A year has passed...

Okay, not really. It just seems like a long time since I last posted. In reality, it has only been a couple of weeks. But Derek is growing up so fast it's hard to keep up with him!
First things first: He can crawl!
He started crawling just in time for Mother's day. I like to think it was his own special gift for me. I don't want to think about the deeper meaning (Mom, I think you need to lose some weight, so I'm gonna give you a really good opportunity to get exercise. Chase after me! I'll get into anything and everything!)
Derek has acquired a new tooth as well as his mobility. Judging by how cranky he has been just this evening, I suspect another is not far behind. Once this next one breaks through, he will have six teeth. He is really enjoying his cheerios these days.

I will be posting new pictures soon, hopefully.

Speaking of pictures.
I have a short story to relate.
As it has been a while since we had pictures taken of Derek, and we came across a great deal, we scheduled an appointment, and I took him to the photographer on Wednesday. The photographer wanted to know if I had any specific poses in mind, and I said no, whatever worked best for her was fine. She asked me if he could sit up by himself yet, and I said yes.
She took out this tiny little toddler-sized park bench and set it up. I put him on the bench and he looked soooo cute! He was happy as could be sitting up there. His feet almost touched the ground, but not quite. What does a happy-go-lucky little boy do when his feet don't touch the ground in the chair he is sitting on?
I was digging in my purse for a comb when he began to swing his feet. At first it was a little innocent thing... then he discovered that swinging his feet was FUN! So he swung his feet more. Higher. Harder. Before long he had just enough momentum to tip his whole body forward. And fall flat on his face.
There was this moment of silence following the initial thud where my heart was racing. Then began the screams.
I was terrified. The photographer didn't know what to do. Derek had fallen as directly on his nose as a person could. Very soon his nose began to bleed. I was wondering if he had broken his nose. It took about five minutes, but he stopped screaming, and stopped crying, and his nose was not broken. A few more minutes of wiping his face and replacing props with something else, and he was ready once again to pose for the camera. He was very clingy for the next half an hour or so, but he was very good. He got his pictures taken.
It will be interesting to see them when they come in; I'm sure he will look like a little Rudolph. But he will be a very cute one.