Bathtime

Really - is there anything cuter than a naked baby?  Especially one who loves the water?

Asa's First Car

His very own, very much beloved, vroom-vroom car!

Of course, he likes it best when being pushed around the yard at top speed.

Although, in a pinch, a few laps around the park will do.

Time with Granna and Pap Pap

We had twelve whole days with the San Diego grandparents!  It was a wonderful luxury, and (when everyone was feeling well) we had a wonderful time!

We went to a triple-A ball game:

It ended up being a double-header - two seven-inning games.  Asa lasted through nine innings and the 20-minute break between games.  He was startled by the roar of the crowd the first time he heard it (an incredible catch by the third baseman) but got used to it, and we made sure he knew we were making happy noises as we cheered.

He wasn't sure about the mascot, though.

We went to see the USS Constitution, which involved a ferry ride across Boston Harbor:

Asa slept through our tour of the ship, but woke up for the excellent guided tour of the museum, led by a dear friend:

Apparently, we were on a bit of an old-ship kick, because we also went to see the Mayflower II.

Again, with an excellent tour of the area by dear friends.  How lucky are we?

We also got a visit from Auntie Jen:

...who stayed for a bathtime photoshoot...

...and a demonstration of heretofore unknown (to us) talents.

Of course, Asa also got in lots of cuddle time.

We love you, Granna and Pap Pap, and hope that you'll come back soon (on Southwest, if you don't mind).

One Year Old

I know, I know... it's been nearly two weeks since the last post.  Which makes me a bad blogger, perhaps, but I think it at least suggests that I'm a good mother.  Because the very thought of writing out my thoughts about Asa turning one has had me shrinking away from the computer.  How does one express the singular mind-trip of this baby:

This tiny, delicate being who needed so much help in his first days... how on earth could he have turned into a little boy in the barest blink of an eye?

A little boy with teeth, curls, and a sense of humor.  A little boy who is so very close to walking, if he only knew it.  A little boy who has discovered the joy of words: "kiggy ka" (kitty cat), "Mommy", "Mumma", "Ap-Ap" (Pap Pap), "Ga" (Granna) and, for better or for worse, "No."  A little boy who crawls over to his high chair when he is hungry.  A little boy who is continually demonstrating his understanding of what we say and do, and who makes choices in how he responds to us.

Maybe it's an especially poignant subject because of the birth, just days before Asa's birthday, of my first great-niece, Taylor.  I look at pictures of this tiny little creature in her parents' arms, and it brings me back - knowing that they're living those first days right now makes it somehow fresher than my own fatigue-riddled memories of Asa's infancy.

I look from Taylor to Asa, and I think that in so many ways, it gets harder as they get older, but it's so much more fun... and then I think that perhaps it's easier now, and more frustrating.  It's complicated and crazy and awesome and miraculous all at once.

Is it any wonder it took me so long to blog this one?

Happy Birthday, little Asa-Bean.  We love you more than any words could express.

Cheerio!

Well, Cheerios.

So much development, so little time...

Yes, it's a vid of Asa and Oliver.  But NOTE: Asa is learning cause and effect.  He's making choices and recognizing their effect on others.  He's improving his motor control and balance.

And he's playing by himself!  (why, one might ask, was I taking video rather than actually getting something done?  ah, dear blog readers, the things I do for you.)



that, and it was cute.  You really think I'm going to pass up cute just to be practical?

Let Them Eat Cake

We'd originally thought that this first all-out-smearfest would take place on his birthday, but Riley's baptism cake proved just a little too tempting.

Asa wasn't too sure at first, but he warmed up to the idea.

Now all of you in order, from messiest to cleanest... yes, you too, Caleb...

Yup, when it comes to messy eating, Riley really does (ahem) take the cake.

Local History

The other day, it was supposed to be in the low-to-mid 70s with almost no humidity - a nice break from the thick, hot weather we've been having.  So we decided to do one of the walks that we'd been putting off - the Battle Road from Concord to Lexington, MA.  I hadn't done it since I was very small, and M. had never done it, so what more reason did we need?  

It's a moderately-wide dirt track that runs about 2.5 miles one way... not entirely stroller-friendly, so we plopped the Bean in his sling and off we went.

It was a beautiful day, with beautiful fields and forest - only slightly marred by the knowledge that all those purple flowers are a highly-invasive and destructive species.

It got rather warm as we walked... a good deal warmer than the forecast, in fact.  Especially for the person with the 20-pound heat source strapped to her back.  We were glad we weren't walking nearly as far as the Minutemen.

We didn't make it all the way.  It would have been fine either with cooler temperatures or without the added weight of baby and backpack-full-of-food-and-water, but we got about 2 miles before admitting defeat and turning around.  And trading baby for pack.

One very cool moment was finding our Bean's name on one of the historical markers:

That, and the howling shark tree.  See it?

As tired as we were, Asa was a perfectly happy almost the whole time.  He didn't really fuss until a few minutes before we got back to the car, and then slept the whole way home.