This Little Piggy

Needless to say, Son of Jake T. Pig is an excellent oinker. Neither of us can oink this way, Griffin just picked it up from watching the ever-dwindling number of pigs at Ryder's house. One of the aspects of toddler-hood that I really enjoy is watching Griffin pick up skills we didn't teach him. Especially skills he learns directly from pigs.

NEWS FLASH: Guess who successfully peed in the potty? No, not Jake, he's pretty good at it these days. It was Griffin!

This morning Griffin had his first actual pee IN the potty as opposed to NEAR the potty or ON the rug. We're trying to introduce the potty, without introducing stress, guilt or shame, in the hopes that he will eventually pick it up sometime between now and kindergarten. Right now the whole potty thing is very casual. For the first few weeks, the potty was a novelty and Griffin preferred to sit on the potty, while watching TV and getting to know his johnson. When he tired of this activity, he would run into his room and pee on the futon. What a fratboy!



Here is Griffin doing his happy little dance with the toy Uncle Patrick scoured the Bay Area searching for. Those of you who were, or had, 70s babies will remember the pull-the-string toy that went, "The cow says, 'Mooooo'....." Apparently none of the schmancy Bay Area toy stores would lower their standards to carry "mooo-ing" hunks of plastic and were happy to tell Patrick to shove off. I'm of the mindset that you should work at an indie-rock CD store if you want to have that attitude, but thankfully Pat found a Target in El Cerrito that carried the moo-er. Griffin calls it "Farmer" and it is his new favorite toy. I say to the chi-chi boutiques "Moo You!"

If Loving Lilah is Wrong...

Since there is some justice in the universe, Griffin is hitting it off really well with Lilah. We are in talks with the Mince-Didier-Sober-Didier-Sobers to determine dowry and bride price. I'm pretty sure Lilah is worth at least four oxen and a half dozen goats. I'll even throw in a 50 pound sack of rice if they'll hang on to her until after she's done with the whole teen-angst/Twilight phase.

Ave and Sam came up last weekend because Sam heard that Piggy Sue had been taken out like Old Yeller. That man loves pig-related events. Our dear Coonass friends, Clay and Sarah, eloped to Burning Man and the pig roast was their reception/Luau. We stayed out WAY past our bedtimes and didn't get home 'til almost 11. Somebody call the Parent Patrol!



We relive this video 20+ times a day. Griffin will get this happy, wistful look and say, "Lilah. Sippy. Funny," and then he will giggle to himself. I love Lilah's uncomplicated determination to get her mouth on the sippy cup at ALL COSTS. At this preverbal but highly mobile phase, she reminds me of John Belushi as Bluto, lolling drunkenly and menacingly towards her goal. Griffin's only got five pounds on her, but at least he can run faster than she can crawl. For now.



For those of you who truly enjoy the antics of mini-Button and mini-Avo, here is another video of how we roll on a lazy Sunday in Willits. If you aren't already celebrating Becky & Ave Day (November 21st, btw) these videos may get gratuitous, but if you need more G-n-L, check it out.



A few days after Lilah left, Griffin decided he wanted her back. This is how he pines at the window. He also told me he wanted to hold Ave. I'm not sure how Sam is going to take this.

Now if only we could get Maddie Sullivan out here and we could finally have the Baby Beaver Toddler Triumvirate. Our plan for world domination would be in full effect. Little people with big heads shall inhabit the earth. Bwah-hah-hah.

Public Service Announcement

Is your cat unable to follow written instructions? Does she struggle to write her name? Well then, it may be that YOUR cat can't read. Before you drown her in the river- WAIT! There is a better way.

Help defeat the scourge of feline illiteracy by providing your cat with a certified Feline Reading Tutor. We can send one to your home RIGHT NOW to help your bad fat cat learn to read.

Your cat CAN read.


Step One: Our certified Feline Reading Tutor will drag the suspected illiterate cat out from under the table.


Step Two: When selecting books for a beginning feline reader, it is important to consider the cat's interests before making your choice. Books about animals are a good bet, as are Garfield and Heathcliff books. Our trained Feline Reading Tutor has many grade-level books about giraffes, squirrels, farm animals and hippopotamuses. (Potami?)


Step Three: After reading with your feline, our handsome feline tutor will leave some books behind for her to read independently, maybe something by Margaret Wise Brown or Maurice Sendak.


Note: Some particularly reluctant feline readers may be extra challenging and can even resort to sleeping in the hall closet. Our certified Feline Reading Tutor will be persistent. VERY persistent.


We have ways of making cats read.