Why Do Men Think They Can Fix Everything With Tape?

Here is Jack's favorite toy:

Here is the drum that is still Jack's favorite toy even after Erik "fixed" it:

(Apparantly, Jack banged it on the wood floor one too many times...:) )

What a Summer!

It's almost time for me to go back to work. (a week from Monday) Wow! Time flies! What a summer we've had. Erik and I were talking of all of the things we've learned this summer about being parents. Here's our top 10 list. (Thanks, Dave. :) )

10. No matter how well you THINK you've cleaned your child, once you get out in public, you will ALWAYS notice something you missed - maybe lasagna in an ear or even yogurt smeared in his hair.

9. Baby poop comes in a RAINBOW of unimaginable colors and consistencies.

8. Speaking of that subject, it's amazing how someone else's poop schedule can affect your daily schedule in such a profound way.

7. Cats will eat hot dogs if they are cut up and thrown on the floor.

6. We left half of our brain cells in Russia. I can go to a meeting, forget to bring paper and a pencil to take notes with, but still have a pacifier and a Little Swimmer in my school/work bag.

5. You can buy a baby all kinds of fancy toys, but it doesn't mean he will play with them. Outlets (even those covered), remotes, an open dishwasher, cell phones, that little springy doorstop thing, or even a plastic bowl will always be more fun.

4. No matter how well you vacuum the floor, your child will always find that one little piece of fossilized cheese from weeks ago and eat it.

3. Babies never get tired of "Daddy Rides".

2. Without warning, babies think it's perfectly okay to give off an ear piercing, startling, scare-all-the-old-people, happy squeal even in the quietest of public places.

1. That three months later we would "graduate" from feeling like Aunt Mom and Uncle Dad to just "Mama" and "Dada."