For those of you who have been thinking I've gotten the long straw with the ease of my child, be prepared to have your notions adjusted. He hasn't suddenly turned into a colic-fraught individual, but he is definitely trying sometimes. He's gotten very specific about what he wants, when he wants it, and isn't the least bit ashamed to scream at the top of his lungs when he's displeased. Gone are the days of... huh. I guess they're so gone I don't even remember what they were. Oh, well. In order for me to get anything done that takes more than ten minutes, I am forced to rely on other people. Steve, obviously, is a big help. And lately Tami as well. She been coming up once a week for about a month, and playing with the beet, taking him for stroller rides, holding him while he sleeps (at least trying to) etc. I've used the sweet bliss of baby free time for the endless joy of home improvement. There was supposed to be a touch of sarcasm in that last sentence. I do like home improvement, of course. Just not when I feel like I have a dead line. That being us wanting to move and Steve applying to Portland. He did not get that job. We're pretty sure they hired one of their own offices' interns, which is just about impossible to beat. But we're certainly not giving up, and we'll keep you abreast of future applications. I still feel like I have a deadline, though. I have managed to finish painting all the walls beige (BORING!!!!) and have finished painting the countertops as well. I'll post some before and after pictures of the kitchen soon. We still need to put in new flooring in the kitchen and bathroom, and paint the deck. And once we're done with that, I'm sure some other projects will come up. It's times like these that renting becomes so much more appealing...

Will is doing really well, on the whole. He's decided he doesn't want to learn to crawl. He absolutely HATES tummy time and starts screaming pretty much as soon as he's face first into the carpet. So he's been working on standing instead, as a precursor to walking. He stands really well, needing only to be balanced, and he can stay up for two or three minutes at a time. It's quite impressive. We recently discovered that he has anisocoria, or uneven dilation of the pupils. I took him to the doctors when we noticed it, and he said it's probably nothing to worry about, but recommended I take him to see a specialist at Children's Hospital. Haven't managed that one yet, but I'm not really feeling too concerned, especially since we were looking at some pictures of him when he was three months old, and he had it then too. And last night I noticed that Steve has it as well, in the exact same eye as Will. So. It's actually a condition that affects 20 percent of the population. I'm in the minority in my house by being in the majority of the population.

Beet is starting the teething cycle. Yea. That's one of the reasons he's no longer on the easiest babies in the country list. He's got the whole gnawing on everything in sight, waking up more during the night, being more grouchy thing going. Not to mention the drool, of course. But what would a baby be without drool, right? This is why mothers should only wear machine washable clothes.

On the flip side, Will is a big smiler and isn't too stingy with his laughs. He really likes playing peek-a-boo and being tickled, and is starting to flirt with everything that moves. Those are the moments that make everything else okay.