Don't Step On Those Worms!

So, yesterday morning started by Rew and I having an interesting conversation, while still in bed and trying to ignore Riley's whining to get up. Perhaps this was fueled by the fascinating soil macrofauna lectures in my class last week [go earthworms!]...or maybe I'm just crazy. Anywho, I wondered aloud something along these lines;
"If we didn't have things like fungi and worms, I wonder how much poo the Earth would be covered in."
Minutes later, Rew had calculated a back-of-the-envelope approximation. The answer is that there would be poo about 100m deep covering the whole Earth. Even if he's off by a couple orders of magnitude, it's still a sea about waist [or waste! hah!] high.

So that just goes to show you, that you shouldn't step on those poor little worms when they get flushed out of the ground by a heavy rain and are flopping about hopelessly on the sidewalk. You never know when you'll need them around!

On another note entirely, we've been trying some solid foods with Riley. This has not met with success. We've tried rice cereal several times [no good] and I made him applesauce [even worse]. Mind you, this has literally been a effort of just a few days and he has already figured out how to clamp his little mouth shut tight and never face the spoon directly. Little monkey. I can't even use my finger to sneak the food in there because he's figured out that trick too. I don't know how we're ever going to make any progress with this. On top of that, we had a playgroup this weekend with 2 other 6mth olds. They are both WAY ahead of Riley in both mobility and eating. Poo! [and we've come full circle].

This past week we also had our first adventures on a playground. Riley LOVES swings. Rew also took him down a slide which eventually prompted smiles. Very cute.

This was our second attempt with the cereal. He makes this "what are you doing to me?" face.

Here is the first applesauce attempt. Shortly after, he actually choked on it and Rew had to turn him upsidedown to smack it out of him. Yay. Positive relationships with apples being built.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still smiley, even after those apples attacked him.

Birthdays, Birds, and More!!!

Well, it's been forever since I posted. Things have been crazy busy here. Since the last post, we've been on a family trip to Houston [for the annual LPSC shenanigans]. Riley did very well on both flights, no thanks to the airlines. Word to the wise...don't EVER miss a flight during March. Apparently the entire country is on spring break and all direct flights to anywhere anyone wants to go are booked solid. We broke this rule, and paid for it dearly, having to take a flight wicked early the next day to New Orleans, and driving 6h to Houston. On the upside, it was an interesting drive! Riley did great - much better than his exhausted, frustrated, and stressed out parents! For those of you not in Planetary Science circles, this year the conference was moved to a new resort area in the Woodlands, TX. This had some advantages for the stroller set, as there were nice places to walk, ducks to watch, and bumpy sidewalks that put babies to sleep! Riley and I had a nice time - no idea what Rew did ;) It was also very nice to see our friends and their new family additions, although some key people weren't there that we all missed!

Since LPSC I've been super busy with class responsibilities [since I got nothing done at the conference]. We've had some nice weather and have been able to get out and stretch our legs some, although it's gotten cold again. Spring is sortof here- we're just starting to see a few of the early blooms around town. We had a nice visit from my parents the weekend after LPSC, and Rew and I were able to get out and see our first movie since Riley was born! We saw Monsters vs. Aliens, which was very silly.

Other big events in Riley's little life include sleeping at night in his Pack-N-Play [!], trying his first solid food [epic fail], and hitting his 6month birthday! At his doctor's appointment, he weighed in at 19.25lb, 28", which is actually less than we were expecting. On Rew's birthday weekend, we took our first trip to the Brookfield Zoo! This was great fun for all. Riley really likes birds of all sizes. Not sure if he really focused in on the larger animals, but we think he saw the llama in the petting zoo. In any case, we'll go back often!

I now have to go, because somebody is scratching and pinching the bejeezes out of me. Assorted pix below.

Part of the riverwalk next to the hotel [which you can see in the background] at LPSC. We spent many quality hours walking here and checking out the "wildlife".


GB^2 and our new friend Libby! She's very silly [we know, we're experts on the subject].


The little dude, actually sleeping in his own little bed! We sleep better now too! Well, some nights we sleep better. Some nights we just don't sleep [a disturbing development to be sure].

Somebody's birthday cake [not naming names].

Riley in his dapper little Easter outfit from GreatGrandma [overalls and shirt]. The sweater and hat were 'cause it was both chilly and very sunny on Easter.

That's a very silly-looking animal.

Riley LOVED watching the birds in this enclosure hop and fly about. They were...

Rainbow Lorikeets. They were indeed very brightly colored and fun to watch [for adults too].

Us all bundled up in the central part of the zoo. We were on our way to the primate house.

He's Got Game

Well, to be more grammatically correct, "He Has Game". Riley's acquired some new skills in the past week. We're now sitting for a few moments unassisted. It's really more of a slowly controlled slump, but he's working on it! He's also beginning to show some signs of rolling over [finally]. He can do it from front to back if he has something tangible to push his foot off of [like Mom's hand]. He's also showing signs of being interested and ready for solids, so I think we'll be exploring that option soon. His other big accomplishment is finally figuring out that we have a cat! He loves to watch Mouse, and will follow her movement around the room very intently.

We're all gearing up here for our second travel adventure. We're leaving for Houston for the yearly LPSC festivities. This year, the conference has moved to a resort-like area of Houston [really? a resort in Houston??!!], which promises to provide opportunities for the Dombard clan such as swimming and exploring things outside again. Riley was fascinated by the green trees in AZ, so I hope he gets to experience some more of the outdoors while we're in TX.


Here he is sitting propped up onthe couch. He used to just slump over when I tried this, but he is now very stable in this position.


"Sitting" on his own! His little arms support him for a few seconds, and then he slumps forward to end in a nice face plant [if I don't catch him first].

Happy family shot. Kitty cat!

Hi!

Here's how big I am at 5months + 1 week [bear for scale]....

And here's the comp shot from when I was 2 days old. I grew some!

Silly Faces

Just a few pix here to brighten your day. All's well here. I started teaching this week (yay), and we're enjoying some warmer weather. Not much else to report at the moment...more later.

You can almost see his current eye color here. It's a greyish-blue with brown specks around the pupils.

In a silly moment, we captured these awesome pix. We can't decide which we like best!

Working Moms

Home today with the little man, and catching up on some emails. Since I know so many women now who are professionals or academics with new babies, I've been thinking and reading a lot about the compromises we make to have these duel personalities...and why it doesn't seem to be the same for the fathers. Here's some reading material for you, if you share the problem...

This one's about trends in breastfeeding over time...
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/19/090119fa_fact_lepore?currentPage=all

(note, this above article has several pages)

And this one's about the problems men have with being "mothers".
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/02/2009022401c.htm

both interesting.

Birthdays All Around!

Firstly, a big happy fuzzy warm welcome to little Abby, who was born Friday morning! (see Steve's blog for fabulous pix). She's conveniently chosen a birthday sandwiched between mine and Becky's, so we will all share our birthday weekends! Yay Abby! We're all excited to meet you!

We've had an odd week here. Riley had some odd combination of cold and growth spurt, the result of which is that we're all a bit worn down right now. Grandpa and Grammie came to visit this weekend, and did us the huge favor of watching the little guy Saturday night so Andrew and I could go see a concert for my birthday. http://gaelicstorm.musiccitynetworks.com/. It was our first real night out alone in 4.5months! Actually, the smart thing would've been to take the opportunity for a nice long uninterrupted nap - but who said we were smart?!

Riley's giggling more often, sitting well in his bumbo chair, and chatting up a storm whenever he gets the chance. The other day, we were sitting on the couch and he turned to his Dad and just giggled for no apparent reason. Happy is healthy! Here are some smiles for you, in case you need them this Monday...

Our Intrepid Traveler

We've returned from our short but exciting trip to Phoenix. We were only there for 2 full days, but we had a lot of "firsts" along the way.

First airplane flight! This picture is actually from his second airplane flight. We did ok on the first one and great on the second one.

First time walking outside without coats, blankets, or mittens! (Go Cards!). We spent most of our time on the ASU campus.

First time playing in the grass and looking up at the GREEN trees.


First time wearing a baseball hat. Well, first time NEEDING to wear a baseball hat! (Go Cards!)

This poor little hat is too small on my big head.


First time making our own Vitamin D :)

This vid is of us playing outside in the sun with our new Cyanobacteria toy from friend Sarah. See "giantmicrobes.com".