Extreme Mammals (really)

 After months of waiting, finally took Sam  the Extreme Mammals exhibit at the science museum. It features displays with fossils and information about prehistoric mammals.

The ad for the exhibit says, "Stand in the shadow of the largest land mammal that ever lived—the 16-foot-tall Indricotherium. Peek at a Bumblebee Bat so tiny, it weighs only about as much as a dime."

It's a testament to the truly strange mammals that have evolved. The saber-toothed tiger is just the start. A small whale that walked on land and looked something like a cross between a dolphin and an alligator (did you know whales have vestigial hind legs?); something like a large okapi with a short trunk; a deer without antlers and with big fangs instead; actual hair from a woolly mammoth--oh, and pygmy mammoths which stood about four feet tall; etc. Some really neat finds have been uncovered. No photos were allowed, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Other than that, a quiet weekend. Sam's been fighting off a minor cold, home from school Fri, but was well enough Sat to go to a bday party for a classmate. It was at a party facility, as they all are. The last two were at Chuck E. Purgatory's; Saturday's was at a facility with large inflated rides. At one point they even had a tug-of-war between half a dozen parents and about two dozen kids, plus a worker. The kids won, barely. The hostess for the party also did some magic tricks with the birthday girl. The cake was amazing, based on the game Angry Birds (see pathetic cell-phone photo). Not safe for Sam, so it's good we had to leave a little early.

Then Sam's friend Lexy came over for a play date. A good time was had by all.

This weekend a book I was reading with Sam said something or other would be "a real home run".

Sam wanted to know what a "home run" is.

Really, you all need to start teaching him about sports. We tried. He has no interest whatsoever unless the game is either Tag or Running Around Like a Maniac.

Actually, this year I expect some synapses to bloom and his hand-eye coordination to surpass the ball-catching threshold, and then suddenly he'll want to do that all the time. I look forward to it.

Below, two Joshie videos. In one he's trying to eat a balloon. Yes, we are aware this could end in tears. "Life lesson" tears, though. In the other he's playing with a new chandelier. Fun!

Josh is cruising effortlessly now, and crawling fast. When we want to let him have fun we follow him as he crawls around the house.

If Josh were heir of Downton Abbey that would make him the "creepy Crawley." (Man I've been waiting weeks to work that in!)

He's also developed a quiet, intense cackle which makes him sound like an evil scientist planning world domination. He whips this out when something really good happens.

Have a good week!