Toys of tags and zippers

Dear Max,

Sometimes, no matter how many wooden blocks and handmade rattles and hand-me-down Fisher Price toys you have, what you want to play with the most, more than any other thing in the world, is a good old fashioned soft, silky tag or scratchy zipper.  And who can blame you?  Tags and zippers are fun, they are different and they come in all shapes and sizes on nearly everything you own.  Plus, with a tag and a zipper, you can make them be anything you want them to be in that ever-learning, ever-growing little mind of yours.  So from now on, no more toys.  Whenever anyone asks us what you want or need for a present, I am going to cut to the chase and tell them that you would be the happiest little guy around with toys of tags and zippers.  You'll be the envy of all of the little boys and girls in town and when they come over and open your Spider Man toy box, their mouths will drop open and their eyes will get big, at the sight of the biggest and best toy collection around, and maybe, just maybe, they will get to go home with a tag and a zipper of their own.

                                                                                                                       All the love in the world,

                                                                                                                                      Mommy

I feel so wonderful

Damien and I have joked that this will be the summer in which we pretended like we were rich.  Today was certainly one of those days.  We stayed over last night at the Provincetown Inn after Damien and our friends completed their bike ride.  It was an exhausting day for all of us, them because they had just ridden 150 miles in 2 days and me because I was in charge of getting Max and our friends' son, who is just over a year old, to Provincetown.  They made it in 7 hours, me in 4.  We spent the evening walking around P-town, which we decided is the happiest place on earth.  We even saw a rainbow on the walk back.  We had mexican food, ate gelato and then all passed out by 9:30pm.

Today, we headed over to a house that our friends' uncle and aunt had rented after they, too, finished the ride.  What an amazing house.  We spent the afternoon by the pool and then once again made the trek home.  This time, it was Damien and me together with only one baby and we made it home in 2 and a half hours.  Tomorrow, Max and my mom and I are heading out to the beach to visit some more friends. Then it's Charlestown RI and then Ireland... 

*today's title comes from the new My Morning Jacket CD.  It was on my entire trip down to P-town and back.  It certainly suited these past few days and it is an amazing album.  Be sure to check it out!

early morning snapshots

Max and Damien are both asleep right now, Max upstairs and Damien halfway to Provincetown.  I always miss Damien when he does this bike ride, and now, so does Max.  I took this series of photos the other morning as I was getting ready for work.  Damien had stayed up until 4am to work on some long exposure photographs for a project for a grant that he won.  Max was just loving sleeping with his daddy.  I can't blame him.  I'm not loving that I have to sleep without him tonight.  But boy am I proud of him...

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Thanks!

Welcome summer vacation...

This is who I get to spend the next 2 months with.  Between a week renting a beach house in Charlestown, RI to a week staying with Damien's grandparents' in Ireland, I don't think a summer break could be better.  Max is just resting up for it all...

Max saying momma

He's been doing it for awhile now.  But now more than ever, when I put Max down, even for a second, he calls out for his momma.  We are still working on the crawling thing but he is getting so close.  Check it out...

And if you have a second, please vote for me!  Just 2 clicks, that's all it takes.  And thanks.

Dinner time

When I first imagined starting solid foods with Max, I envisioned mealtimes filled with homemade food that varied from night to night with all sorts of different concoctions that I had made for him.  I thought I would be able to stay on top of making all of his baby food.  In reality, that didn't really happen at all.  So, as a good substitute, he has been getting the Nature's Best food since we started him on solids nearly 4 months ago.  He moved from stage 1 to 2 and now onto stage 3.  Since we have decided to raise him vegetarian, there have been some difficulties with the stage 3 foods, mainly because a lot of them contain meat.  By stage 3, the food is thicker and contains more protein.  I want to be sure that Max is getting enough protein without the introduction of meat, so I have been mixing in hummus and avocado with his food.  I also have been giving him some cheese and he loves lentils which is wonderful.  I have some tofu which I will be preparing and adding to dinnertime meals as well.  And edamame, one of my favorites!  All of these are wonderful alternatives to meat protein and are easy enough to enhance an already healthy meal.

When I was younger, I was such a picky eater.  I know that my parents did their best to introduce me to different foods and to try and vary my palate, but I just never cooperated.  And I know that is a possibility with Max.  But, that won't stop me from trying.  I have started to add different spices to his food, mainly basil and curry powder so far.  He really has enjoyed both.  I am excited to continue to add to his meals, even if the food itself isn't homemade.  

Over the past 9 and a half months, I have realized that there are certain things that I had always thought I would do as a mom and certain things that I had ideals about.  And then once I became a mom, I soon realized that things don't always turn out as you had imagined them.  So instead, you find what works for you, what works for your family, what you can live with, what you can live without.  And you adjust.  One of the biggest lessons that I have learned so far with this whole parenting thing is that the best you can do is the best that there is.  And I am giving my best to Max.

Morning time

These are the moments in which getting out of bed and going to work are difficult....

Happy first father's day Damien

 

Dear Damien,

Forty one weeks have passed since you first became a father.  And what a father you have become.  A loving and hugging and singing and laughing and playing and caring and snuggling and kissing and wonderful man of a father.  Happy first father's day.

Love,

Sarah and Max