ELLISON MESSIN' AROUND, LISTENIN' TO THE COUP

ELLISON ENJOYING HIS CEREA-Os

ELLISON AND THE SUNRISE

-Boy, I know you're sick. And I know the world is broken and falling apart all around us. But we have each other. And we have Mummy. And sometimes, early in the morning? We have this to look at.

 

JUST MESSIN' AROUND

CRAWL

It's amazing to us how quickly the boy is moving through various stages. Crawling is basically old news to him at this point. He doesn't seem to like it all that much. Clearly, he would prefer to be walking, and when we hold at least one of his hands, that's what he does. But if he wants to be somewhere, he has no trouble getting there.

ANOTHER ONE OF THE BOY ENTERTAINING HIS PAPA

I know I've posted many images and videos of the boy playin' and making faces, but it amuses me sooooo much, I gotta post one more. (No promises about this being the last.) 

EIGHT MONTHS OLD

Here's Ellison playing on his music table while hanging out in his sweet pirate-boat tent. "I gotta say, today was a good day."

VIDEO OF ELLISON CUTTIN' A FACE

Ellison's figured out how to entertain us!

ELLI CUTTIN' A FACE

It's been quite a lot of fun to see the boy reacting to our reacting to him making a funny face. He loves to make us laugh. Think about that for a second. How wonderful....

A DAY IN THE LIFE

It was quite a day – complete with several outfit changes due to, shall we say, mishaps! 

RICE CEREAL FOR BREAKFAST

The boy seems to really enjoy breakfast – he must take after, among others, Grandpa B.

MY UNCLES ROCK

The boy's in the midst of play here, wearing what seems to be his favorite shirt. The only thing that could make it better is if it read "UNCLES."

FLASHING BACK TO SAN FRANCISCO

These are from our trip to San Francisco at the end of the summer. Unbelievable to me how much, and how quickly, the boy has changed. Here he is with his Mummy at the little French restaurant and bar just down the street from City Lights. Don't you just love these pictures of the boy and his mother?

THE KID LIKES TO EAT

The kid likes to eat, what can we say? Need more evidence? See below.

 

LEARNING TO FALL IS IMPORTANT

CONCEPTUAL HALLOWEEN

-Papa, can I dress up as Alex-Being-Fed at the end of A Clockwork Orange for Halloween this year?
-Uhh. Well. That's pretty dark, boy.
-It is. But you and Mummy dressued up as Muammar Gaddafi and Condi Rice a couple years ago. Riffing on that whole, "Black Rose in the White House" madness. Talk about dark, Papa.
-Uhh. Yeah. Well, you got me there, boy. Knock yourself out.

*     *     *     *     *  

ONE SLEEPING, ONE AWAKE

I love this picture. So much. There's no trickery going on here; I really was dead asleep here after getting up very early to be with the boy (after being up very late to be with a different boy (Mr. Powers, who was visiting with his family)). 

Normally, I'd be rather horrified to have my picture taken while sleeping. But really, how was Mummy to resist? Just look at the kid here!

TRISTAN AND ELLISON

This was a wonderful moment to capture. Ellison is actually giving his cousin Tristan a kiss. One might be tempted to think that it was simply a moment that just looks like a kiss. But no, he really did lean back and plant one on Tristan. Ellison could not take his eyes off of his cousins the whole time they were together. Just wonderful. 

A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE

I stumbled upon a couple of old videos and could. Not. Believe. how much the boy has grown and changed. It makes my heart ache, but in the very best way possible....

ELLI'S FIRST DANCE VIDEO, FEATURING MJ AND BETHY

Bethy really is a wonderful, wonderful friend and babysitter for Ellison. I just figured out how to link to the video she made with the boy. 

 

SEVEN MONTHS ON THE OUTSIDE

Here's to seven months on the outside with the boy. The wild things have begun to roar!

IF WE HAVE TO SHOP, LET'S HAVE SOME FUN

Before the boy was born, Mummy and I called him Triscuit, because we were after some of those sweet Nabisco dollars and we weren't above "branding." His middle name was Fanta, because we didn't expect Coca-Cola or Pepsi would settle for a middle name, so we had to go with a less prestigious brand.

But perhaps we were going about it all wrong. Why not just roll the boy around Costco and let them pay us for the privilege?

We even have a catchphrase. See the photo second from the bottom. "Greatness awaits." We might be onto something here.

DRIVING BACK FROM NASHVILLE

We had a wonderful long weekend in Nashville with Grandpa and Mimi, Simone, Keisha, Anton and Camille, and perhaps most importantly of all from Ellison's  perspective, cousins Rhys and Tristan.

It was a long ride home, so we took a break at the extremely–almost overwhelmingly–family-friendly "Cracker Barrel." The boy was in delirium mode, clearly, but that kid is a serious traveling. It's hard to believe how good he is on these extremely long drives. We are lucky, and grateful.

Luckily, both Mummy and the boy were wearing flannel, so we think we fit right in.

BREASTMILK MASHED POTATOES: IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER