At the Trunk

We spent a lot of time here on this rainy spring day!
Oskar came by to offer his good company.
While Oskar was here, I made sure to stand up as long as I could. After all, I'm a big boy, too!
Note: the mats under the trunk. All those hard takeoffs from the trunk deserve
a little cushioning! We are also careful not to land on any dropped toys.

How to Stand & Sit

He was getting in some good practice this afternoon~

Arnold Arboretum

Andrew bouncing in the back yard with (Great) Aunt Carol. Andrew gets so excited whenever he sees her!
On Saturday we joined up with Oskar, his maternal grandmother and his parents for a walk at the Arboretum. It was a first time visit for all of us! It's a really beautiful well-kept area. You can rollerblade and bicycle on the paved pathways, climb a hill and have a secluded picnic (or nap!) and stay awhile. The trees are just beginning to get their leaves. It'll be even nicer once they're in. Oskar got a new stroller for his birthday!!! Now he can go off-roading with Andrew :D

Sleep?

For some time now, Mom has been lamenting the 9-month-old growth spurt! Alas, there is a lot we don't get to blogging about but I've been meaning to-
Now that Andrew has acquired so many new skills- like sitting and now standing, imitating body movements and speech sounds, he is WIRED!!!!
As Nana put it, "He doesn't miss anything!"
In the past, we were watchful of his sleep-moments and capitalized. Now, it's harder to recognize them- he may seem sleepy, I try to tone things down a bit, make it nap-friendly, then he 'springs to life'!! Nursing and bedtime books, in the past, help to 'bring him back' a bit but now that doesn't work I have been "referring" to long walks in the stroller.
Today I expected that to work and had him reclined, all ready for nap once his nap-indicating "squeaky door" noise ensued. Even with his new darkened stroller sun-shade attachment, he stayed awake! Maybe he was just-so-relaxed, not moving around, that it was rest enough.
Babies will always keep you wondering.
I love this picture- it shows him totally pooped out tonight.
I wasn't even worried about waking him with the flash.
I have a hunch he's changing things up a bit. No more predictable naps.
Today we woke up at 5:45 and didn't nap until 12:15-1:10! And no other naps! He did crash pretty hard, right by his usual bed time at 7.... Photo above.
Dinner time was funny. He fussed at anything being *fed* to him- it had to be put on his tray for him to pick up. Dad fed him too and said Andrew was feeding him, trying to put food in his mouth!
The cups are still a great motivator- and he likes seeing them atop the trunk.
His old friend, the mouse from the play pen reappeared!

Spring is Here!

On Tuesdays we meet up with a bunch of other moms and visit the local playgrounds. Most are so close we can walk there with the stroller! This park was in Oak Square. We decided it was better for older kids (too many woodchips and only one baby swing).

Katie stopped over for a visit.

Wednesday we took an a.m. nap-stroll along the Charles with Oskar.
Aren't they the cutest little things?

Thursday we went for a jog with Melinda and Christopher.
Here they are afterwards, watching Melinda talk with the neighbor.

Andrew has really been interested in practicing standing. Here come the bumps and bruises!

Patriot's Day Parade in Lexington

Cousins!

Andrew was very interested in June's ring pop... A sugary pacifier?
June held her ground and wasn't about to let a baby grab that from her!

Waving at the marching band (one of many).

Firetrucks!

2nd cousin Renee was so sweet with Andrew

Auntie Maureen taking it easy- with incubating "Tickly"!!!!

Superbaby with Uncle Mike!!!

Buddies.

First trip to the beach in '08: Duxbury

We are so happy to be at the beach!!!! It was cold on the ocean side so after becoming frozen we switched to the Duxbury bay side which, including the wind-chill-off-the-water factor, was probably 20 degrees warmer! Sam & Andrew. Sam is 2 years older than Andrew.

With Bob (and Sam buried in the towels).

Nancy is due with a girl at the end of May!

Tasting the rocks!

Random overturned vehicle!! Granted, we were accessing the beach with the required beach permit, 4 wheel drive, tow rope and board... The going was quite easy. The actual beach wasn't open for vehicles yet (in the summer it's a great beach to tailgate at). Not sure how this truck got overturned! Gas was leaking out as we drove past.

Bob & Sam on the bay side.

Ahhhh~ the beach!

The Hennessey family.

Snack break.

First time playing with sand! He didn't even put it in his mouth!

Found a mussel shell.

Sam examining the sand.

Whaaaaaaa!!!! I like the beach!!! I don't want to leave!!!!

Sam: "It's o.k. buddy, I understand."
We were lucky, Andrew got to use Sam's old car seat.
Not sure if this will be possible once the new baby arrives!
Back home, we had a nice dinner of cod (he LOVES it), sweet potatoes and corn on the cob! Those two front teeth did quite a job pulling off the kernals! I had put some through the food mill to feed from a spoon for him, which of course, he refused. No more baby food for this guy!