Sadly, no pics this time.

Two quick things:

1) Miles has a deep respect for Jimi Hendrix. While listening to "All Along the Watchtower," he was silently smiling and kicking excitedly, and he put his hand on my mouth when I said something to him. He also likes Queen and the Rolling Stones, but I'm not sure that he's realized his love for the Beatles.

2) Miles has a visible tooth, with another right behind it. It's painful, both for him and for us.

BFFs!

My Babies in Bloom buddy and I are celebrating our third anniversary :-) Three months of weekly (almost) get-togethers to Mommy together on Wednesdays and keep each other company, rejoicing and kvetching in turn over our babies. Vlad is exactly one month younger than Miles, and they were about the same size at birth, so... this can also serve as a comparison piece for the difference a month can make!

Miles and Vlad had some quality time yesterday:

Love in the Time of Swine Flu

So this week has been kind of shadowed by the threat of h1n1, something that, before I had Miles, I used to laugh at. I mean, the hype this thing gets is unbelievable, and there are so many readily available jokes... However, as "caregivers of an infant under six months," we're supposed to be particularly vulnerable and yet we have not yet gotten our shots. Get this: the County's Department of Health is no longer taking appointments! Given all the media coverage, local and state and federal officials encouraging vulnerable groups to get it, and the contingent (mostly paranoid Glen Beck-types, right?) that refuses to get immunized for fear that the government will then own their DNA or something, the fact that the county seems so unprepared that within two weeks it's apparently out of vaccine (or time or volunteers or something) seems outrageous. So here we wait, checking the website for updates, nursing cold symptoms with excessive care, and watching the absentee rate at Jon's school soar... Pray for all vulnerable people that we might have a collective immune-boost, won't you?

In other news, I went a week without work and it was a trying time. Oct. 8 was my last day with that first student, and all last week I had nothing. The poor woman whose email inbox I kept stuffing with queries ("Any students yet? I'm just here, unemployed..."). I think I've said this before: I need to work. I need to work because, to be honest, we need the money, and I need to work because I need the purpose, direction, and structure it gives my life. On Sunday I found myself in prayer FOR THE FIRST TIME that maybe I could have another student (inexcusable that I didn't bother God until a week had passed, right?), or if not, that we would be provided for and that I would have peace and patience waiting. The next day, just before the close of the school day, I was given a new student. It was only after I had finished thanking God and making phone calls to arrange a schedule that I noticed my Bible Verse-a-day Calendar's theme for that day, October 19: Proverbs 14:23; "In all labor there is profit." I laughed. God is a witty fellow. It's so hard in life to just do the tasks that are before you and know that with God's grace, it's good enough.

Anyway. Miles has been growing up so much! He is decidedly not a newborn anymore. No sooner had I determined that newborn clothes DECIDEDLY did not fit him and needed to be packed away, I realized that he was rapidly outgrowing his 0-3 months clothes as well. Well, we've added to our 3-6 month supply (thanks to the Rezendes and Sutter contributions), and now that I understand that the label "3 mos" actually means "0-3 mos" and "6 mos" means "This will fit a 12-18 pound person, that is, 3-6 mos," we're golden. No stats yet on his measurements; next appointment isn't until Nov. 9. I'll fill you all in.

Miles cannot, as yet, roll over. And I'm really, really okay with that :-) He CAN see a LOT better than before, so that looking at picture books (favorites include The Hungry Little Caterpillar and Pat the Bunny) means something to him now, he can see people across the room, and the cats' behavior is starting to register with and amuse him. He loves to look at himself in the mirror, "standing up" (supported by Mum or Papa) and stomping his feet in pleasure. He's also VERY vocal, which I believe means he will be VERY verbal, which is okay with me. Here are some recent videos of his utterances and expressions:

Miles Speaks:

Attack of the Cat:

This made me so happy I just had to share

TESTING...

Some Autumn Adventures

October, though taking a toll on my respiratory comfort, is a serious emotional upswing for me. It does not get less fun until Epiphany, in my opinion. We've HUGELY enjoyed a cooler Fall than we've had in a few years. Here we are breaking in the Warm Bear Suit (please notice the Adorable Tail):


We've also been to D.C. with our small person twice, and concluded that quiet museum trips are much less stressful than large outdoor festivals... though not necessarily always more fun. Miles slept through most of the Smithsonian American History Museum (which we visited in company with Grandma and Grandpa; thanks to Grandma for putting M-dog to sleep!!). However, he woke up in time to thoroughly enjoy the Natural History Museum (Mummy's favorite):



They've re-done the Oceans section, by the way, and it's stunning. I could spend longlonglong hours there... Miles could watch the aquarium fish for a while, too...



Jon and also left with a madcap memory specific to the two of us. When feeding Miles, we took someone's (Leah's?) advice and parked ourselves in one of those little movie shelters showing an educational flick, 7 ms long, about the beginning of Life on Earth. It's called "Enter Life," it's been playing continuously since 1980, it features dancing Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen particles strung out in long, dancing lines (singing: Chon-Chon-Chon Chon-Chon Ch-Chon), and we watched it at least four times. We challenge/encourage you all to endure mean see it and see if you're not doing the Chon-Chon Conga for hours afterwards. Chon!