Beach boy

We took our first family vacation to the beach, and C had a great time. We had a 4th of July cookout with family at my Aunt's cape house, and then stayed on for the week (some days with Grandpa, and some for just our little family). As a baby and child, I spent my summers at the beach and it seemed like no big deal, but as a parent I have to say, there is a lot of stuff to figure out. But in the end, in all worked out. We kept him well protected from the sun with hats, umbrellas, and sunscreen. We lasted about 1-2 hours each day with the exception of Tuesday, which was SO hot that we just put his little pool in the backyard. Speaking of the pool, that was the best $1.99 that I have spent! We would fill it up with ocean water and he would just play with it. There were 2 things that I did not expect...salt water and sand. He would dip his hand into the ocean water, and then lick his whole hand like he was eating a salted pretzel. Once we figured that out, he wouldn't stop. A couple of times he would dip his hand in the sand and try to do the same thing. When we would try and keep his hand out of his mouth, you would have thought that we took sprinkles off of an ice cream cone! C happened to learn a lot of different sounds this week "gurgle gurgle gurgle", "Oooooooo" and just a honky kind of scream. Between that and his ever moving/pulling/standing/side stepping, he has been all boy. No baby in sight! Can't believe it is 2 months until his birthday!

Post party and Pre vacation

Last weekend C went to the 1st birthday party of one of his friends from my mother's group. C is the youngest of the group, and this party was for the oldest. C is the oldest, but one of the biggest! He was one of the only little people who wanted his pacifier sometimes, but he loved waving and playing with bubbles. By the end of the party he was pooped! Passed out for a late afternoon nap. Now we are gearing up for a big family 4th of July cookout and some vacation time at the Cape. Hopefully he will keep this hat on! He gets a big kick out of me trying to put it on...he is quick to grab it right off my head. But then he just waves it back and forth like a toy until I play the -its-on-moms-head game again.

Careful what you wish for...

Oh man, we got what we wished for and now we are in for trouble! After C's 9 month appointment, we decided to encourage him to pull up on things. In the couple weeks since, he has made huge progress. So this morning Matt went to grab a bottle from the kitchen and turned around to see this: C had crawled to his toy bin, pulled up onto his knees, and went through the toys. Then when he was put down for a nap, Matt went to check on him and we was standing up in his crib! I am happy that he figured this out, but now getting him to sleep is 10 times harder...he pulls himself to standing, and can't figure out how to get down!

Hangin Out and Getting Around

Yesterday C and I took a road trip for the day, spending time with two of my girlfriends in NH. We had a great time, and C was a good sport and modeled some winter hats for my crafty friend. We ate lunch at a cozy seafood place on the water and C had the perfect spot near the outdoor deck, so he could look at everyone as they passed by. Both my friends are amazing with cameras, so I have a whole album of the day that I will be printing up!

Monday was his 9 month appointment and he is weighing in at 22 lbs and 7 oz. We have decided to work on helping him pull himself up (no small task with that gut). We have done a little each day, and it is amazing how much he has already picked up...he is now constantly eyeing the coffee table and wanting to stand up! He still drags his tummy as he crawls, but he is getting fast. In the time it took me to rinse off a bottle, he had made his way across the living room and into the kitchen!

Moving and Shaking

We had a great weekend and C was a rock star. It was our 10 year college reunion, and we had a busy weekend that included Friday dinner, Saturday lunch, and Sunday breakfast with friends, being babysat on Saturday night and a house guest too, and through all of it he smiled, put on his cute face, and tried to make friends. He would catch short naps when there was a dull moment between gatherings, but pretty much he just wanted to socialize like usual. We got a fun toy from Aunt Kate in the mail which has been a favorite all weekend. The second picture shows 2 things that he is into right now: running his tongue over his bottom two teeth, and trying to "climb" up our legs in an effort to pull himself up.

Love Bath Time and Dogs

M and C are back from a 5 night trip to NOLA to see the family. 5 nights away was very tough for me...it was the first time I had spent a single night away from C. I did my best to balance my days with things for myself (catching up with friends, finally using a massage certificate, taking a nap or two), doing work, and chores around the house. As much as I missed them, I am glad that they had such a nice trip, particularly with Mimi and this cousins. We also learned that C LOVES dogs, big and small. That doesn't mean we are going to get one, I can barely keep up with the people in this house! He loves bath time in the tub too...glad one of my chores was scrubbing the tub down good in anticipation for C's return!

Our First Mother's Day

I had a great first Mother's Day. It started earlier in the week, when C brought home this little flower and hand prints from daycare. He and M got me flowers and made a really special picture frame with hand prints (they managed to do this while I was out on errands yesterday...quite a messy task, and they still kept it a surprise!)

We spent most of the afternoon downtown. We went to the Boston Common for the "Make Way for Ducklings" parade. I read about this Mother's Day tradition, where kids dress up as duckies and follow the Harvard marching band to the duckling statues. We passed on being in the parades this year. (I am not ruling out making a duck costume in the future, but between the weather fluctuations (80 last weekend, 50s today) and C outgrowing his clothes every other week, this was not the year!) But we had a great time watching. I walk by the Common every day to work, usually not in the most upbeat mood. So to get to spent a sunny (but cold!) day downtown with my boys was such as nice change of pace. We then had a great brunch and then when we got home I took a quick nap!

Also exciting...this weekend C finally figured out how to crawl! It is kind of a one-sided army crawl at this point, but he is definitely moving places. Trouble has begun!