Big Boy Bath!

Since Nicolaus has no trouble at all now sitting up, we decided to move him from his baby tub to the big boy bath. He loves it! Bathtime used to be a bit of a chore but now its just another playtime. He splashes like a maniac and has such a fun time with the bubbles. We will definitely need to get a non-skid mat for the bottom though because he slips and slides a bit. A towel at the bottom of the tub will work for now. I see bath toys in our shopping future! I share just a few pictures from bathtime...nanny Judy says he looks like a Kewpie doll in the last one.

A bit of trivia...The Kewpie doll was mentioned in Anne Frank's diary. She received one on her first St Nicholas Day in hiding from Miep and Bep.

8 Months

* 17 lbs
* Knows his name

* Loves any food with Apples
* Enjoys playing with his Farm
* Claps his hands all the time
* Says "Ba-Ba-Ba" and "Da-Da-Da"
* On the verge of crawling

* Hates getting his diaper changed

* Wakes one or two times a night to eat

* Wants to "play" with the phone and remote controls

* Knows what we mean when we say "Dog" or "Cat"

Family, Friends, and Freedom

As I sit at my computer the evening before the day we celebrate our country's independence, I find myself feeling extra blessed to be living the life I do. My baby sleeps soundly in his crib upstairs, I spent the day with friends and their children, my husband is the most wonderful man in the world and I have the freedom to celebrate all these things.

As you gather with your own friends and family tomorrow, take a moment to be thankful for our country, its heroes and for what our Flag stands.

In honor of the holiday, I share a poem I wrote in 2002 on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. I was working in downtown DC only a few blocks from the Whitehouse where I often walked during lunch or after work.

September 10, 2002
8:46 pm

I walk
following the sound of a drum circle--
Three activists exercising their right as an American:
"End all War, Free Palestine, Stop Nuclear Testing!"
Their protests set in tne to a beat different
than that of my heart.
My destination rises before me
through fountains, through flowers, through trees:
The White House--
a vision that has brought many to tears, to their knees.
A home, a symbol, not just for one family, for many,
for a nation.
A mounted officer stands proudly by his horse,
offers to take a picture of a family visiting for the first time.
A news crew stands at attention,
waiting for a moment, for a story to share
with the world.

But none of these images
holds as much importance as those flashing
through my mind, flickering
just behind the surface of my eyses, ensuring
I remember
a year ago, the 11th of September
As if I could forget two planes exploding
into two towers triumphant to the sun;
As if I could forget a wound in the wall of the Pentagon;
As if I could forget a field in Pennsylvania;
As if I could forget the firefighters, fallen Heroes;
As if I could forget the Red--Hardiness and Valor;
the White--Purity and Innocence;
the Blue--Vigilance, Perseverence, and Justice;
As if I could forget I am American.