File Under: You Can't Win

This morning, to escape our hot apartment, I packed a bag and climbed on a nice, cool, air-conditioned bus with Cosmo. We rode downtown, bought donuts, took them into my work, and enjoyed coffee with my colleagues in a nice, cool, air-conditioned break room. With one of said colleagues, we then went to lunch at a Thai restaurant (yep, air-conditioned). Cosmo seemed to enjoy it, even though I didn't give him any fish sauce. The Museum of Contemporary Art, my next planned air-conditioning stop, was closed, so we spent some time at Borders. I browsed a bit and also let Cosmo wiggle on the floor in a quiet corner.

Finally, we rode home on an express bus (nice and cool), which let us out at the top of our street. As I walked down Marine Drive, Cosmo's bare arms and legs wiggled outside the Baby Bjorn, and I held an umbrella over his head to shield him from the sun's brutal rays. It was definitely hot, but a fitful breeze kept it from being stultifyingly so.

Ahead of us, a woman stopped. With a sorrowful look on her face, and an Eastern European accent in her voice, she said, "Why do you bring the baby outside when it is so hot? It is very dangerous!"

Flirting, Seagulls, and Cicadas

Today I took Cosmo to the bank to open his savings account. The ladies there were fawning over him, and he was loving the attention. One of them said, "He's a flirt. He's going to be a real ladies' man. You're going to have to watch out in 16 years."

Which is funny, because on Monday, the guard at Felix's school said to him, "You better watch out. Eighteen years from now, I'm gonna look you up!"

I guess the age of consent is going down.

*****

Tonight we took Felix to the lake to feed the seagulls. It was a little scary for him at first, but then he liked it.

Felix: These guys are funny.

*****

Felix has been working on his bug identification. Tonight, when the first cicada started up, he said...

Felix: That bug is a cicada. That bug is loud.

A few days ago, however, he hadn't quite mastered it.

Felix: That bug is a quesadilla.

Laundry Day

Who says three-and-a-half months is too young to help out around the house?



As you can see, Cosmo was all tired out from doing laundry.

And Our Blood Ran Cold

Last night during our rooftop BBQ, Felix decided he was ready for a big challenge.


Felix: I can climb down building.

Overheard in the Living Room

As Felix takes the Miss Spider toy away from Cosmo:

Felix (chanting): You need to share. You need to share.

Outside Again

Cosmo was glad it finally stopped raining so we could go outside.


After this picture was taken, he promptly fell asleep.

Grandma Nancy's Visit

Grandma Nancy came to visit last Tuesday and stayed until Sunday. It was her first time meeting Cosmo. She dove right in...



...and got down to business. Well, baby business.

It was incredibly hot over the weekend. We went to the beach on Saturday, where Felix enjoyed shoveling water...

...and moving water from the lake to the beach.

Grandma Nancy was there to help him get the sand out of his ears.

Thanks for visiting, Grandma Nancy! See you again soon in Montana (with Grandpa Wolf, too)!

North Oaks

We had a great time visiting the Keys in North Oaks over the long Fourth of July weekend. Felix and Auntie Iris heard bells ringing...


...while Grandpa Dick got a lot of hands-on time with both of his grandsons...

...and Grandma Neva did, too.

We enjoyed a diverting trip to the Mall of America (now that's a mall), but the real theme of the weekend was water. Felix helped Grandpa Dick water the garden...

...and lolled on the shores of Pleasant Lake...

...before retiring to his own private pool.

After that, he needed to freshen up in the sprinkler.

Cosmo celebrated the Fourth by wrapping himself in the flag. And then eating it.

3-D Felix

"Everything is red and blue."

(Usually when he puts on sunglasses, he says, "Everything is orange"--not this time!)

More from our Minnesota trip soon. Keir is home with Cosmo!