Playdate with Logan

"Yo Logan, this place is pretty chill."

     On Monday, we went to My Urban Toddler in Saline (pronounced suh-LEEN, for those of you outside of Michigan).  It's an indoor playspace and imaginarium designed, strangely enough, for toddlers.  Alas, neither Esme nor Logan qualify yet, but it was still fun to see what's out there.
     They both increased their tummy time records on the inclined blocks -- and having each other to look across at certainly distracted them from the fact that they were doing so.  (Neither of them seems to like tummy time much.)  These blocks are in the Infant Park in the center of the town.  Along the walls are different rooms in which to play --  fire-station, school, library, grocery, theater, cafe -- that have dress-up clothes and props, such as toddler-sized shopping carts and a dazzling array of plastic foods.

In the corner of the picture above Esme is the grocery store,
while the girl in blue at the top walks in front of the theater.

     You may notice in many pictures that Esme is asleep at the edge of the Infant Park.  We were there for about two hours, and this fifteen or twenty minute time period was when I took pictures.  (Much harder to take photos while also holding an alert baby.  Which is why there are very few photos of Annie and I hanging out with Logan and Esme, even though there have been several walks and visits.)



     This was also the first time I got to hold Logan.  He's about a month and a half younger than Esme and is just starting to reach out and touch things semi-intentionally.  (I can remember Esme doing that over Christmas.  Sometimes it astounds me that I can actually watch her learn things.)



     One of the nice things about My Urban Toddler is that kids under 7 months get in free.  But watching all of the other kids that were in there, I was amazed at how fully engaged they were in their imaginary worlds.  At times there would be several kids all playing together in one area, while just a few minutes later, we would look up to see that they were all playing by themselves in different parts of the town.  I can definitely see coming back here once the kids are on their feet.


     For now, we'll keep enjoying life one day at a time.

Here you can see the cafe over Annie's left shoulder, and the library over her right.

Trying to Be Productive

     I've begun in earnest this week the editing and revising of my NaNoWriMo book, The Rapscallions.  I've also been doing research on self-publishing through Kindle, iBooks, and Nook, as I know family and friends with each of those readers, and I don't want anyone to be left out.  I'm hoping to publish before the end of March, and if I play my cards right, I'll also get five free paperback copies for being a NaNoWriMo winner this past year.  (If I could only come up with a good cover image...)
     I also attended a NaNoWriMo event in December -- "So You Wrote a Novel, Now What?" -- and my number one take-away was that I should have an author website before publishing.  So I've been spending quite a bit of time creating www.wadecdavis.net which I believe went live this morning.  If not, you can still find it here, under its GoogleSites address.  Be warned, it's still under construction...
     I've also been busy helping my mom develop a social media presence for her rental homes.  Both Oak Shade B & B and Marian Manor are on Facebook and Yelp! now.  Look them up if you use either of those and 'like' them or offer a review.  I've even been contemplating starting a small business social media consulting business of my own.  We'll see how that develops.
     I was also offered a summer job this week.  Growing Hope contacted me and essentially offered me the same position I had last summer, working with high school students teaching nutrition education to younger students.

     Okay, okay, I hear you.  (Enough about you, Wade, we're here to see the baby!)  Well Esme's doing great.  She tends to sleep through the night (defined as sleeping most of the hours of the night, with one or two feedings, usually only one), and is happy and curious throughout the majority of her waking hours.  Yes, she does cry regularly, but it's rarely something that we can't understand and resolve.  (And usually when we can't do anything to soothe her, a few farts or some poop will soon follow, after which she's happy as a clam.)
     The big news, as you can see, is that we've introduced food.  Esme has now eaten (in order that we introduced them) carrots, rice cereal, squash, and peas.  She seems to love the squash the most, and the rice cereal the least.  At first (and there is video of this, but I have to find time to edit the ten minutes down to one -- you'll thank me later), she didn't really seem to get the concept that this was something to be swallowed.  She liked the carrots -- in her mouth, on her hand, on her bib, on her clothes, on her parents, on her Bumbo -- but wasn't eating.  By the time we introduced the squash, she'd reached the point that we'd find very little food left over when we were done.

 These photos are from the carrot section of the program.  This may have even been the first ever feeding.  And just so you know, at this age, the baby should not have control of the spoon.  Mayhem ensues.  'Nuf said.