Signs

Aidan and I met up with another dad (C) and his daughter (M) at Lazy Jane's cafe today. It was another chance to chat to someone with knowledge of both Madison and bringing up kids. I thought it would be a good chance to talk about Madison, anyway. It wasn't. Babies take over. You get halfway into an answer and then Aidan is putting a crayon in his mouth or M would be climbing on a toy giraffe.

M is around 16 months and chats like an old lady. I'm sure it's down to several reasons but her dad used sign language a lot before she became verbal and now constantly commentates to her.

It was pretty inspiring for me. I often zone out and daydream while Aidan plays. He'll be climbing up on the sofa and I'll be thinking about him reaching the summit of Everest.

With sign language you repeat words constantly while emphasizing the sign. The words must be sinking in, even if the sign isn't. Aidan doesn't look at me most of the time and it becomes a histrionic struggle. Even if it isn't helping Aidan's development, it stops me dreaming about scoring winning FA Cup Final goals.

Socks appeal

Aidan's been in a bit of a grump this morning but on the way to the library he gave out the cheekiest of grins. He'd been quietly trying to pull his sock off. I heard a few grunts here and there but he was doing it mainly in silent concentration. After a while I looked at the rear view mirror and he'd got it. He stretched it out as far as he could with both his hands and with half closed eyes and a tweak of the nose he just beemed. It was to no-one in particular except his proud, cunning self.

I think you can see the sock if you squint. And yes, I was stationary.

The informant

Aidan and went to a parent and baby movie session at Star Theatre in Madison today. Matt Damon's new flick was a quirky, funny drama and one to recommend. I'd even recommend seeing it with a 9 month old. The dialogue scenes didn't get the attention Stephen Soderberg would have wanted but whoever chose the music got Aidan's vote. The bar-room-middle-of-the-road-jazz worked a treat and even got him conducting and singing along a few times.

But the best thing was at the end. Apparently, yesterday was the wettest September day in Madison on record. The movie theatre staff saw that it was throwing it down so got umbrellas ready for all the parents. Better still after chatting with the manager she asked me if Aidan would stay with her while I got the car. He did, and stayed dry, and I got the car.

The only way this could have been topped was if she had asked for my keys and brought my car round herself.

Can you imagine this ever happening in the UK? Actually though, if they did, with all the rain we get, it would be the only thing they did some days.

Crawling

Here's the first evidence of him getting around.

Obviously something had to go in his mouth in the end too.

Milwaukee

There are three music videos I can think of which show people walking down a street - Unfinished Sympathy, Bittersweet Symphony, and most recently, Matt and Kim's Lesson's Learned.

It felt like I was in one of my own this afternoon. One of our own, actually. Aidan and I went to see downtown Milwaukee while Erin sat an exam. There was no barging or nakedness in our non-video though, just smiles. Aidan was looking at everyone and smiling as they passed us on Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. It was contagious. Women would gasp and tell me how cute he was and men, yes the sex that usually ignores such things, would smile and nod at me and even commented once in a while.

Unfortunately he didn't show quite as much enthusiasm for me when I poked the camera in from of him.

On the way to meet back up with Erin, who passed with flying colours, the boy got a bit cranky. He was bored and hungry in the traffic jam on Highway 94. I gave him a few bits of biscuits but he needed a bread stick or something to keep him going, and I didn't have one. However, I did have children's cherry chews. But they only lasted 30 seconds before he demanded another. I tried to keep feeding him but kept getting his eyes instead of his mouth. Eventually, I resorted to contorting my arm over the passenger seat in a position which is probably illegal in 15 States with a handful of the chews until we reached Erin.

I now need a back rub.

1-2-3 dunk

Yesterday we went splashing of a different sort from Sunday at Kittleson Swimming Centre. Apart from getting a bit lost on the way it was all good fun.

There weren't many people in the pool except for two young women with a baby around the same age as Aidan. One of the lifeguards was a friends of theirs and told them how to submerge their little one without them being too shocked or, more to the point, not swallowing any water. They didn't do it in the end as they said they were a bit too nervous.

As they left the pool Aidan and I had a go. She basically said that you need to get eye contact with your baby say 1-2-3 while bouncing them in the water and on 3 blow near their mouth. Your mouth action looks like it's closing, which they mimic, and the air makes them close it too. It worked a treat and Aidan seemed to enjoy the experience. He loved it when he got praise from the lifeguard.

What he didn't love was when dad's hand slipped a little meaning he went face first without any 1-2-3 blowing warning, but we won't dwell on that.

Sunny Sunday splashing

After the Sunday road trip back from Wausau we got the paddling pool out and cooled down.