E: “Why did you throw out the English Muffins?”
B: “Moldy =(”
E: “That’s not mold, they’re cinnamon raisin.”

We are officially domesticated. Last week, we traded in the sporty two door VW GTI for an economical and sensible VW Passat shaggin wagon. We had been wanting something it would be easy to get L in and out of, while still having enough space for the front seat passenger to have actual legroom in front of the carseat.

We are completely in love with it, we got a great deal and it’s still under warranty until 2011. It has 18,000 miles on it, and has the 2 liter turbo engine found in the GTI.

Last month, we made the decision that the Jeep, with 135,000 miles on it, needed to be sold as well. We did a Craigslist cash sale, and leased a 2009 VW Jetta. It has free maintenance for the first 36,000 miles. Between that and the manufacturer’s warranty, I shouldn’t have to spend any time under these cars fixing them.

The rough part is going up to two car payments again, but we made it work before and can make it work again. The piece of mind that accompanies getting rid of two money pits is worth its weight in an extra monthly payment.

We’ve sure been busy. L has been pulling himself up and standing for weeks now. He’s also been crawling, and has begun making mischief. When I come home from work, there are frequently barriers around the blanketed area of the floor, consisting of everything from furniture to laundry baskets to the huge unopened sacks of dog food.

His allergies are starting to show even more. We introduced him to a good friend’s dog last weekend, and he wound up with welts on his face where the dog licked him. This is identical to what happened with me as a child, so it’s not completely surprising.

He is still on Neocate and breast milk. He is allergic to both milk protein as well as soy. Neocate is the only formula he’s been able to tolerate, without developing face rashes, a stuffy nose, and projectile vomiting. We’ve tried the “hypoallergenic” formulas Alimentum and Nutramigen, to no avail. Apparently Alimentum and Nutramigen use soy oil in their formula. Goat’s milk is another substitute frequently used, but his reaction to goat’s milk was horrific. We reached a point where Neocate and breast milk was the magic cure, and haven’t rocked the boat since.

We’re supplementing with one container of baby food per day. The doctor recommended we stay consistent about the type of food all week, to see what allergies develop. For example, this week is all identical squash baby food. Next week will be all identical green beans.

Needless to say, we’ve started constructing the plastic bubble he’ll have to live in until his teen years.

Despite these minor hiccups, he’s an extremely happy baby. He constantly laughs and smiles, and his face lights up when I walk in the door each evening. I couldn’t ask for more.

We posted E’s Jeep on craigslist, and immediately got a few emails. I brought the Jeep to work last week to show it to someone, as I don’t want people coming to the house.

The first guy liked the Jeep, argued with E that the Yakima bike rack (retail $700) comes with said Jeep, and E told him it wasn’t for sale. He gave me a deposit of $3400, I gave him a signed piece of paper saying I had received a deposit and that the sale would be completed with an additional X amount of dollars.

When E told him the deal was for no bike rack, he flipped. We met to give his deposit back. He told me he doesn’t want his money, he’s talking to a lawyer. Apparently to him, the receipt of deposit is now a sale contract, and in his mind he’s 90% owner of the vehicle. We told him to get fucked, his lawyer told him to get fucked, and I returned his $3400 to the lawyer in exchange for a receipt relieving me of any obligation.

Our final email to him ended with “You have no contract, no title, no part ownership, no completed sale, and after your legal threats and the annoyance you have caused me and my husband, you certainly no longer have an opportunity to do business with us.”

The second guy didn’t like the Jeep, threw $50 gas money at us since we had driven to Plano to meet him, and texted E “trash” at 6am the next morning, followed by “Sorry that was meant for my ex”.

Needless to say, we sold the Jeep yesterday to someone level-headed and well-adjusted, and it was a struggle free sale. I still, however, hate craigslist.

L’s six month birthday was yesterday. Today he went for his six month checkup, to receive more vaccinations. He was a real trooper, and made sure he wore his cape.

Things are changing so rapidly we can’t keep up. First he was able to steady himself on his hands and knees. Then he was able to straighten his back legs and do a makeshift crab walk. Then he was able to scoot himself around the bed and floor in a somewhat crawl. Now he can kneel, grab ahold of our hands, and pull himself up.

We celebrated last night by lowering the mattress in his crib a notch.

The friend I sold the 240 to was a flake to the maximum. I haven’t seen payment, and he dropped the ball on insuring it, registering it, and getting it to pass inspection. It’s the ultimate bad situation.

E and I went with a jump box and repo’d it last night. It’s now stored at my friend’s house, to fix a wiring problem and trailer it back to Dallas from Mansfield this weekend.

It’s fitting this is coming up today, as it’s got an engine from a country with no emissions requirements, and a piece of straight 3 inch pipe instead of a catalytic converter. Happy Earth Day!

I always get asked if L is on “solids” yet. I was perplexed at first by this question, one because a “solid” is a euphemism for poop, and two because there’s nothing at all solid about pureed bananas. But if liquified fruit qualifies as “solids”, then yes, L is on them.

Or, should I say, they are on him. All over him. On his hands, his seat, the entirety of his clothes, his bib, his face, his hair. Very little, if any, actually makes it to his mouth.

He seems to be under the distinct impression that feeding himself is already his job, and that making a fist around the business end of the plastic purple baby spoon full of goopy fruit-foods will somehow accomplish this task.

Until he is a little less overzealous, making any headway at feeding time usually requires continual relocation of his arms with a quiet explanation that they’re better off at his side than wrapped around what he’s trying to eat.

This is what I come home to every day. If you could only hear the giggle, you would understand.