Michael Stephen Pond

Michael, while the joy and entertainment of our lives, has been giving us a bit of trouble lately. Now that he crawls, he is exhausting! He follows us from room to room, pulling up on our legs, and disinterested in any of his own toys. And the fussiness!! I think it's the result of a sleep schedule that's off, a bad diaper rash, and general boredom. By the time JD gets home from work every day, I need a nap (and take one too!). I really do think it will get easier if the weather ever warms up. At least we can start taking walks and playing in the park. Michael LOVES the swings! He laughs the whole time he's playing. But he also loves just sitting in the woodchips and watching the other kids on the playground. He's finally noticed that something other than animals live on the planet. I keep telling myself, "it's going to get easier," but haven't I been saying that since he was born?! So that's why 14-year olds used to have kids!

Is Spring Really Almost Here?

We finally got outside this weekend! The temperature climbed above 60 degrees, so we spent a lot of time walking, doing yard work, and walking. It feels sooooo good to get outside. I told JD, why is it so easy to get back into a Spring routine and so hard to get into a Winter one?

Michael also had a random case of hives Wednesday morning, but of course by the time we got to the doctor, they were gone. We're keeping our eyes open for a repeat.

Spring Break and Such

Of course, as all holidays do, Spring Break week flew by. For the most part, it was a normal week since JD had to work, but I did get work accomplished and had some fun at the same time. The biggest suprise was when JD sent Danielle and I to hear the Vienna Boys' Choir preform in Peoria on Tuesday night. It was a complete suprise, and he was so sweet to make my Spring Break a bit more exciting. Emily and I tried to take our "first walk of Spring" with Michael on Friday, but Michael was not having any of it. Too windy for him, I guess. We also made it back to the Children's Discovery Museum on Saturday morning with Gen, Greg, and Brendan. Grandma and Grandpa Francesconi bought Michael a membership for his upcoming birthday in May, so we are already taking advantage of it. And that's not all they got him! He also received a cool
rocking horse that he loves to ride. Check out the video:

Crawling

Oh, my! Crawling opens new worlds for the whole house. Michael is now constantly on the go, and that means that JD and I have to be too. The house is now baby-proofed (i.e. my sense of decor now means nothing), and Michael has already established a route around the main floor that includes the front door, where he pulls the elastic on the jackets that hang in the closet, the bathroom, where he opens and shuts the cabinet doors a few times, the kitchen, where he plays with his refridgerator magnets and checks on his stash of bibs, and the dining room, where he pets his new rocking horse. It's exhausting. Not to mention the constant pulling up on everything from trash cans to stools to the staircase. I'm constantly dashing to save him from a bumped head. But, I must admit, it's absolutely adorable.