Parcel Post

Poor Jesse was a victim of one of the many ways I kept a toddler entertained while waiting in a long line at the post office earlier that morning.

No. 1 Fan

Thanks Ben, Eli, Kerry, and Allen for all of the custom-made shirts!

And a loving welcome to baby Ella Joy... Congrats to Amy, Matt, Jackson and Emily!

The Only Picture

Later after a couple of hours of rides at the amusement park, we headed to the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game, and here's the only picture (and the only one that matters, I think) that we caught at the game.

If you click on the picture to view it in a larger form, you can better make out that he's blowing raspberries (and get a closer view of those delicious rolls).

Carousel

(Lucas came into the room just after I uploaded this picture...)

Lucas: "Oh! And there's Lucas and Mama riding the horse!"

Mama: (Do you remember how much fun we had on the carousel?)

Lucas: "Yeah. Up and down!"

Mama: (And the horse went around and around in a circle, too. Right?)

Lucas: "Yeah! And so fast! And then we went on another ride!"

Mama: (Which ride?)

L: "We pushed the button!"

M: (That's right. We pushed the buttons on the fish ride.)

L: "Yeah, the fish ride."

M: (And where is this?)

L: "In Coney Island."

M: (And what did we do there?)

L: "On the rides!"

M: (Which rides did we go on?)

L: "On the train, the fish, and the horse!"

M: (What did we do after we rode the train, the fish, and the horse?)

L: (Long pause.) "I want a pickle please, Mama."

Just The Right Size

The same day that the Abuelos left, we hopped on a bus to neighboring Staten Island, then transferred to the Staten Island Railroad to visit the home of a parishioner and friend Martie.

Lucas loved flying on the bus and looking at the boats and water over the Verrazano Bridge, and especially riding on the "real train" outdoors (even though it looked just like a subway train inside).

At Martie's place he entertained himself for a while by crawling in and out of the Lucas-sized doggie door before we headed out for a dip in the Lucas-sized kiddie pool.

And of course, he loved every minute of every moment.

5 Months

Yesterday at the post office somebody thought you were 9 months old. And since at 5 months you're wearing the clothes that your big brother wore when he was 9 months old, I'd say we're in big trouble.

During these last couple of weeks you've been into blowing raspberries, pulling up your feet and rolling from side to side like a roly poly, and just last night you discovered how tasty your big toe can be. I often get into trouble with your Papi when I'm supposed to be trying to help you wind down to nurse and/or go to sleep because all we do is laugh and get silly and laugh and wrestle and laugh and snuggle and laugh.

But you are all eyes for your brother. We've rarely had to tell him to be gentle with you or teach him how to touch you -- he just knew! And when your cousin Liam comes over, the three of you provide enough entertainment for each other that the adults don't need to do much in the way of baby care.

So fun! We love you, you sassy and silly baby.

D.U.M.B.O.

This past week we all took Abuelo and Abuela to one of our favorite places to eat before heading out to the fun ship-themed park and walking along the river promenade to check out the art installations.

Lucas's biggest treats as always: watching the boats on the water and the subways as they cross the Manhattan Bridge.

The weather here since we returned from Woodstock a few weeks ago has been gorgeous!

This Morning

Here's Lucas on the way to church this morning. Once we enter the subway station and go down the stairs and onto the platform, he usually likes to make a pitstop at the subway map to show us where we are (the red circle) and how we get to Coney Island from home (he knows that route well).

Notice his makeshift tie? Lucas was watching his Papi get dressed and asked for a tie of his own to match Papi's. Papi put an old (untied) bow tie on him, and Lucas sported it with much flare at church and all morning.

We have lots to catch up on from this past week, so check back every day for new pictures!

Biting The Bullet

Abuelo and Abuela have been in town this week, which means the inevitable must happen.  Papi and I normally try to stay as far away as possible from mall-brand portrait studios, but every now and then we have to cave in to Abuela's nagging powers to keep her quiet for a little while, or at least until another visit six months to a year from now.  

Though Jesse was hungry and the photo session was in the middle of his usual afternoon nap, he proved to be the star of the show on this day after he hammed it up for the cameraperson. Liam and Lucas both tolerated things for a session or two but not much more.

At least we were able to win the battle of avoiding having the brothers and cousins wear matching outfits.

(We love you, Abue!)

Cozy

Uncle Phil

This morning when we went to meet Papi and pick up our veggies, Lucas saw what was in the boxes and yelled, "Oooh, kale --Yummy!"

That's our boy!

It's also the boy of Uncle Phil, who spent this entire summer working on CSA farms and then spent a few days with us this week before heading back to school.

Lucas and Amalia

Momma Becca took these pictures with her phone while waiting for a car service to show up. They're also posted on Amalia's new blog.

These two can't get any cuter together! I love how they're both holding their pacis.

King Kong

Here's the scrumptious king-sized bed mentioned earlier and our even more scrumptious baby.

The hand-me-down onesie that Jesse is wearing is from our friends the Barnharts. Can you make out what it says? "Respect The Kong." Our sassy Jesse looks like he could beat at his chest with his fists at any moment.

You also might be able to tell that Jesse is getting closer to the camera. All month long he's been inchworming his way around his bed or the floor and getting more and more efficient. It really is something, so we'll try to catch it on film someday. He's also discovered his feet as a fun toy and has stunned us now that he is officially rolling over from back to front and front to back!

Incredible little monkey!

Long Sleeves In August

Another favorite part of our trip to the mountains: not-too-hot summer days and really cool evenings.

Just perfect for napping and sleeping, cuddling and wearing cute clothes.

Bumbo

More Woodstock

Jesse with his Tio. Sometimes we're all so busy managing and holding our own kids (or quickly passing them back and forth) that we rarely get to sit to hold and enjoy our nephews!

Jesse and his cousin Liam.

...with someone's finger.

No clue what's going on here with goofy Lucas, but this enclosed porch was probably one of the best features of the house in which we stayed.

The local elementary school had this incredible wooden castle playground, complete with tunnels and suspension bridges and fun nooks and high towers for climbing. Lucas spent most every morning there. It was all that a playground should be!




Mary's house came with an old wooden train set, which kept Lucas busy whenever we weren't in the pool. Here he's placed his snack -- a few almonds -- in the station to wait for the train, then he chose a few lucky ones to ride the train and become "passegers," as he calls them.

Hanging out on the grass while we eat at a restaurant. Something that Papi and Jesse have in common here: Papi is drinking a beer called "Mother's Milk." (The label says "a robust and full-bodied beer" - yeah!)

Jesse's the best to snuggle with, especially when sleeping on a king-sized bed for the first time. (Wow, who knew such space could feel so heavenly?) To me he looks a lot like Baby Lucas in this picture.

More to come...