i can't stop smiling!

first, here's a photo of mercer and his giant bear friend from the american cancer society. mercer loves romping around with this big guy. he's so soft!

anyway, mercer came home today after seeing his family in new jersey. daddy spent an evening in new york and saw some fun things (such as a giant melting ice exhibit in cooper square, for example; completely by chance), but nothing compared to seeing mercer's beaming face again. after some snacks and a nap, the family did a little food shopping. pop made dinner for the grown-ups (rigatoni with chicken, spinach, and ricotta) while mommy fed mercer his dinner (some mushy stuff). he's very random when it comes to what he likes; one day he'll love avocados and choke at the sight of them the next.

one amazing development, however, is mercer being able to hold his bottle now. he can't do it perfectly, or even all the time, but he's proven that he can do it when he wants to. it's really unbelievable to see. to pop, it's quite a milestone representing a kind of tenuous step to independence (along with talking back, misbehavior, and other forms of disobedience). to watch mercer hold his own bottle and drink from it is out of this world, especially when images of a helpless, tiny newborn are still fresh in the mind. oh well, better to advance than regress.

a new poll is up. help us decide whether we should keep mercer's hair short, let it grow, or give him a beatle cut!

sleep tight...