My little boy is 10 months old already! He's all hands & knees when crawling now, and man he gets around fast! He pulls himself up like a pro and sometimes when he lets go, he'll hover a little before plopping on his behind. He's started pivoting when sitting up using just his legs. It looks like a little breakdance move! He loves throwing his toys down the stairs. It's pretty funny watching him crawl back and forth to grab a toy and then throw it through the banister slats!
He's understanding more and more. Hopefully getting the hang of the word "no". When he's in the right mood and you ask him for a kiss, he'll come at you with an open mouth until he gives you a kiss! He's adding more and more consonants to his "vocabulary". Dadada is still the most used. He'll occasionally through Daddeeee into the mix. He also likes to say nanana, rarara, and once in a while he'll throw in a mamama.
He FINALLY popped a tooth last week (for my own reference - August 17th is when I first noticed it). He loves feeding himself and has almost completely phased out being fed. He'll still do yogurt for lunch, and maybe 1 or 2 baby food meals in a jar a week for dinner. He loves bagels, macaroni, toast, string cheese, most fruits, and surprisingly canned green beans and frozen peas. He'll eat a little ground beef or chicken. I need to find a way to sneak some more veggies into the mix. He likes throwing his food on the floor with a very defiant look on his face. Drives me crazy! But I think he's still too young to pick a fight with over it.
He's sleeping VERY well these days. He'll still do 11-12 hours at night and now he'll take about a 2 hour nap in the morning and afternoon!
He's getting over his stranger anxiety. He's still a little sensitive if some people make the wrong face at him, but he's doing better at letting other people hold him besides me or Jack.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Wedding season finale
Where have I been for the last 3 weeks? It's been crazy. Jack and I took off on adventures to opposite sides of the country on July 29. He flew off to Seattle and I drove to Boston with Evan. Jack was the best man for his life-long friend Tom Garrity. We determined earlier in the summer that while it would be awesome to have a family vacation in Seattle, Evan would not endure the trip. So I went to Maine to be with his family with a night in Boston to visit Dan & Tara Van Horne (& Alex!). We had a blast catching up and even though they're over a year apart, the boys played together so well!
I continued on to Maine the next morning and for the first time ever, I arrived by 10:30am! It's a lot easier when you're heading out from Boston! We said some quick hellos and then sent off Papa Jon, Strom, Catherine and Joseph for an overnight hiking trip. We enjoyed some quiet quality time with Gram and Aunt Regan for the next 2 days. You would never know it was the week before her wedding by looking at Regan. Our days were spend sunbathing, lounging in the pool, shopping, going out to dinner, watching movies, stargazing, campfires.... pretty much the usual! It was suuuch a relaxing week leading up to her wedding.
Jack flew in to Portland on Tuesday (Aug 3) after enjoying a few days with his cousin and exploring Seattle after the wedding. Unfortunately, we both ended up catching some nasty stomach bug that we managed to kick right before the wedding. It left me a few pounds lighter (only 1.5 more to go to the pre-preg weight!) but it also left my dress looser!
The wedding went off without a hitch (other than a song mixup at the reception). The weather was PERFECT... 73, partly cloudy and a light breeze. The setting was gorgeous. It was a grassy amphitheater behind the public library in Camden which is a quaint coastal town in Maine. There was a harbor across the street with a bunch of sailboats and yachts. The cool thing about the location is that when we went to Camden after Jack's graduation, we explored around the town after dinner and came across the amphitheater and Regan said "I'd love to get married here someday"... and she did! Something else that was really sweet about the wedding is that Regan had never seen Strom in his dress blues before, so they both got to have a "see each other for the first time" moment in what they were wearing for the wedding. She came down the aisle to the very fitting theme for Band of Brothers before marrying her military man. After a sweet ceremony and some pictures, we headed to the reception around the corner at the Whitehall Inn, a lovely maintained yet historic B&B. They hired a 4 piece band that played hits from the 40's. Such a classy reception. So much dancing to be done, and somehow I didn't get enough! It was so sweet, none of us wanted it to end. We probably spent over an hour saying goodbye over and over again.
Evan was such a trooper. I had been so nervous about this day because he's pretty set in his nap schedule and can be a huge grump if it's thrown off. But he sucked it up and was a blast at the reception, crawling all around the room and giggling and dancing with us. It was such a sweet way to wrap up our wedding season for the year. We miss you terribly Regan & Strom!! Can't wait to see you on your way through NY!
I continued on to Maine the next morning and for the first time ever, I arrived by 10:30am! It's a lot easier when you're heading out from Boston! We said some quick hellos and then sent off Papa Jon, Strom, Catherine and Joseph for an overnight hiking trip. We enjoyed some quiet quality time with Gram and Aunt Regan for the next 2 days. You would never know it was the week before her wedding by looking at Regan. Our days were spend sunbathing, lounging in the pool, shopping, going out to dinner, watching movies, stargazing, campfires.... pretty much the usual! It was suuuch a relaxing week leading up to her wedding.
Jack flew in to Portland on Tuesday (Aug 3) after enjoying a few days with his cousin and exploring Seattle after the wedding. Unfortunately, we both ended up catching some nasty stomach bug that we managed to kick right before the wedding. It left me a few pounds lighter (only 1.5 more to go to the pre-preg weight!) but it also left my dress looser!
The wedding went off without a hitch (other than a song mixup at the reception). The weather was PERFECT... 73, partly cloudy and a light breeze. The setting was gorgeous. It was a grassy amphitheater behind the public library in Camden which is a quaint coastal town in Maine. There was a harbor across the street with a bunch of sailboats and yachts. The cool thing about the location is that when we went to Camden after Jack's graduation, we explored around the town after dinner and came across the amphitheater and Regan said "I'd love to get married here someday"... and she did! Something else that was really sweet about the wedding is that Regan had never seen Strom in his dress blues before, so they both got to have a "see each other for the first time" moment in what they were wearing for the wedding. She came down the aisle to the very fitting theme for Band of Brothers before marrying her military man. After a sweet ceremony and some pictures, we headed to the reception around the corner at the Whitehall Inn, a lovely maintained yet historic B&B. They hired a 4 piece band that played hits from the 40's. Such a classy reception. So much dancing to be done, and somehow I didn't get enough! It was so sweet, none of us wanted it to end. We probably spent over an hour saying goodbye over and over again.
Evan was such a trooper. I had been so nervous about this day because he's pretty set in his nap schedule and can be a huge grump if it's thrown off. But he sucked it up and was a blast at the reception, crawling all around the room and giggling and dancing with us. It was such a sweet way to wrap up our wedding season for the year. We miss you terribly Regan & Strom!! Can't wait to see you on your way through NY!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Date night!
Jack and I were so blessed with a nearly free date night on Monday night - all we paid for was a bottle of soda at the concert! Our friends Dan & Stacie offered to watch Evan for us. We went out to dinner in Saratoga at Forno Toscano Bistro, a gorgeous Italian restaurant right on Broadway. We were able to use a gift card from Jack's company Christmas party.
Then we were thrilled to be able to see Celtic Woman at SPAC. We had gone to their concert at Proctor's in March as a Christmas present and had such a great time. I was excited to hear they were coming back to the area, but a little hesitant to buy tickets thinking it would be for pretty much the same show. Good thing I hesitated because Jack's boss is on the board at SPAC and got us 4 tickets in the 4th row behind the orchestra pit for FREE! We invited our fellow fans and friends Andy and Aubrey and we had a blast. No kids for either of us!!
The show was INCREDIBLE. It was the perfect night for the outdoor venue. Again, we were blown away by the angelic yet powerful voices, the thunderous drums, the prancing fiddler, and the world-champion bagpiper they recently added to the group. So much of the music takes Jack and I back to our trip to Ireland. We want to go back to badly!
I couldn't embed this particular YouTube video in the post, but I hope you check out the link! This was their opening song.
Then we were thrilled to be able to see Celtic Woman at SPAC. We had gone to their concert at Proctor's in March as a Christmas present and had such a great time. I was excited to hear they were coming back to the area, but a little hesitant to buy tickets thinking it would be for pretty much the same show. Good thing I hesitated because Jack's boss is on the board at SPAC and got us 4 tickets in the 4th row behind the orchestra pit for FREE! We invited our fellow fans and friends Andy and Aubrey and we had a blast. No kids for either of us!!
The show was INCREDIBLE. It was the perfect night for the outdoor venue. Again, we were blown away by the angelic yet powerful voices, the thunderous drums, the prancing fiddler, and the world-champion bagpiper they recently added to the group. So much of the music takes Jack and I back to our trip to Ireland. We want to go back to badly!
I couldn't embed this particular YouTube video in the post, but I hope you check out the link! This was their opening song.
9 months old!
Evan had his 9-month checkup on Monday. He weighed in at 20lbs, 10oz. A mere 1.5 pounds more than his 6-month checkup. He dropped from the 75th to the 50th percentile for weight. Since he's more active now he's not gaining as fast as before, but they said that's normal! He's 29 3/4 inches long which keeps him in the 90th percentile.
As I mentioned before, he's an ACTIVE kid. He's crawling around everywhere which leaves Jack and I always doing last minute babyproofing as Evan finds yet another thing he shouldn't be getting into! As of a few days ago, Evan has left the old ways of slithering on his belly behind and he's all hands and knees now, with the occasional "kickstand crawl" with one foot on the ground. He's getting better and better every day at pulling himself up, and has juuust started traversing along the objects he pulls himself up against. Give it a week and he'll be a pro! ;-)
He's eating a lot of for-real solid foods now. Well they're still mushy but not pureed! He loves canned green beans (who is this kid?). Canned peaches and pears are also at the top of the list. He enjoys bananas, peas, cheerios, macaroni, gerber puffs, mangoes, watermelon, occasionally soft-cooked carrots, toast, and especially graham crackers. He's a pro with a sippy cup, and loves juice. What kid wouldn't? He loves feeding himself and makes quite a mess but it frees me up to eat my own meals!
He's getting a little better with the separation anxiety, but it's a little worse when Daddy's around. He is SUCH a Daddy's boy. For the most part he's a charming little boy who is all smiles for most strangers.
As I mentioned before, he's an ACTIVE kid. He's crawling around everywhere which leaves Jack and I always doing last minute babyproofing as Evan finds yet another thing he shouldn't be getting into! As of a few days ago, Evan has left the old ways of slithering on his belly behind and he's all hands and knees now, with the occasional "kickstand crawl" with one foot on the ground. He's getting better and better every day at pulling himself up, and has juuust started traversing along the objects he pulls himself up against. Give it a week and he'll be a pro! ;-)
He's eating a lot of for-real solid foods now. Well they're still mushy but not pureed! He loves canned green beans (who is this kid?). Canned peaches and pears are also at the top of the list. He enjoys bananas, peas, cheerios, macaroni, gerber puffs, mangoes, watermelon, occasionally soft-cooked carrots, toast, and especially graham crackers. He's a pro with a sippy cup, and loves juice. What kid wouldn't? He loves feeding himself and makes quite a mess but it frees me up to eat my own meals!
He's getting a little better with the separation anxiety, but it's a little worse when Daddy's around. He is SUCH a Daddy's boy. For the most part he's a charming little boy who is all smiles for most strangers.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Baby Levi
It is so surreal to me that my little but not so little niece has a baby now! Sabina and Steve welcomed baby Levi Allan Ronald into the world on June 30, weighing in at 8lbs 2oz, and 20.5 inches long. So this makes me a Great Aunt (my nephew Peter told me I've always been great... awwww!) and Jack a Great Uncle (or Gruncle as he prefers). I got to go meet him that evening, and what a little sweetheart he is. I have since heard that he is a good sleeper and very chill baby. Not surprising, his parents are pretty chill people! Here are some pictures of the little guy.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
July 4 weekend
We had a great visit from Jack's family last weekend. We kicked it off with a Yankee game on Friday. It was the PERFECT weather and we were in the shade too. Evan was a trooper and made it through the whole game with only a few short breakdowns. If only they had won! Oh well, they won the rest of the series.
We had another gorgeous day on Saturday so we headed up to Lake Moreau for the afternoon. Again, Evan was a trooper, but did not want to take a nap in the little tent we brought him! He didn't really enjoy the water either, but he let Gram and Papa Jon take him once Jack and I were out of sight. Evan is going through that good ol' separation anxiety phase. But by the end of the weekend he had warmed up to everyone.
Sunday was a bit hot for a lot of outdoor activity, so we hung out on the deck, all huddling under the patio umbrella as long as we could last before we started to melt and then relaxed inside. We joined some long-time friends of the McDades for a 4th of July BBQ for dinner. They had a lot of fun reconnecting with old neighbors, and Jack and I kept Evan in the best mood possible after all the late nights and missed naps. I must admit, we were a bit frazzled by the time we were heading over to the fireworks and hesitant about our decision to have Evan tough it out, but it was worth it. Although he was a fussball at the bbq (looking back, probably because he wasn't hungry and we kept trying to get him to eat!), he was a blast (haha pun) at the fireworks. He laughed, and played with Regan and I'm not sure a single fussy peep came out of him as we kept him up until 10:30. He wasn't even scared of the fireworks! Somewhere along our journey back to the car we lost his lovey (his little teddy bear blanket). Fortunately we had 2 others at home but it was still sad to lose one of them. I like to think another little kid who lost the same lovey found this one, and lovey has a great new home. Haha. We ordered 2 more the next morning.
You can see the reflection of the fireworks in his eyes!
Evan slept in until 9am on Monday morning! His whole routine is off but we're starting to settle back into it and I'm enjoying his long naps as he catches up on what he missed over the weekend. He was such a trooper, and overall in such a good mood considering how flexible we made him over the weekend!
We had another gorgeous day on Saturday so we headed up to Lake Moreau for the afternoon. Again, Evan was a trooper, but did not want to take a nap in the little tent we brought him! He didn't really enjoy the water either, but he let Gram and Papa Jon take him once Jack and I were out of sight. Evan is going through that good ol' separation anxiety phase. But by the end of the weekend he had warmed up to everyone.
Sunday was a bit hot for a lot of outdoor activity, so we hung out on the deck, all huddling under the patio umbrella as long as we could last before we started to melt and then relaxed inside. We joined some long-time friends of the McDades for a 4th of July BBQ for dinner. They had a lot of fun reconnecting with old neighbors, and Jack and I kept Evan in the best mood possible after all the late nights and missed naps. I must admit, we were a bit frazzled by the time we were heading over to the fireworks and hesitant about our decision to have Evan tough it out, but it was worth it. Although he was a fussball at the bbq (looking back, probably because he wasn't hungry and we kept trying to get him to eat!), he was a blast (haha pun) at the fireworks. He laughed, and played with Regan and I'm not sure a single fussy peep came out of him as we kept him up until 10:30. He wasn't even scared of the fireworks! Somewhere along our journey back to the car we lost his lovey (his little teddy bear blanket). Fortunately we had 2 others at home but it was still sad to lose one of them. I like to think another little kid who lost the same lovey found this one, and lovey has a great new home. Haha. We ordered 2 more the next morning.
You can see the reflection of the fireworks in his eyes!
Evan slept in until 9am on Monday morning! His whole routine is off but we're starting to settle back into it and I'm enjoying his long naps as he catches up on what he missed over the weekend. He was such a trooper, and overall in such a good mood considering how flexible we made him over the weekend!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Standing up!
After I put Evan down for his nap this afternoon, I heard a strange thumping over the monitor. I peeked in on him and he was standing up in his crib, and whacking the vertical fan against his crib!
Standing up from Jennifer McDade on Vimeo.
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