Happy Birthday, Milo!

Family, by lauren, September 19, 2008, 4 Replies

Milo made it to his first birthday without serious bodily harm… although that last part did not seem as sure a statement as I thought it would. Let’s just say that during the time when Andrew was in Peru and I was traveling back and forth between Baltimore and DC, painting, fixing, and moving (in an attempt to grant Andrew one big birthday surprise), neither Milo nor Proudie were under the best supervision. And I will leave it at that, out of embarrassment and pride.

But we were all moved in (not necessarily all unpacked, so please excuse the mess in the videos) for Milo’s big day, and were able to celebrate in our own way! Milo enjoyed playing with his new bike courtesy of Aunt Annie and Uncle Billy.

Milo “helping” Daddy put the bike together with his claw 

What might one do with a tool like this? 

Assembly complete!
Ready to ride 

A few action shots:

Mary and Ben came down for a visit bearing gifts of books and fun times.
Milo and Ben enjoyed storytime with Mary, playing with Milo’s new bike, and sharing sippy cups despite our efforts to stop them. We then took a little walk to the Nature Center up the street in Rock Creek Park, where the boys discovered several woodland creatures, puppets, and even some live animals, including a turtle, some fish, and a beehive.

And, of course, we celebrated as a family later that evening, with Milo’s first cupcake. He devoured it after some intense speculation… and was up all night due to some sort of sugar high/stomach ache problem.

A WARNING about the video… it is extremely boring and long. No, really. It is really, really boring, but for those of you interested in watching Milo eat a cupcake very, very, very slowly, feel free! And feel free to fast-forward to the end.

At least the days of gagging over any little chunk of food are long gone!
I had some mixed feelings that night. I finally had to come to the conclusion that Milo’s official stage of infancy is over! My baby is now considered a toddler! I am so excited to enter this new, fun stage with my little guy, but of course I’m a little sad to see his babyhood becoming a thing of the past.
But toddlerhood…. bring it on!

The Trip… A Month Later

Family, by lauren, September 18, 2008, 2 Replies

Okay, okay! I know it has been a long time… a month, to be exact. But we have been really busy. Plus, if you read the last post, not having internet access makes it somewhat impossible to keep this thing updated, let alone check my emails. We finally have access to the internet at our new house (although that is apparently on shaky ground too), so I will try to post a few more in the next couple of days. I have a lot to catch up on.

First things first, the vacation went beautifully. We ventured down to Sunset Beach, NC for my grandfather’s 80th birthday/family reunion. All my cousins and their kids were there, plus my sister and her little boy Charlie, and my brother, his wife Kelly, and their little guy Jack. It was the first time we were all in one place, and with five boys running and crawling (and lying around, sorry Jack) all over the place, it was chaotic and hilarious. My Aunt Barb and Uncle Steve, Uncle Eric and Aunt Dawn all put the trip together and planned some great activities, including a fishing trip and some great dinners. We have them to thank for some fantastic memories!

Now for the part you are here for… the pictures!

Milo and my cousin Shawn’s baby Oren sharing a good book 

… And not sharing it 

Convening in the morning to discuss the day’s plans 

Playtime with cousin Charlie 

We come in peace… take these gifts, oh wise one 

Argh, matey. They got me eye. 

A GIGANTIC baby… cousin Jack (the exact same age as baby Casey, people)! Four months of pure doughboy goodness.

… Okay, he doesn’t look that big with Dad.And the beach pictures! Milo looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost… but at least he didn’t get sunburned!


And enjoying some inside time, too:

Catching up on Plato’s Apology
Thank God I didn’t have twins
Really 

Getting up at the butt-crack of dawn never looked so good.
My cousin Josh’s little boy Jonas and Milo all tuckered out
Milo can only hope to be as cool as Jonas when he grows up.

Clearly, Milo loved the beach. He would play all day in the sand and water and go down hard at night. His favorite activity was digging. A few times he was up on his feet, squatting and digging with both hands like a dog. It was hilarious, so of course I missed getting it on film. But he also loved playing with all his second cousins (I guess that’s what they are?) and cousins. They are all so sweet, and we miss them already.
Stay tuned for… Milo’s first birthday!

Off to the Beach…

Uncategorized, by lauren, August 15, 2008, 5 Replies

… New house waiting for us when we return!

I have no pictures to post. We have been crazy packing up the house and spending time with Andrew’s cousin Eva, who visited us from Boulder. It was awesome having her, and I don’t think we stopped laughing for 3 hours straight two nights ago talking politics and watching YouTube videos.

Today we close on our house, tomorrow morning (the goal is 3am, but with how Milo is in his carseat, we might just decide to go earlier) we leave for Sunset Beach, NC for a family reunion in honor of my grandfather’s 80th birthday last Valentine’s day. I’m so excited for Milo to get to meet all my cousin’s kids, who are all about the same age. And, of course… the beach! The ocean! I am looking forward to a nice long swim.

But before we go, let me tell you what Milo has been up to.

Tasting: He likes to try new foods, especially if they have fallen off his high chair. Which, by the way, he hates to be confined to. He has taken a lesson from Cousin Reina and now hates to eat anything that he can’t pick up himself. Milo also enjoys taking a sippy cup in each hand, water in one, milk in the other, and tasting from each, back and forth. Milk, water. Water, milk. Very interesting.

Climbing: Especially the couch. Yes, he is too short, but he has figured out that he can reach it if he steps on something thick, like his little case of car books. So now the case is Milo’s “step.” He is so pleased with himself when he climbs up by himself that he giggles or claps when he makes it.

Defying: It is clear he understands “no,” and now it makes him very mad to hear the word. Especially if he is trying to pull the leaves off of my herb garden, or eat the dog’s food, or swing from an electrical cord.

Fighting: Bathtime, that is. This kid no longer enjoys a nice warm bath, no matter how many fun toys are in the tub with him. Not even a wind-up swimming man toy that moves its arms and legs to swim the length of the tub makes Milo happy! Milo is downright scary in the tub. He flips and arches his back, and cries, and has no fear of going under water during the whole ordeal, which means he almost does several times throughout the ordeal. So don’t blame me if his ears aren’t as clean as they should be. Aside from strapping him into some sort of contraption, I haven’t figured it all out quite yet.

Sharing: His Cheerios, his toys, a stick on the ground, a kiss-bite combo, you name it, Milo shares it. Milo loves giving. He especially likes to feed Mom and Dad various morsels of food from his high chair. The other day at the park, I caught him “sharing” some dirt with a little girl. He opened his palm above hers to deliver a wonderful handful of rocks, grit, dirt, and grass which he had selected for her just moments before. He also picks up one toy after another, handing each one to me before going back for the next. He especially likes to hear an enthusiastic “thank you!” so make sure you don’t forget your manners.

Magnets: New favorite toys are refrigerator magnets. He will carry these around for hours, pausing to turn them over and over in his little hands. He also likes to discover what they stick to.

Causing: … the lights to go on and off, on and off. The fan to turn on and off, on and off. The door to open, close, open, close, the tambourine to shake, the bell to ring, the toilet to flush, the stroller to roll, the chair to fall, the safety gate to collapse, the food to smash, the dog to chase. You name it, Milo causes it.

All fun and exciting new activities, as you can see. We are busy, busy, busy. Mainly trying to keep our baby alive long enough to reach the next stage of life.

Stay tuned for pictures from the beach in about a week!

First Steps

Uncategorized, by lauren, August 10, 2008, 1 Reply

You would be all tuckered out too if you were just learning how to walk!

Yesterday, Milo took his very first steps! It really has been more gradual than that, with a single step here and there, but yesterday in the kitchen, he actually WALKED from me to Andrew, then from back again! I almost cried I was so excited. He looks like a little boy when he does that!

Here we go!