California, Pt.1

The drive from Lehi to Orange County is about 10 hours, and ordinarily we probably would have done the whole thing in one day. But we decided it would be easier on Pookie (and us, too) if we broke it up over two days. So we left Utah on July 30 and drove for six hours, stopping to spend the night in Vegas. Pookie had quite a time exploring the hotel room. It was the first time he’d spent the night anywhere but home (and the hospital).

He spent most of the evening before bed making sure that the AC was in proper working order. We couldn't get him away from that thing!

Well let's just see what's going on under this door here.

Ahhhh. The cool air.

We brought our playpen along, with plans for Emrick to sleep there in the hotel. He slept there just fine, until about 4 or 5 AM when he decided he wanted to finish out the night in bed with me and Marcus.

When we got to California early the next afternoon, Grandma Cinda had a nice little bed set up for Emrick (see below). If you’re wondering why it’s so retro looking, that’s because it is a forty-six-year-old crib, which is like, almost half a century, which is like, really old. I think Lincoln slept in it.

The plus side to this little crib being so small and having slats miles apart from each other, is that Emrick didn't mind it as much as he does the playpen. I think its openness kept him from feeling too confined. Here he is after his first night in CA, looking puffy-eyed and sweet.

Emrick is all about the silly faces these days!

Then, as you know, a couple of days later the fire hydrant by Mom and Dad’s house was knocked over, probably by a landscaping truck. I narrowly missed witnessing it and getting drenched (and possibly run over!) because I had JUST gone out to our car to get something, and I was inside not 30 seconds before Dad came running downstairs and said, “Cinda! We have a situation here!”

Pookie watches as Marcus takes video on his phone.

While we all spent at least five minutes completely enthralled, Pookie was immune to the excitement.

This is the closest my blue Rav has come to getting washed in ages.

City dude to the rescue.

Sayonara, agua grande!

On the right, you see Grandpa Ed talking to a neighbor (several neighbors came out of their homes to gawk). Behind the water you see the cop who we thought looked like Marcus' friend Jon, but who, after thanking me and Chris for our "investigative work" (*eyeroll*) proved instead to look and sound exactly like Owen Wilson. You know, friendly, but in a smarmy way 🙂

Grandpa and Grandma, after the commotion.

The city dude assured us that everything was okey dokey, but a couple of days later they were jackhammering the sidewalk surrounding the hydrant because it had become evident that the damage was deeper (literally) than they had initially thought (sorry, no pics). We weren’t too surprised, since Marcus had noticed that the hydrant was leaking slightly the day after it was hit.

That night, Marcus and I had dinner at Mr. Stox restaurant to celebrate our third wedding anniversary (August 2). Mr. Stox was where our wedding reception had been, so it was nice to celebrate there. And Grandma Cinda treated us! What a great gift! For an appetizer I got the lobster bisque, and for my entree, filet mignon with blue cheese. Mmmm. Marcus got the crab cakes. Then, the restaurant treated us to a free dessert.

I’m not even sure what that was, but it was good.

After we finished the free dessert, our server brought out the dessert tray and encouraged us to eat even more, specifically recommending the creme brulee. Not wanting to offend, we ordered the second dessert. And we eated it.

OK, OK, OK!

I’ve been meaning to put a new post up for a few days now. Sorry it has been so long! First we were on vacation, visiting my family in California. And then, even though we’ve been home since Saturday, we’ve had to recover after all that driving and geyser-dodging. Anyway, it’s late, so for now I am just going to post a few pics of Emrick that I took on the drive back home last weekend. I promise more pics within 36 hours!!

Emrick flashing some cheerio.

Coming soon: Some adorable pics of Emrick at the Griffith Observatory. Also, a pic of the 11ish-year-old boy, also at the Observatory, who displayed a just-short-of-alarming fascination with him.

 

Morgan Waterpark Grand Opening

We think the landscaping truck on the street to the left backed into this hydrant. It was about 10 feet from our car. It only took a few minutes for a city worker to turn off the hydrant feed and bolt it back into place.

 

 

All Scratched Up

When I went to get Emrick out of his crib this morning, he was very happy to see me. And that’s how it always is, of course. This is what the waking up process looks like most mornings: Marcus has gone for work, and I am still lying in bed half-awake when I hear Pookie making noise on the monitor — not crying usually, just noises. I get out of bed and use the bathroom and put in my contacts. By this time he is starting to wimper, just a little. When I open the door to the nursery he is usually standing in his crib, and gives me a big grin when I walk in. His eyes are always slightly puffy, which for some reason makes him extra-cute in the mornings. I say, “Good morning, sweet boy!” And his grin gets bigger and he starts panting excitedly as I bend down to kiss the top of his head.

This morning played out exactly like that, except… when I got closer to him and was about to kiss him, I realized he had a bloody scratch across his nose! And then several more, lighter scratches across his forehead. I instinctively frowned at these red marks on my darling baby’s face, but when I noticed that Emrick was frowning at my frown (Frowns are NOT a part of our morning routine, Mom!) I stopped and smiled again. As I changed his diaper, I studied the scratches and tried to think how he got them. Now, Emrick is QUITE the scratch-inflicter himself, and both Marcus and I have the facial wounds to prove it. So my first thought, of course, was that he scratched his own face. I do try to keep his nails short, but he manages to scratch up things and people anyway.

But the weird thing about these scratches is that they were all on a diagonal, and pretty much the same diagonal. I wouldn’t expect that kind of consistency if he had been randomly scratching himself. So I wondered if maybe he was standing in the crib, fell, and hit is face on the railing on his way down, leaving all those scratches behind in one movement. But the rails are smooth, polished wood, so I don’t know how they could make those kinds of marks. And if Pookie did scratch himself with his own hands, WHY? Wouldn’t it HURT?

Anyway, I tried to take some pics. The close up ones came out blurry, but I will post the best ones I have.

All these frowns are not because of the scratches; they are because I would not let him grab the camera and smash it to the floor! I am so mean!

You have probably also noticed Emrick’s interesting outfit. A sleeveless guitar-themed onesie, and a pair of pants with monsters on them. Lemme ‘splain. Despite the fact that Emrick is on the verge of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, he decided a few days ago that he was interested in crawling after all. If you recall, he never did a true crawl before taking his first steps. He did a very proficient “army crawl” instead, where he got around by scooting on his belly and pushing off with his left foot. Then he was pulling himself up on furniture, then he was “cruising”, then he was taking steps independently (which he does more of now, though walking free-handed is still not his primary means of getting around; cruising is). But a couple of weeks ago he perfected the art of bending over while standing to pick something up from the ground. Then he learned to drop to his knees from a walk, and then one day he just started crawling on his knees. And now anytime he is on the floor, that’s what he does.

But what this means is that his shins look terrible. There is a red, rashy burn down the front of each one. So this morning I dressed him in pants to protect them, and since it’s hot around here, I had to balance out the pants with a sleeveless onesie, to keep my baby cool. And that, my friends, is why Emrick is so stylin’ today. Feel free to copy his look.

Early walker and a late crawler? That's my boy! See that torn cover on the floor? That's because Emrick LOVES books. Just not for reading.

Emrick vs. Godzilla

Ladies and Gentlemen! Today I am going to demonstrate how to slay Godzilla. These techniques can be applied to any large, carnivorous lizard.

First, you grab him from behind.

Then you lift him into the air...

...and throw him back to the ground! Don't lose your grip, though!

Once he's down, you should check for I.D. Let's see... "Made in China." What?! I thought Godzilla was Japanese!

Next, drag your kill behind the playpen.

Try not to get too drunk on the thrill of it all...

...and just creep away. Casually.

It is permissible, if no one is watching, to turn back and admire your work.

Then smile for the camera! Mama is so proud of her lizard-slaying boy!!

 

Happy 10-Month Birthday to Our Little Pookie, Emrick!

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE SO CUTE, YOUR HEAD WILL PROBABLY EXPLODE.

The way his eyes look in some of these photos (especially the ones in the brown chair) reminds me so much of Marcus’ childhood pictures. And did you SEE those bushy manbrows? Awe. Some.

Emrick weighs 19 pounds, 12 ounces and measures about 26.25 inches long. He has been sleeping for 11+ hours a night, every night, for about a week now. That’s up from an average of less than 10 hours, and this increase really did just happen suddenly. Could this be a sign that he’s having a growth spurt? Even if “spurt” just means he gets another ONE FULL INCH on him by 12 months? I hope so!

Happy 10-month birthday, Pookie Bear! We love you eternally… in any size 🙂

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