Yes! Michigan

Last weekend Hamslice got a whole new batch of clothes from Auntie Nina to fit his growing body. This new size (12-18 months) made me wonder what was hanging out in the closet for him in this size.

When I peeked, I was quite pleased to see that his University of Michigan outfit now fits like a glove.

How nice that I can now balance out the Iowa Hawkeyes paraphernalia that he's been sporting since birth.

Go Wolverines!

Hamslice for President

I do believe Hamslice has been inspired by the presidential race. Yesterday when I was snapping some pictures for Grandma T, he gave me this very "commander in chief" pose.

Hmmm. Maybe there are big things ahead of him =)

Becoming Friends

Miss Maggie Moo and Hamslice have regarded each other with great curiosity from afar to this point. Last weekend they started to interact a little more, where Maggie would give Hamslice a tiny lick on the cheek, and receive huge smiles and giggles.

On Sunday, Hamslice reached out to Maggie and grabbed one of her lips in each fist. She was so sweet... she just stood there waiting for him to let go. Since then, however, she's faster with the kisses and doesn't stand within grabbing range.

And so it goes.

Hamslice, Extra Large

When we went to the doctor the other day, the doctor took his height, weight, and head circumference. I watched closely as he charted them on the "Normal" graph. Hamslice has a perfectly normal sized head, and weight that's in the 75th percentile (which is still in the normal range, according to the arcs that indicate normal on his chart).

However, when we got to height, Hamslice wasn't even CLOSE to the normal range. He must be three or four inches taller than other babies his age. I mean, the dot on the chart was way out in space above the arc of "normal."

This makes a lot of sense to me, because when I look at Hamslice in the crib, I can't help but think, "Man. With a body like that you should be walking. What's up?"

See how he's almost outgrown his pack-N-play already? He is growing about an inch a month!

Just call me "Bob"

Lately both Hambone and I have abandoned our quests to get Hamslice's first word to be "boogers" and "boom," respectively. Hambone heard me coaching Hamslice to say "Mama," which prompted a counter-campaign for "Dada."

Yesterday morning, I went to get Hamslice for breakfast. He rolled over in the crib, gave me the most brilliant smile and called me "Bob."

Since then he has called out for "Bob" a couple of times.

I hope he knows how much his "Bob" loves him.

Getting to be an Old Pro

Yesterday I went to Wegman's to pick up some food for Hamslice. When I arrived in the baby food aisle, I noticed a fellow skulking off to the side. I walked right past him, grabbed the juice and Gerber's step 1 food, and went on my way.

In thinking about this, it seemed clear that the skulking fellow was a new dad. Boy didn't I look like the expert just breezing right through the baby products like I'd been doing it for years. That thought made me laugh right out loud, because not two weeks ago it was ME skulking around, waiting to see what everybody else bought so I could see what was the right stuff to get.

I wondered if he had the same desperate envy that I had. Early on in the "real food" process, I really had hoped that the selection would be a little more intuitive. I was jealous of anyone who looked like they knew what they were doing.

So now I guess I've figured a little bit out. But I'm not getting cocky about it. Not this early anyway.

Chillin' with Hamslice

Our little Hamslice caught a cold that morphed into a sinus/ear infection over the past few days. He was a sick little boy, and he only wanted to spend time with Hambone.

Here's Hambone showing me that "this fatherhood thing is a piece of cake."