This is Atticus (aliases: Abacus, @, Flavicus, Fluffernutter, Ace). As
you can see, he is taller than a fire hydrant.
His first year was a
little rough. “Why?” you ask. “Because he had baby acid
reflux,” I say. Baby acid reflux, for anyone who hasn't had the
pleasure, is this thing which makes cute little babies puke all the time. Like, all the time. Like daily massive laundry loads
and minimum three costume changes for three hours of church for him and anyone within a 3-foot radius of him. Ever had a baby puke down your back in public? I have, lots! And so many cans of carpet cleaner. So, so many. I can't
imagine it was pleasant for him, either, as his disposition for his
first 6 months or so will attest.
But we all made it
through, and in the last year, little Captain Barf (as Jethro dubbed
him) really came into his own. (And he stopped barfing. That's
important to note.)
He's determined and stubborn and a ham and a half. He has excellent comedic timing, particularly with regard to flatulence, and seems to know it. He's snuggly, loves animals, especially dogs, and tickles. Also, as the younger brother of Jethro, he has a profound appreciation for cars. He's so dang cute right now I just want to eat him most of the time.
He has started saying some words lately. His favorites include: tree, cookie, bug, car, ba-ba (binky), cracker, fish, tractor, squirrel, and of course, Jethro. He seems to have an innate sense of rhythm that has been noted by others, namely the lead guitar player of the classic rock band that played at our block party this summer, and the woman who does singing time with the nursery kids at church. You may call it the gift of groove. I do. I have high hopes of him being my little drummer, and then I think, why on earth would you be dreaming of having a drummer under your roof? Both my brothers are phenomenal drummers, so I know well the hours of racket involved. But I get such a kick out of watching them, and any good drummer, for that matter, that I think it'll be worth it. I'll just get some of those noise canceling headphones. And I'll get some for the neighbors, too.
JEM
