Edmund's 1st Visit to the Museum of Life and Science

Edmund and Mommy Check Out "Rhapsody in Blue"

Steven and I both have two weeks off for the Christmas holidays, so we decided to make the most of our time with Edmund. We received a coupon in the mail for free adult admission to one of North Carolina's hands-on science museums, The Museum of Life and Science, and decided it would be the perfect place to spend one of our days off. This was not because we thought Edmund would necessarily get much out of the museum at his age, but because his mother uses any excuse she can to visit. For those of you who don't know, I love museums.


When we arrived at the museum Edmund was fast asleep. Steven decided this would be the perfect time to explore the space section. The museum has recently added new exhibits and done an excellent job of updating, but the space exhibit has remained fairly stable for the last ten years. Steven showed me all his favorite parts from childhood while Edmund slept. I'm amazed that in a few months he'll be able to show these exhibits to an Edmund who will actually appreciate them.

After a relatively short nap, Edmund awoke. Our first stop with an alert Edmund was the museum's new section for children 6 months to 6 years. When we entered the young children's area, a little girl was pumping water through a big tube, which in turn created bubbles. Edmund was mesmerized by the bubbles. Steven and I took over pumping when the little girl decided she had had enough. Edmund would have looked at the bubbles all day, but after about five minutes of pumping his parents had had enough. As there was not much else Edmund could really do until he began crawling, we left the area to go view the Holiday Springs and Sprockets exhibit. The exhibit was perfect for Edmund. It involved a bunch of random materials linked together to create movement. To give an example, one of the installments looked like the scene in the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" where Professor Potts makes breakfast for his children (let me know if you get the reference). With that we concluded Edmund's first trip to the museum.

There is much more to see and do outside, a butterfly house, a petting zoo, a wind exhibit, a nature exhibit with bears and lemurs, etc., but seeing as we chose one of the coldest days of the year thus far for our visit, we decided to skip them until Edmund is a little older. Believe me, I can't wait!

Edmund Gets in the Spirit of Christmas

Edmund and Santa

As the holidays approach it seems as if time has flown by much too quickly. When I was a child Christmas couldn't come fast enough. Now that I'm an adult, I simply want time to stop or at least slow down, so I can accomplish all I want. There has been so much I want to expose Edmund to during his first Christmas season, despite the fact I know he won't remember most of it. It is important to me that I establish traditions, as it is the Christmas traditions I look back on fondly, not the presents.

During my childhood one of my favorite Christmas traditions was visiting Santa at Macy's in NYC. While I had no intention of taking Edmund to NYC this year, I did want him to visit Santa. Edmund is currently at an age where he knows who his mom and dad are, but will go to new people briefly. I was willing to stand in line with Edmund at our local mall knowing with almost absolute certainty he would not scream when we handed him to Santa. Edmund slept forty minutes out of the hour wait and spent the other twenty minutes watching the "big kids" and making friends with their parents. When we finally arrived at Santa I wondered if I would live to regret my decision to wait in line. I had watched at least ten babies around Edmund's age go ballistic upon being handed to the jolly old fellow. I sat Edmund in Santa's lap facing out to make sure he could see me. Since Edmund was not quite himself on account of his shots the previous day, it took several rounds of the laugh provoking "ah tu tu tu tu tu" to get him to smile, but smile he did. We got our picture, so I went to retrieve my baby. I thought Santa would hand him back right away, as he had been none too quick to give the other children back to their parents. Instead Santa turned Edmund to face himself and started asking him what he wanted for Christmas. Edmund studied him intently, and made a reach for the beard. Fortunately he didn't grab hold or we may have had an angry Santa on our hands. I don't think Santa wanted to hand over my baby as this may have been the first cooperative one he had all day, but I thought a few minutes of bonding time with a stranger, Santa or not, was plenty. Santa promised Edmund a Thomas the Tank Engine set. Santa sure is a better gift giver than Edmund's parents who think a box and wrapping paper will be just perfect for his first Christmas.

Edmund had quite the morning with Santa, but that evening would top it. Edmund was to play Baby Jesus in our church's children's musical, "The Perfect Gift." No pressure there! Since I assist with the musical I knew the child playing Mary well enough to know she would do just fine for the few minutes she was to hold Edmund. Unfortunately, when I agreed to the acting gig I forgot that Edmund was getting his shots the previous day. He had no problem with his last round of vaccinations, but this time the flu shot was added into the mix. I have yet to know a baby who doesn't react at least somewhat negatively to the flu shot, regardless of their disposition. Steven did all he could to make sure Edmund's understudy, the doll, would not fill in. He brought Edmund to the musical well rested and fed him during the first few minutes. Edmund was doing great until the scene prior to his appearance. Edmund started to get fussy. Did I mention his debut was to occur at 7:15, right at bedtime? Edmund hadn't reached full meltdown mode, so I gave him his pacifier and passed him off to Mary. When the lights came up Edmund looked stunned, but no crying did he make. Despite the modern socks and pacifier, Edmund made quite a wonderful Baby Jesus. As his Aunt Becca commented, "the 2nd best Jesus in history." Little Mary was so relieved when the scene ended, she exclaimed backstage, "He didn't cry!" Edmund is quite the little actor. He makes a repeat engagement as Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve, this time with an even bigger role. We hope to see you all there.

Edmund Chows Down

Edmund's Dedication Sunday

Last weekend was an eventful one for Edmund. On Saturday Edmund took his first bite of rice cereal. I had really wanted to wait until Edmund was 6 months old before he got his first bite of food, but his signs of readiness could no longer be ignored. He had been trying to pull the fork from my and Steven's plate for several weeks. At Edmund's 4 month check-up (much closer to 5 months) he chugged the rotavirus vaccine causing the doctor and nurse to comment that he would probably take to solids well. At 5 1/2 months we decided to take the plunge. Steven put a bib on Edmund as I carefully mixed Edmund's cereal and milk. After deciding the consistency was perfect I brought the cereal to Edmund's mouth. To my shock he opened his mouth wide and leaned toward the spoon. He didn't even give a face of disgust when the cereal hit his tongue. I'm hoping Edmund is as thrilled with the homemade peas his mommy is going to make for him this weekend, as he was with the rice cereal. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that this means Steven and I won't have a picky eater on our hands.

Edmund also had a weekend surrounded by grandparents. This marked the first weekend he has had both sets of grandparents together since he was one day old. My mom and dad traveled from Harrisonburg, VA for Edmund's dedication at Chapel Hill Bible Church. We feel so blessed that both sides of the family could be there for this important milestone. Aunt Becca was unable to make it as NYC is quite a drive for a weekend, but she was there in spirit as Edmund donned the argyle socks she got for him. Edmund was quite the well-behaved baby as he stood with his mommy and daddy on stage. He even refrained from spitting up until the final parent/baby introduction. Way to go Edmund!

The next few weeks bring many more firsts for Edmund as he celebrates his first Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family, and look forward to establishing new traditions and ushering him into the old. I want to thank you all for helping make the first six months of our life with Edmund such a joy. It really does take a village to raise a child, and what a phenomenal village you all are.

Edmund Develops a Sense of Humor

Edmund the Comedian

I have recently taken to going to bed immediately after putting Edmund down for the night. After spending much of the day with Edmund and six other roly-poly babies I am exhausted. In order to go to bed after giving Edmund his nighttime kiss, I have started doing my nighttime routine while Steven plays with Edmund. This means that when I go into Edmund's room to start the bedtime routine I am wearing my glasses.

One night last week I went into Edmund's room and sat down in the rocking chair while Steven finished putting Edmund in his pajamas. When he was done, Steven handed Edmund to me. Edmund studied my face intently for half a minute. I thought he was going to cry, perhaps because he wasn't accustomed to seeing "glasses mommy" at night. To my surprise Edmund didn't cry, but quickly reached his hand up and yanked my glasses off my face. Edmund looked intently at "no glasses mommy" for a few seconds and began to laugh hysterically. I took my glasses from Edmund and quickly put them back on, since without my glasses Edmund was simply a blob. Edmund stopped laughing, and again with a quick motion yanked off my glasses. If Edmund was capable, I'm sure he would have been on the floor rolling with laughter. I let this exchange go on a few more times before putting it to a halt.

Although it wound him up a little more than I would have liked before he went to bed, I saw this "glasses on-off" game as a cognitive milestone. For the first time Edmund laughed at something he caused, and not simply his mommy or daddy saying "ah to to to to to."

Edmund's 1st Halloween

Mama Bear, Daddy Bear, and Baby Bear

After a month of playing with gourds, singing pumpkin songs, and chewing on Halloween cards sent by relatives far and near Edmund finally got a chance to experience all this "Halloween business". Halloween was Steven's favorite holiday as a child, so he made it his goal to make sure Edmund's first one left him wanting more.

Edmund went to school wearing his "so cute it's scary" outfit. He is definitely "so cute", but it's scary that he's almost too big for the outfit. We're glad he was able to get one last wear out of it on Halloween. It was the perfect outfit for school and one my co-teacher was happy about. She had quite a time trying to change the diaper of Edmund's "giant pumpkin" classmate, so was relieved to find that Edmund had on a functional, yet holiday appropriate outfit.

This morning Edmund's preschool held a mini fall festival. Edmund and his classmates enjoyed sitting in the laps of teachers while listening to the toddlers sing fall songs. They also loved watching the older children jump in piles of raked leaves. It is hard to believe that next year Edmund will be jumping in leaves with the best of them, since currently he doesn't even possess the muscle control to sit unassisted. After the exciting morning the day continued on like any other, that is, until daddy returned home.

When Steven arrived home we packed a well-rested and well-fed Edmund into his carseat and headed to the Chapel Hill Bible Church's Fall Festival. When we arrived at the festival we put Edmund in the bear costume his Aunt Becca sent him. The costume was perfect for a chilly night, not to mention a big hit. People couldn't tell at first there was a baby hiding behind the fuzzy bear hat. When people finally saw Edmund they gave a chuckle and commented on how cute he was. Of course I wouldn't expect anything less. As we entered the festival Edmund dutifully delivered the bag of candy required for admission. His mommy and daddy took advantage of the food the candy got us. Edmund didn't seem to mind that we ate his share, as he had yummy bear paws to chew on. After eating we walked around and looked at the games Edmund can participate in next year. His mommy and daddy would have loved to participate in the games, though we may have looked strange playing games intended for preschoolers. After taking a hayride around the parking lot, Edmund showed signs of fading fast. Edmund had as an eventful Halloween as any four month old could hope for, but all good things must come to an end. We took our little bear home to hibernate, until next Halloween that is!

Edmund's Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Mommy and Edmund at Ganyard Hill Farm

Saturday was an exciting day for Edmund. Edmund's Grandma Kay Kay made a short trip to NC to visit Edmund. We decided it would be fun to take Edmund and his Grandma to the pumpkin patch. Steven and I have been going to Ganyard Hill Farm for the past four years. Ganyard Hill Farm does a wonderful job of making the pumpkin experience kid friendly, and we couldn't wait for Edmund to pick out his first pumpkin there.

We first visited the animal pen full of goats, pigs, and chickens. Edmund got up close and personal with a goat who was making an inquiry as to whether or not Edmund had food to share. Edmund ignored this encounter in favor of chewing on the Baby Bjorn. He is in the "everything goes in the mouth" phase. Next we made our way to the small cotton field. I picked some cotton and held it up for Edmund to feel. Edmund grabbed the piece of cotton and clutched it in his fist. He is also in the "if I can grab it, I'll take it" phase. I tried to make this a learning experience by rubbing the soft cotton on his face. Again he found chewing on his Baby Bjorn of more interest. Oh well!

Every year Steven and I venture deep into the corn maze to find corn to feed to the animals. This year I didn't venture, as I had Edmund with me. Steven went on a mini search and found a few ears. Unfortunately when we shucked the corn they only had a few kernels each. I'm afraid the animals wouldn't have been pleased with such minuscule meals, so we left the corn on the ground. I'm sure the older children found plenty of corn to give the animals their fill. After making our way through the maze we boarded a hay ride. Edmund stayed awake for the first half of the ride, but despite the bumpiness of the ride managed to fall asleep before we completed our circle.

With a sleepy Edmund in tow it was finally time to pick out our pumpkins. In past years we have picked our pumpkins straight from the vine, but this year there were few to be found. We settled for choosing prepicked pumpkins, though hopefully next year Edmund can have a true pumpkin picking experience. This year he didn't even contribute an opinion as to which pumpkin would be best. He was out cold! We decided to go with daddy, mommy, and baby sized pumpkins. Next week we plan to carve our pumpkins. We may even let Edmund feel the slimy pumpkin guts--that is if he promises not to put them in his mouth!

Edmund's One Way Conversation with Daddy

Edmund is 1/3 of a year old

I have some time to write this afternoon because Edmund is spending the day with his Aunt Sharon, who is visiting from Pennsylvania, and his Grandma Pattishall.

Last night Steven was talking on the phone with Nancy (Edmund's Chapel Hill grandmother). The two of them were making arrangements for Edmund's visit with Aunt Sharon. I was holding Edmund facing Steven as I finished dinner. About a minute into the phone conversation Edmund started "talking" more pronouncedly than I had heard before. He made a series of dramatic "ahh, ooh, ahhs." After a minute of this Steven told Nancy that Edmund wanted to talk to her and put the phone up to Edmund's mouth. As soon as he brought the phone near Edmund, Edmund went silent. So Steven took the phone back and continued his conversation with Nancy. Again Edmund started emphatically making his "ahhs and oohs.". Steven eventually finished his call and said his good-byes to his mom. When he ended the conversation Edmund, too, stopped "talking." It was then that Steven and I realized Edmund believed he'd been having a pleasant chat with his daddy. Fortunately for him he has yet to realize his father was having a conversation with someone else.