Bloggogriff

It won't be Owen's half-birthday until Wednesday, but close enough. Here's what he's been up to lately: Eating: We started solids this month! He now eats rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and carrots (the latter two lovingly prepared by chef Eric, who did his part to stimulate the economy by buying a real food processor, the better to make baby food with, my dear). Owen loves to hold the spoon himself and pull it to his mouth. He also likes drinking cold water from a cup, although at least half of it runs down his front. Motor skills: In the last few days he has started to sit up unassisted for two or three seconds at a time. With support, he sits very well. He is adept at rolling over and has figured out that rolling repeatedly in the same direction provides a degree of (gasp) independent mobility. He has gotten as far as three feet from his starting point. Time to start the babyproofing. Socializing: He loves seeing the "big kids" and his caregivers at Sacred Hea...

There were a couple of things I wanted to do this weekend: hit REI for some shopping, watch the Soapbox Derby in Dolores Park, visit our friends Cathy and Russell and their daughter Josie in San Mateo. We didn't do any of those things. Instead, we got to check out Long Hospital's pediatric ward. Thursday evening, Owen came down with a case of croup. I only knew what it was because one of his day care classmates just had it. The only thing I knew about croup before now was that it figured in Anne of Green Gables (although I don't precisely remember how). It is a scary little viral infection that mostly targets kids under six. The soft tissues in the throat get inflamed and swollen, causing a cough that sounds like a seal barking and, sometimes, difficulty breathing as the airway gets narrower and narrower. The basic home treatment is Tylenol for the fever and steam from the bathroom shower for the breathing. Around 8 p.m. Friday night, Owen had a major coughing fit with ver...