A plea to strangers

Dear Strangers,

I know when you see my cute blonde haired, blue eyed oldest son, you seem to feel compelled to talk to me. I understand that he may remind you of someone in your family or a time when your own child was young. However, this does not mean that you need to tell me all about it. This may sound callous, but I really don't care if your nephew used to have blonde hair when he was 2 but now that he's 15, it's brown. I'm sure he's a nice boy, but I don't know him; in fact, I don't even know YOU!

And please, don't EVER refer to my child as a "toehead." In the same vein, don't ask me if I was a "toehead" when I was young. I had never heard this word until recently (I'm not even sure if I'm spelling it right) and honestly, the term creeps me out a little.

Strangers, I know you are well-intentioned, but your attempts at conversation are wearing a little thin. Thanks for understanding.

Sincerely,
A Mommy who's tired of awkward exchanges with strangers

Smarty Pants

Micah is fascinated with letters. He loves to point out any and all letters he knows wherever he goes. That said, this is definitely a grandparent-level interest video, so watch at your own risk.

What's your favorite MJ memory?

For my 10th birthday party (4th grade), we rented a VCR-that's right, RENTED one in a big blue bag with yellow handles-and the VHS making of the Thriller video. It was awesome.

Fun Fun Fun!

I'm pretty sure that this past weekend was probably the most fun of Micah's life. We had our annual "Govig Forced Family Fun Weekend" which involved a trip to the zoo and the swimming pool. Since we didn't take many pictures, you can click here to visit the Govig blog and here to visit the Muller blog to see the pictures that they took.

Micah had so much fun hanging out with his cousins. We also saw 6 hot air balloons fly by our house on Saturday night - always a treat! And to top off the weekend, Ked fully assembled the train that we got for Micah last Christmas. Micah sat down and played with it for at least an hour straight. What a great weekend!

Chubby Baby

Check out those arm rolls. Micah never had rolls. I love it!

What to do?

At what age do kids start having nightmares? Micah woke up from his nap today (after only an hour) screaming. Now, this in itself is not all that unusual, but something was definitely different today. He may throw a post-nap fit if his schedule is off, or if a visitor has left or arrived during his nap, etc. But today was a normal old day and his screams were way more intense than usual. He was so focused on screaming that initially he wouldn't even stand up so I could lift him out of the crib. Usually when he wakes up in a bad mood, he won't let me hold him but rather flails about. This time he sat in my lap and just screamed. I kept asking him to calm down; it seemed like he really was trying to calm down but just couldn't. This went on for at least 45 minutes. I called Ked and had him come home from work to help out. Is it possible Micah had a bad dream? Any ideas?

I'm 2 months old!

I continue be a very sleepy baby! I still sleep through most of the day. I’ve also slept through the night a handful of times which makes Mommy and Daddy very happy. I’ve started smiling! I sure am a handsome little guy when I smile! I am focusing my eyes a little better and can follow objects as they move. I occasionally can reach or kick at my mobile. I traveled out of state for the first time to a faraway place called Minnesota. I travel well and am generally a laid back little guy. I plan to stay that way. . . hopefully!

UPDATE: Eli had his 2 month check up today. He weighs 12 lbs 13 oz! That's over 6 lbs gained in 2 months. He's in the 75th percentile. He's a full 1.5 lbs heavier than his brother was at the same age. We're so used to having a child in the 10th percentile that this was a nice surprise!

Seriously. . .

Are these two the cutest or what??

Those Crazy Bardwell Men

We visited Ked's oldest brother's family in Minnesota last weekend. Here are my 3 men with Ked's brothers, Kevin (tallest) and Karlton (on right) and our nephew Kaleb.

What kind of a farm is this?

We've been singing "Old McDonald had a Farm" to keep Micah entertained during diaper changes. He doesn't quite get the concept. Rather than naming animals, Micah will say whatever word is on his mind at the time. So far, Old McDonald has had the following:

• a "purple"
• Backpack (from Dora)
  
• a Papa
  
• an "M"
• a poo-poo
• the Map (Dora again)
  
• a "please"

Brotherly Love