Strong Bad -- this little boy eats both.

Milo is a happy boy

More Milo pictures! Yes, people are complaining. Mostly, I think, because Milo's mom is pretty busy these days what with her novel writing, book editing, and Milo-tending.

Anyway, since I'm taking the pictures, I'm gonna start using them.

In the news today, Milo still loves his jumper. I advise all parents out there to hang one from a hook in your living room ceiling, regardless of the aesthetic impact on your interior design.

Milo bounces and swings as far as he can (getting farther every day) and can still stay in the thing for about half an hour. We had planned to use this time to get some work done (house cleaning, meal preparation, ...) but dammit, he's just too cute and entertaining.

Milo Hearts Guinness

So who doesn't believe in the accuracy of cheesy online quizzes NOW?!?

All right, they're still cheesy, but that "What kind of beer are you?" one I took last week was right on the money, at least in terms of my favourite beer. And Milo's too, apparently.

The empty cans were light enough for him to lift and the world-famous Widget not only adds to the flavour of the beer, but it turns the empty can into a highly-effective noisemaker/rattle as well. Plus it sounds cool when you smash two cans together.

I know what you're thinking -- quality parenting in action? Don't worry -- Mom & Dad took great care to ensure the cans were empty before Milo got a hold of them.

News of the Day...

From an article in the online Seed Magazine, on "why the answer to life, the universe and the third moment of the Riemann zeta function should be 42."

And just so you're clear, the answer you get when you do a Google search on "what is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?" is, of course, 42.

The other thing I liked today was the Helmet Megaphone for sale at eBay. (Sold for over $1500!) I had a laughing fit just imagining wearing it on the bus, or in a fast food lineup, or wandering around my office... What I really want to know is: "Is it iPod ready?" Digital line in, here we come.