Thanks to Cousin Bill

Since The MVP was born six months ago, he's definitely become the most popular member of our nuclear family, collecting the most compliments and the most gifts.  While we definitely appreciate it, we are not so great with timely thank you notes.  So anyway, Cousin Bill (aka The Ice Fisherman) sent The MVP a "Jump Around" t-shirt, in reference to The University of Wisconsin's 4th quarter tradition.  And while we definitely don't approve of that kind of early lobbying, surely a thank you card was in order and we blew it. 

The MVP has been BADGERing us to rectify the situation, so we finally let him record this brief thank-you message.   Cheers, Ice Fisherman Bill!

Happy 1/2 Birthday to MVP!

The MVP turned six months old today.  This is how he celebrated:

Roll on you Bear!

We were becoming convinced he was never going to roll over.   As a lingering effect of his premature birth his legs are excessively stiff and he doesn't really bring his feet up, which his therapist tells us is something of a prerequisite for proper rolling.  But he's doing everything else really well, so it seems like rolling might be the only thing he never did.

I had this vision of him as an adult playing football for his college team.  He drops back to pass (he'll play qb, of course) and immediately spots the corner blitz.  Cool as ever, the MVP realizes this means that his wideout is single covered on the left side.  He looks off the defender, and then lofts the ball over the line into the hands of his number one target just as he takes a vicious hit from the blitzing corner.  Flat on his back, he watches the receiver hook around the safety and then run the rest of the way to the endzone unchallenged.  The crowd goes wild, but the MVP can't get off the field because he's on his back and he... can't... roll... over.

Hey, you guys?  Little help?

Lately he's been making some good attempts, getting essentially all the way over, but then uncoiling like the propeller attached by rubber band to one of those balsa gliders.  Yesterday he had his first success on flat ground (and the wind within acceptable limits for an official attempt as determined by the judges).  Today, he locked it in as skill he can summon at will.  We're comforted to know he'll be able to get off the field after his big play (as long as the ground to his right is unobstructed because that's the only direction he knows how to roll).

In other news, the MVP is now a beefy 17 lbs, 5 oz.  And he smiles a lot.  Like we're worried he may not be discriminating enough.  And usually, when he smiles, this happens:

This trail of drool will help me find my way back if I accidentally roll away.

Also, we think we're detecting nubs of teeth on the bottom left and right of his mouth, which will look pretty funny if those are the first to come out.

Does it get any better than chilling in mom's arms?

It does!  Airborne!
P.S.  V-Train, maybe you shouldn't be trying to catch a baby with a broken wrist or whatever?

Feliz 1/2 cumpleanos, MVP.

Photo and video update

We've been sitting on some of these a while, so before they go stale:

MVP's been doing this for a few weeks.  If we're too slow putting the bottle in his mouth he grabs it from us and does it himself.

On the path to a self-sufficient baby.

My sister and the MVP's cousin came up to visit a couple of weeks ago, and we finally got the triumvirate of babies together:

Hands across Pasadena

Our good friends from Joisey, whom we see every year (AKA The Minister and The Minister's Wife) came and visited us and brought their impossibly happy 3.5 year old daughter J-Yeah!  Here they are at the Pasadena Kids' Museum:

I get to wear a helmet!  Yay!

Moms

J-Yeah! knows how to make the MVP laugh...

but nobody makes the MVP laugh like Uncle Jorge.  Moochie is cool as ever.