31 weeks

Last weekend we went to the zoo.

We saw lions...
...and tigers...
...and prairie dogs...
Oh my!
We kind of misjudged how interested Zack might be in watching the animals (not very), but he was totally enthralled with watching all the people, so all was not lost.

Afterward,we went on an emergency clothes shopping mission. Because all those pants that were long on Zack back in the spring? Yeah, well those now work for shorts.

As an aside, our neighbors just had a baby boy, whom we just met at 2 weeks old. I was convinced that Zack was never that small...only to find out that Sidney was almost the exact same size as Zack at birth. How is it possible to forget so quickly?

Oh, right. Sleep deprivation.

Back to our story.

With that mission accomplished, we went to eat Thai food.
Well, Rob and I had Thai food while Zack watched. He'll soon be getting to the point where he'll be able to partake in whatever we eat--he certainly wants to badly enough!

"Hey, Mom? Mom????? Where's my food?"

Enough of this vacation stuff

Hi.
(Mom thinks it's really cute how I cross my feet).

Enough of these vacation pictures. I've been doing lots of stuff since then.

Like learning to play the bongos.

And going on my first Metro ride.
And just generally being one cool cat.
Mom says this is what I get for not taking a nap in the morning.


Sleeping on Dad is much more comfortable, I have to admit.
Mom wanted me to pose with the dog so that everyone out there could see how big I was getting, so I did.
What?! I'm posing, aren't I?

Week 30: pictures from Cape Cod

Our week in Cape Cod was lovely, and already seems so long ago.

We went to the beach nearly every day. The beach is just gorgeous in Truro, it's part of the National Seashore so it's very natural and not crowded. This was the day it must have been in the 60's on the beach, though it was much warmer off the beach.
Zack liked the feel of the sand on his toes.
We went with our friends Dom and Margaret, and their son, Sean. Those specks out there in the water are Sean and Dom, boogey-boarding.
You may have noticed that in all these beach shots, I'm never in the water. That is because I was clearly born to go to the beach substantially nearer the equator, not in New England where getting in the water is basically equivalent to getting into a big tub of ice.

You can't see it really well, but the house in the back with the blue tarp on the roof is falling off the dune because of all the erosion.
Sean just LOVED Zack and was such a big help in keeping Zack entertained....
...and in keeping him safe. Of his own accord, Sean put pillows all around where Zack was sitting, just in case he toppled over. See that blanket behind Zack? That's the blanket that I knitted for Sean after he was born. To say that it's well-loved is an understatement and I couldn't be happier with that.
One night we had a picnic on the beach. Zack desperately wanted some chips and guacamole.
The kids got to toast marshmallows and make s'mores. The guy in the middle spearing marshmallows is Tom, a college friend of Dom and Rob's that lives on the Cape year 'round. Isn't it time for another vacation yet?
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To update on Zack's progress, he's now splashing when he takes a bath, and cracking himself up when he does it. He's getting really good at putting his pacifier in his mouth (and it's a directional paci, so I think that's pretty good). He's also started to pass a toy from one hand to the other. His mobility increases by the day, but he's not crawling yet. He will go after a toy that's out of reach, though. His sitting is great, and he has started bouncing while he sits. I've started giving him pieces of banana to play with after feeding him his dinner, and it's pretty funny to watch him smear it around, bring it to the edge of the tray, then try to scoop it up with his mouth. There is definately more on him than in his tummy, but he's getting there.

He had his first trip on the Metro last Saturday when he and I went to Teaism and the Phillips Collection (the Jacob Lawrence exhibit is pretty amazing, by the way). He loved watching the train come into the station and then once on the train, well, he had a captive audience so what was there not to like?! He liked how his voice echoed in the galleries of the Phillips and I think he may have even been paying attention to some of the paintings, particularly the large abstract ones. We may go to the zoo this weekend.

Week 29: More pictures from vacation

During our stay with them, Rob's parents graciously opened their home to Rob's birth family so that they could all meet Zack. It was a lovely afternoon, with lots of great food (mmmm...lamb shish kebob...) and wonderful company.

As I think I mentioned before, Rob and I managed to not take any pictures of the event, but Peri was kind enough to send us the ones that she took--Thanks!

Let's start with a lovely picture of our hosts, Anne and Mark.
At this point, what I really need is a family tree to keep everyone's relationship straight but we'll give it a go.

We'll start out easy with Rob and his birth father, Jim. I'm guessing you can figure out who the little guy is by now. The one that has a thing for beer already.
And this is Leslie, Rob's birth mother.
Here's where it gets a little trickier. This is Daniel, Rob's biological half-brother, and Peri, who is now married to Jim, mother to Daniel. Does that make Daniel a half-uncle to Zack?
Meredith (left) is Daniel's sister, Peri's daughter. Jessica (middle), is Leslie's daughter and Rob's biological half sister. Are they half-aunts?
Still with me?

Here's an easy one.
Regardless of everyone's technical relationship to everyone else, there was enough love and warmth to go around and I think it's fairly safe to say that everyone was pretty smitten with Zack.

Week 29 minus 1 day: Pictures from vacation

Just a few pictures from the first week of our vacation.

En route to Connecticut.
Kicking back.
First feel (and believe me, there was a first taste, too) of sand.
Hanging out with Dad in the ocean...
...on the beach...
...and in the pool.
Meeting Rob's biological family for brunch...

(L to R: Leslie, Kelly, me, Rob, Zack, Jessica and Jay)

...and either being bored or overwhelmed by the whole thing.
Coming up: more pictures of the party Anne and Mark had for Rob's biological family to meet Zack, and of our week in Cape Cod.

As for what our little guy is up to now: he's getting very close to getting up on his hands and knees. He's definitely traveling places by rolling and scooting. He has discovered that he can make very high-pitched noises and seems to enjoy practicing said noises very much. Rob and I may need hearing aids shortly. He continues to grow--last week he weighed in at 17 lbs 9 oz and measured 27.5 inches. He continues to be a super-sweet, happy little boy!

We're back

Let's recap:
::We went to Connecticut, then Cape Cod. Now we need a vacation.
::Zack turned half a year old on August 21. Let's not even discuss how it's not possible for half a year to have gone by already.
::Zack charmed everyone he met during his travels, and was told that he "is full of positive energy." His charm even got his picture in the newspaper.
::He is sitting all by himself and has resumed raspberrying in full force.
::He is doing a lot of arm flapping, even though I've told him that flying is not his best bet in terms of mobility. He gets his persistence from his father.
::His food repertoire now includes butternut squash, green beans, apricots and peaches (though he may be a touch allergic to those two), sweet potatoes and sand. Peas are on the menu for this evening.
::He does not seem to have a peanut allergy, as we discovered after he found a peanut shell on the beach and started munching.
::We got him in both the ocean and pool and he was fine with both, even though the ocean was downright frigid. He was probably in the ocean more than I was and was definitely in the pool more.
::He is also rather fond of the beach, as you can see from this little video clip that will have to tide you over until I get to a proper blog (imagine that it's turned the proper way).