So I won't forget

At 1, he can:

• clap when we ask him to


• dance up a storm (mostly bouncing at the knees, but sometimes he does the snake)


• pick up Cheerios (or dog food nuggets) off the floor


• walk everywhere


• give "kisses" when asked, which is when he smooshes his pacifier-mouth against my face... or the dog's face... or AB's face... or a stuffed animal's face


• cry whenever I tell him "no"


• sit still for more than 15 seconds... but not more than 1 minute


• chuckle at almost everything


• smile using every square centimeter of his face, including his beautiful eyes

His favorite song is the Alphabet Song or anything on 94.7.

His favorite foods are Cheerios, chicken nuggets, pizza, and green beans.

He likes toys that make music (which always prompts the dancing).

Driving music

This weekend, we turned Angry Little Baby's car seats around, so now he will face forward in both of our cars. He's not quite one yet, but he's well over 20 pounds, the little tank. (He's already wearing AB's 24 month and 2T clothes. Ack.)

As I was grunting around in the backseat, I took the opportunity to clean out my car. It's always a mess, I admit. My favorite discovery among the trash collected on the backseat floormats (hey, when your kids' feet can't touch the floor, there's no big hurry to get that area cleaned up) was the mass of Yahoo! Maps directions to various courthouses in random parts of the state.

I also cleaned out my glove compartment. I have a bad habit of just putting in new insurance and registration docs without removing and throwing out the old ones. Hence, a lot of expired data in there. I also have CD cases for CDs that I haven't listened to in roughly three years. One of the CD cases had two CDs jammed in there, and one of the CDs was the soundtrack to the movie The Saint. Pretty bad movie, although Val Kilmer and Elizabeth Shue are both nice to look at for a while. (I like Shue, but I just can't buy "Alli-with-an-i" as a brilliant physicist.) The soundtrack, however, is pretty good, at least in terms of driving music:

• "The Saint Theme" by Orbital


• "Six Underground" by Sneaker Pimps


• "Atom Bomb" by Fluke


• "Da Funk" by Daft Punk


• "Dead Man Walking" by David Bowie

This is excellent trying-to-make-it-through-traffic music. I decided to keep the CD in my car for my next emergency-drive-to-the-court-for-last-minute-filing episode. Or my next we-found-the-subpoena-dodging-witness-but-he'll-only-be-here-for-another-few-hours episode.

What's your driving-through-traffic music? I'm not talking fun roadtrip music (for me, that's A Decade of Steely Dan, for one), but stuff that gets you pumped up for dealing with all the crap out there on the roads.

Angry critics are the best critics

Via Jane Dark, via Crunchy Granola, here are my top 20 career interests, according to some test:

1. Critic

2. Public Policy Analyst

3. Political Aide

4. Writer

5. Market Research Analyst

6. Translator

7. Criminologist

8. Activist

9. Communications Specialist

10. Print Journalist

11. Lobbyist

12. Certified Public Accountant

13. Personal Financial Planner

14. Dental Lab Tech

15. Plumber

16. Insurance Underwriter

17. Civil Litigator

18. Criminal Lawyer

19. Lawyer

20. Upholsterer

Number 3 cracks me up, because I hate the phony world of politics (says the woman who has lived and worked near DC most of her life). I would love to be a writer, of course, and I like how that's ahead of all the lawyer positions (numbers 17-19). I also think it's cool that my pre-law career is listed higher than the law positions.

Of course, tonight I wish I was number 15, because the toilet is leaking.

Mmm, Southern-cooked fat

All the eating establishments that I wish we could've stopped at on our trip:

• Steak 'n' Shake


• Bojangles


• Checkers


• The Varsity


• Church's Chicken


• Mrs. Winner's

Place we did stop at:

• Waffle House

So it was all good.

AB's impression of Waffle House: "I LOVE Waffle House! I want to eat here every day!"

Sorry, sweetie. Mama ain't driving 23 miles each way (our nearest one) so you can get yourself a waffle.

No offense to Christopher Reeve or Brandon Routh*

For his birthday, AB got a sweet set of Superman PJs from his grandparents. It's got a detachable velcro cape and everything. He put on the PJ top after dinner with the grandparents and kept it on all evening, occasionally running around with one fist straight out ahead of him, just like in all the posters.

He asked that we call him "Superman" for the rest of the night. We did as requested. At bedtime, NSAH said, "Time to go to the potty, Superman."

AB replied: "Superman can't go potty."

NSAH: "Why not?"

AB: "Superman doesn't have a penis."

Someone page Lois Lane...

* Or George Reeves or Dean Cain or Tom Welling.

How'd you get so big?

Well, I don't know how, but I love your grown-up speech patterns and your affectations. I love that you walk around with your hands in your pockets (just like your mommy) and I love that you refer to your baby brother as "my baby."

Happy birthday, Angelboy.