Joe was sitting on my lap at the computer when suddenly we felt a rumbling, kind of like a heavy construction vehicle lumbering up the road.
But then it got louder, and more intense. Frames on the wall started to sway, and things fell off the shelf above the stove. It went on forever. I was thinking, Earthquake? No. It can’t be.
It was! The epicenter of the 5.9 magnitude quake was just a little west of here.
Joe won’t remember it, but we will! (Patrick felt it at work, and called to make sure we were OK.)
Seems like there was no serious damage, so we’re filing this in the “Neat-O Experiences” category.
It’s summer, and that means that I’m incredibly lazy we’ve been very busy enjoying our free time! But there have been some new developments, so here’s a little update.
Joe had his six-month checkup with the Feeding Clinic at Children’s Hospital. His weight is 105% of what it should be for his height, which is wonderful news. (On our last visit, it was only 91%.) So all of the pureeing, pouring, mixing, mashing, squirting and cajoling is paying off. He’s still below those annoying percentile charts for weight, but since he’s also below the height charts, he is height-weight proportionate. So he’s the size of a kid half his age, but a well-nourished one. (His official stats, for those keeping score at home, are 32 inches, 25 pounds.)
Now that we know the calories are getting to where they should be, we need to work on getting him to feed himself a little. Most people only have to spoon-feed their babies for a few months, and we’ve been doing it for more than two years. Time for him to pull his own weight!
A few days later, he had his first trip to the dentist! With the exception of some slow-moving molars up top, all of his baby teeth are in position and looking good. Patrick, who is Chief of Dental Care as part of his nightly bathing duties, got good marks for keeping Joe’s little choppers nice and clean. And the dentist wasn’t too concerned about the grinding Joe does; she says it’s not uncommon for kids to grind their teeth so loudly that you can hear it from the next room. In his case, it’s not doing any significant damage.
One of his favorite new toys is a big Barbie head (surely there’s a better name for it than that) we found at a thrift store. He likes to chat her up in the mornings and play with her hair:
He is also obsessed with this video:
Tomorrow, we are going to Virginia Beach to attend the Arc’s annual state convention. I recruited my mom to look after him while I’m in meetings and sessions; I hope all three of us will get some beach time while we’re there!
Joe Tremblay 