Leveling Off

Baylor's tremendous growth seems to be slowing down or, at the very least, leveling off. Thank goodness! At his 1-year old check-up this afternoon, we learned that Baylor is now 28 lbs! I suspected this though because we recently had to move up to size 6 diapers. The nurse measured Baylor's height while he was laying down, and he's 32 inches long. However, when I measured Baylor at Anh's office, while standing, he's 30.5 inches. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Finally, his head circumference is 18.5 inches, which lands him in the 95th percentile across the board. He's still big, but at least now he's on the growth chart.

Baylor was pretty uncooperative during the physical examination. I think he may actually remember the "unpleasantness" that usually occurs at Dr. N's office because he was on his best behavior until I placed him on the exam table. He wanted nothing to do with that table. I pretty much had to pin him down so Dr. N could check his ears, nose, and mouth. Dr. N eventually admitted defeat and had me place Baylor on the floor where she proceeded to examine him as he strolled around the room checking everything out.

At the end of the exam, Dr. N congratulated Baylor on being in A+ condition, but given that he fought her throughout the entire process, I'm not really sure she would have been able to tell if something was wrong with him. I'd say the sly grin he gave her once he broke free of her hold was enough evidence that he's doing relatively well.

Then, Dr. N reinforced Baylor's now negative view of her office by sending in the evil nurses to prick and prod him. My poor baby got 3 shots, and he was not happy about it. The screams were brief, but ear piercing, and the tears dried relatively quickly, but the frown lingered until we left the building. Sorry, Dr. N. I think Baylor is one smart cookie, and now holds you responsible for your henchmen's actions! We'll just have to cross our fingers that he forgives you before the next round of shots at 15 months.

When Did That Happen?

I'm not sure who taught him or whether it's just instinct, and I'm not sure exactly when it started, but Baylor now throws temper tantrums. Sure, the logical explaination is that he learned it from Jax, but I really don't think so.

Jax definitely throws a fit from time to time (okay, okay...every day), but it's nothing like Baylor's tantrums. Jax will whine and then shed crocodile tears when he doesn't get his way. Baylor actually screams, stomps his feet, and then throws himself on the ground and rolls around fussing. It's actually pretty funny, but we don't dare laugh and encourage the behavior.

This new talent has me worried though. The kid is barely a year old! I can't imagine what's in store for us when he turns 2!

New Neighbor: Round 2

We busted our little friend red handed last night, and let's just say that he's not the friendliest of neighbors. Go figure, given his preference for slinking around after dark in the shadows. It was a relief to discover that the neighbor is, in fact, a raccoon, BUT, at the same time, it was disturbing to learn that raccoons are not the friendly, mischievous little characters portrayed in the movies. At least, this one isn't!

Mr. Raccoon is not nearly as small as I expected, and as I said before, he wasn't looking to make any friends. Then again, maybe I just took his snarling the wrong way. He was especially annoyed when he thought Anh and I were going to come between him and the "free buffet" located in our trash cans. I don't know why he got his imaginary panties in a wad, but it was a little unsettling when he decided to charge us while flashing his pearly whites. I'm pretty confident that he's got some social issues or that he's rabid. Yay! Just what I always wanted, a rabid neighbor!

This is the best picture I could get of him, taken while peaking out from the front door after he charged us for interupting his meal. Issues! I'm telling ya'. This guy has issues!

A Different Perspective

Last weekend, we decided to play tourist with our out-of-town friends, Francis and Anne.It was pretty hot and humid. So, we thought it would be fun to spend the afternoon either at the beach or at least near the water. After thumbing through the tourist magazines, we came up with the idea to take a bay cruise. It was fun to see the city from a different perspective!

The Historic Waterfront

The Castillo

The Mission Grounds

Vilano Beach Bridge

Some Cool Dude

The Lighthouse

Water Babies

Well, it's June, and that means it's heating up here in Florida. Combine that info with the fact that this week is Summer Break for Jax, and we decided it was the perfect time to try out the neighborhood pool. Let me just say, it is N-I-C-E! Resort quality! You must come by for a dip and sample it yourself. Did I mention the waterslide?!

I guess Baylor didn't want to share the spotlight.

So many pool toys, so little time.

New Neighbor

It would appear that we have a new neighbor, and he's not very friendly. He has made no effort to formally introduce himself, but boy, he has made his presence known. He likes to slink around after dark in the shadows and thinks it's really funny to raid our trash cans and fling trash all over the patio and yard.

After picking up trash for the 5th time in a week, Anh has officially declared war on our new neighbor. Our first counterattack will involve bungee-cording the lids onto the trash cans. Our next move will not be as passive-aggressive, Neighbor! If you know what's good for you, you better move along to torturing someone else in the neighborhood!

Thank You, Congress

Those aren't words spoken too often around here, but I really do owe someone a big "thank you" for passing legislation that protects renters, like us, in this whole mortgage meltdown crisis. Lenders are now required to honor leases that are in place at the time of foreclosure. Plus, renters are allowed an additional 90 days at the end of the lease to negotiate a new contract with the bank or find a new place to call home. Therefore, we have decided to extend our lease by another 12 months, essentially guaranteeing that we do not need to relocate for at least another 15 months. What a relief!