Leif's projects

Leif has embarked on several important projects projects around the house lately that we were less than thrilled about, but they bring him such joy it's hard to resist letting him give them a try.

Project #1: Drop as many toys as possible behind the fireplace doors.

Our gas fireplace is totally disconnected right now (we figure we'll just leave it off until Bjorn is 7 or so!). We had attempted to secure the metal doors by wiring them shut at the bottom and duct taping them together at the top so Leif would not be constantly opening and closing them, but he eventually worked the duct tape off and then found it was the perfect small space into which to cram a surprisingly large number of blocks, puzzle pieces, and stuffed animals.

Project #2: Remove curtain rods from dining room windows.

Soon after Leif grew tall enough to easily climb up on the window seat in the dining room, he discovered he could pull down the tension rods that hold up the curtains without much trouble. The other day, he took this recurrent project a step further and decided the REALLY interesting part would be to completely disassemble the curtain rods after he had them down. Hmm...maybe time for us to finally install those shutters we've been talking about ever since we moved into the house!

Play Doh

Leif has recently gotten more interested in playing with Play Doh -- or at least watching while Mom or Dad do things with the Play Doh. And since Leif is involved, what do the Play Doh creations get to do when they are finished? They go for a ride on a big truck, of course!

Bath time for Bjorn

Bjorn does not seem to be a bath time screamer, at least not yet....We're hoping it stays that way!

Snoozing on Dad

Bjorn continues to be a pretty sleepy baby, which is A-OK with us. It seems like he rarely stays awake for more than an hour or so before he starts yawning or fussing, indicating it's time to get comfy in his bouncy chair, the Baby Bjorn carrier, or somebody's arms for another nap. And since he still nurses about every two hours during the day and spits up a ton, much of his awake time is spent either eating or being burped. Ah, the life of an infant -- the excitement never ends!

The Works

Leif and I (and now Bjorn, too) have enjoyed several outings with Uncle Erik and Cousin Vivian to a little museum called The Works in Bloomington, which Erik aptly described as sort of like Technology Hall at the old Science Museum -- all the exhibits are hands-on, and the museum offers a range of activities that kids of different ages can enjoy. Here Erik, Vivian, and Leif collaborate on a block creation. So far we've been able to get in for free using the library's Museum Adventure Pass program (which unfortunately will be ending after Labor Day of this year). We've had a good enough time there that we may have to become members one of these years!

Nap time

Dealing with Leif's nap needs has become...uh, **very interesting** these past five or six months. Even before we converted his crib to a toddler bed (the day after his second birthday), he had begun skipping his nap about once a week. And of course, once he had the freedom to move around the room at will, the situation did not improve, nor did the transition into his twin "big boy" bed a couple months later make things any easier. Generally, the most painless and reliable way for me to get him to nap is to take him out for a drive in the late morning or early afternoon (or ensure that we are coming home from an outing at that hour). I often can carry him in from the car and have him continue sleeping in his bed for an hour or two, although that process has become trickier now that I also have a frequently screaming infant to contend with. The picture above was taken on one of the rare, almost magical days when Leif actually *did* fall asleep in his bed, not in the car (although as I recall it took him close to an hour that day to stop fighting the idea of nap time and yield to his fatigue).

Doggie sunglasses

We finally convinced Leif to at least try on a pair of sunglasses. The key: find a pair with doggies on the lenses. Now we just have to get him to actually put them on when he goes out in the sun, not just around the mall!

Crazy hair

Now that Leif has grown a critical mass of blond hair, the trademark waves and curls from his dad's side of the family are becoming more apparent. With his hair this long, whenever Leif wakes up in the morning or from a nap, or when he goes to the pool, or when he plays outside in the humid summer weather, he inevitably winds up with what we fondly refer to as "crazy hair."

An excellent example of crazy hair from after a recent nap



But after a little bit of water and a comb-down, voila! "Baby banker" hair!

Bjorn's first smile

They say the social smile is supposed to appear around 6 weeks, and Bjorn was right on schedule -- I saw his first little grin the very day he turned 6 weeks. Looking forward to many more of those to come!