Cape Cod- July 2011

Quick picture post!

With Grandma Kathy and the sunglasses she bought him


The two of them are best buddies


Meeting Great Uncle Dickie


With Great Grandma Ruth


Great Aunt Frannie (and Great Uncle George in the background)


The three of us on the balcony

James's First Time at the Beach 2011

There's a pond near where Kevin's mother lives on the Cape. Kevin pretty much grew up on the pond. It's salt water and the water goes out to the ocean eventually, but it's sheltered and warmer than the ocean. We thought it was the perfect place for James to dip his legs for the first time.

Feeling the sand in his toes


He's not sure he loves this water thing

He didn't like it or dislike it much at first but then he started kicking at the waves when his Great Aunt Mary took him back in.  I think he was having a pretty good time. So was Aunt Mary.

Getting into the waves with his Great Auntie Mary

Visits from Friends- July 2011

In the first ten days of July, we've visited with friends six of those days.  With the baby in the mix-- I'm impressed with us but also exhausted!

First, Ash and Michele L slept over the night before Ash and I left for the Corbman wedding. We ordered sushi and stayed up way too late having philosophical conversation and feeding the baby (at 1 a.m.). That might not have been the best idea for me.

A second attempt at a group picture (10 weeks + 2 days)

Then, Brady came over to provide moral support to Kevin while I was away at the wedding, and he stayed for three days until the Fourth of July cookout with Briggs, Nick G and Emily.

Brady and James enjoying some True Blood together (Just kidding! Maybe?)

On Thursday, Kevin's friend from high school Nick C and his girlfriend Michelle R (yes, we saw two different Nicks and two Michele/Michelles in 10 days!) came to meet James and visit us before they head to their next adventure. They only recently got back from a year traveling South America, and their next destination is still unknown.  We had good conversation and two intense rounds of Connect Four. And Nick stayed up with Kevin through the 1-3 a.m. feeding. Bad idea for Kevin.

Nick and Michelle meet James (11 weeks + 1 day)


So much more REAL than tic tac toe

James also picked this day to start pushing out of his bouncy seat with his legs! His legs are so strong, and he seems to insist on bouncing on his legs now.  You're supposed to crawl before you walk, buddy. Oh well, Grandma Kathy tells us that Kevin skipped crawling and went straight to walking at about a year old. I crawled first, but was walking by 9 months. Is James trying to outdo us both? Personally, I think he should focus on tummy time skills, like lifting his head or rolling over, but James only screams when I put him down.

Finally, on Sunday, we ventured out of the house with James to have brunch with Lukas and Sarah. This is always a very tricky situation since James hates the car (and everything), but Luke and Sarah only live 30 minutes away so we thought we would risk it. Sarah generously offered to make brunch so we could stay in since we assume other brunch-goers do not want to hear James screaming. And oh my, what a delicious brunch she made with grits casserole, shrimp, bacon, and berry salad. We even had Bloody Marys and mimosas. Fancy.

Playing with James while he SQUEALS with delight!


Check out the spread!


Bonus baby photo from the same day (11 weeks+ 4 days)

Kevin Went Back to Work 2011

I survived Kevin's first day back to work for the summer session at the Manhattan campus, but just barely. Kevin still took the morning shift. (I get up with the baby for night feedings, and Kevin gets up when the baby refuses to go back to the crib between 5-6 a.m.)  I'm lucky that he's been working from home for nine weeks. I know most women are not so lucky. Maybe in civilized Europe?

James and I had a busy little day which included introduction of another toy.  He didn't like any toys before so I'm excited we now have a repertoire of two toys, even if he only likes gumming them.  While he prefers gumming the bear's ears, he chose the feet as the most satisfying on the "UglyDoll Cozymonster" Brady got him. James also had a early bath, which he always finds exhausting. Perhaps for those reasons he mercifully fell asleep at 6 p.m. Then he wanted a little payback last night. Oh well.

James is pouty about dad leaving for work (11 weeks + 5 days)


Here's the outtake where James is totally spazzing out


Gumming the feet of the "Ugly Monster"

Fourth of July 2011

Fourth of July! (James at 10 weeks + 5 days.)

With a little fussy baby, we had to keep things low-key. Our friends Brady, Briggs, Nick, and Emily came over for a cookout in the back yard. It was the first time we'd seen Nick and Emily since they got married in May in Charlottesville, and the first time they met James. We weren't able to make the drive to their wedding when James was only a month old., so they filled us in on all the fun details.

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Emily and Nick meeting James


Irish men relaxing in the shade


Wedded bliss

It's been a while since a post was a pure James update, but here are some tidbits. He started pushing around his crib with his legs in the 9th week which is a little scary since I know he can accidentally roll onto his belly but might not be able to lift his head away from the mattress. At his June 30 appointment (10 weeks + 1 day) he measured 24.5 inches, and weighed 13 pounds 10 ounces.  Relatedly, the 4th of July was the last time I squeezed him into a 3-month outfit. Now he's rocking the 6-month onesies. The day after the 4th, James finally started holding a toy. It's the little stuffed bear that came with the flowers Janice sent me at the hospital when I had him. He enjoys the bear mainly because he likes sucking on his ear.  He can manipulate the bear into his mouth, as opposed to the pacifier, which if he drops, he can't get to himself.

James at 11 weeks

Jamie and Emily's Wedding 2011

Fourth of July weekend my friend Jamie married his love of four years, Emily, in the beautiful town of Narragansett, Rhode Island. The weather was perfect for the outside ceremony with a view of the water. The ceremony was light-hearted and short, full of funny commentary by Jamie, and touching tears of love from Emily. The cocktail hour was also outside and featured delicious little lobster rolls and light lavender lemonade vodka drinks. The reception was also lovely with the tables in two parallel lines and a walk way to the dance floor. Not to go on about the food too much, but a raw bar-- awesome.

Jamie's brother's speech really captured what a lot of us see when we look at Jamie and Emily, the world's most energetic match. To see them dance together is to know that they're soulmates. And the music at their wedding was perfect for dancing. I'm actually very picky about wedding music because I find that it is so often difficult to dance to, but the DJ was on top of his game, and more importantly, Jamie and Emily's friends can really throw down. Especially my best friends from college that were there to celebrate.

Here's to a wonderful life for them filled with love, happy energy, and much dancing!

You can see the love here


Holding a hug post-kiss, how adorable


Our college group in front of the Towers in Narragansett


With the bride and groom and my friend Christina


This is how you get the party started


Dancing with the groom


More dancing plus tambourine

Mystic, Connecticut 2011

Ash and I stopped in Mystic, Connecticut on the way to Jaime and Emily's wedding. We enjoyed some famous Mystic pizza and walked along the water on Main Street.

VIew of the water from Main Street

Mystic decorative items

Ash at Mystic Pizza

Me

Baby Carter 2011!

My friend from law school Audra and her husband Rob just had an adorable baby boy! Audra is really the definition of the glowing new mother. And look how proud poppa looks! Congratulations!

Audra and Carter

He looks little compared to James, but he's 8 lbs 6 oz and 21 inches long!

Diary of an Angry Pink Baby #3: Montauk, NY 2011

Since James was born on Long Island, I figured he should take in some Long Island sights. Unfortunately, most of those sights are shopping malls, so I chose the tallest sight. Montauk had the added bonus of being farthest away, so as to maximize the things that could go wrong between here and there.

Oh, the things that went wrong!

For a while, James enjoyed riding in cars, but that was before he transitioned to his current state, where he hates everything. As cars are part of everything, James hates cars. As of this last car ride, these posts should be renamed "Diary of an Angry Red Baby with Tears Streaking Down His Cheeks." When we stopped for the second time, Ericka held up James, not so I could hold him or help in some way, but so I could see his color, which is a color normally associated with firetrucks. James cries so much in cars, I just ask one question from the driver's seat, which is whether he's red or yellow.

Ericka is the one who offers wisdom, but I will add one thing based on today, which I encourage new parents to take EXTREMELY seriously: nothing is fun with a crying baby in a confined space. If we were at a Flaming Lips concert with James in the car today, it would not have been fun. If we were at Game 7 of the World Series with James in the car today, it would not have been fun. If we were Spanish explorers seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time with James in the car today, it would not have been fun.

We wanted to do two things: eat a lobster roll and see a lighthouse. This took eight hours.

By the time we got the lobster roll, all three of us were covered in sweat. The only other person at the restaurant told her friend--in front of our table--that she was sitting as far away as possible. The waitress commented that James was well-behaved, a comment she took back thirty minutes later when she observed that he really liked to be held. I meant to tell her that he doesn't like anything, but he immediately threw up all over the following things: his neck, his bib, his infant bodysuit, my hand, my soul. Ericka went to the bathroom to wash her hands, which I understood to mean weep quietly over the sink.

At Montauk Cafe (9 weeks + 6 days)

The lighthouse was covered in fog. It cost nine dollars each to get close enough to see it. We did not see the lighthouse.

Did I mention that we'd been wearing our bathing suits all this time? In my original vision of this trip, we'd zoom out to Montauk, enjoy a leisurely lobster roll outdoors where James couldn't bother anyone, admire an architectural feat, and then I'd body surf while my wife cheered at my physical prowess and my son began to want to emulate me. Nobody stepped in the water. It was just another thing we couldn't see from the place where the lighthouse was supposed to be.

The ride back was uneventful, except that James insisted--for the first time in his life--on eating hourly. Ericka assured me that this is entirely normal, and that if I read "babycenter," I would know this. The sad thing is I DO read "babycenter." The rhetoric isn't exactly to the level of the Lincoln-Douglas debates on "babycenter." Most of the spelling is purely speculative. But I'm thinking about getting active on the forums. Lying is implicitly encouraged, so James should be considerably less red there.

Foggy Lighthouse behind a fence

Josh and Anna's Wedding Celebration 2011

As previously reported, Josh and Anna semi-eloped in Germany last November (some family were present). Last Saturday they followed up with a beautiful garden wedding reception for family and friends. (There was also a private ceremony on Thursday for family, and a no-rehearsal-rehearsal-dinner on Friday for a slightly larger group.)

The party was held at Anna's mothers' house in Connecticut with white tents and linens and lavender-colored accents. Everything looked beautiful especially the bride and groom. Perhaps because they are on the Caveman diet that the groom praises on his blog.

The beautiful bride and handsome groom

The party was small and intimate and friendly.  Weddings like that are truly wonderful because you get to spend time with the bride and groom, the people you are there to celebrate. They even had dinner with us at our table (we were honored). We also got a chance to spend time with Josh and Anna's parents, and meet some of Josh's college friends and Anna's high school friends.

And oh the cake! The cake had three flavors, my favorite of which was cookie dough. So delicious it made me sad all cakes are not cookie dough-flavored. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Ericka, Kevin, Anna, Josh, Donald, and Sarah


Cutting the delicious cake

Finally, I would like to point out that Josh has loved Anna since he first met her as evidenced by this blog post he wrote in August of 2009 entitled, The Future Ex-Mrs. Fantastic. Note, "Mr. Fantastic" is what Josh, and only Josh, calls himself. Also, don't read anything into the "Ex" part, that's just Josh's sense of humor. Though kudos to him for actually getting her to be the Misses A guy once called me his future ex-wife and I didn't marry him (or date him), so I guess that didn't work out for him. Anyway, I encourage you to click on the link and see the original yourself, but I am going to totally violate his copyright and repost the whole thing right here in case he ever takes his blog down. So here goes:

Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Future Ex-Mrs. Fantastic

So I've fallen in love with a woman. She's the one on the left, screaming and pointing. That's what I love about her the most, how she screams and points at everything. Like on our first date when she kept saying, "Who are you and how did you get into my apartment? Seriously, what the f*** is going on? This isn't funny."

But the best part about the new lady is how she doesn't mind how ridiculous I am. Like how I told her I loved her even though we'd only known each other a few hours. And that didn't scare her off a second date. And then on that date, when I sung "Can't Find A Better Man" and dedicated it to her, she didn't leave with another guy.

Any who, so my point is that I may have found the one. Here's hoping that I don't have to reedit this post because I marry someone else or she starts hooking up with one of my friends. 

Josh, congratulations on marrying your true love, and congratulations that she never hooked up with one of your friends.