Already we're behind...

We were doing so well with an almost weekly post...and here it's Wednesday. Oh, well.

Today marks the end of my critical care month and John's orthopedic surgery month. John's off to Kentucky for a climbing adventure in the Red River Gorge--the best "local" climbing around--and I'm starting a month in the Emergency Room tomorrow. How's that for fair? No complaining, though, as Big Momma, Atticus and I are heading south next week to New Orleans for a conference and a rendezvous with Grandpa Tom while John stays here for 12 hour day shifts at the hospital.

Since our last update, Atticus has

• gotten his first sunburn (mild enough that he didn't even notice) and subsequently his first sunglasses
  
• visited the local zoo and met a proud peacock or two
• added words like "up...uppppp...upppphhh" and "uh oh" and "tree" to his vocabulary
• climbed into the rocking chair and rocked it like nobody's business
• garnered attention in a restaurant after attempting to scale his high chair and nearly pulling it down on top of himself. The waitress noted, "He's a little wild, isn't he?" How does one properly answer that?

After comments like that, Big Momma took Atticus to church to get him some manners for his upcoming ring-bearer role in June. Per her report, our little jailbird did well stopping to smell (not touch) the flowers on his way out.

We got a new Signing Time DVD last week that focuses on "family, feelings and fun" in an effort to help the Little Man with his frustration when the adults don't properly understand his grunts and points. I just learned the sign for "grumpy" and "silly" which Atticus particularly enjoys and is sure to put to good use in short order. His other new signs are "rain" & "tree" & "leaf" which are all quite useful given the season.

Turns out most of our collective energy this week has been focused on bedtime. Little Man's been having some difficulty going down lately. While we've got plenty of theories, we've got no sure answers. Last night was an almost two-hour ordeal. Tonight it took less than 15 minutes. We can hope we're setting a new trend.

Spring has finally sprung!!!

We just got back from Holland! A mere two-and-a-half hours to the west and a stone's throw from Lake Michigan, it's the land of Hope College, an annual Tulip Festival and lots of Dutch Reformed folk. John stayed home and worked his last weekend call as an intern while Big Momma, Atticus and I rendezvoused with Papa Tom in a town that has become a familiar meeting place for Grandparents Barton. We ended up there this week for a wedding. As a dry run for Atticus who's slated to be the ringbearer in John's cousin's wedding this June, there's plenty of room for improvement. The minute Atticus and I sat down (thankfully, in the back), he squirmed and then screeched at the thought of being held still for the ceremony which led to an immediate departure. Of the hour-long ceremony, we witnessed 15 minutes or less as we were lost in a deep and thorough exploration of surroundings not limited to but including the grounds outside, multiple trips up and down the stairs to the balcony and, last but not least, the nursery with its bounty of toys. As for the rest of the festivities, the Little Man did pretty well sharing his dried apples with the other kids, dancing and drumming to the music and, in his spare time, teaching folks some sign language. He also garnered much praise for his chugalugging as he drank from his sippy cup for no less than 3 minutes without coming up for air...a future of beer bongs and relays was mentioned.

Mother Nature finally woke up this week and the weather finally matched the calendar. The grass is green here now and everything is blooming. That meant lots of time outside for the Little Man including trips to the park nearly every day with Big Momma or Mama and Daddy. Big Momma and Atticus have made fast friends with some of the locals and have play dates set up for Monday through Friday. There are at least a couple other boys born in November 2006 who frequent the neighborhood park and one of them is bound for bullyhood. The way Big Momma tells it, Atticus was chilling in the tunnel when bullyboy happened upon him and just reached out, grabbed his face, gouging his left eye and cheek. Atticus has the marks to prove it and required some interventional swinging with Big Momma to get over the trauma. So far, our little pacifist seems no worse for the wear.

Atticus is also making friends with kids who hang out at our next door neighbors. Today, there were 4 kids -- Marquell, Ashanti, Skyler and Jerome -- ranging in age from 5 to 9. They shared an Atticus-sized basketball with the Little Man and showed him a couple of their ball-handling tricks. He shared the two rocks and pine cone he'd picked up in his backyard travels. Marquell asked to pick Atticus up and then Ashanti asked if he could come and play with them later so I think he's a hit. I've got high hopes for his summertime adventures...

Firsts from this week:

• a new obsession with all things large and automotive requiring lots of pointing and grunting
  
• saying almost intelligible versions of "hot," "up," and "now" and signing for "juice"
  
• strapping up his sandals
  
• getting dressed to the hokey pokey song and turning himself around
  
• sliding down a METAL slide...old school style
  

Tax Day!

Last week started off with treats from down South from Big Momma's visit to Oxford. A Beth Ann Fennelly book featuring poems on motherhood for Mama, rubber animal potholders for Dada and a CD for Atticus featuring the song "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" that goes with one of his favorite books. He loves to shake his finger "No" and he'll dance the night away to each and every one of the songs. And, he's still getting plenty of enjoyment from the new toys Grandma and Grandpa Reyher brought.

Atticus and Big Momma checked out two of the local Montessori schools. They both liked the one here in Ferndale best. Atticus slipped right into the toddler group and joined the crew holding onto their assigned knots on the golden rope as they traipsed around the block. He was momentarily distracted by a passing school bus and stopped to wave at the kids on the bus...and then quite pleased when most of them waved back.

He enjoyed (?) his longest trek in his Co-Pilot last Tuesday when we biked two burbs north to Birmingham. We ended up at a chi-chi Middle Eastern restaurant all of us looking like bums with bad helmet hair. Atticus made juice out of some dried apple rings and a general mess of himself and his surroundings. I don't think they'll be asking us back there any time soon.

Big Momma's 65th (!!) birthday was on Friday of last week and Grampa Tom came in to help celebrate. Atticus had a great time with Grampa Tom bringing him things to check out and playing with his reading glasses case. Together, they continued to work on this season's mantra... "Go, go, SOX!" We all went out to dinner at a local joint called Nello's and Atticus had the run of the corner booth...eating off everybody's plate and playing peekaboo with Grampa Tom.

No notable firsts for this week. It's status quo here in Ferndale.

P.S. We just figured out while doing this post that we probably left John's camera in the restaurant in Birmingham... Alas, they'll have more to remember us by than we'd like. Sigh.

Grandma & Grandpa Reyher come to town!

The highlight of this week was a visit from Grandma Ginne & Grandpa John. While Big Momma and Grandpa Tom headed south to Oxford, Mississippi for the Oxford Conference for the Book, we were lucky enough to have Daddy's parents step up and into our wacky routine. They arrived on Wednesday night just in time to see us off on our first genuine family biking adventure on a ten-mile route winding through the neighborhoods of Ferndale, Oak Park and Royal Oak bypassing the Detroit Zoo and a local park providing some good swinging and sliding opportunities. Grandma spoiled little man with a new toy each day and Grandpa taught him how to commandingly conduct an orchestra. On Thursday and Friday, we all walked to a nearby park and Atticus held onto Grandpa's hand the whole way and then was treated to a swing ride on Grandpa's lap.

Saturday, Atticus had a play date with a gaggle of girls. Turns out, all of the pediatric residents on the floor at Royal Oak last month have girls (4 total) ranging in age from 1 to 5 years old. We all got together at the kids' play area in the food court of a local mall and let them have the run of the place. After some initial shyness, Atticus warmed up to the crowd. He particularly liked the potato chip slide, climbing onto the corn cob and hanging out beneath the hot dog bun.

Sunday, we trekked out to Dearborn to the Henry Ford Estate & the Henry Ford Museum. There was lots to see at the Museum--literally all manners of trains, planes and automobiles. Grandpa, Daddy and Mama got involved in crafting the perfect paper airplane for Atticus to pilot. Let the record here show that the girl plane was the only one to hit the 20' target. After a late lunch in Dearborn, we said our goodbyes to Grandma Ginne and Grandpa John. It was great to have them!! The weather was beautiful outside so we headed downtown for a stroll along the riverfront and a peak inside the downtown Marriott. Atticus loved the water and the sculptures in Hart Plaza. We're hoping the enthusiasm for both is long-lasting...

Firsts for this week:

• signing for "owwwie" was new this week and already the boy's taking advantage using it every chance he gets for a sympathetic response
  
• new eats included a black bean burger, an unbounded enthusiasm for hummus and a newfound proficiency sipping from a straw