Another weekend gone… they go so fast. Even though I’m not working, I still don’t want to let the weekends go– it’s nice having Josh home.

Grandma Beverly came to visit Max today, and brought him a {{popup sprscr.jpg sprscr 300×298}}Supersaucer. I think Max is going to have a lot of fun with it! He’s already figured out that he can turn himself with his hands, and how to hit the blue button to make the music play.

Rachel and Kevin spent the afternoon with us too; it was good to have them here… they had fun playing with Max. We ate out for the first time since he was 3 weeks old…and he didn’t make a peep!

Right now the sweet boy is asleep, and I actually have some down time. I don’t know what to do with myself… it’s a very strange feeling. It’s bewildering. Sure, there’s plenty I *could* do, just nothing that I *have* to do. I suppose it should feel good, but it’s actually rather unnerving.

Hmm. I have nothing of interest to write about (like that ever stops me), so I think I’ll start organizing my photo pile so I can get ‘em into albums. Whee.

{{popup kickin.JPG kickin 476×291}}Max likes to make his toys move… by using his feet. Today he grabbed Quackers and held him for a while; I think he’s figuring out that he controls those flappy things at the ends of his arms. He was super-gassy-fussy today– I must have eaten something that didn’t agree with him. Onions? Potatoes? I should keep a food diary so that I can isolate the things that bother him.

The weather this week has been *divine* — low 70’s. I love it! Wouldn’t it be great if it could be like this year-round? Max and I have spent time outdoors, and he seems to like it. Now if the mosquitos would go away…

I caught the end of a wonderful interview with a Malaysian Muslim woman this evening — I wish I knew her name or what the news program was. I’m not even sure of the channel… it was the best interview I’ve seen concerning the events of the past two weeks. She spoke of open-mindedness, education, tolerance… of the true meaning of the Muslim faith, and of the unjustifiable nature of the attacks. Can anyone help me out here??? I would love to have a transcript of the interview.

I’m a bad weblogger. I haven’t posted a link in ages… I don’t have much time to surf these days. Most of my exploring starts out with Metafilter posts. It’s cool. Go there.

{{popup bigsmile.jpg bigsmile 566×468}}Max and I had a good weekend. :)

Josh set up webalizer so we can keep track of our web stats, {{popup maxnmatt.jpg maxnmatt 320×455}}Uncle Matt came over, and we ate nachos and hashbrowns (not in the same sitting). The lawn has been mowed, Matt-laundry has been done, and many diapers have been changed.

The past few days have been big ones for little Max– he has discovered that he can control his legs/feet, and has started moving things with them, kicking things, raising them in the air, etc. His babbling has taken off, and he is talking soooo much– I wish we had a Babelfish so we could understand him. I’m sure he’s saying very insightful and important things. He continues to be amazed by the planets on the wall, and has now added {{popup maxquackers.jpg maxquackers 514×326}}Quackers the Duck to his List of Favorite Things.

So sleepy now…

The worms are trying to attack us… but we have an apache server. Thbbt!!!

{{popup thumb.JPG thumb 552×385}}Max has invented a new way to suck his thumb.

I need suggestions for a domain name for Max. CaelonMax.com will work, but I’d like something more…interesting. Have an idea?

Max needs one of these; he seems to get so frustrated just sitting still! He is trying to sit up on his own and just can’t do it yet. Lately he wants to be up on a shoulder, being taxied around so he can explore everything around him. He really likes the Snugli (when he’s facing outward), but he’s heavy so I always get tired before he’s ready for me to put him down.

I’m also trying to find a good poster of the solar system for the wall above his crib. Right now there’s a poster of the alphabet with pictures, and while he does look at it occasionally, he doesn’t like it nearly as much as his planets!

{{popup maxade.JPG maxade 446×426}}Maxade! I think I got this shirt at COMDEX several years ago… I don’t really remember. I wore it to bed the other night, and Josh happened to notice what it said. I’m a Maxade factory! :)

Two more pics of my cutie {{popup 20010919.JPG 20010919 375×335}}here and {{popup drooly.JPG drooly 526×421}}here. Notice the drool in that last one… hehehe!

Strange dreams again… this morning I dreamed that Josh, Max and I were in a low-security mental health institution. It was a pretty nice place, with a lovely sundeck where Max and I were enjoying the outdoors. Josh and I were discussing how to get out of the place, since we were being held there without explanation or cause. I was concerned because we hadn’t seen anyone to talk to or get information from, and I definitely wanted to see a therapist while I was there. This was an important thing: I felt that I really needed to discuss several issues with a professional while we were stuck there. I mean, hey, why not? It was a mental institution, after all.

Later, I dreamed that Josh’s mom was doing reflexology on my feet, and her hands started bleeding; I gave her a hand massage in order to make it all better. That is the only way to stop your hands from bleeding, of course.

Max was less fussy today, although he has taken several short naps in lieu of the one long nap he usually takes. I found this 3D solar system mobile on Discovery.com and think it would be perfect above Max’s crib. He still loves the planets on his wall– it’s too cute. Also, I think I need this shirt.

So much to do… seems I don’t get much of anything done these days. You’d think being at home all day would give me time to accomplish everything on my to-do list. Not even close.

An urge to lift weights just overcame me… this is not a common thing. I think perhaps a part of me would feel strong if I did that– the feeling of my muscles straining and burning would at least be a step in the direction of strength, though the rest of me feels so weak. It’s hard to watch the same images over and over on tv, knowing that I can’t do anything to make anyone feel better or to help the situation. I have donated money… but that seems so small.

I have a sort of nervous energy that I can’t attribute to anything but the events of the past few days… my thoughts aren’t consumed by it, and I am not horribly depressed, terrified, or frantic, as many people seem. I suppose I am just waiting… waiting to see what comes next, waiting to understand, waiting for the end of the story. I am not good at waiting.

There are reports of reservists being called into active duty. Some say this is in preparation for war, while others say these people are only being called to staff air bases so they can be ready for instantaneous response, if needed. 50,000 35,000 reservists seems like an awfully high number to simply staff an estimated 250 air bases, but then I’m no military expert. Conversely, 50,000 35,000 doesn’t seem enough of an addition to the already-active military to really make any difference at all in combat. Again, I’m no expert.

Well, obviously, since I am still sitting here at the computer, I have done nothing about this weight-lifting-urge. I can’t go changing routine, now, can I? I should get up and do *something*… maybe when Max wakes up we’ll go for a walk.

Max had his 2-month checkup today; he weighs 14.5 pounds and is 25.5 inches long. My boy is getting so big! He’s in the 95th percentile for his height, and the 90th percentile for his weight. This is one tiny spot of brightness for me in an otherwise dark week.

I am still pretty numb… sad, mostly. For some reason, it doesn’t make me angry. Maybe it should. I am afraid — not that it will happen again, or that similar things will erupt any moment, but for the upheaval this will cause in our already-unstable economy. I am afraid for the changes it will make in our ‘American’ lifestyle… afraid because Max is going to grow up in a different world than I did. I want to make sure he knows the evils of prejudice, and that there are bad people in every size, shape, color, and religion.

One of Josh’s co-workers had his car fire-bombed outside his apartment in Arlington, TX last night. He’s South American. *That* makes me angry. It is pointless…nothing has been accomplished; it is an act of intolerance and ignorance. Such a stupid act… all based on the color of this poor guy’s skin.
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This picture really gets me. (from MSNBC.com) I’ve seen the footage of the World Trade Center and Pentagon all day now, and while it’s horrific, they are just buildings. Seeing pictures of the *people* involved just makes my heart feel very heavy. It’s sickening, and terrifying.

I am glad that Max is not old enough to realize what is happening, because I don’t know how I’d explain it to him. I don’t understand what is to be gained by these horrible acts, and I fear the retaliation. No one wins in this… no one.

I’m back! Finally… I had a client’s script bouncing to my site temporarily, and didn’t want to make them look unprofessional in the rare case that someone decided to notice my URL. The script has been moved now, so I am free to realize that I’ve forgotten everything I was going to remember to post.

If {{popup bigboy.JPG bigboy 436×522}}Max were a snail, he’d have already gone through a few shells by now. This kid is growing SO fast! Every day it seems that he’s more aware– he’s full of smiles and is babbling and laughing. We put {{popup stars.JPG stars 607×266}}planets and stars on the wall beside Max’s changing table today, and I think it was possibly the most exciting thing that has happened to him in all of his nine weeks. He laughed, wiggled, grinned, drooled, kicked, gurgled, and cooed in delight not only once, but every time we’ve changed him since putting them up. He is particularly fond of Mars and Jupiter, it seems.

Caffiene is amazing stuff. I just happen to be one of the lucky people who are highly caffiene-sensitive: I drank two cups of coffee Wednesday night, and it kept me going for around 20 hours. ‘Awake’ does not even describe the state I was in… I was buzzing with more energy than I’ve had in close to a year. I got SO much done. Coffee is my friend.

This site needs a redesign. I didn’t much like it from the beginning, and now I’m borderlining on hate. I just redid OmniTech.net, and am now working on loopysoft.com for Crackmonkey. After that will come The Boise City News, and then I’m going to set Greymatter up for Applesauce. Perhaps somewhere in there I’ll be struck with a fabulous idea for pixellaneous, and will stay up ridiculously late in a fit of creative inspiration.

Time for LINKS… Wil Wheaton (Stand By Me, Star Trek…? I had a huge crush on him when I was young) has a great weblog that he built and maintains himself. It just goes to show that I had great taste even as a kid.

Hunkabutta is a site I came across through the Moms Online mommy board I’m a member of… be sure to check out the gallery for pics of baby Jack. Such a cutie…

This has got to be one of the best sites that I’ve stumbled across in my random web-wanderings: The Whole Brain Atlas is chock-full of brainy goodness. I’ve never seen so many pictures of brains… and it’s weird to compare the healthy brains with the less-than healthy ones. Eeek.

There are so many more… but I’ll just add them to my links section.

Lobster and Emily are in Rio right now! They’ve been there for a week… I think they return tomorrow. I can’t wait to see the pics. Speaking of pics, the four of us were in Thailand at this time last year, and I still haven’t scanned the pictures. I’ll get to it someday… maybe…

Gotta get some sleep. Max is going to want fed within the next hour… most likely at the very moment when I fall asleep. ;)