Here is Oliver taking a bath with his mom. He's now smiling (almost) all the time and starting to babble and make baby sounds. His regular cycle is like this: A) wake up B) fuss and cry C) eat D) smile and giggle E) sleep F) repeat. We're working on his grip now, placing a rattle in either hand and seeing how long he'll hold, and maybe shake it. So far, he holds the rattle much longer with his left hand. Today he actually took the rattle out of my hand with his! These little milestones keep us going.

Jenny is going back to work later this month and I will be taking February and the first week of March off. I'm looking forward to it, but as much as I want to make a mental list of all the things I can get done, I've learned from Jenny and my own time babysitting that the baby takes a LOT of attention. I'll be lucky to get the dishes done. His daytime naps are brief. What would we do without our wonderful parents to watch him now and then?

Right now I'm at the computer with him beside me, crying in his little swing. I've just put a CD of baby "nighttime" music on. Maybe if he stops crying for a moment, he can enjoy a little Tchaikovsky played slowly on metal drums. Maybe I'll need to pick him up or sing him a little song. -Keith

A visit from our friends Joel and Kyoko and their daughters Mei (3) and Kaya (7 months).

Oliver dressed up for a walk with his mom and dog on a cold day.