First Tooth!

Elliott was making lots of cute faces with pursed-lips today.  Then he was uncharacteristically upset and the usual distractions didn't hold his attention long.  I finally found the culprit: a new tooth emerged!  Bottom left.  His lips were puckered up as he felt it with his tongue!

Within a few hours we received a photo from cousin Cailin - she had just lost her front tooth!  The world is in balance with respect to the total number of baby teeth.

A Hopeful Improvement

Today was Elliott's ultrasound to check up on his hydronephrosis.  We were hoping to see that things hadn't gotten more swollen over the last few months.  To our great surprise and joy, it looked like his kidney and ureter are actually improved!  The ureter wasn't even visible on the ultrasound (which it shouldn't be, but it was so enlarged that it previously appeared more prominently than the kidney).  So we assume that the ureter isn't ectopic, as it seems to be draining. The nephrosis of the kidney also showed improvement, and more than was expected in such a short time.  We're going to keep watching and waiting, but the signs are good that it is self-correcting and we he may not need surgery after all!

Bath Times 2

In a brilliantly prohibited move, I found a way to bathe both kids at once.  Hallelujah!  The second warning on the side of the infant tub (immediately after 'never leave child unattended') is 'never place the infant tub in a filled bathtub'.  Phooey to that.  Elliott sat safely in his little tub, Jonah splashed in the remaining 3/8 of the big tub and mom gave herself a gold star while the boys played together with buckets and squirters.

Rice Cereal

Elliott tried his first rice cereal today!  Jonah helped mix it in his milk and spoon feed the first bite while Daddy took photos.  Elliott wasn't nearly as interested as the rest of us.  He barely registered the spoon or the food on it entering his mouth.  I think he was busy trying to see what all the commotion was about.

Wheee!

Elliott was hanging out in the Beco while I pushed Jonah in a swing at the park.  The mom next to me was trying to convince her toddler to get out of the swing by telling him that it was for babies and that the baby wanted a turn.  (She was indicating Elliott.)  I totally get it and didn't object.  I'll use almost any excuse to get Jonah off the baby swing and either use a "big boy" swing or do any other activity that requires more of his energy than mine.  But then the toddler leaves in a great upheaval over the trauma and it occurs to me - why not give Elliott a turn?  So in he goes and I gave him some gentle pushes.  Elliott wan't thrilled like the other (slightly older) infants, but he didn't complain either.  He looked completely nonchalant, like he was one of the cool kids.

Yes, I taught him that.

Jonah managed to get rice all over his face at dinner (no surprise) and in wiping it, a piece went in his nose.  So he sticks his finger up his nostril and wedges it in even farther.  Without thinking, I held one nostril and instructed him to blow.  Poof!  Out flies the grain of rice.

Now let's just hope he doesn't decide this was a cool trick to repeat... next time I may take the time to find the nasal aspirator.