God Bless Leo

Leo wasn't sure what to think about the ashes they put on his head at church today:

But he grinned for the camera anyway:
And he was excited to see his favorite clergy man, Deacon Leo James:

When we got home we talked about what Leo would give up for Lent. He immediately said, "Naps and clothes!"

So if you see a very tired, naked boy over the next 40 days, that's Leo.

All Done!

Leo has succesfully learned the sign for "all done." In this video and picture, he's demonstrating it in his high chair as baby sign language intended:

But he has also figured out that it works for all sorts of other situations:

--He's "all done" getting his diaper changed

--He's "all done" with me putting pants on him

--He's "all done" with Miss Chantal's Chihuahua

I suspect he will use this throughout his whole life--homework, his summer job at Kroger, boring lectures in college, his wife's nagging...that'll teach you to show your kid baby sign language!

It never gets old

Beatles Mania

Leo loves the four guys from Liverpool. And since he digs the drums, Ringo is his favorite:

Leo's full of Love

Leo showed lots of love for his favorite person this Valentine's Day--himself.

But when he wasn't gazing at his own reflection in the oven window, Leo showed lots of love for daddy too:

Leo says, "What's your sign?"

Leo used to be so cooperative about holding up signs with messages. Here he is at about 2 and 1/2 months:

Now that he's nine months old, though, this is a trickier task. My mom left yesterday and Leo wanted to send her a message. Here is a chronicle of our attempt:



"Yum! I want to eat this sign!"

"Fun! I want to wave this sign!"

"Cool! I want to tear this sign!"

"CHEESE!!"

"Oh? You still want me to hold up this sign? No problem! CHEESE!"

"Hey, what is this thing?"

"Almost got it!"

"Mommy, you don't have to hold it for me. I can do it!"

Hunting for Cheerios

Leo changed his mind about Cheerios. He loves them. He loves to eat them. He loves to hold them. He loves to try as hard as he can to pick them up and put them in his mouth.

Most of the time, though, they end up on the floor.

Luckily, I've already trained him to get down on the ground and clean them up!


"What? I don't see any Cheerios! They're all in my tummy!"

"Oh, there's one! I want to put it in my mouth!"

"This table is funny. I'm easily distracted!"

"If you're social, you're smart"

That's what Leo's doctor said today at his nine month appointment. Leo charmed everyone at Roswell Pediatrics.

Leo also got weighed (19 pounds); measured for length (28.5 inches) and played with the throat stick thingies. In fact, he was so fascinated by them that I'm pretty sure he's going to be a doctor. And since he's so social, I have no doubt that he's smart enough to get into a good medical school.

Leo's First Superbowl

Leo says, "Nothing beats watching the game with daddy."