Happy (belated) Birthday, Tia Debs!!

Because I'm not feeling well, Mom and Dad decided to stay home this weekend to help me recover quicker.  We were planning to go to the Lake for Debbie's birthday, but the trip would have been too long and complicated for me.  Instead we've had a quiet weekend at home.  On Friday night we met Siobhan and Chris at Grumpie's BBQ.  I thought my mood fit the restaurant well:

On Saturday we did SO many things!  We went to Lowe's to get Garden Supplies after we dropped Daddy's car off at the mechanic.  I took a nap while Mom and Dad did gardening.  See what Mommy and Daddy did...

Then we ate lunch and Mom and I went for a walk.  We had to go pick up Daddy's car somewhere in there, and then we all hung out in the basement.  Mom made a hearth cushion cover while Dad and I played on the computer.  Daddy was teaching me how to code.  This is what I typed:

l SDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD[DZFWG\\2
:36 PM 7/30/201              -zDR m1`:L
  M
\ ]  SD20ill;.az sf8uw                                  koyuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh8ogfuc s E$7

]\'.uuuuuuuuuuu;0☺7\4ewxzc36 PM 7/30/2011
]1=m= mko1.0523656l,                     00 p[=-KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK7:36 PM 7/30/20117:36 PM 7/30/20111szx']'-1p0pppppppppppppppppp

ppazaQqqqdsa ; 
         2x\f x7bn b bbbbbbbbbbbbbhlokll8n           c64cf5                              sareeer56 7 ddddddddddx7:35 PM 7/30/2011. ['[N=p o ctw,'asc
  'kklZ-34 q 17:40 PM 7/30/20113q2wnak  c`-

Daddy was pretty impressed with what I could do on the computer.  I ever pulled up time and date stamps!

Today I'm still recovering.  Mom thinks I'm fussier than usual, but the only way I'm happy is if I am outside!  So after lunch we took a walk at the covered bridge park.  Dad took lots of pictures, and I took a short nap.

Strike a pose:

Yesterday I made a break into the modeling scene.  I am officially a fit model for the latest fashion bibs!!  
It was a combination of luck and dashing good looks that brought me this amazing opportunity.  Grandma's good friend, Alice, needed a 6 month old cutie pie to use as a fit model for a bib pattern she is making.  I happen to be the cutest 6 month old that Grandma knew.  After a brief audition it was clear that I was perfect for the job.  The photo shoot went really well and I presented several of my best poses.  

In not so happy news, I am not feeling well today.  I had a regularly scheduled appointment with the pediatrician this morning which went well except that it was determined that I had a fever of 100.8 and an ear infection.  The good news is that the doctor wouldn't give me my 6 month shots while I was running a fever.  I dodged a missile with that one.  I'm on a round of antibiotics, and I got to stay home with mom today.  
I weigh 19lbs; I'm 26.5 inches tall, and my head is 17 inches around.  I'm officially bigger than Jack!
 

I am 27 weeks old now!  We had a fun time at the Bach Soprano pool party on sunday.  The weather was not so hot, so we were able to be outside for a lot of the party.  There were 2 other babies there: Connon and Eli.  Eli is a tiny little guy; he's only 6 weeks old.  Mommy couldn't believe that I was that small just a few months ago.  Connon is a month and half younger than me, so we were similar in size.  He is moving away with him mom and dad to Pittsburgh, so I won't see him again for a long time.  We are the three Bach Baby Boys!!  Daddy forgot his camera, so we didn't get any pictures.  That was ok, because then Daddy got to socialize. 

Today is PICTURE DAY at daycare!  I am the most photographed baby already, but I still wore my helicopter onesie and blue cargo pants for the occasion.  If the photos are super cute (who are we kidding OF COURSE they are going to be super cute) Mom and Dad might spring for a few. 

Yesterday we had an awesome playdate at our house.  There were MILLIONS of babies (ok only 6), and 5 mommies to keep track of all the babies.  It was crazy, but SO fun.  Everyone arrived around 11:15, and there was a whirlwind of activity until it was way past all of our nap times at 2pm.  I slept for 2 hours after that; all the fun really wore me out.  We can't wait to do it again, but in the meantime I hear the mom's have planned a sans babies playdate (or should I say drinkdate?).  

From Mommy:
I love having a group of women who are going through the same things as me.  We can talk baby without boring anyone, and I get some great ideas and advice from them.  I should really get a picture one of these times, but when we are in the moment no one is thinking about a camera.  There is just so much activity!  At one point we tried to get the littlest guys, Preston and William, to take a nap in the nursery.  I was having visions of twins as I was up there trying to get Preston to sleep.  William was cooing in the pack and play while Preston was fussing and refusing to calm down: two little boys - a few days apart in age.  It was so cute, but I really do NOT envy moms of twins.  I can't even imagine what that would be like on a daily basis.

After the play date I cleaned up the house, and by the time John got home it had gotten pretty warm inside.  I swear I never would have noticed, but the second he walked in he realized the air conditioning wasn't working.  Considering we have consistently had temperatures in the 90's and above without an end in sight, John went into crisis mode.  He called around to a million different air conditioning people.  Apparently, us and thousands of other people are having AC issues, but he found a guy who would come out right away.  All this was happening while I was trying to get out of the house to go visit Shawn and Amy and to go swimming in their pool.  Finally the AC guy came, fixed the bad capacitor, and we were on our way out the door right when Preston should have been going to bed.  He slept in the car on the way over to go swimming, and was surprisingly a happy guy the whole time we were out.  He really does love swimming.  We came home to a chilled down house.  Crisis averted!  

Tomorrow we are going to another pool party!  We have been looking forward to this one for months.  All of the Bach Sopranos and our families are having a picnic-pool party.  I'm sure all of our Bach friends are excited to see Preston again.  

It's been nice to be home for the weekend.  We haven't had a lot of time at home yet this summer.  John worked on re-sanding our patio, and I got to take a nap with Preston this afternoon.  I also went shopping with Debbie this morning.  It's been really nice.  

Today we discovered that I have a lot of potential to be a water-skier!  I held onto a hanger while daddy pulled me up to a stand position.  All I need are skis, water, and a boat (and it might help if I could swim and walk).  

Today was a quiet sunday.  Mommy isn't feeling well; she has a cold.  Daddy worked outside, and then we went out for a quick dinner because neither of them felt like cooking.  Last night I was in my crib for 8 hours straight!  I woke up at about 4 am, but Mommy wasn't feeling well, so she didn't come get me.  I fell back to sleep 10 minutes later and slept until 8am!!  Mommy thinks that on my 6 month birthday I turned a corner with sleeping and whining.  I haven't decided, yet; I am, after all, just a baby.


Now that I am really good at sitting, I'm getting bored with it, and I can't wait to learn my next skill.  But crawling and scooting around get frustrating, because I just don't know what to do!  In any case, my parents are already thinking about baby proofing.  They see the signs of my impending mobility, and are making preparations to keep me (and their stuff) safe!  

Tomorrow is back to daycare!  On Mondays I get to do water play.  I put on all my swim stuff and the let me and the other babies splash in a bucket.

Preston is 6 months old today!  He can sit unattended, eat big boy food, finally notices the cats, loves to be tickled, and giggles at silly noises.  He's still not sleeping through the night and has learned to whine.  

From Preston:
Last night I stayed home with Johanna while Mom and Dad went out to celebrate Siobhan's birthday!  Johanna and I did a LOT of cuddling.  I know how to get a lady to hug me (I cry).  Mom and Dad brought Emily home with them, and this morning I had a nice time catching up with her.  
We are having a quiet weekend at home, and it's really nice. It's the first time we've been home on a weekend in a long time!  Today Daddy worked outside on the patio all day and Mommy, Johanna, and I went for a walk

I have come a long way in the last six months!.

The first picture was taken when I was 4 days old in Target.  The second picture was taken when I was 6 months old; I can sit in the big boy seat in the shopping cart.  Notice the car seat IN the cart behind me.  I don't need that old thing...

I love to whine, need constant attention, and know the second I'm put down in my crib whilst asleep.  I think I need a little brother and sister so that Mommy and Daddy can take a break from entertaining me.

I overheard mommy saying that she's staying home with me tomorrow, and then Johanna is going to watch me while my parents go out drinking with Siobahn for her birthday.  Sounds like I'm gonna have all the attention I could ask for, although Mommy's going to need that drink.

Daddy's tale:
Big things are happening in my world.  Olympus is having a second round of layoffs, although I don't think I'm going to be affected.  The recession is really starting to hit closer to home, now.  Also, my boss is in Germany right now discussing the future of our business group, so I'm very curious whats comes out of this meeting.  Anyway, things are not all bad.

Carrie has told me she is taking on additional responsibilities at work and will possibly be receiving a Merit Increase. Yay!!!

Happy Birthday, Siobhan!!


From Mommy:
I got this letter in the mail today.  It must have taken a few days to arrive.

Dear Mom,
I am having a great time at Camp Westelaer.  I am doing so many fun activities that the days just seem to fly right by!  The Activities Director, Aunt Deb, keeps coming up with things to do, and Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa are great counselors.  With Aunt Deb I go swimming, hiking, surfing, practice walking, and cuddling.  She teaches me which sticks taste the best (they all taste pretty terrible), and she helps me to identify bird calls (the laser bird in our yard at home is really a Cardinal *Peew* *Peew* *wooopwoooopwooopwooop*).  
My favorite is the dining hall!  The grown-ups eat delicious meals, and I get to try all sorts of new foods and flavors: prunes, real banana, lettuce, and water from a big boy cup!  Today I went Kayaking with Dad.  I really like to be in and around the water, but I HATE the life jacket that I have to wear.  It's so bulky, and I can't move to look around.  But Daddy says that I'm not allowed to go boating without it; I guess safety has to come before comfort.  
I miss you, and I can't wait to see you when I start to cry (you always seem to appear when I'm the least happy).  Can I come back to camp again next month?
Tell Jack and Susie that I'm really trying to make my first word "kittty," and that I miss them, too.  

Love,
Short Stack 
The tiniest camper

Activities Director, Aunt Deb:

Fun times at Camp:

Sophie and I like to taste lettuce. Without any teeth, I just made the lettuce gooey:

Last week I made my newest friend, Stella.  She is my 3rd or 4th cousin a few times removed (aka my mother's father's father's cousin's daughter's husband's son's daughter - anyone want to figure that out?).  She is 14 months older than me, but we weight about the same.  Mom says it's because I'm chubby, but Grandma says it's because Stella is a little peanut.  We traded Mommy's for this photo:

I can tell that Stella and I are going to be good summer friends in the next few years.  We'll get to play together at the lake, swimming, boating, building forts, and picking blueberries!

On our vacation we went to the Berkshires, home of the famous illustrator, Norman Rockwell.  This is one of his most famous pieces of Main Street in Stockbridge:

We visited the museum dedicated to him, and before we got there we had a fun picnic lunch with Grandma and Grandpa.  The museum is only an hour from the lake, so its an easy and fun day trip.  We had beautiful weather.  It was my first visit to a museum, and as a future patron of the arts I think I chose a pretty good organization to patronize first (does it still count if I was free?).