Dillon's 1st Birthday

 

It has been about a month since the last entry into this blog. As you can see here, we've started introducing Dillon to books. He likes to stick them in his mouth of course. We really ought to thank whoever started the children's cardboard books. They stand up to his taste testing much better than our church magazines that he has sampled too. I have been reading the stories as I flip the pages in hopes that eventually he might make the connection that there is more there than just different pictures on the different pages.

It was entertaining this morning when we shared our pancake breakfast with Dillon. I ran out of pancakes on my plate and Dillon started screaming because he wasn't getting his steady supply of pancake. Fortunately, we had some more. He just didn't understand that dad wasn't abandoning him to pancake oblivion. I was restocking. Dillon enjoyed it.

Later, as my wife took a neighbor to work, I enjoyed some time watching Dillon as he slept. That is when he is real easy to watch. Cute. Quiet. Low maintaince. Just stay quiet enough not to wake him. Since he'll sleep through the washing machine and TV, it really is just a matter of not laughing mostly. He still wakes up easily when he hears laughter. At least, he seems to do so when I am around. It is cute to watch him wake up and look around like he's trying to find what he missed out on. Still, he needs his sleep or he ends up cranky. Now, if he would just learn that he will have time to explore the world after his nap too, and he'll enjoy it more without being cranky. Dillon puts a real struggle sometimes about going to sleep. It's as if he has to experience and see more yet before he sleep steals him away.

Well, my wife and I stayed up late last night. I am staying with her over at the neighbors' as she babysits their little boy. 

Before driving back down from the wedding, we stayed overnight and then went to church on Sunday with Jennifer. We did leave church a little early. We were one tired lot. Granted, I think Dillon was just going down for his usual nap here. Talk about a case of "rug face." This dad had to have a picture or two because he just looked so cute. My wife snapped the picture, and a few others. I like this one the best.

I know Dillon's had used to sleep on the floor quite a bit. His Grandpa Burke still takes sound naps on the floor. We've seen that too.

My wife tells me that he normally isn't left to sleep on the floor. But, I don't think Dillon was going to wait for a bed or drive in the car to sleep that Sunday. 

Last weekend, my cousin got married. Of course, I have a good number of cousins and as I try to remember her name, it eludes me. All I can come up with is names that it is not. Oh... I think that means it must be Sylvia. I eliminated all the other possibilities.

Well, my wife and I took our camera with us and asked the photographer to snap some pictures of our family with it. Granted, it did help that the photographer was my sister Jennifer. We just had to wait a bit for her to have a break in her wedding photography obligations. Although, I think Jennifer did have some fun playing with her nephew now that he's more "interesting."

Of course, in this picture, I was just having a little fun. I didn't really coordinate with little Dillon that we would both be looking the wrong way. Still, I thought it was cool how it turned out. Not necessarily a family photo to send out or put on the walls. Still, I enjoy it very much.

This past few days have been somewhat interesting. Somehow I injured my shoulder. We finally had a doctor check it out, but it seems that all I've done is stress my muscles. They poked me and it didn't hurt. My arm was supported and put through a full range of motion and it didn't hurt at all. We were given a couple prescriptions, but we spent the afternoon on a family activity/date and didn't get to a pharmacy in time. I don't plan to fill get the one for a pain medication. It would be too easy to do things I shouldn't if I didn't have the pain there reminding me that my shoulder isn't up to those tasks. As for the muscle relaxant, we'll see how I am doing on Monday as to whether we'll fill that prescription. I am already feeling a little better. I just think I can sleep laying down yet. In fact, I have had to sleep in the La-Z-Boy recliner the past few nights. My wife has complained a little that she is lonely in bed without me. However, lying down causes me too much pain right now. Amazing how much I used those shoulder muscles for minor tasks. So, right now, hotel stays are not sounding very appealing. I don't think their chairs are quite as suitable for sleeping in. I hope it gets better soon because I need to setup some repair work in Missouri and I will be sleeping in hotels several nights to that end. Not this week, but soon enough. 

Here's a picture of Dillon with a toy apple from his father's youth. I was given this toy as part of my inheritance from my mom. This particular apple survived a fire when I was but a little boy. A fire that I started by plugging in the lamp for my parents' movie camera. The lamp got real hot and started the bed it was lying upon on fire.... but, that's not a story of Dillon's youth. That is the story of the toy apple. It is a little warped in the back, the only visible damage. The toy still wobbles upright and rings like it should.

Having been through all my brothers and sisters, and two cousins before him, the apple is now Dillon's to play with. At four months old, Dillon is starting to take a greater interest in the world around him. He did seem to enjoy pushing the apple around when this picture was taken.

Yesterday, he was thrilled to get a walk outside in the rain. I used a front carrier to free up some hands for the umbrella.... It was a good walk.

What I find interesting is his interest in mom and dad's food. While he doesn't seem to like baby cereal, he does frequently make grabs after any food that mom is eating and stares at either of us when we are eating. Yesterday, Netty let him "gum" her sandwich in between her bites. He got upset when she would take the sandwich away from him to take her next bite. And last night, he stared at us as we ate spaghetti. He even pulled Netty's plate closer to himself. She pulled it back away and we told him that this is a food that doesn't quite work with "gumming." I don't think he understood us. Then again, he is only four months old.

We do love Dillon. We just have to wonder what we are going to do for introducing him to solid foods over the next year. He doesn't even have teeth yet, and he's already after our food and not showing interest in baby cereal.