HAIR!

Mikey finally has enough hair to do this......








I apologize for the clarity of this picture. It was a chilly night and so I ran the shower to warm up the bathroom. And yes, Mikey is still using the "baby bathtub". We tried the big bathtub back in August with Jimmy and Mikey was NOT a fan. I'm not complaining.....he's contained and content in the small tub. I'm going to cherish this for as long as I can!

Tailgating fun

This weekend Grandma Anita and Grandpa Bob came out for a short-but-sweet visit. Saturday morning we were on Shea field at 10:00am to tailgate with BC friends prior to the 12:00 start. This was Mikey's first tailgating experience! He had fun walking around, clapping to music and eating his first munchkin---5 to be exact!!

Mikey even got to hang out with his newest friend, Ellie Perniola. At one point, Katie (Ellie's mommy) was sitting on the ground giving Ellie her bottle and Ellie's hat was on the diaper bag beside them. Mikey picked up her hat and put it on Ellie's head. Precious. He was very gentle and gave her lots of kisses! He is such a sweet little boy.

Due to the heat and humidity (and naptime schedule) that day, Grandma Anita, Mikey and Mommy left at halftime while Grandpa Bob and Daddy stayed behind for the second half and to visit with friends.

Saturday night and Sunday were spent eating, playing and exploring Whole Foods at Legacy Place before Grandma and Grandpa headed back to New Jersey.

Oh! And Mommy made her first apple pie on Saturday, too! Yummy!

(Bob and Ellie---what a face!)

(Mikey was too cute here to eliminate this picture)

(Mikey loving Ellie but NOT loving that Mommy was holding her!)

Grandma Anita, Grandpa Bob and Mikey

How Sweet It Is......

This weekend we went apple picking with Eva, the kids from Eva's House and their parents. It was so much fun to meet Mikey's friends and also share in Mikey's first trip to Honey Pot Orchard in Stow, MA. Mikey was more interested in the rotten apples on the ground than the ones hanging in the trees, but once he got the hang of it, he had a great time. And half the fun of picking the apples was being able to eat one......or in Mikey's case 3 of them!!











Mikey also enjoyed his first hayride. He kept pointing to the tractor and its tires while we were moving. When it was time to get off he continuously signed "more" and fussed as we were walking off the ramp.




We have 2 big bags of apples---Empire, Cortland, and MacIntosh. Time to get cracking on the apple pie, applesauce, apple crisp..........

Football is back!

This was our first weekend home in Boston in a long time and we had so much fun! Saturday morning started with a 2 mile "hike" up Prospect Hill in Waltham. (I don't know if you can technically call it a hike if we walk up a paved road.....but with all those steep hills, I classify it as one!) We made a pledge to do this every weekend until the weather gets too cold.

At 3:00 we headed to the BC game vs. Kent State. This was Mikey's first FULL football game. He lasted 4 quarters and loved it! He was slightly clingy to me like last week but as the game progressed he was able to sit next to me on the bench. Mikey would point to the football players and grunt "ahh-ahh" and would clap from time to time. When the marching band was done playing "Buttercup" he signed "more"!! And he ate and drank water like a champ. He literally was chugging water out of a regular bottle of water.....without spilling!

(Mikey doesn't usually like to keep his sunglasses on, but I guess it was a little too bright)

(Eating veggie sticks....isn't that what everyone eats at football games?!?!?)

The highlight of the game (aside from the BC win!) came when we were leaving and Mikey spotted the police motorcycles. (Mikey is very much into transportation vehicles these days.) The policemen waved us over and asked us if we had our camera with us (duh!). When we said we did, they said, "Hop on! We'll take your picture!". Michael and I thought that we were going to hand Mikey over to them....but instead they let us SIT on the motorcycle! Mikey was very excited! He even gave the cops a high-five at the end! It's always a good thing to be friends with the Boston Police!! (As a little side note, if Michael looks like he is in pain in the picture it's because he was. His leg touched the exhaust pipe of the motorcycle seconds before the picture was taken. Today his leg is bubbly where the burn mark is! Ouch!)

Today is Sunday. The first day of the regular season of New York Giants football. Mikey was so excited that he woke up at 6:15 this morning from his normal 7:30-8:00 time! Lucky us! Since we live in Boston and have to compete with the Patriots, our game was not televised on regular TV. Boo. So we headed to Joe and Jake's Sports Bar in Norwood with Maryanne and Sean Irwin (and baby Irwin due on the 25th!). We had such a great time watching the Giants win (it was ugly but they pulled it off!) and spending time with friends. Mikey made friends with half of the restaurant as he did some laps around the bar to work off his meal!! He proudly sported his Brandon Jacobs jersey that we bought at the Giants training camp last summer. I wasn't able to get a family picture of us today in our Giants gear, but I definitely will next week!

Welcome back, fall! We missed you! We're looking forward to many more weekends like this in the months ahead!

Mikey's first day at Eva's house

So the day I was dreading was finally upon us. The day where I hand my child over to a non-family member and trust them with our little miracle we call Mikey.

Last night I met with Eva to go over some minor details and after our meeting, as I got in the car, the Darius Rucker song "It Won't Be Like This For Long" was on. Immediately I started crying! That song is so true as he sings:

"it won't be like this for long
one day soon you'll drop her off and she won't even know you're gone
this phase is gonna fly by
if you can just hold on
it won't be like this for long....."

8:15: As I was driving Mikey this morning I had knots in my stomach like it was my first day of school all over again. I took Mikey out of the car, we walked inside Eva's house, placed his extra clothes and hat in his "cubby" and then Mikey immediately gravitated to the train table. Breakfast was set up at the table with three other children already eating. Mikey stood at the table and played nicely with Eva and I took that as my cue to leave. Eva emphasized I could call as much as I wanted throughout the day. I told her I would call during naptime. I bent down next to Mikey, told him I loved him, he gave me his cheek to kiss goodbye and that was it. I walked out and he didn't look back! I got in the car and cried again. I knew I could wait until 12:30 to call......

By 9:15 all I could think about was......can I call yet?!?!?

After one home visit and a 2 hour evaluation, I was finally able to call (at 1:15). The first thing Eva said on the phone was "Congratulations! You are a wonderful Mommy!". Sigh. She said Mikey was "friendly and calm". He never cried or looked for Mommy (thanks a lot kiddo). He ran and played in the field with his friends. He ate cooked squash, cheese, pasta and cucumber for lunch and drank water. When I called she said Mikey was "happily snoring". He took his nap in a playpen with his lovey. He was initially standing up and watching the other children (who were sleeping on cots). Once he got the idea that it was naptime, he sat down and went right to sleep. Eva told me to come later than my expected pick up time (which was 4:15) since they would be at the field.

After I finished up at work I was able to go grocery shopping, clean up the kitchen, unload the dishwasher and put the clean laundry away! It was very strange to be in the apartment without my little boy.

4:20 came faster than I thought! I met up with the group just as they were returning from the field. Mikey was VERY excited to see his Mommy!! (Almost as excited as I was.....)

And now I can breathe a sigh of relief.......until next Tuesday!

Labor Day weekend

Happy Labor Day weekend! This weekend was tons of fun packed into three short days!

Saturday morning started with Mikey's first trip to "In a Pickle" in Waltham where he dined on his first chocolate chip pancake! What a hit! Chocolate was EVERYWHERE! Mikey really enjoyed it....can you tell???

Then we were off to the BC football game versus Weber State. It was a warm and sunny day about 85 degrees. We are lucky that our seats are along the endzone and so Mikey and I were able to sit in the shade and relax. Mikey was very clingy to Mommy and just took everything in. By the end of the second quarter he was clapping and watching along!!

We left the game at halftime (with BC having a huge lead and eventually pulled off a win!) to head to Queensbury, NY to spend time with the Donnelly family for Grandma Ruth's 85th birthday celebration! The weekend was spent catching up with family, enjoying the crisp fall air (not really swimming weather when the high was only 68 degrees---although the pool was warmer than the outside air!), and singing and dancing with the birthday girl! At night you could find us camped out around the fire pit, enjoying an adult beverage and laughing!

We were not so good with the camera this weekend but we were able to catch a shot of Great-Grandma and Mikey on Monday!

Happy Birthday, Grandma! :)

More Jersey Freeze Ice Cream Cake PLEASE!

Mikey is picking up signs so fast that I'm going to have to learn even more! I feel it is REALLY cutting down on his frustration since he is able to communicate basic words. Here's the latest.

Prepare yourself.....It's THAT cute!

18 Months

Where has the summer gone? And where has our baby gone?!?! Mikey is a full blown toddler now. He is walking super fast (not quite running yet), climbing onto everything and all around just being more physical. Each month he usually has a "trend" in terms of his toys and book preference. This month he is all about transportation vehicles! He LOVES to read his transportation book with real pictures of all sorts of trucks, tractors, construction vehicles, etc. (Mommy is REALLY getting an education!) He also enjoys pushing around his fire truck, school bus, and playing with his garage. All boy!

Mikey has also started using a few words recently. He says "up" and reaches up with his arms when he wants to be picked up, "car", and inconsistently---"baby" (he says "bay-be"). Also "bye bye" with a wave is a popular one. Mikey is also signing (as mentioned a few days ago). His most consistent signs are "more", "please", "all done", and "eat". He is also following one step directions---which tell us you are really taking everything in! You are one smart boy!

Next Tuesday Mikey starts at Eva's house (a home daycare). He will be attending one day a week while Mommy goes to work. Even though I will miss him terribly (and feel weird about having a non-family member care for my son), I know Mikey will enjoy his time there. His day will be structured more like a preschool. They do arts and crafts projects, circle time and take a walk down to the nearby field/grass area twice a day. He will definitely be exhausted by the end of the day!

Happy 18 months, my love! We love you sooooooooooo much!