Two nights earlier, Ashton cried much of the night, which is highly atypical for him and also wouldn’t eat much. He also had a low-grade fever that responded to baby Tylenol. At the time we thought it was teething, but today I noticed a large quantity of goop coming from his left ear. I decided to take him to Urgent Care to have it checked out. The doc said it seemed like an ear infection that had passed. The goop continued draining for almost a week, but Ashton seemed to have no further discomfort and no meds were required.

From this point on, feet have become the play thing of choice.

Ashton is amazed!

Daniel and I have been trying (without much success) to capture Ashton’s smiles on camera. You’d think this would be easy because he smiles and laughs all the time now and is generally a pretty happy baby. The problem is that when the camera comes out he gets fixated on the shiny object and stops smiling and we end up with a “deer in headlights” type photo. But, this is by far the cutest of the deer photos.

Today Ashton and I went on a field trip to the Rose Garden Park in San Jose because the Silicon Valley Fiddlers Association was holding a jam. Eager for some fiddle music and sunshine, I parked a lawn chair under a shady tree and tried to get Ashton interested in the music. He didn’t complain, but was more interested in watching the people at the birthday party in the next picnic site. Still, I’m trying to get him accustomed to this type of music so that he doesn’t squawk too much when I start taking lessons and practicing.

Of course not – he’s way too young. But boy did he want it! Ashton’s been showing interest in other people’s food lately, but this was the most blatant food lust seen to date. And why not – mommy craves Jamba Juices all the time (and they were a lifesaver during the weeks of gallstone pain when I couldn’t eat much beside fruit smoothies).

It seems the aliens disguised as the former owners of our house left behind their space transport vehicle. Okay, actually they had grandkids and had some left over kid stuff. Bless them for the bouncy chair and the portacrib that is parked right next to my bed and serves as a co-sleeper/bassinet.

I’d had Daniel put the flying saucer up in the attic until he was about 4 or 5 months old. But on a whim, I had him pull it down to see what would happen. Asthon’s still a little floppy in the upright position, but with the help of a pillow, was able to explore the on-board gadgets.

MILESTONE: Favorite: toy

Seems we have a winner in the favorite toy category. Introducing – Mr. Monkey! Ashton grins when the monkey appears and passes time chewing on his ear which makes a soft, though satisfying crunchy sound. It also turns out that the monkey squeaks.

MILESTONE: Outing: playdate

Today Ashton and I went to Frederick Street Park with five other moms and babies we had met in the new mom support group. He eyed 4 month old Dillon with curiosity for a minute or so, but mostly flirted with his mom. Ashton also enjoyed people watching, especially some of the older kids running around.

Since I can’t entertain Ashton every minute of the day (and he seems to be getting bored with the diversions I have available for such times), I went to the store to get some new play things. He got a little play mat where the toys hang over him and a portable swing. The swing is really more for mommy because Ashton often requires movement to settle or go to sleep, and my arms and back get worn out before he does. He was interested in the play mat on the first day, but has become much more so in recent weeks. The mat is kept at Grandma Anderson’s so that he has something to do when he’s there.