Shankopotamus

Well, I'm thinking having The Nibblet around in a few weeks is going to be a piece of cake with all the help I get these days from My Precious. This evening we attended a party celebrating some dear friends, and Andrew had the most lovely time circling the yard again and again pushing this little pink stroller. He didn't bat an eye when a little girl ran up and took the baby doll that was in the seat, so I'll probably need to review the "don't let strangers steal your brother/sister" rules before I let him loose in the neighborhood.


He still loves to assist me in the kitchen, and I wonder at myself sometimes at the things I let him do. "Sure, honey, you can shake the pepper in your hand and lick it if you want ... just warning you that it might taste weird." "You want to crack the eggs? OK." And then, most recently, "Why don't you go ahead and stir the stuff in that bowl while I'm over here washing dishes."

I totally asked for it. I'm just thrilled the bowl landed right side up! I know you're all wondering what heinous concoction he was stirring - it was batter for vegetable pancakes. "Horror and disgust!" you're now thinking, but he likes them, sometimes, depending on his mood, and it's a way I can occasionally get a green vegetable into that little body. (And yes, he's holding the pepper shaker.) (And yes, he had been licking it off his hands.)

He loves to dig in my knitting bag to find yarn and "knitting noodles." He then jams the noodles into the ball of yarn, and his knitting project is complete. I think The Nibblet will look splendid in this, don't you?

And he simply adores feeding the dog. Actually, I think it's the watering of the dog that's his true favorite. He fills up a little cup of water from the refrigerator door, then slowly and carefully walks to the bowl and pours it in. (He waters the plants this way as well ... my houseplants have never been so well tended). Andrew is usually content with giving the dog 2 or 3 scoops of food, so I'm not sure why he decided Shiloh was so hungry that day. It was Wednesday to be exact, and today is Sunday and Shi is still working on that same meal.

And here I am at 8 months. The countdown has begun! I saw my midwife on Friday and I'm 1 cm dilated and having lots of contractions (all Braxton Hicks, but sometimes they'll start coming every 15 minutes or so, making me stop and pay attention). She told me I just need to make it 'til Tuesday (36 weeks) and they'll consider me full-term if I go into labor. Wow! Her guess is that I still have a couple of weeks yet to go, but Mom (Nina) has started sleeping with the phone by her bed, so that makes it all feel quite imminent. Can't wait to meet this little one! But not tonight ... I don't even know if there's clean underwear in the house.