G'Bye, Summer Vacation...

Hello, empty mall playground!!! Every time we've been to the play area at the mall, it's been insanely crowded. Yesterday, we tried again, and there were only a few kids there, which makes it much easier to play, without anyone getting hurt. Anyway, the thing I've noticed, is that Maya finally enjoys playing with other kids. She has started making friends wherever she goes, and I love it. Yesterday, at the mall, she found this little group of boys, and followed them everywhere, doing her little playground tricks, and saying (over and over), "Hey guys! Look at this!" They were a little older, and being boys, they were sort of blowing her off, but she didn't car. She laughed when they laughed, and watched them play with their toy car. It was so cute. Later on that day, we walked over to the outdoor playground, where Maya made another little girlfriend. She would stand at the bottom of the slide, and cheer the girl on, saying, "C'mon! That's good sliding! Let's do one more, then I'll go home and watch my show!" I was cracking up.

And Jonah? He's sitting on his own! Congrats, little man! He still sort of leans forward and puts a hand on the floor or a toy, for stability, but he's working on it. I was even able to sit him totally upright in the stroller, without using the 5-point harness. He loved watching Maya at the mall. I swear - he worships her. I guess that's the way it should be, right?

"We stand at the window and say 'G'bye' to Daddy every morning. Here we are, waiting to see his car."

"Bye, Daddy! Have a good day at work!"

"He'll be back later."

"I really want to wear these shoes, but Mommy says they're too small. I keep telling her that someday I'll fit into them, but she says it doesn't work that way."

"Jonah loved sitting up in the stroller at the mall."

"I told him not to eat the strap, but he didn't listen."

"He's watching me play."

"Hi, Mommy!"

"These 3 little boys are my new friends."

"I like this little guy at the play area."

Tummy Time.

My little ones just love their Daddy. Jonah is such a happy baby, and it is so much fun to make him laugh. This photo shoot was just adorable. I have a million pics from it, but here are a few of my faves.

"Look at my bracelets! I call these my 'boy bracelets,' since they are really Jonah's toys."


n"There's no way I'd miss out on this action!"





"I love swinging on the tire at the playground. It scares Mommy, but she doesn't understand that I'm a big girl, and I know how to hold on tight."

We Have Another Jumper!

You may remember Maya loving the Jumperoo. She spent many minutes of pure joy in there, during her first year of life. We've been putting Jonah in it for a couple of months now, but he seemed relatively disinterested. He would play for little bouts of time, but he never really jumped. Yesterday, he finally did it. He jumped like an old pro. It was very serious jumping, and I think he really exhausted himself, but he surely loved it. As an added bonus, Maya is in the background watching - and boy was she proud of him. "Look Daddums! He's jumping! Look at Joney!"

Dance Party.

Now THIS was adorable. My kids really know how to rock out.

Dancing with Catty:


This one doesn't end well:


Party animal:

Gotta Love a Beatles Babe.

Maya loves this Beatles album - it's little kids singing Beatles songs. She listened to this song ("All Together Now") so many times, that she knows the words. Here's a listen. It's not all that clear, but she loves singing it to Jonah. I love how in the end, she turns to him, and says, "I'm singing, Joney!"

6 Months!

Jonah turned 6 months last week. It's amazing how quickly the time has gone by. He is quite possibly, the sweetest and happiest baby in the world. He is such a cuddly, snuggly, delicious little man. We took him to the pediatrician a few days ago, for his 6-month appointment. He weighed in at 16 pounds (19th percentile), 27 inches (40th percentile), and had a head circ in the 36th percentile. What a perfect specimen! He is doing all sorts of wonderful things. He eats tons of food (including toes), giggles like a crazy boy, and... HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT! We trained him this past week, and we have now had 3 blissful nights of Jonah sleeping from 8pm to 6am! We are thrilled. I love my little man, and my little girl isn't so bad either!

"Jonah tore up the table paper at the doctor's office. Oh well."

"Look at my happy brother!"

"Mommy says not every baby is this happy... You think?"

"Jonah cried when he got his shots, and I didn't like that at all."

"Mommy! Jonah is ready for sweet pots!"

Look at Jonah's Sweet Body!

Maya clearly copies everything Kevin and I say. Watch what she does every morning when Jonah is relaxing after his "breakfast." She is such a "Mommy."

Sleepy Times.

"My brother is going to start sleeping through the night. Mark my words!"

"I made castle with Jonah's food! Like it?"



Last night, we started sleep training Jonah. We went through this at 7 months with Maya, but we decided to get a head start last night (he is 6 months), because our nights have been straight up AWFUL. Jonah is the sweetest, calmest, happiest baby, but in the middle of the night, he really wants his mommy. Anyway, since he sleeps in our room (in his crib, NOT our bed), I decided to sleep in the family room, and let Kevin deal with the insanity, that I knew would ensue. Well, let's just say, Jonah was loud enough, that I've been up since 4:30 this morning, but it was well worth it. Jonah did great. Yes, he cried, screamed, fussed, etc., but he also figured it out. Kevin and I are both so thrilled. Tonight will be "Night 2," and I'll take my place on the Aerobed again, but after that, I think we should be all set... We are prepared for several tough days, but hopefully he'll adjust well. Keep your fingers crossed for us, please!

"I love corn. Did you know that?"

"This is us as Christmas Tree Shops, after Mommy bought me 2 beautiful bracelets. I love them."

"This is Jonah - so happy after his good rest."

"Did Jonah grow a beard, or is that just prunes and apples? You know, my Daddy gets a hairy face, so maybe it's true for Jonah, too..."

Everyone Needs a GOOMY, too.

Maya had a very long conversation on the phone with Grammy (a.k.a. Goomy) the other day. She asked to speak to Grammy, talked for a few minutes, then hung up on her. Then, we called back a few minutes later, and it happened all over again. It was pretty funny. My favorite part, is when Maya, out of the blue, says, "It's a beautiful day!" We have a drama queen on our hands - that's for sure!

Everyone Needs a Goompy.

Maya loves her grandparents with every fiber of her being. This was her favorite activity when we visited Nora on Saturday.

Baby Week!

"Look! Jonah is in the cart with me, at Costco! Mommy says this isn't a great photo, but it still shows our big baby boy, right?"

"I love this baby."
"This is my, 'I'm going to pretend to hit you, but really be gentle' face."


This past Saturday, I met my family in Providence, so we could help Nora get ready for her baby. The mission was to organize her house, get the baby's nursery in order, etc. Nora isn't due for a few weeks, so it was a nice, relaxing day. That night, she went into labor. Shane was born the following morning, August 1st, at 7:25(ish). He is 5 pounds, 1 ounce, so he spent a couple of days, chillin' in the NICU, but now he's out and about, finally socializing, and flirting with the nurses. I saw him for a brief snippet on Sunday, but I'm going back on Friday, and can't wait!

"This is Shane. I didn't get to meet him, because kids aren't allowed in the NICU. What's that about??"


"We have a baby, too, but he's old now."

"I painted my toes at Nora's house!"

"Well, sort of. This polish was... old."

"I'm so girlie, it's ridic."

"Adam let me play with this old guitar. I felt just like a Wiggle."

"This is me, telling secrets to Auntie Nora. I was telling her to have a baby. It worked!"