We signed Che up for infant swim classes at the local YMCA for the winter session. I don’t know what I was thinking. Between snow storms, colds that we didn’t want to make worse, and travel, we only managed to make it to 3 out of 8 classes.

At the YMCA, everyone is required to wear a swim cap, and they mean everyone. Even people with no hair, whether old men or babies, have to wear swim caps. I had to put a pleat in Che’s cap to get it to stay on. Well at last Saturday’s class, he had had enough of the swim cap. When the class was over and we were heading toward the pool exit, Che reached up and pulled his off. We were getting out, so I didn’t bother to put it back on.

The little boy behind us pulled of his swim cap, too. I didn’t think much of it until the boy’s mother said, “Look at that. You’ve started a revolution.” I looked at her and we both snickered a little. I responded by saying, “Che, your a little young to be starting revolutions!”

There are days I question my decision to use Che for a nickname. I fear that it may be to foreshadowing of his future. If he chooses to ride off on a motorcycle with his best friend after college, I don’t know if I’ll regret it or be thrilled for him. But either way, this little boy has a mind of his own.

Put Your Hands Where I Can See Them!

Every day for work, my husband wears a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Every single day.

We’ve had some plumbing problems which have caused us to be without a washing machine for a couple of weeks. I’ll have to go to the laundromat tomorrow and wash about 5 or 6 load of clothes. The one benefit of being without a washing machine is that I’ve seen every piece of clothing Che owns. Today we broke out a new outfit that was a gift. It’s still a little to big, but it is oh so adorable that I had to take a picture. Polo shirt and jeans…Che really is his father’s son.

Sitting in Dad’s chair.

Is that Croatian on the computer screen?

Yes, Che is walking. I stopped counting the number of steps that he takes, because he is a little to fast for me. While at Christine’s house with wall-to-wall carpet, he would walk through two rooms before falling to his knees. With all that space he was quite the mover. He was not so happy today when he walked a little and fell to his knees on our wood floor. I guess he had forgotten that wood is hard. Still, he is getting more and more proficient at walking and won’t have to worry about falling pretty soon. He still likes to crawl and will use either method of transportation to get where he wants to go.

This video is a couple of weeks old, but shows him not only pushing his car as he walks, but lifting it up enough to change direction. Strong kid.

For Che’s 11-month birthday, he and I were in South Carolina visiting a good friend.  (Why else would I go to South Carolina?)  Since his 11-month birthday happened to fall on April Fool’s day, Christine made a “cake” for dinner.  But this wasn’t just any cake.  It was actually the main course.

Yes, for April Fool’s day, Christine made a cake of meatloaf with mashed potatoes for frosting.  Che enjoyed the meatloaf part of the cake and thought it was great fun. Christine’s kids loved the cake and were hoping to actually fool their father when he got home from work.  The cake’s aroma was a dead giveaway, but it did look an awful lot like a carrot cake!

I’m excited for his 1-year birthday in less than a month when he actually gets to try a very small piece of real cake for the first time.  I’ve been kicking around the idea of giving him a whole cake to play with, which is a family tradition.  But, I don’t think I will.  Wasting an entire cake by letting a 1-year old make a mess of himself and it seems to be part of the over-indulgent wasteful lifestyle I have been trying to rid myself of.  I also don’t want him to get addicted to sugar and fat too early in life.  Right now he loves his sweet potatoes, carrots, and crackers.  Why change that?