It amazes me to think that Will is almost a year old! I think I've finally gotten used to the idea that I'm a parent, but it took me long enough. He is SOOO close to walking. He's taken a single (failed) step on his own twice now. He's getting better at standing by himself, but that's still a little tricky. It seems that when he actually stops to think about the fact that he's not supported standing or trying to walk, he shuts himself down. He's gotta learn to go with the flow, not think about the ginormous milestone he's trying to cross, and fling himself into the great unknown. Figuratively speaking, of course. It would be quite disconcerting if he did actually fling himself anywhere. He's a fantastic climber. If you're sitting down, he'll sidle over to you via furniture cruising, smile sweetly, grab hold of your fingers, then proceed to climb up your legs to your lap, then continue straight on up to your shoulders, stomping on anything that happens to be in the way. He loves to climb the stairs, and doesn't even need any help at all. Of course, he's always got backup. He's very much into his privacy; we spend almost all our time downstairs with acess to his room, the laundry room, the hall, the game room/second living room, and sometimes our bedroom. He likes to go into his room and shut the door firmly in our faces, and then proceed to do who know's what. Usually he just wants to poop, but sometimes he wants alone time to pull everything out of the drawers that he can reach. Ah, children. Makes me want another one. I'm sure that'll happen before we know it. I mean, if time has been passing by so quickly, then next thing we know we'll have another little one to adore and clean up after, which of course, are the two most common things to do with children.

We went hiking last Tuesday with Harry. My mom got Steve a child backpack that is great for hiking, and we took it for a spin. It was really nice. Will had a great time. We have some video of it, including him showing off the only word he knows, "mama." Hopefully we can figure out how to put videos on here so everybody can see and adore him.

Even though it's not even Thanksgiving yet, Steve and I have both been really itching to put up our Christmas tree. Maybe because we know we won't be able to appreciate it as often as last year because it'll be upstairs and we are mostly downstairs. So we need more days of catching quick glimpses of it to make up for that. My mom is making some soft ornaments we can put on the bottom of the tree for Will, so that'll be nice. Give him something to chew on.

I thought I better jump at the chance to do a blog now, before Will learns something new. That seems to be an almost daily occurance, though, so this might be a futile effort. At least you'll know what's been going on recently, right? Beetie is SO close to walking. He figured out that if he stands up and holds on to the empty laundry basket, he can walk, pushing it. The first day he did that he kept getting really frustrated when he ran into walls or other obstacles and couldn't keep moving. It only took him one day, though, to figure out how to back up and turn and avoid those things. It's amazing how fast he picked up on it. He practically burns up the carpet with how fast he cruises around here. He's starting to get into his baby babble, and the only recognizable word he says is "mama," but it's indiscriminate. Someday, I'll hear "mama" just for me, not for daddy or doggy or walking or food or toys or just because. At least I hear it. Poor Steve has been working so hard to teach Will to say "dadda." He isn't having any luck yet, but I don't think he's going to give up. Can't say I blame him.

Will knows how to help us dress and undress him by moving his arms and legs appropriately, he's learned to tip his head back in the bath so we can pour water over his hair, he can shake his head "no" and "yes", he's really good at crawling up stairs (even with pillows on them as obstacles), and he knows exactly what the packaging looks like on all his favorite food (like oatmeal). He'll look at it, then look up at you and smile beautifully.

We have had another round of disappointment on the job hunt. Steve was not selected for the SPC job in Norman. Of the six people they intereviewed, he was in the top 4. But that only helps if they have four jobs available, which they didn't. Only two. They told him he had an outstanding interview, and the fact that he made the panel at all for someplace as difficult to get into as the SPC carries some bragging rights. Ah, well. C'est la vie, non? So we get to start all over again with the next opening. There are three coming open soon that we're interested in: Portland, OR (for the 4th time! Come on already!), Medford, OR, and Boise, ID. So, we'll see. He'd be competing with on-station interns at all of them, and they are always hard to beat. We'll stay hopeful, though. At least as much as we can.

My mom was out visiting us this last week, and all of us went to the Tournament of the Phoenix Jousting competition in Poway. We had a lot of fun, even Will. He loved watching the knights on their horses, the musical groups, all the general people, the for-adoption greyhounds, and the gypsy horses. He had such a great time that he refused to take a nap, and wasn't really even grouchy about it until a couple hours later. We were all very impressed with him. None of us thought he'd do nearly as well as he did. We took lots of pictures and those'll be put up on our flickr site before too long.

Will is very proficient at crawling now; he's a veritable speed demon on four, uh, limbs? We've baby proofed the downstairs and just put up the babygate at the base of the stairs, and now I can simply let him roam all over without too much worry. It's much, MUCH better. I feel like I could retain what little is left of my sanity. Sweet, sweet sanity.

It seems like the Beet is learning something new everyday; he can now nod his head "yes" (although it's more like headbanging than nodding), he's learned how to spin the desk chair in circles, and he's perfected crawling up stairs. He still doesn't talk, and he's not figured out walking yet either. All in good time, I'm sure.

It's amazing how fast Beet is changing right now! Now that he's crawling, everything around him is a potential toy (to him) and a potential he's-gonna-kill-himself-with-that (to us). Our house is so incredibly poorly set up for kids. Sigh. With the sunken area without a railing, the raised brick around the free standing wood burning stove, our mess of computer and phone cables only half hidden downstairs... Sigh. I used to complain about not having any free time to get stuff done. Now I don't know what the hell I was talking about! I have to check on him about every thirty seconds now to make sure he's not into something bad or to go over and pick him up from his latest fall. He's able to furniture cruise, so walking isn't far behind. Joy. I'm sure it'll be fun to watch...the first couple of times. Then it'll be like his crawling; an easy way for him to get into everything in sight. He's gotten really fast at crawling. NASCAR's got nothing on him.

   I know we could make our house more baby friendly, but that would require a fair amount of work and money for some things (like a railing for the sunken area) that we just don't want to do with our lives in limbo. If we knew we were going to be staying here for several more years, we'd go ahead and fix it. As it is... Well. We're just really, really, REALLY hoping that we'll be going to Norman. I'm so ready to just be in someplace new, so we can get settled down and have some permanency. Not that we couldn't have that here, we just don't right now. I can't tell you how badly I want that to change. And I'm not the only one. Steve is right there with me, although maybe for a little different reasons. He's really tired of getting the short end of the stick with interviews just because he's from San Diego. It seems amazing to me that he is always a good enough candidate to get on the panel and have an interview, yet never good enough to hire. Something's wrong in the state of Denmark, here. Hopefully it's just happening that way because we're supposed to be somewhere specific. All we can do is hope it's not Elko, Nevada.

It has finally happened; Will has learned to crawl. I'm both thrilled and agonizing over this development. I love that he's hit this milestone, but so not looking forward to keeping track of him as he roams all over the house. He did it for the first time at my parents house in Utah. Ironically, Steve and I weren't even there! We were over visiting with my friend Barbara and her family. It was only the second time we had left him with other people since he was born. Figures, eh? But at least my mom and dad got to see it. I'm sure that was a treat for them. Will has also learned how to feed himself crackers. He's awfully fond of them, just like his daddy. So he can feed himself crackers, drink from a sippy cup by himself, crawl, and pull himself up to standing on furniture. He makes leaps and bounds, then doesn't seem to change too much for a little while. It's interesting.

    Steve did not get the job in Reno. RRRRR!!!! We think there was something odd going on there because they offered one of the two positions to an intern in Vegas who has only been in the weather service a year and a half and only has a fraction of the experience Steve does. So. We were less than pleased. On the other hand, maybe we just weren't meant to go to Reno. You never know. All we can do is keep applying to places we'd be okay with going. Sigh. He just finished applying to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Maybe that'll pan out, maybe not. We are so freaking READY for something to pan out!!! It's certainly not a case of Steve not doing enough; he's worked his butt off for all of the interviews and applications he's done. We'll just have to keep our minds open to the possibilities of new places, I suppose.

Ah, a beautiful September morning. Pitch black, sixties, and me up with the beet for the day at 4:30. Usually he doesn't get up until 6:00, but he does make exceptions sometimes. I figure it's better to just get up with him then lay in bed and listen to him scream. Although, it does seem like a toss up occasionally. I thought I'd put my extra time to good use to do a blog, bleary-eyed as I am. Hopefully I make sense and don't sound too much like I really need to still be sleeping. It wouldn't be quite so bad if he hadn't gotten up a couple of times during the night first. Oh, well. Ce la vie, eh? Somehow, I think I liked things a little better before he developed an internal alarm clock. He used to wake up with the sun. Well, now it's still dark at 6:00. At least his naps and bedtime are pretty regular. Naps at 9 and 1, then bed at 7. Maybe I'll go to bed at 7 tonight too...

   Okay, enough about sleeping or lack thereof. Will has decided that belly time is a great and wonderful thing, to the point that he likes to sleep that way, play that way, even have his diaper changed that way. As a result, I've gotten pretty good at administering face-down butt changes. They aren't nearly as hard as I thought they would be. Steve still fights him to keep him on his back when he changes him, saying he's not as coordinated as I am. Hmm. I think the opposite is true; if he can keep the wriggling little guy on his back and change his diaper at the same time, he's a better man than I am. Which, of course, he is.

   It's so interesting to see what fascinates our little tyke. The things he likes to play with are varied far and wide. His current favorite toys aren't actually toys at all; a spatula, a measuring cup, an old remote control, and a plastic bottle. He does still play with his "real" toys, but they are definitely a second (or third or fourth) choice. We had to retire his number one favorite toy a couple of days ago. It's a Sesame Street "Jam with Elmo" guitar that plays three different songs and makes electric guitar noises. He's dropped it (or thrown it) enough times now that the recording sounds like a 1930's warped record played with low batteries. It's truely frightening. Steve and I are nothing but relieved; if I have to hear a guitar version of "How to get to Sesame Street" one more time, I'm gonna take a frying pan something. Probably said guitar.

   We have a couple of kitties now, although "have" is probably the wrong word. There is a feral momma and two kittens living under our deck. The kittens are probably about two months old, and one of them is the spittin' image of it's mother. It's eerie to see them side by side. We've taken to calling the momma Pib (for Puss in Boots cause she has white booties on all for feet) and the identical kitten Kit and the all black kitten Carson. We do put out kitty food and water for them, but they are still very skittish and we can only see them via the window. Probably just as well. Who knows what kind of things they might be carrying, and we don't want to have to worry about them if we move anytime soon.

    Speaking of moving, there is another port of call to set our sights for on this journey of finding a new office. Steve's boss Jim called him up to tell him about two openings for a fire weather forecaster in the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK. The SPC is, hands down, the biggest deal in the weather service, for those of you who don't know. If he could get in there, his career would be made. He has a decent shot at it, seeing as he's a fire weather focal point for the San Diego office and is very familiar with West coast severe weather. That's one thing the SPC is lacking; a good understanding of West coast severe weather. So, keep your fingers crossed. Yes, it's Oklahoma, but there actually are a lot of pros to that very thing. Housing is awesomly cheap. Steve still has friends there from his college days. It's in the plains, which means Steve can go storm chasing in the spring, although Norman itself seems to have a little bubble around it and tornados rarely even get close to it. It's a big enough city that it has everything we could ask for, and if there is something we find lacking, Dallas is only a few hours away. So, we'll see. We're still waiting to hear from Reno about an interview; Steve is betting that they're gonna call for one while we're on vacation in Utah at the end of the month. I'm not gonna take that bet.

  The beeter is right on the verge of both crawling and walking, but just a little closer to crawling (thank God). It really frustrates him that he can't do it yet, which means that he screams more than he used to. As in, every five minutes instead of ten. He's going to be hell on wheels as soon as he's mobile. In some ways, I'm pretty glad he's not there yet. His most recent accomplishment is that he's learned how to drink out of a sippy cup all by himself. He is not a fan of juice, but loves him some water. No complaints here.

I can't believe it! I'm actually doing a second -gasp!- blog for the month of August! It must be a miracle! The second coming! It's Armageddon for Hawaii! Okay, not really. I'm just sitting at the computer waiting for some photos to upload and thought I'd use the time wisely. The beet is napping in is crib (can you believe it?). I'm so happy I managed to get him used to not sleeping in my arms; it's given me so much more time to get things done! I'm still limited in what I can do, of course, because if I do anything loud (like vacuum) he'll wake up. But there are still plenty of options. It's funny; when I'm away from the computer, I can think of so many things I'd like to blog about, but then I sit down and it's like scrounging for change for the vending machine. You never have what you thought you did. So I try and make the best of it, blathering on about whatever, hoping that the desired bits of relevance will surface for air in my brain and I can pounce upon them like a cat on catnip.

The hunt for a job somewhere outside of Cali is still underway, with Reno being the next target. I confess I never gave Reno a second thought until Steve mentioned it was coming open and we looked at it. I had no idea it was so cool! It's only forty minutes away from Lake Tahoe and the Sierras, there's a river running right through it with a riverwalk. There are festivals of one sort or another every weekend in the summer. Housing is incredibly affordable, there's no state sales tax (I mean, it IS Nevada) and we'd be getting a state refund every tax season (like Alaska). It's halfway between Salt Lake and San Diego, so closer to my parents and the closest office we've considered to San Diego. It's big enough it has all the amenities we're looking for (like an airport and hospital...since when did those become amenities? Since we moved to Julian) and a grocery store closer than a half an hour and a hardware store closer than an hour. Neither of those things bothered me until I stopped working and had to make special trips just for them. Will has graduated to his next sized car seat, which he should be able to fit in for quite some time. Probably until he's ready for a booster seat, but we'll see. We're taking a week long road trip to Utah next month, which should be really interesting. In an effort to not waste our precious time off, we're planning on doing the eleven hour drive in one day. Now, it that actually stays the reality is anyone's guess. It'll be up to the baby. But we're planning on starting really early in the morning (think before 5) so Will can finish sleeping the night away for a few hours and we're going to take turns sitting in the back seat with him, keeping him entertained. He's recently started figuring out sippy cups, so hopefully I can just pump milk to feed him via the sippy cups and we won't have to stop just to nurse him. We are planning on stopping pretty often so we can all get out and stretch our legs, wear the beeter out a bit. Mostly, we're just going to keep our fingers crossed that it's doable. We're planning on going to Seattle for Christmas to spend it with my family, since my sister will just have had her baby girl. We figured out that we could fly to Seattle for a few days for the same price as driving with stops in a few places we want to visit, and it would cost us the same amount. So. We want to drive, if the baby is up for it. Keep your fingers crossed.

Will has learned how to hug. It's so sweet! So far he's only done it to me and Steve, which is to be expected I guess. We'll be holding him and he'll suddenly wrap his arms around our necks and bury his face in our shoulders. My heart got just a little bit bigger the first time he did it. It was a big deal for Steve the first time Will did it to him, too. He's also learned to hold out his arms when he wants to be picked up, or to go from one persons arms to another. So far he's only wanted to go from Steve to me, and not vice versa, but I say just give it time.

Tami and Ira babysat Will for us a week or two ago (the days really seem to blend together lately....as in the past eight months lately) so Steve and I could go out on a date. It was the first one we'd had since he was born. We did dinner and a movie and had a great time. We didn't even spend more than ten minutes talking about the beet. It's amazing how, for me, having any length of time to myself or just me and Steve is so special now. Talk about something you take for granted before a baby! But when Steve is watching Will and I can run an errand, or we have to take two cars and I drive the truck, really anytime the baby is not my responsibility is a novelty. I can't even say when he's sleeping, because I always have one ear open in case he wakes up. Like right now. Gotta go!

Our sweet little sugarbeet is eight months old now. It's so strange to think that he's spent as much time outside of the womb as he did inside. It seems like the pregnancy was of shorter duration than the past eight months. He's gone through so many changes that it's astounding it's the same person! He's sitting up just fine on his own now, and moving on to eating a wider variety and greater quantity of solid foods. I love watching him discover new things he can do, and him wanting to do them constantly so he gets the muscle memory down pat. Whether it's a facial expression, sitting, grasping small things like a single strand of hair between his thumb and forefinger, or jumping in his exersaucer, he's all about the repetition. He has his favorite toys and ones he won't play with unless they are the only things in reach. The first one to hand is always an empty water bottle. Perfect for chewing on the cap, using like a club to beat his other toys or daddy with, what else does a baby need? He's still not crawling, but we're actually pretty damn grateful for that right now. We don't have any railings up yet around the sunken area of our dining room, so that really limits where we can put him down once he's on his own power. We haven't done it yet mostly because we're still trying to figure out what, exactly, to do. The clock is ticking on that one, though, so it's time, past time really, to put some serious thought and research into that problem.

    We've been working on painting the deck, and I think all the hard work is really going to pay off on that score. It used to be a dark brown that was good at not showing dirt. But it hasn't been standing up to the elements and has been peeling for over a year. We chose to paint it a redwood color, as close to a stain color as possible with it still being paint. Why not just stain it? Because we'd have to scrape off all the old paint to do that. No thanks. This is a big enough job without adding to it. We've done enough home improvement projects now that our house is really becoming a much more agreeable place. Not that it wasn't before, but if things don't work out for us to get a job in a different office and we stay here, we won't be uncomfortable in our home.  We've been enjoying beautiful weather, and spending quite a bit of time out on our deck. Beet is all about outdoor time. We went camping for just a night last week and he thought it was the greatest thing since jarred peas. I haven't seen him that interested in things ever. He was having such a good time, in fact, that he refused to go to sleep until we did at 9:30. His usual bedtime is 7. We could forgive him not liking sailing, or the beach, but it might have been awfully hard to be okay with him not liking camping. That's just too much of a joy for both me and Steve.

    Steve has recently been talking alot about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Since that usually takes a few months to do all at once, that's not something we could do in its entirety until he retires at 57. I don't know that either of us are going to be up to hiking 2600 miles when we're 57, but it's a nice goal. I guess only time will tell.