Day 159

Editor's note: The following entry is excerpted from the prison diary of our subject, Nikolai.

Day 159 - I contemplate escape once again, but the guard on duty, the one they call "mommy" caught me with her digital surveillance equipment. As you can see from the photos, they have both stationary and mobile retention devices that I am kept in a good deal of the time, except for a few hours a day when they force me to do hard "tummy" time in the supervised "play mat" area. The guards aren't too bad - they try to amuse me with songs and shiny objects, and they have upped my daily rations from plain milk to also include a watery gruel. I am so weak that they are forced to spoon feed me . . . the spoon even has a rubber coating so that I cannot dig my way out of this place.

I would write more, but most pointy objects are kept away from me, and I find my supplies limited . . . There is a small blue bear that I associate with on occasion. I have asked him to get word to the authorities, but I fear his situation is worse than mine . . . they have bound his arms and legs around a rubber ring with beads and a rattle between his bottom paws. . . I don't know if he will even be fit to re-introduce to the wild. Sometimes they torture him in something ominous called "the washer." He is never quite the same when he returns. - From the diary of NWH

Please, may I have some more?

Here is the cute guy, enjoying the spoon just a little bit more than the cereal. Notice how his eyebrows are coming in . . . his dad and uncle John were both concerned when he was born that he didn't really have any. Today is his 5 month birthday - I'm thinking we'll need some cake for 6 months (not for him of course, for me - sorry baby!).

One of the babies in his daycare class learned to crawl a bit last week. This morning, I put him in a bumbo seat, and she scootched right over to steal his sock. He'll have to learn to crawl soon just to fight back! (um, by fight, I mean play and share nicely)

Fun With Giraffes

It seems like there are tiny new milestones every day . . . Nikolai is starting to pay attention to his toys, and even protested when Colin took away his giraffe toy from Uncle Stephen & Aunt Christy today (mean daddy!). He knew where it was and kept looking at it from across the room. He started getting a little rice cereal at dinnertime last week, which he isn't quite sure about, and has started rolling over to sleep on his side at night.

Some believe that life is beautiful. . . Nikolai believes that it is delicious. If it is small enough to pick up and put in his mouth, he does, and if it isn't, he'll do anything in his power to get in for a taste. Funny how kids don't like vegetables, but somehow chairs, blankets, door knobs and lead paint chips are yummy.

Nikolai Earns His Wings

We've been quite the travelers lately . . . after getting home from Oklahoma, we turned my first post-Niko business trip into a little family vacation. Nikolai and Colin joined me in Lake Lure, NC for some meetings, and then we headed out to Asheville, NC to see the Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. Nikolai was wonderful on the plane and made friends everywhere he went.

He had his own little travel bed. . .

but seemed to prefer the king-sized all to himself.

Catching Up

We're sad to say that Nikolai's first trip to Oklahoma to see his Humphrey family was to attend the funeral of his great-grandmother, Katherine Verona Humphrey, pictured here second from the left. This is Colin and Kassie with thier grandparents in the mid-70s. Although it was a sad trip, we had a wonderful time re-connecting with the family, and Nikolai got to meet his Aunt Katherine, in from Alaska, as well as his great aunts and uncles from Arkansas and Dallas.

Great Aunt Camille & Uncle Roger

Aunt Kat brought authentic muckalucks from
Alaska to keep Nikolai's tootsies warm this winter!

Grrrrr. . . .

What a gut punch to see a kid with so much promise in a MU jersey. Now I know how Chase Daniel's mom must feel. Much love to Uncle Sean starting his second season with Tigers for the tight gear.

Labor Day

It was a busy weekend for the Humphreys! After two evenings at the Irish Festival with family and friends, we headed out to Powell Gardens to enjoy a little nature with Elaine & Tobias, in from Wichita. Here is the little guy in his sun-proofed traveling outfit.

Niko at 4 months

Nikolai had his 4-month check-up last week, and he weighed in at 15 lbs and 25 inches tall, which is in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. This photo is at the un-official weigh-in with Grandma and Grandpa, where he scored off the charts in cuteness and cuddle-bility.