It's On Like Donkey Kong

Greetings, friends of Bunting. 
It's been a shamefully long time, has it not? 
"Where have you BEEN!?" you demand to know. 
"Why have we not been updated on the adventures of our favorite hybrid baby?!" 


One guess, gentle readers. One guess. 



This is how it is nowadays around Casa De Bunting. Or should I say Casa de Bunting, Y Los Padres Muy Cansados. For you non-native Californians who don't have Spanglish running through your veins: The House Where Bunting and His Very Tired Parents Live, also known as House Where One Energetic Boy Child Careens Through Life With Unmitigated Glee and A Total Lack Of Caution Whilst His Parents Reevaluate Their Position On Leashes For Children. 

Why yes- while scrounging through the 'to be shredded' file I got my sleeve stuck, and simply crawled out of it. That doesn't happen to you?

Life is joyful and busy 'round these parts. Several very exciting developments have occurred since we last visited. 

Hey there. Come here often?

 

I. Standing

About 2 weeks ago, FRK decided that we URGENTLY needed to lower the crib mattress.

So we did. And not a moment too soon, for we went to fetch him from his nap, and lo and behold

Now he just wants to be vertical. All. The. Time. 

 

At storytime, taken by our nanny L

The look on his face when he pulls himself up that last inch and locks his knees; it is absolutely priceless.  Sheer glee and accomplishment and pride and orneriness. 

Verticality has really broadened his horizons, there is so much more stuff to investigate that he didn't notice before. He riffles through our bookcases, recycling, handbags...left to his own devices it looks like our house was tossed by Mafia henchmen. 

Look at that giant noggin and those yummy feet. 

II. Cuttlefish

Bunting began 'swim lessons', and his level is called Cuttlefish. Which we love. Cuttlefish are very smart and clever. 

Great documentary. 

Our little Cuttlefish was- dare I say it- yes, I think I will. This is the Bunting Chronicles, we are allowed to be partisan. 

Our boy was the star of the class. Singing songs, practicing kicks, 'big arms'- our boy loved them all. As did most of the babies (with the exception of one little boy, who shrieked the entire time). What set our boy apart are his dunking skills. He is the valedictorian of dunking. Proof: 

Daddy is so very proud, let me tell you. 

III. More Herbie

Our canine friend Herbie has been staying with us once again while Jill (his human) is vacationing in Vietnam.  The last time he came to visit Bunting didn't seem very interested, but this time he is quite intrigued by our little furry friend. Herbie is a very good dog; he is friendly, but gives the baby a wide berth. Bunting has largely forsaken 'talking' in favor of dramatic gross motor development, but when Herbert is around he babbles non-stop at him. We love having a dog in the house, but wouldn't dream of adding a dog to our family at this point; having Herbie visit for 3 weeks is the best of both worlds. 

Isn't this a lovely photo? 

Bunting loves his Gigi, and boy oh boy does she love him. 

He thinks his Mamaji is hilarious. See for yourself: 

 

Yet another milestone- his first birthday party goody bag: 

Admiring the handsome baby in the mirror: 

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The other day Gigi was over for dinner; she is a big Al Pacino fan, but had never seen Carlito's Way (Which is a great movie. And Gigi talks to the screen, which is fantastic. "Don't do it, he is a no good bastard!"). 

The genesis of Bunting really begins with this movie. FRK and I met in the 8th grade at Fisher Junior High, 'dated' for one summer when we were 15, but then he went back to Virginia, and we didn't see each other for some time. One fateful day in 1993 we went to see a movie together, ended up holding hands during the film (scandalous!) and the rest, as they say, is history.

And so we pay homage to the movie which started it all:

And now we rest. 

Commando

Not this Commando: 

But this. 
Behold, the debut of "Bunting Adds the Commando Army Crawl to His Repertoire of Locomotion Styles"



When speed is of the essence, Upside Down Inchworm is still the crawling style of choice. I don't have footage of this speedier version of the Inchworm, because I am usually too busy sprinting over to confiscate whatever contraband he is hustling toward to fetch the camcorder. 


The speed of his skills acquisition has reached dizzying, impressive, horrifying levels.  Every 24 hours that elapses brings with it a new accomplishment. Every 24 hours FRK and I must debrief and recalibrate what we can and cannot do with this boy. 

To Wit: 


Places we can safely leave him unsupervised- 
1. His Crib
2. Command Center
3. Changing Table
4. Bumbo
5. The middle of the floor 


In the time it took me to compose this update, several locales were crossed of the list. 


Changing table: He flips over, even when strapped in, and then wiggles out of the belt. This maneuver takes about 9 seconds.

Bunny snuggle time, back before he took to flinging himself off of high surfaces

The Bumbo: Our boy is top heavy, on account of the giant noggin.  He has figured out how to rock back and forth, and then, leading with his head, he flings his body forward, tipping the Bumbo over and crashing onto his face (which does not faze him one bit). He then commando crawls towards freedom (or more often, towards a precipice of some sort), with the Bumbo still attached to his bum. It's a bit Jeff Goldblum from "The Fly". 

Bye bye Bumbo table time

Hello crazy daredevil stuntbaby nonsense

The middle of the floor: No need to explain that one. 

he loves shoes

Bunting trifecta: 1) escaped the living room, 2) shoehorn, 3) Mama's shoe

As children- and to a lesser degree to this day- my sister and I were night and day in terms of personality. I needed, and continue to need, a fair amount of alone time. My sister was/is horrified by the prospect of being alone and without company, without something to do. I enjoyed sitting and quietly reading, with our cat as company; Mepher invented activities such as "I bet I can do 100 cartwheels in a row", "I wonder what it would be like to ride my tricycle off of the carport" and "Hey! Let's spin in circles until we are so dizzy we fall down, then once we recover, let's do it again!"  


Our childhood can be summed up like so: Sue Ann sits in a chair, reading a book. Mepher watches, trying to be as patient and quiet as she can be. After about 3 minutes, she can bear it no longer, and begins to inch over toward her sister. Sue Ann shoots her a "don't you even think about it" look. After about 5 more minutes, Mepher has reached her breaking point: with tears in her throat, she wails "Can we PLEASE dooooooooooo something! This is so boring!" 


If there was a soundtrack of my life as a sister it would be: Can We Please Do Something: Reading is So Boring, Volumes I and II.


From the day he was born, Bunting has resembled Mepher quite a bit, and as it turns out, it is not limited to looks. 

Bunting is just like her as a baby; uber social, always happy, and a non-stop bundle of energy and motion. This is a source of both great joy and consternation to me. 

Let's DO something!!!!

I know that firstborns (especially when sibs are almost 5 years apart) sometimes struggle with the birth of a sibling, resenting the fact that they have been de-throned, and adult attention diverted.  I requested a sibling, a sister very specifically, and was deeply gratified when (in my 4.5 year old opinion) my request was granted. Watching my sister laugh and play with my baby boy is an indescribably magical thing. At the same time, watching the two of them gleefully carry on is exhausting. FRK and I are already plotting activities to channel Bunting's energy in the future. Both Grandpa Tom and Uncle Josh are water polo guys, and have designs on introducing Bunting to the sport. It's a nice rigorous activity- definitely on the list.  Soccer, too. Lots of running. 

FRK and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on July 3rd.  Bunting spent the day with Mepher at her place in San Francisco, and we spent the afternoon in the city.  We visited the California Academy of Sciences for the first time (fantastic), ate 'stinky tofu' at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants (don't knock it 'til you've tried it), walked around North Beach. It was a lovely day...I love that man so much. I worried a lot about how having a baby would change our relationship. We have been a couple for almost 17 years, we have known each other since 1988 (It's very cool that we have known each other far longer than we have not. I know; kinda ridiculous and juvenile, kinda awesome). Introducing another person into our duo was a little scary. 


So the upside of waiting 16 years to have a child is that we were so very ready. We are now a trio. And it is amazing. This man, whom I have known since he was a 13 year-old smart-ass at Fisher Junior High is now the father of my child. And what a father he is. 

I come home from work, and this is what I see. Sweet mercy. 

Our canine friend Herbie (aka Herbert or The Pres) came to stay with us, whilst his human (our friend Jill) was visiting family in Oregon.  The Pres is a very well behaved fellow, and he loves our back yard, it is a terrier wonderland, what with the ubiquity of squirrels and blue jays and things to investigate.  Herbie and Bunting found one another moderately interesting.  It was so nice to have a dog in the house again; we miss having a furry friend in the mix. 

wiped out by a long day of napping on the couch and harassing squirrels

We spent the night at Elkhorn with Grandpa T (Mamaji was in Seattle, visiting Amanda), and he and Bunting got some good bonding time in. 

Bunting tried Grandpa's famous salmon for the first time- two thumbs up

Bunting loved the cows this time 

Fellas hanging out and planning projects with power tools

First hay bale encounter

While Mamaji was in Seattle she purchased this adorable "Wheely Bug" for Bunting, and he just loves it. A bee for our little busy bee. 

He continues to try new foods with gusto. He has added to his repertoire salmon, turkey, parsnips, plums, spinach, avocado, raspberries, blueberries (huge hit), oranges, mango, sticky rice, bean thread noodles, Greek yogurt, Thai green curry (Daddy thought this a great idea, Mommy not so much, but it turned out that he: A) LOVED IT, and B) was no worse for the wear), potatoes. All were given a thumbs up. He loves eating actual little chunks of food, he is definitely wearying of the smooth purees. 


He took his inaugural spin in a shopping cart while at Costco. 

Every time we passed by a table handing out samples of food he would screech and lunge, giving all passerby the impression that he was desperately, ravenously hungry. Indeed, one of our fellow Costco shoppers felt compelled to inform me that "Bless his heart, that child is hongry!" That is not a typo. Pronounced like that, with emphasis. HAWWWWWWN-gree.  Because you know- he looks like a kid that is not fed on a regular basis. Well, suffice it to say that despite that fact that he had just nursed and was so full that I could actually hear milk sloshing in his stomach, in short order he was happily nibbling on bits of Ritz cracker and garbanzo bean, fished out of a tiny cup of soup. Though I did wait for him to be quiet before I offered him his spoils, much to our new friend's confusion. "That baby is WAITIN' for you!". I explained to her that I didn't want to respond to him shrieking, thus reinforcing the yelling thing (Applied Behavior Analysis!), and she of course just looked at me like I was not only the type of person who would starve her kid, but was maybe just plain crazy. Can't win 'em all.


He definitely recognizes individuals now, and when he sees one of his tribe, he rewards them with a big, squinty eyed smile.  He loves his Gigi, and grins when he sees her; the feeling is definitely mutual. 

He has a special smile for his Mama, which has never been captured on camera, for she is far too occupied smothering him with kisses to remember to grab it. 

Every day we declare that we can't imagine loving him more than we do at that very moment, only to be proven wrong the very next day. Becoming parents has opened up a chamber in our hearts that we didn't even know existed. 

Day One

Remember the whole upside down, foot first thing? HARBINGER!

You guys. 

This kid is something else, oy vey. 

My parents don't know what hit them. 

Remember how I had the whole give-birth-at-home-in-a-pool-no-drugs-for-me-thank-you-very-much plan?  How at 35 weeks Bunting was head down and spine forward and we were a-okay, good to go?  And then I felt a mega wiggle and whooomp! and thought that he had settled into my pelvis and was ready to make his debut?  And spent a week patting his bum, but really that was his head, because ACTUALLY he was doing a 180 and getting all nice and comfy in a breech position, feet down?  And so I had a c-section, the very thing I dreaded almost more than anything else in the world (though it ended being not too terrible, except for the hospital/surgery part)? 

Well.  As my friend Pilar warned, this was evidently merely the first example of our son's proclivity for doing things HIS WAY.  We are shocked!!  I mean, his parents are such easygoing people, so content to join the pack, to do things the "normal" way without comment...

Exhibit A: 



No boring,  tummy down, "hey, let's look where we're going!" crawling for our boy. 

No longer can we put him in the middle of the floor, secure in the knowledge that he will remain there until a time of our choosing. Oh no. The other day I was on the phone with Mepher, discussing wedding stuff; Bunting was on the floor no more than 6 feet away from me.  I Googled something, looked back over, and he was gone. Startled, I went to investigate, and discovered that he enjoys doing this: 

When I located him, only his chubby little feet were peeking out, a la the Wicked Witch of the West. He does the Upside Down Inchworm until he is completely underneath the chair. Whilst he is inchworm-ing, he shrieks and chortles, keeping up a constant stream of sound to go with his motion. 


All at once, he has cast off stationary baby-hood. He is a mini man with a plan. 

I will lay here for a moment. Then- global domination. 

We have bade farewell to our early morning snugglefests in bed.  Previously he would wake, FRK or I would fetch him from his room, and then we would get back in bed, nurse, and then drowse for a bit, all three of us cozy in bed.  

Bunting has decided drowsing is for suckers. He is totally untrustworthy on our bed, he is a wiggling, scootching, maniac. 

We must be ever vigilant.  If there is a seatbelt, we use it.  If he must be unsupervised for a moment, we put him in the Command Center, or in his crib. He is grabby and fast, and like all babies he has an unerring instinct for THE most dangerous/sharp/potentially lethal item within his line of sight. 

While we are in a constant state of alert, hovering at around DEFCON 2, he is engaged in the serious business of exploring this world, tasting everything he can, keenly observing his environs. He scratches his fingers against everything, investigating the texture and sound.  He pushes things deliberately under pieces of furniture, and then peers at the object with great interest.  He turns toward any unusual noise, raising his eyebrows as if to say "now what was that!?". 

All the while, he remains a happy, chatty boy. His every waking moment is filled with smiles and opinions. 

June has been a very busy and fun filled month for Bunting. He figured out how to sit up on his own-

Met beloved cousin Libby (technically his first cousin twice removed), who came to visit all the way from New York City. Libby's mom is Gigi's younger sister Ruth, who passed away many years ago. Bunting was born on his Great Aunt Ruth's birthday. 



Got to hang out with new cousin Kira (technically his step-second cousin)-

and had a several lovely visits with Uncles Steven (below) and Jim, who travelled all the way from Taiwan for a family wedding. FRK and Jim have been friends since they were five years old. 30 years later, we have a baby boy and he lives on the other side of the globe, but we are all close, and try to get together as often as possible. 

As if that wasn't enough, he somehow found the time last week to sprout THREE new teeth (the top two in the middle, and then another directly to the left), bringing the tooth count to five!  Yet again, he suffered very little angst as he was teething; copious amounts of drool, a few brief wake ups at midnight (nothing a little nursing couldn't fix), then suddenly one day a hint of white peeking out of his gums, and voila! three new teeth. 

We take oral hygiene seriously around here. I (touch wood) have never had a cavity, so of course now that he has real teeth, Bunting is on a strict regimen of brushing and flossing.

oral hygiene is fundamental

Bunting goes to bed at 8pm every evening. And every night at about 11 or so, FRK and I look at each other and begin to grin like fools, full of wonder at how amazing and hilarious our boy is, how we never could have anticipated how much we love him.  Then we begin to miss him, so we sneak into his room to watch him sleep. 

Our sweet boy, almost 7 months old.