Gradumapations

 Reid Amani is a "standy" little guy, and SO tall.

 Grandma Marie came to visit, and it was awesome.

Daddy and Grandma Marie are somehow related.

Daddy is also a wizard.

He uses a wand and wears a fancy robe.

We celebrated with him after he became a wizard.

Beader is also an Ethopian, as demonstrated by his shirt.

Just Lovely.

Beader Invasion

Well well.  Who would have guessed?  I thought our hygiene habits were good enough, but perhaps I'm wrong, because we've had a new outbreak.  See the picture below [click for a full size version].  Thanks for all of the support from everyone as we muddle our way through.

We've been infested again.  For some reason these sorts of infestations  always seem to occur in the summer in California.  We had a really similar outbreak back in 2007.

 

Next stop, Orono, Maine...

We've been slow to share the news, but in the same week that Reid was born, Tim was offered a wonderful job opportunity for the upcoming academic year:  a tenure-track professorship at the University of Maine.  We've decided to accept the offer and will be moving to Orono, Maine, this August.  We're really excited for Tim.  This is  a dream job for him.  He'll be working with the new multi-million-dollar Sustainability Solutions Initiative and will get to teach and do research.  We're also excited for our family as we embark on this new adventure and get to discover yet another new place.

In the meantime, Tim's finishing up his dissertation and we're busy enjoying our last few months in California.  We've been strawberry picking twice in the last week, climbing trees

hanging out in the swing (yep, that's Reid below)

cooling off in the tub and at the pool

having dinner outside with friends

 enjoying getting to know our wonderful little Reid

reading books on the potty (that's right, in just one week we seem to have reduced the number of diaper wearers in our home to one!!)

and, of course, taking breaks in the shade

We are very fortunate.

Mr. Adorable

NOTE: You'll need to click the "four arrows" button in the lower right of the youtube video boxes to get it to expand to the whole screen, and when you do that, you can then click the "360p" button, in the lower right of the fullscreen mode to increase the resolution to "480p".

Reid shows off his talking and tongue skills.



Reider Beader is the cute machine. Breathing is raspy because he had a doosie of a cold that he got from his Aunt. It's gone now, thanks goodness.


RedBeds chews his hands, and sighs. Life is hard work.

Coast Camp on Point Reyes

Sarah Waring (yup, that's my sister) visits and we take a trip to Point Reyes.  We took an awesome fire-road entrance and used a bike and a modern vaggabond cart to carry all our stuff.  Including the firstborn.

This is what I mean when I say "Point Reyes."

Liam helped push the trusty cart up the final slope to "Coast Camp."

We met our lovely friends Christine and Chris Hanson there, and they quickly bestowed upon me a birthday peacock tiara, as I was turning 33.

We went for walks on the beach.  These walks involve littler individuals nested within larger individuals.  Chris(Ried).

Our troupe and hosts, the Hansons.

On the way home.

Reid contemplates green.

Shortly after returning Liam joins a pool party in the Zia boy's pool.  It was cold.  I know because I joined them.

Adorable People

There are only really two months left before we leave Davis, and California, so we're getting sentimental.  We've got a lot adorable friends, little and big out here, and we're going to miss them.

Abe reading a book to Danerys and Liam.  Epinai gets interested and toddles over.  Cuteness drips off the trees.

Miss Elle posing it up with two other adorable people.

Liam micromanaging Danerys' sushi eating.

After dinner, a meeting under the tree.

Danerys and Liam have very similar personalities - careful and thoughtful.  They make great partners.

All Hail Gripe Water!!

Parenthood seems to be all about developing constantly-evolving, fickle theories, based on single-data-point experiments (ie. today, I (the nursing mom) didn't eat any dairy products and Reid didn't scream his head off, so he MUST necessarily be lactose intolerant). We call this bad science.

Well, the latest theory seems to be a little more solid than all the rest. Because, for several days now, we have found that if we regularly give Reid little shots of this (essentially fennel seed and chamomile tea):

Then he looks like this:

(note the loose arms, unclenched fists, smile, and what would be a floppy torso if he were upright). Anyway, the nice fellow is so much more comfortable in his skin now that we've been hitting the Gripe Water regularly. He doesn't look perpetually worried when he's awake and the screaming has nearly disappeared. It's such a joy for all of us.

Some of his latest shots:
Yes, I am already more than 15lbs at under 3mos.

No, Gripe Water does not solve a guy's spit up problems.

But it does give you the sense that you can fly.

Or at least let your tongue hang out.

Reed Beeds

He loves staring at trees.  They sooth him.

The hands.  Those little hands.

Nothing like naked squigg time.

The Groad, The Bald, and the Chunky

Reid is blimping up like a champion.  If we hadn't already seen Liam do this same fantastic feat of fattening we'd be flabbergasted. 

This is the "groad" as in groady grotsome grotesque, gunky lint and dirt that Reid collects at an alarming rate in his little finger (and other) crevices.

The bald.  Tim shaved his head.  And there was much rejoicing.

T-Rex

Liam really enjoys being a Tyrannosaur these days.  He's got a sort of loping waddle that goes along with it, and he squints his eyes and bears his teeth to appear vicious.  Oh, and the claws, held crooked out in front are very important too.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfADCymf8mA

Spring Growth in Davis

 Well, spring can be a sleepy time, you know.  There is apparently so much work for Reid, it's almost *always* time to sleep.  He's doing a marvelous job of it too.  Okay, except tonight.

And, when he's not sleeping, he's sucking on something.  In order of preference: nipple, thumb, pacifier. 

Yes, we've been taking family photos.  Eventually though Reid got sick of it and attacked his father with a vicious bite (suck) to the head (cheek).  I'm still wounded.

wound

We've been trying to get out and about in this glorious weather.  Last weekend it included a trip to the Center for Land Based Learning, a very Davis sort of thing, and a great little spot where Liam got to muck around in a pond, catch tadpoles, pet lambs, get terrified by chickens, pretend he was a Tyrannosaur (yes, of course I informed him that the two are related) and run in circles.  There were also tractors, tools, food, and diapers involved.

Liam explores with a net.  These, we learned, are not only good for catching insects, but you can store dirt and sticks in them too.  Very useful.  Very important.  An all-round great tool.

Speaking of interesting tools, the magnifying glass is also a peculiar little specimen.  Liam's got one coming on his birthday.

After such events it is always necessary to clean off the little grubbers, so the two brothers had a tubby together.  Tubbies are still out-of-body experiences for Reid.  Liam, however, is an old pro.  Except when it comes to head washing, which is a crime against humanity.

And, above all odds, Reid was able to overcome the immense synesthetic vortex that is 'tubby' and actually communicate with the rather large natives.  Apparently they use their tongues a lot for such purposes.

Liam and Reid - Tongues in the Tubby.

Life is good.