Happy Birthday Moosh

It seems like I've spent most of this week scrambling to put together birthday surprises for my two guys.  Last year I ordered a heap of outdoor grill goodies for Egor, including an extensive range of esoteric accessories, that save for one, we have used regularly.  This year we are stone broke, so such luxury is an impossibility. I even speculate that we might need to either auction off our grill-ware or start catering out of our back yard.

So, to treat Egor, I focused on the pragmatic.  What does that mean? Pillows! Yep, I'm replacing the battered, pancaked pillow his mama sent him years ago with fresh springy marshmallowy pillows. 

E's one of those fellows who likes firm pillows. You know, the unyielding mattress-like pillows that jolt your spine into rectangular alignment.  They are the type that are either very expensive and feature the word "therapeutic" on them or are bargain priced and "made in China."  I guess the difference is how long-lived they are, but if they last for six months and don't smell like naphtha, they'll do.

So lucky me, I go to JCP and find, on sale, a pillow certain to contain several geese worth of feathers.  Actually, considering the price, it's probably Freebreezed chicken feathers, but it's lovely.  I splurged a tiny bit on some shower gel at Dillards, Ambre, pour Hommes.  Smells great!  It's nice to find a scent fresh and modern that doesn't smell insecticidal.

So, tonight we had a lovely home-cooked dinner, thanks to mom: scallops wrapped in thick, organic uncured bacon ( my mom rocks!), asparagus and corn on the cob with tons of melted butter.  I sent the birthday cake to work, since I am still watching my carbs, but wine doesn't count, does it? Sauvingon Blanc, ice cold.  We are sure to toast my folks, who have been so helpful to us!

Bath Time

A Cute Pic of Tyoma in the tub. Notice how he does an Austin Powers with his inflatable toy! He is so huge compared to the little tub! He becomes frightened it I put him in the big tub, so issy-pissy tub it is.

First Haircut

I took Tyoma for his first haircut today. I intended to have an incredible photo shoot for the whole thing, but I wound up leaving the camera in the stroller while holding Tyoma in my lap. The haircut went incredibly well, Rodeyo is a genius with kids! It's always a treat to see him.
 
Later that afternoon, as I fed a hot and slighly cranky baby his dinner, Tennisfiend grabbed the camera and took these shots. I objected to the whole process since I wanted his "first haircut" pictures to be a monument to his babyhood. Afterall, he looks sorta goofy shirtless and with a tiny bib.
 

How dare you take my picture! 
Well, okay. Sometimes I'm too anal for my own good. Enjoy Tyoma's totally-realistic-and-reflects-our-real-life "first haircut" photos!

Get Out of Here!

About four weeks ago, Tyoma started his essential vocabulary list. The words are:
1. Mama
2. Bua (Papa)
3. Grrlll (gorilla/Misty)

He seems to think that our dog Misty is a gorilla. Why does he think Misty is a gorilla? Well, we read him "Goodnight, Gorilla" and show him fuzzy baby animal books with gorillas in them. Their black fur matches Misty's, plus, Misty's nickname is "Girlfriend." After weeks of "gggrrrll-aaah's" Mom has decided to make his birthday a Jungle Affair:


Can you believe this?Holy-Moley! Is this not the weirdest/coolest thing you've ever seen?! Little Tyoma will be the olny kid on the block with a gorilla rocker. Thanks folks!

Strolling

So the little one is now pushing his Issy Pissy Cart. See how suavely he shows off his new skill:
 
 

Naturally, such nonchalance results in a fall. What a precious startled expression!

 

And this was just cute:

Black Widow Invader

Well, we've had worse black widow situations.

About six weeks ago, I noticed a web at the foot of my bed! I freaked. Nightly, a vigil was kept. Flashlight in hand, I checked the web repeatedly over the next several days. No spider. I demolished the web and forgot about it. Until today. While making my bed, I discovered a sturdy new web, connecting the lower part of my mattress (which rests on the floor) to the bookshelves alongside it.

All day long I watched that web, as if the spider was going to pop up and shout "BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!" I kept an eye on Tyoma lest he cruise too close to it. At 6:30, I closed the shades and put the AC on max. Twenty minutes later, faithful flashlight in hand, I spotted the evil black spider, fiddling in the space between bookshelves.

She was so large,ripe and sisnister that I could not bear to squash her. I left that to Tennisfiend. Brrr. I am disturbed that such a loathesome creature made her nest so close to my bed and baby play area. Yuck. E.T.A. I had nightmares all night about the spider creeping on my leg, getting entangled in Misty's fur (she sleeps at the foot of my bed), and biting Tyoma. Sometimes I want to bomb our house with pesticides.

Bangs Renewed

Dropped in on Rodeyo today with Tyoma in tow to have my bangs trimmed. The wait was less than a half an hour, but it felt longer with Tyoma along. fortunately, a little boy awaiting a hair cut played with him.

The waif was four years old and so slender that he looked breakable. Tyoma, by contrast, seemed almost as tall, but twice as heavy. I asked the little boy his name and he said "Juice" (Jesus). I was surprised how gently and intelligently Juice played with Tyoma. I made an appointment to have Tyoma's hair cut next week, before his birthday. I am supposed to wait till he is one before the hair cut, but this is close enough.

Farewell

We stopped by to wish A & I good luck before their departure on Monday. Flushed and sublimely happy, "I" greeted us at the door. the two of them looked as if they were still several hours from a final departure (we could see their beds and boxes strewn about). Irina fussed sweetly over Tyoma while "A" politely concealed his enthusiasm to contine loading the moving van.

When we left, I felt melancholy, recalling our own marriage and related milestones. How sweet is to be with the one you love! Mom emailed a progress report today; the pair arrived safely, despite double flat tires and sluggish roadside assistance. I understand that the humidity is near 98% and the temperature matches it. Whew!

Molars

Unbelievable! Our little guy just cut his lower first molars and I can see his canines ready to break through. Judging from the bumps on his upper gums, we'll be seeing four new teeth on top soon. This explains his exxxtreme fussiness for the last two weeks! And I thought his "six teeth in six weeks" was bad! Molars must really hurt.

Goodbye, A & I

And goodby to E's company. Alex has got a new job in Dallas and is moving. I don't think he even bothered with a final notice or the last two weeks of work since he decided to move. I think that he was just keeping quiet until he got a thumbs up from the old place.

We are a trifle shocked, he just got married and he is leaving, zap, like that. But I totally get the whys. We need to get out of here. What kind of company can you sell without the designing scientist and software guy? What can we do? I sadly fear this is all some nasty plot from rival stockholders. How foolish, really. Like shooting yourself in the foot.