Baby Blog

I didn’t get a chance to post for October before we left on our vacation to the Cayman Islands and by the time we got back, November was nearly over so I decided to wait and post these two months together. But wow, so much has changed in these two months, it’s almost hard to believe.

We started off the month of October with some apple picking at Honey Pot Orchards. You LOVED the apples and wanted to suck on one the whole time. When we would finally take it away, you would look at it longingly on the ground as though you had lost your best friend. We took a trip to the aquarium with Avery, Ethan and Elliot and you liked it even more than I expected. You seemed to like the jellyfish the best and were happy to stare at them for a long time. After we looked at the fish for awhile, we shared a turkey burger. (I always have to keep you in mind when I pick my lunch because I know you will want some!) We also went to the Stone Zoo with Alessia and Ethan and you were hysterical around the reindeer. You would stare at the two of them in their pen, then get all nervous or excited (it was hard to tell) and your breathing would accelerate when they would run close to the fence where you were sitting. We went to the Scituate Art Festival with Ra and you liked watching all the people from your comfy spot in the ergo. You tried clam cakes and Del’s lemonade for the first time and loved both (of course). We took our first trip to the Museum of Science with Avery and Elliot and bought an annual pass so we can go whenever we want. We spent our time in the 0-12 months area and it was nice to have a totally safe place where you could move around without having to say “no”. There were buttons on the wall near a tank that made lights go on and fish dance and you and Avery played with those for a long time. Speaking of moving, you are finally crawling! Still slowly, but definitely moving forward with a purpose. We went down to NY for a visit and celebrated Jared and Margaret’s birthdays. The next day, we went for a drive out east to pick pumpkins and ride the Greenport carousel. You loved the pumpkin that we brought home with us and spent the next couple weeks crawling over to it and trying to use it to stand up. Stacy and Elliot had us over for a Halloween party where we ate yummy food and played with some new friends. You wore your spider costume and looked very cute. The day before Halloween, we went to the Franklin Park Zoo “Howl” with Sean, Sara and Kelsey and on Halloween, we walked over to the Charlestown costume parade at the Monument. It was VERY cold and windy, so we only made it halfway around the parade route, but you liked watching all the other kids in their costumes. We had tested you for a peanut allergy earlier in the week – you were fine – so after we got back, you had your first Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup to celebrate Halloween.

In November, you started the second session of swimming lessons, this time with me on Mondays. I have to admit, it’s not my favorite of the classes we have taken. There’s almost no interaction with the other kids or moms and you don’t seem overly impressed with swimming – more tolerating it than enjoying it. Plus, trying to get you and then me changed out of a wet swimsuit in a university locker room has proved quite difficult, especially as you move around more and more. You had your nine month check-up with Dr. Shang, clocking in at 22 lbs, 5 oz (75th percentile) and 28 ¼ in (50th percentile). During the second week of November, we took a trip with Grammie, Pop-pop, U. Jared, A. Margaret, A. Ashlyn and U. Benny to the Cayman Islands. We rented a house on the beach and you spent the week playing in the sand, swimming in the ocean, playing with the hanging fish decorations in the house and laughing at (and kissing) yourself in the full length mirror. You did great, despite being a bit off your schedule – eating and going to bed a little later than usual and napping on the fly. We swam with some stingrays and you weren’t quite sure what to make of them, probably because I had just woken you up from a nap so you could see them. You ate turtle and conch fritters and lots of different types of fish. On the last night, we all dressed up like pirates to celebrate the start of Pirate Week and went down to see the fireworks in George Town. You were the cutest little pirate and a number of people stopped me so they could take a picture of you. These were your first fireworks and while you were a little scared at first, you eventually came around and seemed to like them. When we got back, we had a playdate at Belle and Avery’s where she made us some delicious curry and you got to play with all of Avery’s toys. The next weekend, we had a dinner party with Matt, Molly, Doyle and April and Ra and Papa came up for a visit to see you. We spent your first Thanksgiving in Narragansett where we ate lots of delicious food (brie and sweet potatoes were your favs) and you got to play with all your cousins. You and Peter were especially cute together and it will be fun when you are both a little older and running around with each other. The next day, we walked around Newport and on Saturday, we went to see Albie and Ethan at Kristie and Ryan’s house.

These two months, you went from mastering standing, to finally crawling, to being able to move from crawling to sitting on your own, to taking your first steps! Now that you’re walking, you have lots of bumps and bruises, the worst one so far being when you fell between the dishwasher and the stove and got a scratch near your eye. At the start of October, you went through a period of being scared of going down the stairs. You would clutch our arms and hold on tight until you were safely at the bottom. You were also a bit hesitant about dogs – watching them from afar but getting nervous up close – until we spent a weekend with Floyd and then you seemed to turn the corner to loving dogs and wanting to play with them all the time. You FINALLY got your first four teeth, the bottom two on October 12th followed by the top right on October 30th and the top left on November 18th. You figured out they can actually help you bite things and now use them to crunch up your food whenever you get the chance – toast and crackers being two of your favorites. You also grind your teeth together (which dad hates!) and clench them while hissing like a snake. You learned how to drink from a straw, which is a big accomplishment. You started a nightly habit of (what we call) wrestlemania before bed – wanting to wrestle and giggle and tumble around until you finally crash and want to go to sleep. You love to play with the coasters on the coffee table and are obsessed with shoes, mostly trying to chew on them. You started sleeping through the night FINALLY (!!) – 7pm to 6:30am – but still have periods of waking now and again, particularly when your teeth are bothering you or we’re away from home. You started waving – the first time to a little boy at the Science Museum who was sitting next to us at lunch – and dancing when someone sings or you hear music that you like. You hate being on the changing table and when it’s time to come out of the bath and you’re still at your happiest and chattiest first thing in the morning. Toward the end of November, you got really into books and will sit quietly and read them with me for a long time. You like to play on the kitchen floor while I get your breakfast ready, usually with a wooden spoon and some cups or your musical caterpillar. You also try to climb into the dishwasher whenever it is open and get the plastic bags out of the cabinet under the sink. You love your new Radio Flyer walker wagon and zoom all through the house with it at top speed. It’s really amazing how much you have changed these two months and how our interactions with you have changed. You are into so much more and are really starting to show your personality! Our days have become more exhausting, chasing you around, but so much more fun too.