Growth Spurt

Anders has developed quite a bit in the last week.
On Wednesday, we had a setback in the long process of trying to sell our house. I was on the phone much of the day and quite agitated. I needed to get out of the house, so I took Anders to the public library. Anders was totally keyed in on my bad mood in a manner I didn't fully understand until we entered the children's section and I put him down to walk. He took one step and then face planted. I picked him up and tried to comfort him, but for one of the few times ever, maybe the only time, he was inconsolable. I eventually slinked out of the library out the back door and walked around on the grass to reach the car. Anders continued to cry in the car until I calmly asked Anders to stop crying or else I might lose it; he immediately stopped crying. (I understand that when you read a sentence like that you say, yeah right, especially if you have a young child of your own, but this is literally true. Literally. Copyright Joe Biden.)
So yesterday, with his grandparents in town, we walked down to get Anders' hair cut. Without a morning nap owing to his excitement at the new audience, I didn't know what to expect. I should not have worried as the barbershop housed many of Anders' favorite things: mirrors to look at the baby, lights, and fans. Plus, Dave or "Bill Clinton" as my friend Bill and I call him, was a maestro. He ushered in grandparent photos to start the session, then ushered the spectators out, I remained in front of Anders, then at the beginning of the end of the cut, he called for the video camera. It all went off quite smoothly. Anders even sat patiently on the other side with his grandparents as I got my hair cut. The only hiccup was upon entering the shop, he threw his sippy cup of milk into the floor with the hard action of a left handed slider. Anders kept grabbing his ears and the back of his head as he tried to figure out where his hair went. We had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. After his food was ploped down in front of him, he immediately started chowing down on his fries like a hungry teenager. He also almost literally inhaled his macaroni and cheese. There is a funny video that I hope to get on facebook soon of his inhaling, then Dorene tried to wrestle the bowl away, but Ando's crazy baby strength was too much for her! Anders then led my by the hand through the bar side of Buffalo Wild Wings. Our future fraternity president looked right at home there! Paul jokingly said that Anders will want to go to OU. I think his mother would have something to say about that!
And on top of everything else, Anders took a record 26 steps on his own yesterday!