Frankenhead

That's the new nickname that Pat and I just came up with for Sawyer, only it's a few months too late. His really huge head days are behind us, or at least I think they are. Here's a picture of our new raceboat driver. He did not want to get out of there.

Life is back to normal. The first few days I thought Sawyer would never adjust to the new schedule. Unlike our first few days in the states, there was no gradual improvement each night. After 3 nights of me being up pretty much the whole night laying on the carpet half asleep trying to stifle Sawyer's excitement over the Baby Einstein DVD (which was meant to keep him quiet), he just sort of snapped into the regular routine. We enjoyed several nights of sleeping 14-hours straight with bonus 2-hour naps twice a day. Now he's completely back to normal as he sleeps more like 11-12 hours and is down to one 1-hour nap a day.

Our house has been something of a love-fest. This walking thing makes hugs much more dramatic. Sawyer can open his arms wide and do the wobbly toddler run toward me for a bear hug complete with "errrrgghhh" sound effects. The random kisses have returned (yes!!!). Rough-housing on the floor has gotten more rough and crazy, but at the same time more affectionate since so many kisses and hugs are thrown in. I love it when we're tossing each other around on the carpet and Sawyer gets tired and just lays his head on my lap or my chest for a break. Something that's not part of the love-fest: treating mommy and daddy like we're giant lottery tickets. Sawyer has been going through a phase where he scratches us...well, mainly me. It's sometimes out of anger and sometimes just because. Sometimes it's because he's enjoying my attention and someone else enters the mix. Scraaatch on my chest or arm or eyelid. "Mommy how dare you speak to someone else in my presence." To combat this nasty behavior, we've tried to teach him a couple things. One is how to touch gently. We model this tons and I know he knows the words because if he's really mad, he'll scratch us twice as hard after we tell him to be gentle. "I got your 'gentle touch' right here, Dragonlady." Sawyer now also knows the sign for pain or hurting. You take your two pointer fingers, and point them toward each other tapping them. This is a sign that he learned within a few hours because this new walking has caused so much falling that there are lots of opportunities to model it. So, now when he scratches us, he of course gets the stern "No NO" and all that with an added "Scratching hurts mommy [sign], be gentle [help Sawyer stroke my arm gently]." What has this led to? Now, Sawyer scratches me, makes the hurt sign, and then strokes my arm gently. He repeats these actions all the time in that order.

Today we walked to the Ambassador Hotel down the street to check out the big birds they have in cages at the outdoor area on the third floor. I took Sawyer in the stroller for our 10 minute walk at the idiotic hour of 12. It was getting overcast so I thought that would be nice, we'd catch some shade before the rain starts. Nope. The sun was out about 2 min. after we left our apartment. I left my wallet at home so I couldn't replenish the sippy cup that Sawyer drained about 5 min. after we'd left. Then at the hotel, these Thai ladies came up to us and started trying to make Sawyer's cheeks jiggle, or something like that. What I hate more than strangers molesting my kid is the pathetic way I freeze. I sit there thinking, "Oh get OVER it lady and move on with your day," instead of literally moving Sawyer on so they won't touch him. Too often I catch myself frozen after having tried to be polite for far too long. These ladies started saying, "No good, no good," at him and then something to me in Thai, looking me straight in the eye. I wanted to tell them what I noticed about them that was "no good," but couldn't say it in Thai. Later, a couple ladies raced up to Sawyer and I (just when he was getting excited about the macaws) and insisted on having their picture taken with us. I was okay with it as long as I was in the picture, but probably shouldn't have let them do that either, right? Who knows? This is such a weird place, sometimes.

Speaking of weird...last weekend the 3 of us when to Central World mall to check out a photography exhibit called "Earth from Above" that featured aerial photographs of all sorts of places. It was pretty interesting. The huge photos were set up outside the mall on lighted stands. We got inside, the usual blaring Thai yelled through a microphone advertising some stupid sale, booths set up to sell you vacations, and a few areas that looked blocked off to hold something that is...alive. We're pushing the stroller by all this hooplah, noticing a small crowd of people looking inside a little sectioned-off area. Pat said, "Looks like it's for an animal." Yeah. Baby white bengal tiger. Sleeping. My first thought: I'm in the mall looking at a tiger. Second thought: I can SO see this on the news in the US, me getting my face ripped off by this tiger, people in the US saying, "Man they just have no regulations over there!" Because they DON'T! Aside from that, it was pretty amazing! Sawyer got to see the tiger and pet another animal. If you know the name of it, please let me know. My bet is on Uncle Don, our family zoologist. It tried to take Sawyer's finger off. Are the grandparents already negotiating who'll have custody of this little guy once HRS gets a hold of me and Pat?