Friday Photos - Battle Wound

This kid's nails grow faster than... I'm at a loss for something that grows really fast, but let's just say I'm clipping them once a week but could (or should) probably do it twice a week because they get so long so fast. Same thing with the toenails but they don't get cut as often because he wiggles his feet and it's like wrestling a wet fish to try to keep him still enough for me to get them. He wears footed pajamas all day long now so I don't worry about the toes too much; in fact, I may just let those grow until he's a toddler and maybe we can get into one of the Guinness world records books.

The fingernails, however, can't be left to grow because apparently Brock likes to maul himself in his sleep. He woke up one morning this week with this little scrape on his nose, and I realized his nails were a couple of days past due to be trimmed (woops). He didn't seem to mind or notice the wound though, and it adds a little toughness (is that a word?) to his character. But I thought I'd use this week's Friday photo to document his first injury (not counting the time I scratched him with one of my fingernails trying to put a onesie on him when he was a few weeks old or when I accidentally pinched him with the zipper on his pajamas; two mom-inflicted injuries in 5 months isn't so bad is it?). This one was self-inflicted, I promise.

While taking these pictures though, I noticed a few other things I wanted to point out. The first thing: Check out those eyelashes! Man, I would love for mine to be as full and pretty as that; what a waste that they're on a boy! :) The second is that Brock wants to put everything in his mouth these days, including my camera strap that he got a hold of while I was snapping pictures. He grabs for my drink, my cell phone, my food, or anything else I have in my hands when he's around and wants everything to go straight to the mouth.

Another interesting development: Brock is starting to figure something out about my camera. Whenever I use the flash on my camera there is always a little light that comes on just after I push the button to take the picture and just before the picture takes. I think it's a red-eye reduction light or something, but Brock has learned that that light means an even brighter light is about to flash in his eyes so I'm starting to get pictures like these whenever I have the flash setting on. It's funny because he starts squinting and making crazy eyes before the flash ever goes off so I guess I'm going to have to start using more natural light when I'm taking pictures of him so that I can get some decent ones. It's interesting to watch them learn things like this though. Slowly but surely he's growing to be more intelligent than our dog.