2009, a Recap

December 2008 and December 2009

This past year we had the blessing of watching Romi go from an adorable crawling eight-month old baby to an adorable walking, talking and dancing toddler of 20-months. It proved to be fun, exciting, hilarious, exhausting and the best year ever.

In January, we traveled to SoCal for Grandma Garcia's memorial service. Along with commemorating her long and full life, we got to spend time enjoying family and friends and showing off the Romster. As Romi's first birthday approached, he went from crawling to pulling himself up, gave up bottles for sippy cups, and expanded his impressive food repertoire. We celebrated his first birthday by sponsoring the Shabbat Passover kiddish (remember all those meringue cookies!) and officially naming the little guy. Romi enjoyed his first camping trip in May to Mount Lemmon, and we headed off to California in June for more adventures, including a lovely weekend at the cabin in the Sierras with Romi's Nana, Papa, aunt, uncle and cousins. Austin and Sabrina were charged with teaching Romi to walk and they did a spectacular job! In July, Auntie Jodi and Grandma came to visit. We then headed off to Cleveland, me for a conference and Rob and Romi to play at Camp Roth. After a wonderful week in Flagstaff with the Burgs and Werbows, enjoying the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Slide Rock, and being together., we returned home for Framily vacation with the Brunks and Dinsdales , which was in Tucson this year. The Bermans came to visit before we headed off to Pacific Grove for Tessa's Bat Mitzvah and a wonderful visit with the family.

In August, Romi started preschool. He goes two mornings a week and while it took him a bit to get the idea, he now loves it. He especially likes music and Gymboree. I like his art projects and Rob likes having two mornings a week to get things done. In October we celebrated our one-year anniversary as family. Rob likes to call it Family Reunification Day, but I just think of it as a day to count our myriad of blessings. Aunt Kim, Austin and Sabrina came for a visit in November, Grandma came for Thanksgiving and Nana and Papa are here for the last week of December.

We will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary on the last day of 2009. To commemorate the event we bought bedroom furniture (not very exciting, I know, and it gave me a concussion, but we like it) and are going to a movie (which we are ridiculously and disproportionally excited about--welcome to parenthood!). Not sure what 2010 will bring, but with Romi around it's sure to be great!

Our Hamster Is a Turkey

The other morning, as Rob did the dishes, he heard Romi happily playing in the living room, singing to himself. After a few minutes, Rob decided he should poke his head in on the little guy only to find that he had successfully climbed into the dining room chair, had swiped a bencher (a little small prayerbook) off the table, and was imitating his parents benching (singing the blessing after a meal). Rob decided that Romi decided to get away with a little something and left him to his own devices. The singing continued and a few minutes later Rob again poked his head into the dining room to check on the Hamster. He was still singing and still holding a bencher, but he had migrated from the chair to sitting smack-dab in the middle of the dining room table. Hey, at least he was praying.

Romi's vocabulary is still sporadic, but he makes his needs and wants known. He recently foraged open the pantry door and brought Abba a bag of uncooked noodles, so we cleverly figured he wanted pasta for dinner. When he runs to the sunroom and takes hold of a black folding chair, we know it's time for him to do the dishes. He has mastered shaking his head yes and no, and he still uses the emphatic finger pointing when necessary although he has also started saying "yeash" for yes.

Recently, Romi enjoyed a wonderful visit from his Aunt Kim and cousins Austin and Sabrina. Romi loved playing with his cousins, especially on the swings in the park. The higher the better! And he looked absolutely adorable in the turkey hat he made with Aunt Kim.

Last Sunday afternoon, Romi and I walked across the street to see the rather extraordinary display of Christmas decorations on the neighbor's front yard. It literally stopped Romi in his tracks as he took it all in. He was intrigued by the lights and couldn't figure out what they were (they were off). He pulled on them, touched the large plastic colorful bulbs, and when all else failed, he carefully leaned in to smell them.

I eventually coaxed Romi over to a blow-up bear that didn't move. He was quite tentative and when I asked if he wanted to touch it he emphatically shook his head no. When I asked if I could touch it he was equally against the idea, but he did smile when I patted its nose. He eventually work up the courage to touch both the bear and the penguin, but Santa still freaks him out!

It seems unbelievable, but Romi has been home for over a year! We celebrated Family Week (Rob likes to call it Family Re-Unification Day) by making a rainbow cake (thanks Miriam!), having family photos done with a wonderful, local professional photographer, and reading this blog to remember our amazing trip to Taiwan and how that time was exciting, exhausting and exhilarating. On Family Day itself we went out to breakfast, played at the park, had pizza for lunch and took a nap.

News on the Romi front: we have his Social Security Card! Rob was so happy he hung it up on the fridge for a while. Abba also insists that Romi said "I love you" twice, clear as day, but in typical Romi fashion he has not repeated the miracle (nor has he ever said "banana" or "mine" ever again). Romi seems to have no trouble communicating however. When he really wants something he points and emphatically bends his index finger (really). And when he wanted to listen to some music, he looked at grandma, pointed to the iPod and started dancing. She got his meaning.

The little guy is enjoying school (and smooching with Jacob while there) and his favorite things to do are Bim Bam and Wheels on the Bus. He's beginning to distinguish between shaking his head yes and shaking it no, which helps a lot. He's growing and playing and getting into stuff. He eats beautifully, but sleeping is not his favorite activity. He likes to check things out but has a cautious side. He's simply wonderful.

A Triple Blow Out

Our cake of baby goodness

Things have not been easy around the Gludt household. Friday night, Romi forgot how to sleep. We've been working hard on putting the kidlet to bed, but having him put himself to sleep. We had been making progress until Friday, when our nearly-18-month-old boy wonder decided to outsmart us. I tried to relax him and then put him in his crib, but he would have none of it. As a result, I even pulled my back, so I handed him over to Rob and went to bed myself. At about midnight Romi implemented stage two of his plan and began crying. Rob went to check on him and I headed for some Advil for my aching back. Now, in my defense, our room is dark and our furniture is new, so it makes perfect sense why I forgot about the nightstand and quickly bent down for my water bottle with such a rapid velocity...and why it hurt so much when I smacked my forehead straight into the hard furniture (which I can now attest is absolutely solid wood and well made). Ten minutes later, Rob came in to find me perched on the edge of the bed, holding my head, not moving and trying valiantly not to barf.

Being a loving husband, he helped me take the Advil, got me ice, and listened for an hour as I gave him a blow-by-blow (no pun intended) of my head (i.e., the ice is too cold, my head is too hot...). But the fun did not stop there. Romi decided to teach us a lesson once and for all and proceeded to get up about a zillion more times that night, when at last, defeated and exhausted, Rob brought him to our bed at 4 a.m. where I tried to sleep but kept worrying that a cute little arm or leg would whack me in the forehead. It was a fun night.

Saturday my head hurt and felt tight (the swelling, or as I like to call it, my own personal Botox treatment) but we persevered and enjoyed the Sukkah and the weather, as did Romi, who ran around like a maniac with Jacob all day. In fact, he had so much fun he fell into an exhausted nap at 4:00 in the afternoon, which meant at bedtime he was far from tired. We tried milk with no luck. We gave him a bath and he just squealed with delight. In our second act of desperation that weekend, Rob put him in the truck and FORTY minutes later the little bugger finally fell asleep--at 9:20 p.m., a mere two hours after his bedtime.

In our parental ignorance, we assumed the weekend from hell was done. But then came Sunday night. Romi went to sleep well and stayed asleep well--until 2 a.m. At this time not only did he have a dirty diaper, but Rob discovered his nose bleed, which had left both his face and his sheets covered. We cleaned up the little guy and although Rob urged I leave the bed, I insisted on changing the sheets. The result of all this activity? Rob was up with Romi until 4 in the morning and I was up with my concussed head for two hours, trying not to barf from all the bending over.

Like I said, loads of fun in the Gludt household. It's a good thing he's this cute:

The Manster Hamster Baby Lambster

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Rob returned this week to the local Social Security office in downtown Tucson. He was armed with all sorts of official documents: formal request for a Social Security Card, birth certificate, certified adoption decree, passports, and the formerly missing proof of citizenship. Rob walked in early on a Wednesday morning, prepared for success in our quest for Romi's ever elusive Social Security Card. And there was good news to be had: Rob only had to wait 45 minutes to be waited on by Mr. Clark, who decreed that all of the paperwork was--at long last--in perfect order. The goal was completely within Rob's grasp when Mr. Clark then asked to see our son, who was at that exact moment having a perfectly wonderful time at preschool.

It turns out that no one ever indicated that the minor actually had to be present. Our good luck continued, however, and all Rob had to do was to present Romi to Mr. Clark that same day, and he wouldn't even have to wait in line. Now all we have to do is wait for them to verify his citizenship and the card should arrive in the mail within four weeks. Here's to hoping....

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back....

Adopting a baby always requires an ungodly amount of paperwork, and an international adoption all the more so. Paperwork and forms and waiting have been a constant part of our lives since we started this process. However, we have been particularly anxious about receiving Romi's birth certificate (an anxiety that you may be able to relate to but only Heather truly understands). The birth certificate is the key to so many things. On a strictly practical level, it's the easiest way to get Romi on a plane. It allows us to apply for his social security card, which will in turn enable us to claim him as a dependent on our taxes. We need it to issue him a passport. On a strictly emotional level, there's just something about seeing an official United States government document listing us and only us as the true, forever, natural, legal mother and father to Romi Amiel Gludt.

We've been waiting and waiting for the right forms since May 11, 2009, when we formalized his re-adoption in the States. Of course, the promised document never arrived in the mail. We proceeded to establish a phone relationship with the Office of Vital Records in Phoenix. We mailed forms, called, waited, called some more, made no progress and, eventually, in an act of aggravation and desperation, Rob strapped Romi into his car seat and drove the two hours up to the state capital to procure the longed-for document. It worked!

Our next goal: the Social Security Card. Armed with completely filled out downloaded documents from the website, an official certified copy of his adoption and the golden birth certificiate, Rob headed to downtown Tucson and waited the two and a half hours for his turn, only to be told that we also needed to present proof of citizenship, a form sitting in a box at home that no one ever told us we needed. So Rob will try yet again this week to attain more elusive documents, although we are concerned that all of Romi's documentation is in his English name and his proof of citizenship is in his Taiwanese name.

And so on and on it goes...one step forward and two steps back!

Romi's First Day of School

Romi's First Day of School

Monday was the big day: Romi's first day of school. It was hard on all three of us. I'm still not convinced that my little guy needs socialization just yet, but he does love hanging out with other kids, so we're going to give it a try. He spent a good portion of the day with his buddy Jacob. They know and like one another, so that helped. His teachers said he did really well, enough so that we are going to bring him back for another day, although we'll see if his Ima's tough enough to handle it! Of course, his emotionally and physically trying day meant he was absolutely, completely exhausted, and he fell asleep shortly after pulling out of the synagogue's driveway. He proceeded to take a wonderful two-hour nap, so maybe this school thing isn't so bad!

Tessa's Big Day

We capped off a summer of simcha celebrations, friends, and family with one more big to-do: Tessa's Bat Mitzvah. On Thursday the three of us headed back out to the airport for our flight to San Jose. Interestingly, the check-in counter attendant actually asked for proof of Romi's age--the first time that's ever occurred. Luckily we had gone back to the house for his passport. The flight was far from full, so we were able to schlep the car seat with us, and Romi did beautifully on both the flight from Tucson to LAX and from LAX to San Jose. We arrived, got our car, grabbed a bite to eat and headed toward the coast, arriving at the Marriott in the early evening. Monterey's chilly temperatures were welcome after our hot Tucson summer, but Romi was most impressed with the pillow presentation on the king-sized bed.

We headed over to Dave and Deb's early Friday morning so Rob could begin his day of baking (he made all the challah for the weekend). We had a wonderful day hanging out, running errands (taking and printing photos of Tess, picking up the cotton candy machine from the correct rental store, hitting the supermarket multiple times, etc.) before running back to the hotel to get presentable for Friday night services. Of the three of us, Romi looked the best.

Shabbat services were lovely and Tessa did a fabulous job. We can't beleive how late Romi stayed up, but it was a special occasion. Before servies we lounged about in bed on Saturday morning, eating our picnic breakfast. I spent a good portion of Saturday morning chasing Romi around the synagogue, who wanted nothing more than to get up on that bimah just as he does at Ima's shul. Luckily the building is small enough that I missed very little of Tessa's bat mitzvah; she did a truly outstanding job.

My favorite parts of Saturday morning are when we arrived and got to see everyone: Matt, Dana, Sarah, Lindsey, Scott, Pam, Alex, Ben, Edna, Jean, Gloria, Taylor and a myriad of friends and other family. As a group we sure clean up well! At one point during the service I let Romi wander into the Sanctuary and toward the front of the room. As he neared the bimah I grabbed him and sat down next to his Uncle Scott. I stood him up on the pew so he could say hi to his cousins behind him and they en mass leaned forward. I have no worries about his being the littlest cousin of all. During lunch the little manster finally crashed, and Rob gently laid him on a pew in the sanctuary, where he slept peacefully under the watchful eyes of the photographer and all his cousins.

Following a fantastic lunch spread put on by Dave and Deb, we headed back to the hotel for a Shabbas schluff. When we got up we trekked over to the house to enjoy a really, really fun afternoon with the family. A slew of us took a walk down to the beach, which turned into quite the excursion. Uncle Matt was quite helpful with the stroller and Romi absolutely loved walking on the boardwalk. It was a completely enjoyable afternoon, spent visiting and eating and enjoying being together. Dad would have loved it.

We had to head out early Saturday morning. We stopped by Dave and Deb's to say goodbye and thank you and to kiss all the cousins who had spent the night. It was hard for all of us to leave because the weekend had been so truly wonderful.

Framily Vacation 2009

Our trip to Flagstaff blended in with another wonderful summer tradition: Framily Vacation with the Brunks and the Dinsdales. The three of us got home early Sunday morning (the freeway was closed in Phoenix) and after returning home from doing a wedding, I found my house full of Brunks! It's amazing that although our three families split up geographically in 2000, we have managed to see each every year for the past nine years. This time, the gang decided to brave the Arizona heat in August and to enjoy the screaming good deals. The Brunks began their week-long Tucson trip at the Lowe's Vantana. They spent their days enjoying the pool and the luxury and still managed to meet up with us at least once a day, either for dinner at our place or out. Rob and Romi played tour guide on some of these days, and the Brunks got to enjoy Sabino Canyon, Mount Lemmon and Bookman's.


The Brunks checked out of Lowe's on Thursday and into Hotel Gludt. Heather and Mark arrived that afternoon, and the mayhem began. The kids were thrilled to see one another, as were the adults. That night we all headed to the Gaslight theater for another hysterical production. Heather said she smiled and laughed so much her face actually hurt. We enjoyed the food (thank you Terry family), the atmosphere, the show and just being together.

Kartchner Caverns was on Friday's agenda, although I had to skip out after spending the night sick. Everyone else had a wonderful time, once the tickets got straighted out. It wasn't Romi's favorite, but he did pretty well. Jacki came with me to Tot Shabbat and we returned home to an amazing Shabbat dinner of turkey and fixings. Heather and Mark joined me for services on Saturday morning, and Shabbat lunch was leftovers, seeing as we had left lunch out all night. Bob came with me to afternoon services, and we returned home to laugh and play and to head out to enjoy Frost.

Sunday morning saw the Brunks heading home. Heather and Mark hung out for a while and we went to lunch, after which Heather decided to get sick, so we canceled her plane reservation. She hunkered down at our house and a few hours later the Bermans arrived for their visit., another awesome tradition. It took a couple of days for Heather to bounce back, but she toughed it out and went home the next day. It was a great Framily visit, sickness and all.

Some Random Stuff
Mark and Max were sitting on the couch with Romi when Lauren, unbeknownst to the guys, came up behind them and said, "What's up?!" Mark couldn't believe that Romi could talk like that!

When I told Max he couldn't sit on the glass table he actually asked me, "Then what's it there for?"

Romi's new things include bouncing his head in time to music, swinging his right arm vigorously when he walks, and saying banana, although he's only done that once.

Family Vacation 2009

Our (hopefully!) annual trip with the Burg and Werbow families took place this summer in Flagstaff, AZ. Rob, Romi and I set out early on Sunday morning to make the trek to greener and cooler pastures. We made a few stops on the way, including the outlets in Casa Grande and a great lunch with Mike, Kristen and Connor in Phoenix (where I ran into someone for the synagogue. What are the odds? Oh yeah, even money.) The drive was long but beautiful, and Rob and I enjoyed watching the truly stunning change in environment as we climbed out of the hot desert and into the forested areas of Flag. We had very little trouble finding the house, a large Victorian on a corner within walking distance of downtown. We stayed home only long enough to turn on some fans and to touch base with the others, who were a few hours behind us in a van. Rob strapped on Romi and we headed to town for some food.

Flagstaff is an adorable college town with bars and restaurants and bars and shops and trains. The railroad is alive and well in this corner of Arizona, and for safety's sake, the trains blow their whistles as they go through town, which is every 10 minutes. (It's either for safety or because they really hate the residents of Flagstaff.) In any case, we found a pizza place and enjoyed walking around, looking at the people and the dogs and listening to the free concert in the plaza.

Shortly after we got home the troops arrived and it was hugs and kisses all around, especially for Romi who had yet to meet the Werbows or Daniel. We claimed our respective spaces and relaxed until bed. We had an easy day on Monday, all of us recovering from our respective days of travel. We walked into town and enjoyed lunch at a tasty albeit slow vegetarian restaurant. We had homemade Mexican food for dinner, although I forgot the tamales, and everyone slept a bit better on night two.

Tuesday, Elle's birthday, we all headed to Slide Rock, a beautiful area in a mountainous area. The kids loved the natural water slide, although Romi proved a bit too young for the adventure. The rock formations and water were beautiful, although you definitely need to wear shoes for this outing. It was crowded, but everyone was having a wonderful time and no one got hurt, so we call it a successful day. We headed into Sedona for lunch, admiring the rightly famous red rock and all headed home for a relaxing evening of birthday dinner and rainbow cake.

Wednesday was the big day--we all got in the van and drove up to the Grand Canyon. It had only been one year since we had been there, but your mind just can't retain the majestic wonder of it. I honestly think I could go once a year and still be completely in awe. We enjoyed our picnic lunch, walking along the rim, various performances and, of course, some ice cream. Melissa chose to forgo the sugary treat and opted for pretzels, which Romi decided he wanted. Melissa gave him a pretzel of his own, but he clearly indicated how we felt about that and threw it on the ground, continuing to insist through words and gestures that what he really wanted was Melissa's pretzel. She eventually gave in, because as we know, the force is strong with this one. But what we didn't know is that he would throw that pretzel on the ground too, look Melissa straight in the eye and then laugh at her. She claims it was the first time she ever got laughed at by a 15-month old.

After locating the wandering Shamir, we made our way back to the van, back to Flagstaff and back home.That night began Tisha B'Av and Daniel and Mike took turns chanting Eicha by firelight. It was wonderful. Rob, Romi and I stayed home for a quiet morning, breaking our fast at a local Mexican restaurant that got a bit of monsoon. After meeting up with the rest of the gang, we again piled into the car and headed to Sunset Crater, which turned out to be even cooler than it sounded. Only pictures can really do it justice.

Friday we cooked for Shabbat and then headed to the Aquaplex, where Romi was in his absolute glory. The city's pool is indoors and has fountains, wading pools, slides, a lazy river, a vortex and lots of lifeguards, which came in handy when Shamir fell, hit his head, shut down the pool and went to the hospital. Luckily he was just fine. In the meantime, Romi had the time of his life, and even though he cried whenever we took him out of the water, we decided when he turned a dark enough shade of blue that enough was enough.

It was a wonderful Shabbat together, with great food, good friends, and loads of laughing. On Saturday we schlepped to a park where I mistook Miriam's Burt's Bees diaper ointment for Melissa's Burt's Bees sunscreen, lathering Romi up in a thick white coat. Rob, Romi and I headed home late Saturday night, physically and emotionally rested but sad to say goodbye to such good friends.

The Divine Aunt Jodi!

At long last, Romi's Auntie arrived in Tucson to meet the little guy. Grandma didn't want to miss out on the family reunion, so she arrived from Los Angeles an hour before Jodi's flight. The three Gludts schlepped to the airport to pick up the crew. The irony is that Romi fell asleep on the way to the airport, and stayed fast asleep as Grandma and then Auntie arrived. Jodi's first glimpse of her little nephew was of him shluffing in his car seat. She was still impressed.

We loaded the half-drugged Grandma (she'd taken a pill to help her relax because she hates flying) and the spaced-out Auntie (there was no air on the plane and she hadn't eaten all day) into the car and headed off to--what else?--eat. We had a great meal at Oregano's and returned home so Jodi could enjoy the Romster in his natural environment. And she definitely enjoyed him! The two hit it off fabulously. Rob BBQ'd for us that night, and Grandma was in her glory, having both her own little chicks with her.

Thursday we left Grandma at home to recuperate and headed up Mount Lemmon. Jodi loved the views and the hiking, and she even braved the bathrooms. Romi had a lovely time collecting sticks, and we found a perfect spot to picnic, complete with a babbling brook. Of course, Auntie couldn't resist taking her water-loving nephew into the "crick" and they spent quite a bit of time braving the cool water.

We warmed up with a cookie buried under ice cream and whipped cream before heading down the hill and out to dinner with the Saxtons and the Parnabys. Friday saw us getting ready for Shabbat and touring Tucson's fancy-schmancy resorts, sans baby, before a wonderful Shabbat dinner. We spent Shabbat afternoon at the Hoffmans, where Auntie got to see just how much of a water baby we have on our hands. The two laughed and splashed and swam and ate and we all had a wonderful time.

On Sunday we all got dolled up, although we forgot to take a photo, and headed out to the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch for the buffet lunch, which we all heartily enjoyed. In fact, we enjoyed so much we never ate dinner, although we did manage to get to Frost for some gelato.

Unfortunately, Jodi chose to go home on Monday. We were all terribly sad to see her go. Romi had gotten so attached he actually followed Jodi around and yelled at her to come back and play with him. He loved playing with her in the inflatable pool, on the living room floor and in the guest room. They had a wonderful time together, although it was far too short!

Random Romi Update
Romi has completely mastered the art of walking and takes off like a flash. He has determined that Ima and Abba know nothing about organization and has taken to rearranging the house on a daily basis. Just so you know, movies go in Tupperware bowls and kitchen drawers, garlic presses and flour sifters go in the living room, ladles go in the bedroom and hairbrushes belong in the office.

The little guy enjoys mimicking all that we do, including using utensils, blowing his nose, brushing his hair, and laying down with his head on a pillow. He is fascinated by noses and likes to touch them. At a recent outing to Barnes and Noble, he had a fabulous time stalking children, and even managed to "catch" one little boy who was quietly sitting and reading a book. He approached slowly, extended his hand and put his finger on his new friend's nose, leaving it there until we rescued the poor kid.

P.S. We recently had to stash the Diaper Champ in Romi's closet. He loved flipping the handle over and over, which was a bit unsanitary but funny so we let it go. We eventually took the "toy" away from him when he started putting his dirty laundry in it!

Camp Roth

The three of us just got back from Romi's first visit to Camp Roth. (Camp Roth is what we call my cousin's home because it reminds us of camp: there is always someone to play with and something to do. For example, within five minutes of arriving, Rob and Romi were in the pool with Bryan, I was lying poolside with Alan, and Sharon was watching Jaclyn and Jordan play tennis.) The flight to Cleveland proved a bit rough. We had a 7:00 a.m. departure out of Phoenix so Motzi Shabbat we headed up to a hotel a few miles from the airport (after bidding farewell to a house full of Shabbat guests!). Romi fell asleep in the car and all was going well, until we got to the hotel room and he woke up and completely refused to go back to sleep. So, after literally about three hours of sleep, we boarded the plane for the direct flight. The upside was the little guy slept on the plane for about two hours, which made the trip pretty easy. As we landed in Cleveland the flight got quite bumpy, which made Romi laugh and smile. Turns out our kidlet loves turbulence.

We retrieved our luggage, picked up the rental car and headed to Sharon's, only to get repeatedly lost. It seems as if my usually reliable sense of direction doesn't work without sleep. We arrived at last and as I said, were all poolside in a matter of minutes. My original plan was to head to the seminar, but I was shattered. Instead we hung out at Camp Roth, and Sharon made us a wonderful dinner that we ate outside, enjoying the Roths, the Mecklers, Marianna and the amazing weather.

Monday I headed off to the seminar and Rob stayed home to play and wait for David and the twins to show up. Everyone enjoyed another beautiful summer day. That night, Stan took Rob and Steven to the baseball game (we got to see them on TV) and the rest of us went out to dinner (Romi actually fell asleep at CPK) before returning home to watch Romi walk around carrying his pants. Oddly enough, that's much more entertaining than you might think.

Tuesday I was back at work. Romi played with his uncle, cousins and Abba until I got home, which is pretty much how Wednesday went too. Wednesday night we went out to kick off Austin's 16th birthday festivities, and Romi got so into it that he stayed up really late partying. (Partying by his definition is running around in his PJs, throwing remote controls.) We had some time to play and enjoy being with everyone on Thursday before heading to the airport. Unfortunately, Romi was not nearly as amiable on the return trip home as he was on the way out, but we all managed and return home safe and sound.

Romi's walking skills have vastly improved and he resorts to crawling far less than he did even a week ago. He still makes his new scrunchy face but that too is losing its appeal. We think he's been shaking his head no, but we aren't totally certain he knows what it means. He does, however, point to what it is he wants, which is helpful but not always the most accurate form of communication. Beryl got him a wonderful new toy: a remote-control car designed for the younger set. He likes the car, he likes to push the bottom to make it make noise, he likes the remote control, but he isn't so fond of the car when we start zooming it around. When we actually remote the remote-control car, he climbs into our laps, alternately fascinated and terrified. The other day he went so far as to push the offending auto under the futon.

Our Hybrid

Like my beloved Prius, my beloved baby is also a hybrid. He crawls about half the time and walks the other half. He hasn't given up the crawling completely because not only is it is his most efficient method of locomotion, he has trouble when he has anything on his feet (shoes or footsie PJs). When it comes to eating, his hybrid status continues. He is a fairly adventurous eater, trying many foods, and shows a pretty mature palette (he loves black beans and guacamole), but he only eats with his hands, has very little interest in using utensils. and indicates he's done by putting his food-laden hands in his hair. Romi holds his own sippy cup and loves to drink from a glass (which we obviously hold), but will only take milk from a bottle, only if it's warm, and only if we hold it.

I don't mind a baby hybrid. I know he's on the brink of being an independent little boy and I know I want him to grow and learn and develop, but as long as he's a hybrid, he's still my baby too.

Father's Day

We had a truly wonderful Father's Day. We dressed Romi up in his cute outfit from cousin Sharon, loaded him into the car and headed to the Hoffman's to meet up with the rest of the gang (Parnabys, Saxtons, Ellentucks and Selzniks). When we all get together there is guaranteed to be mayhem, laugh er, noise and lots of food. There was so much going on Romi wouldn't even eat lunch. He just stumbled around, walking and crawling, trying to be a part of all the action. When we determined that eating just wasn't going to happen, we put him in his cute swim trunks and swim shirt from Aunt Kim and Uncle Joe and Ima and the Mooch headed into the beautiful but surprising cold pool with almost everyone else.

Simply put, Romi loves to swim. He laughed, he squealed, he kept putting his face in the water. He didn't care when I dunked his keppie (head) under, he liked the backstroke and leaned into it, he thought the side stroke was hilarious, and jumping around was the best thing since sliced bread. We definitely have a water baby on our hands!

We were finally forced from all the fun when his shivering went on for an extended period of time--the price for having no body fat! Like the pool mama pro she is, Stephi took Romi, quickly stripped him naked, wrapped him like a burrito and put him in my arms to warm up. When he was dry I let him explore the great outdoors for a while, sans clothes, an adventure which only ended when he peed on the terra cota tile. Rob and I dressed our kidlet and took him in to the house where he quickly discovered that Emily was eating ice cream. Being no fool, he climbed onto her lap. I'm really not sure who got more, but Emily was a very good sport about sharing!

We headed home to prepare for Romi's next new experience: an evening home alone with the babysitter. Rob and I had a wedding to attend and for this simcha kidlets were not invited. Stacy came over to take care of our little man, we sucked it up and headed out. When we returned three and a half hours later, Stacy reported that Romi was a little trooper. He wasn't happy at first and insisted on crawling to the door to see where we had gone, but he eventually came around and the two had a great evening together. He ate a huge dinner, took a long bath, played on the floor and even let her put him to bed. I'm proud of Romi and of us (I swear, we didn't call even once!).

Radom Romi bits:
He's walking quite a bit, but has trouble in shoes and footsie PJs.
He loves to push his lion around, but can't navigate well yet.
He's discovered how to make clicking sounds with his tongue.
He's the only kid I know that sits patiently for a haircut and doesn't mind the gel (he gets that from Aunt Jodi).
When he spies Ima he gets so excited that he hugs Abba (who says life is fair?)

Yes, We Took the Baby Camping

Last weekend, Memorial Day, Rob and I decided to take Romi on his first camping trip. The rationale? 1) If he was miserable, it was only going to be for one night. 2) We planned the trip with four other families, all of whom have kids and would presumably understand any challenges. 3) And lastly, the actual camping would take place on the top of Mount Lemmon--only a 45-minute drive if we were forced to come home in the middle of the night.

We scurried around last Sunday, eager to get everything ready. (Lesson one: it takes as much prep work to prepare for one night of camping as it does one week.) Rob was enjoying his last shower for what would most-likely turn out to be a long and dirty 24-hours when he asked me to hand him a bar of soap. I did so by opening the shower door, not worrying about the pajama-clad baby on the bathroom floor because the shower scares him. (Lesson two: just because it scares him doesn't mean he won't forge ahead.) Romi chose this moment to explore and crawled in with Abba, complete with PJs and diaper. We let him have his fun splashing and chasing the water down the drain before stripping him down and lathering him up.

The shower incident gave us hope that Romi would love camping, despite his current seemingly irrational fear of trees and bushes (most notably the pomegranate tree and rosemary bush in our very own backyard). We packed up the truck, strapped in the baby, met up with the Parnabys and Hoffmans and headed up the mountain. The drive was lovely and the weather at the top beautiful. Our group campsite, perfect to hold five families (we met the Dubins and Saxtons up there), was located at 8,000 feet, which ensured us a perfect temperature, huge pine trees, blue sky with puffy clouds and that distinctively wonderful forest smell. The campsite hosts meet us as we came in and pointed out site 3 (of 3). The bad news was that our site was located up a steep incline (lesson three: not all car camping means you sleep next to the car), but the good news was they had a cart for us to schlep our stuff up.

The site was really great. Not only was it clear that our hosts had worked hard to clean and clear it, the site had a perfect flat spot for tents (no bumps and rocks to clear or rolling down a mountain), a fire ring and a ramada complete with two picnic tables, two bear lockers, storage and a huge brick fireplace. Excellent!

We greeted our fellow adventurers, ate lunch (lesson we already knew: food tastes great outside) and set up camp. Both Romi and Jacob thought the tents were hysterical, and loved playing inside the empty shelters.

Of course, neither set of parents had any idea of how the 13-month-olds would feel come dark and we tried to convince them to sleep in there! The older kids ran off to explore with various adults, and Romi explored the soot-filled dirt, the regular dirt, the raked dirt...you get the idea. In short, he had a wonderful time and got as dirty as we had anticipated.

We spent the afternoon enjoying the day, the scenery and the company. Everyone grilled for dinner and we certainly didn't starve. (Lesson four: if five Jewish families go camping for one night, there will be enough food for a week). The kids even had a chance go make smores. Michael brought his guitar and took turns playing scrapes of songs to which he could remember most of the cords. Ori indulged her fire-making fantasies and ensured no one was cold at either the fire ring or the fireplace. And we all enjoyed being outdoors in Tucson.

At 9:00 p.m. we determined it was time to go to bed. It was late for Romi to be up, but we also knew he would never go to sleep in a tent without us. The mercury was falling (and the stars were rising!) and we were concerned that he would be cold. Rob built him a "nest" on the egg crate next to our air mattress using a flannel-lined sleeping bag. When we first put him into it, Romi thought it was one of the funniest thing in the world. He laughed and tried to crawl around. When he discovered the sides of the tent, and the funny scratching noise they made when you touched them, he found the other funniest thing in the world. We turned off the flashlights, however, and our exhausted little guy finally crashed.

The good news is that Romi slept beautifully (lesson five: replace the crib with a tent); the bad news is that Rob was so convinced that Romi wouldn't sleep well that he kept getting up to check on him. The worse news of all was that every time Rob rolled over on the air mattress, to check on the peacefully sleeping baby, I was thrown into the air. So Romi was the only one who slept well! But sleeping poorly while camping is part of the experience, so we got dressed, dragged ourselves out of the tent and headed for the fire that Pete had lovingly built in the fireplace (Ori was still snug in her sleeping bag.) Eventually everyone got up, we made pancakes so we wouldn't starve, and hung around, taking our time eating, cleaning up and breaking camp. Ori arranged for us to have a late check out, so we meandered around before heading down the mountain and back to Tucson.

The camping experiment was a huge success. Romi got filthy and loved it, Ori couldn't get her kids out the tent because they wanted to stay, we all ate too much junk, and everyone went home still friends. Great trip!

Random Rominess

Here's a collection of random Romi facts that we love and enjoy and want to remember forever.

Romi is furniture walking like a madman, standing up without assistance (from a crouch even!), but has yet to take his first steps. He also refuses to do that little-kid thing where you hold his hands and he cruises around. Nope, not Romi--if you try it he sits down in protest. Clearly our little guy will walk only when he is good and ready and able to do so on his own.

Romi's favorite toys as of late include a baby doll, a rag, a plastic ball with eyes and a small can of Elite coffee from Israel. He saw a baby doll at Parent-Tot and thought it was the funniest thing in the world, so we headed over to Target to get one of his own. When we got to the baby doll aisle, all of the motion censored dolls staring moving and crying and blinking and sacred the beegees out of Rob and I so we fled. Being determined and dedicated parents, however, we persevered. We found a doll that didn't do anything except exist as a toy. I wasn't sure if Romi would like it but when I held up the box he squealed, so we took that as a good sign. He loves his baby-powder scented doll and laughs when Abba or Ima pretend it's real. He also finds it amusing when we throw balls up and catch them; who knows why? And as of late, he has become attached to a small scrap of green rag. He cleans the furniture with it, drags it around the house, and hides behind it to play "Where's Romi?"

Romi's favorite things to eat include black beans and guacamole, meat, bananas and edamame. He says "Ah-ba" and is clearly understanding more and more. He likes to watch Flip videos of himself laughing and to open all the drawers in the new TV stand. He still doesn't hold his bottle when we give him milk at night or in the morning (other than that he uses a sippy cup), but he does hold your thumb as you hold the bottle, which is unbearably sweet. He can open cabinets and doors, chases the dog and has the best sense of humor of any 13-month we've ever met!

His Safety is Her Primary Concern

We recently had the pleasure of my mom's company to celebrate both Passover and Romi's first birthday. Mom spent a little less than two weeks with us, and although we had plenty of trials and tribulations (Passover prep, stomach flu, allergies, etc.) we had a truly wonderful time. It did my heart much good to see how much my mother and my son enjoyed one another's company. I also need to add that having an extra pair of hands in the house didn't hurt. We got so much more done when there was a third adult willing to spend so much time on the floor entertaining the Moochkala. And so, one morning when Rob needed to be at the shul to prep the kiddish we were sponsoring for Romi's first birthday and I needed to go to the doctor to discover why my eyes were bright red (it turned out to be allergic conjunctivitis--yuck), I asked mom to watch Mooch. It was only supposed to be for a half-hour or so, but doctors' offices being what they are, I was gone longer than expected. The doctor had given me a prescription for eye drops and I was anxious for some relief, so I called my mom to ask if I could delay my return a bit longer and stop at Walgreens. Her response? No. Why not? Because Romi's safety is her primary concern.

Not an answer to inspire confidence in the heart of any mother.

What exactly, I asked, did she mean by that? In true Marilyn style she repeated herself, which explained absolutely nothing at all. I tried to ask for clarification but when none was forthcoming, I told her she was seriously freaking me out. That must have hit a sympathetic maternal cord and I finally got to the bottom of the situation.

It seems as if Romi, who can't talk but has no trouble communicating his wants, needs and desires, wanted something to eat. My little old mom picked up her 18-pound grandson and successful got him into his highchair without injury to either party. Way to go! Alas, this is when the anxiety began. My mom tried to strap him in. Now, my mom has a long history of not being able to put on a seat belt (my sister Jodi inherited this defect), but other than that she's pretty competent. However, no matter what she did she could only get one side of him strapped in--his left leg.

Romi was getting impatient by this time and wanted to eat so my mom decided to forge ahead. She had fed him numerous times already on this trip, but he always came pre-packaged, complete with bib, highchair and food items. This DIY was a whole new ballgame and my mom was not enjoying the sport. After a few tries she gave up on the bib (to be fair, it's got this really weird button thing that you then flip inside out) and decided to go straight to the food. Unfortunately, it wasn't all set out on the counter like normal. Instead, she looked up and realized it was all in the fridge, which wouldn't have been a problem except she was hesitant to leave him in the highchair when he wasn't fully strapped in. So my mom did the only thing she could think of to satisfy the little guy's hunger pains and her peace of mind for his safety: every time she went into the kitchen, to the fridge or the microwave, she wheeled him with her. Really. Needless to say, she was pretty darn tired by the time I called.

She also was not amused when I explained to her that the reason she couldn't get the straps on the baby was that we hadn't used them for two months.

Having successfully navigated watching the Moochkie-Papoochkie on her own, my mom decided to teach the little bugger how to use a sippy cup. Here's a video which shows how well that went:

My mother, however, was successful in teaching Romi one of his most popular (especially with the shul crowd) tricks. Enjoy:

Putting Moochkie to Bed

Here's a video of us getting Romi ready for bed, which explains why his parents are so darn tired.

Channeling His Inner Ezra

We miss our crazy kitty, but luckily our little guy has enough of Ezra's traits and characteristics to bring us happy memories. First off, Romi, like Ezra, can't stand being on the other side of a closed door, especially if it's the bathroom door. He will sit outside of it and, in essence, meow. The bathroom in our bedroom was one of Ezra's favorite places, and Romi finds it irresistible. Romi's most vocal in the morning, just as Ezra was; both also make loud incomprehensible sounds. I hate to admit it, but they also both chewed on the furniture. I'd like to say the teeth marks on the futon are from the cat.... Ezra loved being in the sun room; whenever Romi sees the sliding glass door open he beelines it for that room. Ezra also adored looking out the front door, which is where you will often find Romi. We still have to keep the closet and pantry doors closed. Ezra may be gone, but there's a new troublemaker in town who wants into places he shouldn't be just as much as Ezra Splat Gludt did. Yep, our baby reminds us of our cat--it's little consolation, but it's some.

Our newest MOT

At times, I feel that Romi suffers from a few disadvantages, one of which is I don't think our little monkey will ever learn to walk. It's not that I'm in a hurry to be chasing after an even more mobile baby or that he can't reach the next milestone, it's just that most babies first furniture walk, using pieces of furniture to get from point A to point B. If you've seen the sparsity of furniture in our living room, you would understand why I think Romala is a bit deprived. Being the good Ima that I am, I decided to reconcile his deficiency and headed out to Toys R Us. The quest: a walking toy.

All we wanted was a simple toy with wheels that would support our little man's weight and that he could walk behind, getting some much-needed leg workouts. It sounded easy enough, but things have gone high-tech since the days of the plastic grocery cart. The cart now comes with groceries and it talks, narrating your shopping trip. Or the darn thing comes with lights and sounds. It took a good hour, but we finally found a walking toy that had only the most rudimentary bells and whistles (literally).

Here's a photo of Romi's first ever cozy coupe:


And here's what Romi actually uses to stand up and push himself around the room:


True to baby form, he is far more interested in the box then in the toy itself. He not only tries to scale the box, he uses it as walker. And he shows his undying love for this box in his own special 10-month old baby way--he eats it.


The only non-box item this kid has used to pull himself up and roll around to date is his highchair, and that is something we are emphatically not encouraging.

The good news is that we officially dunked Moochkei on Monday, February 23. The bet din was made up of the senior rabbi, the cantor and our good friend Michael Hoffman. The water was quite warm, bordering on hot (according to Rob), but our little guy proved to be quite the trooper. He had to go completely under three times and he never once cried. The cantor noted that as soon as he got out his hair went right back up.

Romi was quite excited to become the newest member of the tribe.


And here's a photo of our little Jewish Taiwanese kid!

Baby Food

Before Romi even came home I vowed to raise a strong, healthy baby with good eating habits. I made a commitment to both of us that I would do everything I could to instill in Romi a love of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, complex carbohydrates and pure drinking water. My son would not have to fight sugar cravings or the call of trans fats. To this end, I decided that I would make Romi's baby food. I bought special trays with 2 ounce portion sizes and snap on covers for the freezer (my baby would not taste freezer burn!). And for the most part I have to admit it worked well. Romi's favorite food is Cheerios, a multi-grain oat snack. He gobbled up the beautiful fresh pureed carrots, yams and butternut squash. He fell in love with peas and Lima beans. The food was all lovingly prepared without fat or spice and had gorgeous vivid colors. I congratulated myself on a job well done.

And then two things happened. First, my independent little guy learned to use his hands, which means he only wants to feed himself. If he can't put it between his fingers and convey it to his mouth, it's not on the menu. I adapted, knowing that developmentally this was great for Romi. No longer would the fresh cooked veg go into the blender, but it was finely diced for little fingers.

But then we went to the doctor. While a drop off in weight gain is expected at nine months, what with all the physical exercise the kiddies get crawling around and pulling themselves up, Romi's lack of pounds has the doctor a bit concerned. The solution? Add fat and calories to his diet. His veggies now come slathered in butter or olive oil. He has progressed to eating meat and cheese (no, not together). The snack of choice is now low-sodium, high-fat Ritz crackers.

Whereas I once wanted my little bambino raised on naught but local fresh produce, I am now energetically feeding him pancakes and pizza. Oy.

Romi with egg on his face

Another New Mother Moment

Warning: Do not read this entry if you are in any way squeamish. The following is definitely NOT rated Carrie (which means barf figures prominently).

Romi isn't one of those babies who spits up a lot, unless he has a cold. When his nose gets stuffed up and he coughs, his superior gag reflex comes to the surface and he can barf with the best of 'em. We learned this in December when we had the first run in with his runny nose, and you would have thought we had mastered the learning curve. Alas, that is so not so.

Last Friday, Rob went off to the synagogue to cook and I stayed at home with the Moochkie. We had a great day, napping together, playing on the floor, eating, laughing. It was wonderful, aside from the occasional nose-wiping freak-out session. As Shabbat drew near and knowing I was on my own, I decided to get a jump on getting us both ready. As we traversed the house, I was in schlumpy house clothes and Romi wore naught but a diaper. And out of nowhere, you guessed it: barf. Mostly on me. Some on him. A little on the floor.

As a new mother, I looked down at the liberal amount of formula mixed with phlegm that now covered my front. I looked at the modest amount on the kid who generated the mess. And I looked at the small amount on my tile floor. Which took priority? I must admit, for a moment I was paralyzed with indecision. My new mommy instincts, however, soon took over and I used diaper wipes to gently clean my baby from his own barf. Next, I went to my room, put Romala down on the floor and took off my barf-covered shirt. What I forgot, however, was that the best plan would be to NOT turn it inside out, so I merely succeeded in transferring the offending lumpy liquid to my hair. Seeing as I certainly didn't have time for a shower I did the next best thing and used a washcloth to scrape it off my head and prayed that I didn't smell too badly. Next. I threw some Shabbat clothes on both of us and headed out to tackle the family room floor, only to discover that I had waited too long and the dog had kindly taken care of it for me.

Oh, shut up. I told you not to read this if you were squeamish.

There's Always Something

I have learned yet another truism of parenting: there's always something. Alas, this hard-learned lesson has come late at night, when Rob, Romi and I should be sound asleep, but clearly aren't. The lesson learning went something like this:
When we arrived home from Taiwan, we brought with us an amazing baby who was an even more amazing sleeper. The Little Bugger could be put down in his crib, still awake, and he would gently close his eyes for a nap. He could sleep almost any where: in the car, in our arms, in the Baby Bijorn. We had baby and could travel. Lucky us! And we were even more fortunate that his superior sleeping skills extended to bed time. He slept, in his own crib, for hours. People would ask us if we were exhausted, and we'd vacillate between pride (he sleeps through the night!), superstition (don't admit he sleeps through the night, we'll jinx it!) and fear of admitting it to our friends who haven't slept well in years. But the good times have come to an end.

Our baby no longer sleeps.

Why? Because it's always something. At first his sleep pattern was disrupted because he was getting teeth. We completely understand that. By all accounts, cutting those first teeth is a painful process and as loving and understanding parents we got up at night to give him Orajel, Baby Tylenol and pats on the back. I have no doubt that each of the five and a half teeth he currently has kept him up at night, but that doesn't exactly help our situation.

If the Rominator wasn't teething, he had a cold. His runny nose would cause him to cough or sniffle or not be able to breath, leading us to try anything and everything, from cold mist humidifiers to phone books under the crib to letting him sleep in a more upright position--on one of us on the couch. You see where this is going, right?

The glorious day came when our Moochkey was neither cutting a tooth or nursing a cold, and that's when we had him circumcised. We completely expected him to wake at night, and he did, but we absolutely weren't going to deny him his Tylenol with Codeine. And when he got over the surgery we schlepped him to California to sleep in a new bed in a new house. Sigh.

So here we are, with a once-good-sleeper baby, who has forgotten his sleep skills. It is a rare night when one of us doesn't end up on the couch with the Little Bambino. We comfort ourselves with the idea that at least he's not in bed with us, but we know we're kidding ourselves. We know that we have to step up to the plate and be firm and make certain our precious little guy can sleep on his own in his own bed. It's our responsibility as parents. Of course, right now he has another cold and keeps coughing, and next weekend we're having company and then... Well, you get the idea: it's always something.

Romi Gludt, World Traveler

OK, so we didn't go half way around the world this time, but we did spend the weekend in CA over MLK weekend. Talk about a jam-packed four-days of meeting and greeting, eating and laughing. And our little guy was absolutely a trooper. He did fabulously on the plane, taking a nap for a majority of the short trip and then enjoying the woman next to us singing "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" while we landed. Wemet Grandma at Paul's and later that day, Romi got to meet Gila and to see the Bermans, although he had fallen asleep by the time Heather and Mark arrived. All parties involved were disappointed.

On Saturday, Romi spent time with the extended Gludt family. He met loads of cousins and people who are called cousin even though they aren't cousins. Saturday evening was spent with Nana, Papa, Aunt Kim, Uncle Joe, Cousin Austin (who didn't share well!) and Cousin Sabrina. The Rominator was beyond exhausted and I knew I should take him home, but his aunt and cousins had him in such hysterics I couldn't bear to be the party pooper. They were all playing on Joe and Kim's bed, and every time they made him belly laugh they all laughed. Sitting in the family room and hearing everyone enjoying one another's company so much truly did my heart good.

On Sunday, Romi hung out with Carrie and Dan and their kids, Koo-Koo and Lu-Lu (not their real names) in the park. When that was done we scooped him up, shoved him back in the car and headed up to Valencia for more family time! Romi spent Sunday charming Aunt Pam and Uncle Scott, Aunt Dana and Uncle Matt, and his cousins Ben, Alex, Sarah and Lindsay. I can't honestly say who had a better time! But of all my favorite photos of the weekend, I love this shot of Romi and his grandmother playing face to face.



Monday morning saw us meeting Hallie, Joel and Sydney before heading off to the airport. Once again, Romi proved what an expert travel he is by taking a bottle on take off and sleeping for the rest of the flight. Seriously, how did we get to be so darn lucky?!

In other news, Romi is crawling like a madman, which means he's wicked fast, which means he's in the dog's water bowl before we can get to him. He loves to pull himself up on everything and he had his first ever shower, which he pretty much slept through. Go figure.

2009: Off and Running

It 's been quite an exciting year for the newest Gludt. First off, he got to spend a week with Nana and Papa, which he absolutely loved and for which he showed his enthusiasm by throwing up on every member of the family at least once during the week-long visit. Way to go Little Guy! But Nana and Papa were not to be deterred and still enjoyed getting to know their grandson better. My favorite moment of the visit came one night when he was in his bed fussing, long after the time for sleep for little boys had come and gone. I explained to Nana that I wasn't allowed in Romi's bedroom once he had been put to bed; I admit it, I just don't have the fortitude to offer comfort without picking him up. With a dismissive wave of her hand, Nana took all of her grandmother experience and decreed she would take care of it. Nana may have seven surviving grandchildren, but it took a total of, oh, 23 seconds, for her to cave on this one and she came out carrying the little bugger and explaining, "But he was sitting up and smiling at me!" Yeah, sister I know, he's got both our numbers.

Romi continues to grow and explore both his home environment and his food options. I am happy to report that he has a total of five teeth and that he isn't afraid to use them, even on his Abba. Alas, he has also discovered a new hair-raising, goose-bump inducing, shiver-producing trick: grinding his shiny new white teeth together to create one of the most hideous sounds known to man. I can't believe I miss the days when he just ate all my clothing.

The best news of all, however, is that Romi's circumcision surgery is behind us. The day I dreaded went without incident, and I neither accosted nor killed anyone at TMC (as I had predicted I might). Instead, the hospital staff was warm and understanding and did their absolute best to provide us with comfort and information. It hasn't been the best four days of Romi's life, but he's healing, thank God. Of course, I still think they should have given me the Demerol, instead of Romi, but who can explain today's modern medical community?

Aunt Jodi Saves the Day

Romi's cold has been hanging on, determined to linger and last and generally drive everyone in the family crazy. Seeing as wiping the Romster's nose is tantamount to child abuse, we try to wait until we can't possibly stand it any more. Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to bother the little guy to have a glistening wet face. Combined with the fact that he has two new teeth on top, with more clearly on the horizon, our baby's face is always, always, always moist.

I was complaining about the boy's cold to my sister, Jodi, and she offhandedly suggested we buy some eucalyptus drops for his humidifier. Huh? Drops from those big trees that come from Australia and are all over the campus of UCSD? Seeing as Jodi has successfully raised three kids to teenagehood, I figured we'd give it a shot. We headed over to Sunflower, the local hippy-dippy market where we buy our produce. We asked for help in the overwhelming homeopathic section and were pointed to eucalyptus drops of various sizes. Who knew?

When we got home the Little Manaroony was heading for a nap so I insisted Rob put drops in the humidifier. Rob wanted to wait until bedtime but I was curious to see if we could give his bedroom a light jungle smell. Low and behold, when Romi got up, we could see a visible improvement in his nose. He was less congested and could breath easier and he was even less gritchy. Yea Jodi!

When I called to congratulate my sister on her baby-cold-cure prowess, I inquired if she had any remedies for teething. Alas, her expertise didn't extend quite that far, but everyone in the room on the other end of the phone had a suggestion, everything from frozen mini bagels to whiskey. My favorite part of the conversation was when Jodi explained to the kind soul who suggested alcohol on the gums that I was allergic to it and therefore Romi couldn't have any...until she remembered he's adopted.