A month later, I reappear. Let's see, what's happened in that time?

First, we packed our boys into my mother's borrowed SUV and hied ourselves up to Yosemite for a semi-camping adventure. Semi in that there were no tents involved - we stayed at Housekeeping Camp. There was a massive wildfire nearby which rerouted us in and out of the park and cast a smokey haze most days, but all of us thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Smoke aside, we kind of hit a sweet spot, going mid-week just after school started back up. I very much want to go back again sometime.

Then we had our trio of September birthdays - Squiddle, Jazzy, and Wonderful Husband - happen, followed almost immediately by all three of them getting taken down by Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Wonderful Husband (who has skin problems already) got it bad enough that he was admitted to the hospital for three days. Not fun for anyone! Fortunately for my sanity, my parents were able to have Squiddle stay with them one night. I didn't get it. Don't know why - my mother doesn't remember me having any previous exposure. Maybe it was just the universe being kind and saying "no, the mama can't get sick too."

But now everyone is recovered. Hooray! And this afternoon I took the boys to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. Since we have an annual membership, why not? That, combined with Finding Dory, and the Octonauts and Finding Dory games Squiddle has for his LeapPad, seem to be fostering an interest. As I rocked him this evening, I got told all about how octopuses and jellies have "tentatles" (yes, that is how he pronounces it) and how sea stars have eyes at the ends of their arms. ^_^

Jazzy is now free-standing for up to three seconds!

Wonderful Husband got a Nintendo Switch for Father's Day and has been teaching Squiddle the ways of MarioKart. (Me: "You only have five months to prepare him for Cambridge.") Also Wonderful Husband has been playing the new Legend of Zelda game. Tonight, when Squiddle got up a bit after being put to bed, he wanted to know "Are there any fighty things in here?" (in his room). On being told no, he said "Oh, that's good to know," and readily went back to bed....

Jazzy has taken to randomly screeching like a pterodactyl. Squiddle never did this! It doesn't seem to be linked to unhappiness, though, so we're figuring it's just him testing out his vocal chords.

He has also taken to banging on things. This evening I pulled out Wonderful Husband's doumbek and let both the boys have a go on it for a while. Then Wonderful Husband took over and started playing an actual rhythm. Squiddle's comment: "You're making me dance!" :)

Hot weather arrived and with it, flea season. Yech. The cat has been Advantaged and I'm working my way through washing the everything-that-can-be-washed and vacuuming the everything-that-can-be-vacuumed. And squashing every flea I can catch. :/

I've also been working on quilts in a dual-purpose sense. Firstly, going through my vast collection of Works-In-Progress/UnFinished Objects (WIPs/UFOs) and getting some of them done (I'm aiming for one a month) and simultaneously targeting those which will neatly become Christmas presents. For further details, see my quilting blog.

Jazzy is now crawling forward and pulling himself to a stand so I'm having to go through the house with an eye to re-babyproofing it. Squiddle continues to be a bit of a threenager and had a wonderful meltdown at a Chinese restaurant the other day over wanting soup. Which we were ordering for him at the time! Fortunately the waitress also had a three-year-old and went and put in the order for the soup first and then came back to take the rest of our order. (And it was really good soup, too.)

And I've been working my way through rereading Marie Bostwick's Cobbled Court and Too Much, Texas books. So, quick book review time!

Title: Yarn Harlot: the secret life of a knitter
Author: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Length: 219 pages

( Review )

Title: From Here to Home
Author: Marie Bostwick
Length: 351 pages

( Review )

Squiddle is finally down for a nap. In his new castle bed! Which is very spiff:



It got assembled a week ago. And last Friday the convertible bed got converted back to a crib. So now the boys are sleeping in the same room. Well, the first two nights Jazzy woke with screaming fits around 2am and had to come back into Mummy and Daddy's room. But the last three nights, bar me getting up 3-4 times a night, they've both slept in the same room. Hallelujah...

Not much going on at chez Stonham since we've all fallen under the flu crud to varying degrees. Wonderful Husband took today as a sick day. And even Jazzy has a snotty nose and a nice chesty cough going! But none of it is worth a doctor's visit - fortunately Squiddle's fever broke Monday morning, otherwise we would've hauled him in for poking and prodding. And he was miserable enough as it was.

Unfortunately, however, the fact that we're all sick has meant no playgroups and classes for Squiddle this week! So he's been bouncing off the walls at times, which has drained me down further. Today, though, I'm hoping constitutes a turning point.

This afternoon, while both the boys were napping and Wonderful Husband was vidgaming, I did another session of "tame the kitchen garden." The dead bay tree was put in the brown bin for yard waste, as were the ginormous kale plants. The bin is FULL. No more yardwork until Tuesday, I guess. Though I need to examine the bottom of the pot the bay tree was in, since it died of drowning - the pot clearly needs more drainage holes before I use it again.

The hundred-and-seven popcorn plants just started peeping their heads up today, and the peas/spinach/radishes/beets/lettuce/carrots/whatnots in the one bed I've planted are all neatly sprouting. As are the onion sets at my parents' place that I thought wouldn't sprout, so goes to show what I know! Tomorrow we're due for more rain, which makes me happy, but... I'd kind of like a dry week so the back lawn and kitchen garden paths could get mowed. Ah well. Grass is always greener and all that.

I also did a 10% water change on the fish tank this afternoon and will probably add in a few more critters tomorrow. Likely either a couple African Dwarf Frogs or half a dozen ghost shrimp, depending on which one excites Squiddle more when we're at the store....

Since my writing teacher told me I should write down the "out of the mouths of babes" stuff so I remember it in years to come....

Squiddle currently sleeps, most nights, under his blanket and one of the quilts I've made him. In the specific order "quilt down there, blanket up there." Very important.

Also, in my car his car seat is behind the driver's seat, so when we're driving and he asks me "what that?" I frequently have to guess what he's looking at. The other day I guessed "a billboard?" and he came back with "yes, dat a building board." ^_^

And, as of two days ago, Jazzy has mastered rolling over onto his tummy!

Jazzy dozing on his playmat. Squiddle working on his fine motor skills (aka playing with playdough aka learning that no matter what colors you smush together it always ends up hideous brown). Both stockings done save for hanging loops and nametags.

Onward to victory!

We're running late this year. Our Christmas cards just got mailed out and our tree put up today. Squiddle had a grand time with the latter - he's big enough now to be putting ornaments on the tree. Though for the next several years, at least, all the ornaments are going to be wood and fabric and my nigh-unbreakable vintage plastic ones!

Squiddle is actually quite the character at this point. The other day, I picked out a blue t-shirt with some cartoonish figures in a plane, a train, and an automobile, and plain black shorts to go with it. He rejected the shorts I chose and insisted on wearing a pair of tan plaid shorts instead. His reasoning? "Now I look like Daddy." Um, Wonderful Husband is not prone to wearing shorts or trousers that look like they belong on a golf course, so... no? My best guess is that Wonderful Husband often wears blue shirts and tan slacks.

(And, relatedly, why DO so many of the shorts/trousers options for little boys look like hideous plaid golfing wear?)

Jazzy, meanwhile, has a very sweet smile, is quite willing to be amused, and has finally started sleeping through the night. He also, at three months old, weighs 14 pounds. This amuses me because his weight is one stone, and his first name means "stone" and his last name means "stone village." :)

Jazzy has, at the age of two months, become a lot more interactive. When he's on his playmat, he will deliberately reach up and hit/kick the dangling toys that set off the lights and music. More fun for me, though, is that I can flirt with/tease him by going ooh or aah or nnn and smiling, and he'll smile and talk back.

Babies developing are so wonderful. ^_^

ETA: Wonderful Husband does the same thing with Jazzy, but does the Chamberlain Skeksis "hmmm?" noise instead . ^_^;;;