14 months ago, yesterday

14 months ago (yesterday) Adam was born. Not to be all chiche-ish, but it just keeps getting better & better. He is such a love. He is also hysterically funny. Just looking at these photos above cracks me up. He has so many different expressions... the last photo is priceless, his look of pure joy as he finds yet another carpet fuzz. Which he clamped in his hand and then hid behind the drapes so I wouldn't retrieve it from his precious hands before it landed in his mouth (I was too fast for him, though!).

Seriously though, HE IS SUCH A JOY!!! Always smiling, exploring, playing, etc. He is also repeating everything... his current favorite being "Bye Bye". I usually say "love you" when getting off the phone so now when he hears that phrase he'll say "Bye Bye" before I do! He's also saying: balloon, ball, chicken, up, bathroom, duck, mama, dada and he signs for "more" when eating. The only "issue" that we're still facing is his eating. LL is just not a big eater (unlike his parents). He's also extremely active. The combo makes it tough for him to pack on the pounds. I really do try not to stress over it too much. Really. I did buy a whole bunch of new organic food items at "Bloom" tonight... ravioli, macaroni with meat sauce, ingredients to make bean/cheese enchildadas, etc. Let's hope some of these foods are a hit.




Lots more to write but too tired to do so tonight. So I will leave you with one final photo that was taken at the Merrill's home on Sunday. I have to say, the kid's a natural...

Adam *LOVES* Swimming...UPDATED WITH TEXT

We had a great Memorial Day hanging out at the Merril's home in MD. They have a gorgeous pool and Adam literally could not wait to get in! Neither could Steven! He had been waiting to go swimming with Adam for over a year!!! The BBQ was delicious and the company of the Merrils was even better. They are wonderful family friends and we're so glad we could spend M-Day with them.

Adam's 1st trip to Washington, D.C.

Adam ventured into Washington, D.C. for the first time today! Which is ironic since Steven and I met for the first time (blind date) at the Smithsonian Metro stop 8.5 years ago this week. We only live about 45 minutes away but when you have a baby (toddler?), it seems like a real trip. We actually took the Metro there (Adam's first Metro trip) and he loved it... just looked out the big windows and took it all in.

We went downtown with Uncle Joey, Aunt Hillary, and Grandma to meet Cousin Brad and his wife, Jen. Brad and I are exactly, to the day, 6 months apart (Brad being older). Our parents are close so we saw each other somewhat often growing up and always had fun. I have fond memories of laughing so hard with Brad that ice-cream flew out of my nose at Bob Big Boy's about 20 years ago (it seems like yesterday, in a way). I doubt Brad remembers this but I remember him telling us that "Puttin on the Ritz" was his favorite song back in, oh, 1983 maybe?!? :) I wish we lived closer... he's a really great guy and Jen is wonderful. She's also a pediatric dentist so she could answer all my questions regarding Adam's teeth (reminder: we need to take him to the dentist asap since he's almost 14 months old and has 12 teeth). Anyway, Brad and Jen were in town for a conference so we had a chance to meet and for them to meet Adam. We ate dinner at the Lebanese Taverna in Woodley Park (near the National Zoo) and had a nice time catching up.

After dinner, we walked up and down D.C. Adam insisted on pushing his stroller, as opposed to riding in it (see photo). Such a big boy!

Welcome home, Uncle Joey & Aunt Hillary!!!

After 4.5 months of travelling the world (Fiji, Thailand, India, Germany, Israel, Italy... and at least 3 more countries that I'm too tired to remember), Uncle Joey and (future)Aunt Hillary have returned to the good US of A! We're so glad that they'll be in VA for a week... yay! We had a great time with them this evening, hearing all about their stay in Fiji (the plan is to hear about 1-2 countries a night, Joey's idea!). They look FANTASTIC... my little brother is the only person I know to travel the world and come back 20 pounds lighter (I can't believe we're related, based on that alone)! We all LOVE Uncle Joey and Aunt Hillary... welcome home and thanks for the wonderful presents... especially the adorable Thai outfit for Adam!!!

p.s. Sorry about the lousy photos... I'll (try) to take better ones tomorrow! You can see in the first photo that Adam is looking at Joey and thinking... "Hmm, you look a little like my mama!"

Wordless Wednesday -- fun with prunes!

As much as Adam loved the prunes (can you tell?), it wasn't as much fun changing his 3 *filled* diapers afterwards, if you know what I mean... TMI?!?

Yet another favorite... fountains!

We had a very busy weekend! Yesterday we took Adam to a local Arts Festival. Before our LL came along, Steven and I used to travel near & far to visit art shows. We thought it was time to get Adam in on the action! :)

He didn't seem that interested in the art, what a shocker, huh?!? He did, however, LOVE the big fountains! I'm talking LOVE. There were two huge fountains and he could not get enough of them. He literally walked over a block, fast, to get to the second fountain and then crawled up the steps to the water all by himself. He then just stood, watching the water and clapping. It was beyond adorable... we must have stayed at the 2nd fountain for over 20 minutes!

After the Arts Festival, we headed to the nearby Barnes & Noble so Adam could play with the trains (with the big kids). He then managed to knock down an entire row of books... with a big smile on his face! The kid loves books, what can I say?

Today Adam went on two long walks with Dada and Grandma. Afterwards, Grandma cooked a delicious dinner and LL had fish (tilapia) and cantaloupe for the first time and loved them both. It was so wonderful having Grandma over. Adam just adores her and whenever she leaves the room, he points to her (back) and follows her. It's so sweet to see the bond that they have. Just wish my Dad was here, too, of course. Hopefully he's laughing and clapping his hands on the table with LL from "up above"...

LL's New Favorites...

Now that Adam is 13.5 months old and is an official TODDLER he has some new favorites:

a. Fisher-Price Little People school bus ride-on toy. Except he doesn't like to ride on it, he likes to push it around and press the buttons to hear the horn and song ("Stop and go. Stop and go(?). Off to school like the big kids go"... the song is STILL in my head, hours later). He especially loves playing with it on the deck -- we spent hours out there today (see photo). He also likes to put toys in the little storage seat.

b. Strawberries. LOVES LOVES LOVES them.

c. Sippy Cups... to drink now. He's kinda obsessed with them, actually. If he has a cup on his tray, he will not eat. He will only drink from the cup. It's becoming sort of an issue. I have to hide the sippy cup until he's done eating so he'll actually eat!

d. The word "NO". Seriously, he gives you the biggest grin EVER when you say "No, Adam". So now we are using new phrases such as "STOP" (in a very firm voice -- no matter how cute his grin is when we say it)!!!

e. Pointing. I was so worried that he would never point 2 months ago and that's all he does now. He points to things he wants, to things he sees.... points to everything, all day long. When he wants me, he points. I'm trying to get him to say "Mama" instead but the kid loves to point.

d. His shoes. Adam has two pairs of shoes and tries to put them on himself. He almost does it, too. He also likes his new sun hat... thought it was very funny to wear it today.

e. New books... his new favorites are "That's Not My Puppy" (thanks, Grandma, great find!),"The Nose Book" and "He Bear, She Bear" which are adorable little board books. He also loves his "musical" books... the ones where you press a button and hear a song. Aunt Linda and Cousin Claire bought him two great ones.

f. Walking into rooms that are usually not accessible (e.g. closed doors) to him. Whenever the laundry room, bathroom, etc. is "open", Adam gets very excited and walks into the "new" room with a big grin. He especially loves playing with the toilet paper roll! Time to get that child-proofed! He even has his own drawer in the kitchen with measuring cups and bowls that he loves to get into.

g. Dogs barking. Seriously. LL laughs every time he hears a dog bark. He just *adores* dogs... both real and stuffed (he still takes both doggys out of his crib with him every morning... so sweet).

h. Stairs. Adam loves to climb up the stairs. I have a feeling he may begin to climb on *everything* in the coming months. He tried to run today but fell flat on his face (literally). :(

i. Carpet Fuzz (really)... an old favorite, actually. Adam is very good at playing independently with his toys & books (usually). He is a huge babbler so I *know* there's trouble when he gets quiet. Sure enough, it's usually when he finds a carpet fuzz. He'll cup it into his hand and look at me with this very sneaky grin (it's priceless). When I unfist his hand to take out the fuzz (before he eats it), he screams *bloody murder*. I'm talking total meltdown. Over a CARPET FUZZ. He's usually pretty laid back, too. Go figure.

Adam is into *EVERYTHING* these days (some things never change!). We really have to watch him like a hawk as he is still our "human vacuum cleaner"! He is *very* independent and loves to explore. Every day with him is truly an adventure (hence the title of the blog) and we look forward to spending each and every day with our Little Love.

P.S. Is it just me or does Adam look like a "big boy" in this photo? My baby is growing up!!! He looks a bit "thicker" as Steven said and hopefully a little taller, too!

Day and Night

Adam was so incredibly active yesterday (see first photo) that he slept for almost 13hours last night (see 2nd photo -- a new sleeping position? Look at his leg on the bumper!). He woke up with some new curls on the back of his head and maybe a little bit taller, too. Little Love needs his beauty sleep!!! :)

Happy (Grand)Mother's Day

Dear Bobbe & Grandma,

Happy (Grand)Mother's Day!!!

I am SO lucky to have the two BEST grandmothers in the whole world!

I love you both SO much!

xoxo,

ADAM

P.S. My mama and dada love you both SO much, too!!!

P.S.S. The 1st photo was taken when I was just a few hours old. The 2nd & 3rd photos were taken when I was 11 months old and on my birthday, respectively.

Happy 1st Birthday, Cousin Claire!

We had so much fun at Cousin Claire's 1st Birthday Party today! She literally looked like a living doll -- so beautiful and sweet. Claire and Adam had a little tug-of-war going over a ball of ribbon -- see photo above -- I think Claire won! Adam had a blast the whole time... and crashed 3 minutes into the ride home (see last photo). Now that's the sign of a great party! :)

I Knew...

I heard the perfect song lyrics today that reminded me of Adam:

I knew I loved you before I met you

I think I dreamed you into life

I knew I loved you before I met you

I have been waiting all my life

The song is by Savage Garden (I think) and it came out years ago. The lyrics really touched home as I'm about to celebrate my second Mother's Day as a Mom myself. I'm (we're) so blessed.

Photo note: The first photo was taken the morning of my C-section! The second photo was taken on Wednesday, after Adam's first pool adventure...

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there reading this!!!

Water Baby

Adam had the best day today... he went "swimming" for the first time!!!

We went over to Angela's house to celebrate L's 1st birthday... the adorable little girl in the photos. The kids had so much fun in the pool... especially Adam. He couldn't get enough of it! At first he was a little timid (see first photo) but then he started splashing around and having an absolute ball...

It's Baa Baa Bedtime!

We have been reading Adam "Baa Baa Bedtime" before bed (followed by "Goodnight Moon") for six months now. He has always loved this book... loves pointing to the sheep (and the red phone) and alternates between sitting quietly and babbling during the book. When he was younger, he would grin the biggest smile ever whenever Steven would take the book out from under the chair. Steven is the "narrator" voice and I'm always the voice of Mama, natch. This was the first book Adam turned the pages to, months ago. You should see the condition the book is in now as a result!

Anyway, tonight when we were reading the book, Adam was absolutely silent. Except for the part, in the middle, when Mama (sheep) said "It's..." and Adam started saying "BA BA BA BA BA"... we couldn't believe it as the line goes "It's BA BA BEDTIME!". We thought it was just a coincidence except he did it AGAIN at the end of the book when Mama (sheep) said "It's..." and again Adam said "BA BA BA BA BA" all excitedly. It was amazing and a nice reward for having read that book over 200 times in the last six months! Just when we thought he was tired of it! :)

Like Father, Like Son

Here are some cute photos of my handsome boys. They look so good in red! And, yes, those are measuring spoons that Adam is playing with/eating in the picture. Another item for the "Who Needs Toys?" category!

Steven insists that Adam does not look like him. Hmm... what do you think?!?

We had a nice weekend together (I love the weekends when we can all be together!). We found a great play area in Sterling today, next to Wegman's, that Adam had a lot of fun at. It was a beautiful day so we hung out there for a while. Last night, Steven and I had "date night" while Grandma watched Adam (thanks, Grandma!) As always, Adam had the best time playing at Grandma's house. He especially LOVED the homeade carrots! For our date night, Steve and I had frozen margaritas (yum) on the deck of a Mexican Restaurant and saw the new Tina Fey movie, "Baby Mama" (it was GREAT!!!) afterwards. We definitely need to have date night more often! :)

Baby, you can ride my car...

Last Friday (over a week ago -- sorry for the delay!) we took a trip to Clemyjontri Park (try saying that 3x fast!). We went with Molly and Adam's girlfriend, Riley (they really are so cute together... see photo above). It is a wonderful park and playground which Adam will LOVE when he gets a bit older. Right now, he was more interested in picking up the sticks in the grass (such a boy). It was also REALLY hot that day. We still had a lot of fun, of course, especially in the HUGE swings (see last photo... look how big his feet are!?!). The kids instantly fell asleep in the car after the park and Molly and I had a relaxing lunch together. Have I mentioned recently how happy I am that Molly and I are neighbors (well, we live a few miles away, but close enough)? :)

TALKING UPDATE: Adam now says "Duck" when he walks into his bathroom (he has a large ducky bathtub and the bathroom is decorated with ducks). He has also started to "quack quack" again when you ask him what a ducky says. The kid loves animals!