Memorial Day Weekend

For Memorial Day we went to Roscoe for our first overnight trip with Christopher. We had a great time. Christopher hadn't been in a car for a long time, but he did great. He took naps for most of the way there and back. We stayed in a bed and breakfast that was super cute. The people that owned the place were really nice and loved having Christopher there. He made himself right at home, chasing after their dogs and throwing all of their magazines off the coffee table. 

Roscoe is "Trout Town USA" according to their website (who new?). We went to the Mongoup state park and hiked around a little and took turns fishing. Conan caught tons of fish out there. As you can tell, Christopher was thrilled to be out in the middle of the lake next to a flopping fish. Actually, he wasn't too phased by it at all. I think we have a little budding fisherman. Isn't that a good serious face?

There were lots of great places to eat in Roscoe. Here are my guys eating at the "famous" Roscoe Diner. It was delicious. Christopher was a big fan of their zucchini. I liked their massive chocolate brownie cheesecake. Let's hope the LG doesn't develop my taste for food. 

The site where Woodstock was performed was close to Roscoe. It's a really pretty area and they still have concerts there. We got to talk to a guy who was at Woodstock, you know, with his commune. He told us all about how peaceful it was and how there were children roaming around everywhere. Sounds like a great place for kids, right? Yeah, he didn't quite sell us on that, but it was fun to hear his stories and see pictures of all of the craziness. 

They had a museum there, but the description was lots of loud music, videos and lights. We decided the LG didn't need that stimulation before our ride home, but here's a picture of Conan and Christopher in front of it.

Another one of our stops on our way home was the Walmart. I know, I know, but we haven't been to one since we've been here. I think we all had a good time there.  Conan and the LG went to the fishing section. I got lots of crafting supplies (I can not find one craft store in this crazy city!). We got baby gear and then groceries that are too hard to lug around in the stroller around here. I never really appreciated Walmart before, but boy are they convenient. Christopher loved riding around in the cart.

We had such a great time on our first family vacation. Maybe next time we'll even stay gone longer than two nights!

Our little tornado

I thought I should put Christopher's books in a place where he can get to them easier than on a bookshelf. You know, so he can calmly sit down and read whenever he wants. 

Before:

After:

Maybe not my best idea. The poor basket didn't even make it through his path of destruction.

11 Months

Christopher turned 11 months old on Saturday. To celebrate we went to the fishing store (Maybe that wasn't for him : ). We did get some swinging in at Madison Square Park. They were taping something for Sesame Street there, but I couldn't find Elmo for the LG, so I was a little disappointed. 

This past month I think Christopher has really started to figure out what we're saying. He has a walker that sings and says all sorts of phrases. I was watching him and he started clapping right after it said "clap your hands". I figured it had to have been a coincidence. I said it myself and he started clapping again. It's too cute. He thinks it's a command. If he's standing up, he'll sit down so he can get his hands ready and clap. He can also give high five now. He's pretty discerning in the five department, though. You have to do something he really likes to get one. 

He's been dancing for a while, I didn't realize what it was. We were at CVS the other day and the song "Are we human, or are we dancer" came on. I looked down and Christopher was doing this little head move side to side in his stroller. I think we all know he is definitely dancer.

In the mornings the LG and I go the door to say bye to Dad when he leaves for work. Christopher has started waving bye as Conan goes out the door. He definitely won't wave to just anyone. Dad always gets a wave, and so does that cute baby when he looks at himself in the mirror.

He's also "talking" way more. He says Da Da and Ma Ma all of the time, but now he can repeat what we say. Sometimes I think I hear him saying real words, like Bye bye this morning. He says lots of Ba Ba's and La La's. I think he says ba for ball and bat too. 

LG's teeth on top beside his top two popped out this weekend. It makes me laugh because I had no teeth on my 1st birthday and he already has 6. He is also standing by himself for a few seconds at a time. It's really only when he doesn't realize he's holding on to anything. As soon as he sees he's standing by himself he sits down. 

Christopher's also turned into a really great sleeper. He's sleeping through the night consistently (knock on wood) and napping really well. He's even gotten to the point where he doesn't have to be put in bed asleep. We can put him in his crib awake and he'll go to sleep on his own (after having some conversations with himself for awhile). He also took his first bottle of formula yesterday. Hopefully we can time it so he'll be ready for whole milk by his first birthday, but he's pretty used to Mom's milk, so I think it's going to be a challenge. His favorite solid foods are carrots and pasta. 

Here are some pictures from our weekend...

Moving on up

Christopher "graduated" from baby story time a few weeks ago. He had trouble sitting still for 30 minutes, so we went to toddler story time for the first time yesterday. I think it's more fun for him. They do lots of moving around and more interactive songs. His favorite part was staring at all of the big kids.

While we were there, I decided LG should get his own library card- I mean, he's almost a year old, it's about time. I probably shouldn't have let him play with it. I had a hard time getting it out of his mouth after this picture. 

One book he checked out was Baby Signs. We tried it a few months ago, but he was too little to understand. I think we'll do better with it now. We're going to work on the sign for milk, diaper, fish, and dog. Random, I know.

The other book Christopher checked out was Moo, Baa, La La La. He loves the Going to Bed Book that's also by Sandra Boyton, so I figured he'd like this one too. He's really cute with it, because he just started singing La La La after you sing it. It's probably the current cutest thing he does. This book gives us good singing practice.
I was a big hit with the toddlers. I wore the jacket that Conan got me for Mothers Day. I got pawed by little toddlers the whole time. Wearing about a hundred shiny objects on my back... probably should have seen that one coming. 

Mother's Day

I had such a great first Mother's Day! Conan let me sleep in (Christopher has decided we need a wake-up call at 5 am every morning now). Then we went to church. Christopher got to see his little friend Ollie. They just stared at each other through the service. It kept the LG occupied, so Conan and I both got to hear the sermon. Conan got us Dunkin Donuts on our way home. My favorite! 

After Christopher woke up from his nap (well, and Mom and Dad), we went to the playground. He just loves the swings. He thinks it's the best when Dad pushes him.

His new favorite is the turtle. Of course he can't just sit on it. He likes to climb up to the top and stand. He can even make it rock himself. We got some sliding in too. No picture there, as we had a little baby injury before Mom could get the camera out. 

We got sushi for dinner (delicious!). The best part was Christopher was so good at the restaurant. We sat outside and I think he had a good time watching people walk by. He was also hamming it up with all of the other people eating there. He has the cutest smile now that he has those top teeth (he got them at the beginning of April, if I haven't mentioned it before). He ate steamed veggies and we discovered he loves rice. 

I had such a great day. Conan's mom was saying she likes Mother's Day better than her birthday, and I would have to agree. It's nice to get to celebrate with all the other Mamas out there! I'm so thankful for my wonderful little guy and my big guy who made it such a special day!

If a case of Cheerios

shows up on my next credit card statement...

I know who to blame.

Grandma Kimmy and Aunt Chevy

Conan's mom and sister, Chevon, were visiting Boston to check out grad schools a couple of weeks ago. They took a train to Manhattan and we got to spend some time with them over the weekend. Christopher got to show off all of his new skills. He crawled all over them and Grandma Kimmy even taught him how to play peek-a-boo. He would hold on to the end table and squat down and then jump back up again. He had so much fun, I think he would have done it all day long. It was so nice to spend time with family. We can't wait until the fall when Chevy's living in Boston!