chasing cats

dominic loves the cats so yesterday i let them in the house...

(it's a long video so i really reduced the quality - i hope you can still see it ok)

after this, i opened the door and they went running out, something they would typically never do!

pancakes

dominic came home from church very tired and went straight to sleep without a snack.  when he woke up, he was very hungry...

another tantrum

i actually can't remember what dominic was mad about this time.  i think it was just that he didn't want to be put down and he was super tired and maybe his gums were sore.

(don't think that dominic is only a cranky kid - he's actually very happy.  but the tantrums are so much fun to video!  i'll add some nice videos later on.)

first the photos then the video...

singing in the shower

a tooth

yesterday, i was pretty sure i could feel it... this morning, i could definitely feel something but it's very difficult to get a finger into dominic's mouth and even harder to get a peek.  

FINALLY this morning i caught a small glimpse of a tiny white pearl coming up on his bottom gum.  mathias tried all day and finally saw it this evening.  

but don't expect any pictures.  dominic is very protective of his mouth.  

no baby dentures, i guess.

new highchair

peter peter pumpkin eater

on saturday we went to the right choices corn maze in southwest city missouri with people from our small group.  

dominic enjoyed the car ride in allen & kim's sweet new car.  check out how nicely he's sitting with folded hands!  

when we got there, dominic played in the pumpkin "patch" (i.e., pile of pumpkins for sale), as did everyone else including sean & betsy (awww... aren't they cute?) and gracie & katie (possibly even cuter).  finally - the corn maze!  dominic had a bird's eye view.  

later dominic went on his first hay ride, played in the back of the car!  

we ate dinner at a place (literally) and dominic fell fast asleep at 8:30 (!) in the car on the way home.  

good times!

cardboard boxes are AWESOME!!

a fat lip and a clap

several days ago dominic was learning to crawl downhill and fell on his face on the cement. he got a fat lip, which i tried very hard to get a picture of, but it's difficult to photograph his active baby sometimes. see my photo attempts below.

so then today, he was practicing the same slope, and started to get the hang of it. the first time took him a few minutes but he did it. a little while later, he did it again, much better this time. mathias & i started clapping and saying "yay!" dominic popped right around, sat up and started clapping and smiling too. it was so hilarious, i wish i had a video of it. oh well. at least i can write about it.

redneck mama

ok, i admit it: i let my child play outside in the buff and eat leaves. but think of all the money we can save on food, clothes and water for washing clothes!!! =)

sleeping

why do we have unnecessary rules about sleeping positions?  for example:

• always sleep with your head in the same direction
• don't sleep with your bum up in the air
• keep all limbs within the bed area

and my favorite:

• don't stand up on your bed the instant you wake up even the tiniest bit

dominic breaks all of these rules.  the last one i particularly don't understand, but as soon as he finds himself waking up, he starts climbing up.  i rarely find him lying down when i come to pick him up even if he's still half asleep.  

playing outside

(yes, he has dirt on his mouth)

"don't go, dad!"

sometimes dominic tries to follow mathias to school...

"why does mom take so many pictures?"

tantrums

for about 8 months now we've been saying to ourselves, "could dominic be teething???"  so, i feel like if i say that again, i'm crying wolf.  

but could it be true this time?  at 10 months he is a wee bit old to have absolutely no teeth.  

lately he's been unusually irritable.  things that he never thought twice about before are now major dramas involving tears and sometimes tantrums.  

"why can't i play with the toilet??!"

"but i want to crawl in the shower!"

"i don't wanna play in the playroom!"

"the floor is like hot lava to me!!!  don't you dare put me down!"

"you never let me play in the fridge - i never get to do what i want!"

and when he throws a tantrum, sometimes he bangs his head on the floor, which is kinda traumatic for me too.  

occasionally, he makes a pained face and then bangs his head on the floor (without crying), which i take to be a way of dealing with the pain in his mouth.  this is why i think he might really be getting some teeth this time.  

here's the photographic evidence of the head-banging:

here's what happened when i pulled him out of the fridge and closed the door:

shoulder ride!

another of dominic's very favorite things: