Oh and by the way...

Christopher took his first steps yesterday! He was holding onto the wall, turned toward me and took two little steps. Then as we were waiting for our company today, he took two more steps from me to Daddy. So fun!!!

Sunday in the pool... with the ladies

We had a BBQ today and Christopher invited his friends, Maddie and Olivia, over to share his toys and to have some fun in the pool. CJ was in a great mood when he woke up from his nap, but as soon as the girls started eating their lunches, he fussed like it was nobody's business. We kept trying to remind him that girls really don't like when guys complain, but he was having none of it. In fact, he was even fussing after he got his lunch and some extra Cheerios. Anyway, he didn't change back into "Sunny Christopher" until this happened:



BBQs are very interesting when you have young babies that still take two naps a day. We were joking about how such gatherings used to be fun and relaxing, full of adult conversation, full meals and good drinks. Although they are still fun these days. the "BBQ of the Parent" has changed dramatically. Now we sit around at the beginning of the day holding the kids while they play together with toys (which I guess is a good thing because we don't have time to snack as much!). While this is happening, the moms are talking about the developmental milestones of the day while the dads are in the kitchen or at the grill talking about... well, I'm not sure. All alcoholic beverages must be placed on high ground so we don't have any underage drinking in the house. All the parents eat in shifts. And all the fun must take place before the inevitable meltdown that occurs before the afternoon nap. Instead of being offended when people have to leave right away, everyone understands that it is imperative to get in the car and leave in the hopes that the baby will not fall asleep in the carseat on the way home. But BBQs are still tons of fun because of scenes like the one you saw above... A great time was had by all this afternoon with great friends and great babies!

Yay Garage Sales!

You all know I am not much of a shopper. I especially don't like going out of my way to buy more "stuff." So when our very own neighborhood has a garage sale, I like the idea of close and am excited about the idea of cheap kids things but I still need a lot of pushing with the idea of shop. The nice weather was definitely helpful and the chance to socialize with our neighbors was also nice so Christopher and I set out yesterday and today in search of toys and clothes. We didn't have much luck in the clothes department as it seems that only the parents of girls are getting rid of clothes these days. However, we did see some toys and books for a dollar and picked them up. As you can see in the picture above, Christopher has been enjoying his new busy box that we got from a home around the corner from us. Due to the high volume of girls clothes, we called Jaime yesterday and she and Olivia are going to come over this afternoon to check everything out... In other news, I am excited to announce (and Brian is going to make fun of me for putting this in the blog) that we just purchased tickets to see Dave Matthews at the Sprint Center in September. The last concert I went to (and the only one Brian and I have been to together) was Dave Matthews at the Garden in 2002. We felt old then, how are we going to feel this time? No matter, Dave definitely covers the 30-something generation so I'm not sure why 19 year-olds are going crazy. They were like 4 years old when his first hit came out. (Can you tell I'm already excited for a "parents night out" even though it's 3 months away?). Have a nice weekend!

Parents as Teachers

As some of you may know, we have been participating in a program through the Olathe Schools called "Parents as Teachers." They basically come every six weeks and give you ideas about activities, inform you about development and do periodic screenings in case there are any developmental delays. I enjoy these visits, first because our lady (Ms. Becky) is nice and I enjoy visiting with her and second because Christopher is so social that even when he is in a bad mood, as soon as Ms. Becky gets here, he is all sunshine again. Today was fun because she did a 10 month screening on him about language, motor, and cognitive skills. Some of the questions she asked me, I honestly didn't know the answer to. For example, she asked if when I put my hand out will Christopher give me a toy that I am asking for. I really had no idea because I can't actively remember ever doing this with him. Later on in our visit, she gave him a Cheerio to see how he picks up food. As he was holding it (he wasn't eating it because he had his pacifier) she put her hand back out and said, "Christopher, can I have the Cheerio?" And what do you know... he gave it back to her! I was shocked, especially considering that the object in question was edible. After he gave it to her, he of course took it back, and when she asked for it again, he took out his pacifier and ate it. That's my boy!

The Farmer's Market

This morning we ventured out to the Overland Park Farmer's Market to get some fresh produce for both CJ and Mommy and Daddy to enjoy. Initially I thought the market opened at 6AM and we got there at seven, but when we arrived I realized that was only on Saturdays, not Wednesdays. Oops! No matter, it seems that farmers will sell you their goods regardless of the time as long as you have money. Several vendors commented about Christopher being up so early. One lady asked him if I woke him up to come to the market. I, of course, just laughed and said it had been the other way around. Maybe our boy will be a farmer when he grows up since he likes the early morning hours... I made an appointment for Senor Buds to go to the kids part of the gym today thinking it would be too hot for me to run outside with him in the stroller. Turns out it is just about 68 degrees and sunny right now, so to the trail we will go! Kasey is especially happy about this turn in events. Arf, arf.

Jump in!

It looks like Christopher wants to follow in the footsteps of his triathlete parents because he took a dip in his very own pool yesterday afternoon! The weather was perfect for swimming so after he woke up from his PM nap, we stripped him down, put on some swim trunks and hit the turtle pool. (Yay for Target!). At first, I put CJ's feet in to get him used to the temperature, lest he believe this body of water was as toasty as the bathtub. He was fine with the feet but when I put him in to sit down, the cold water took him by surprise because he gasped for a moment (you know, like when the cold water hits your stomach for the first time?). I put the water in a couple hours before CJ went swimming thinking that the sun would really warm it right up. Apparently not. Anyway, after he adjusted to the temperature, Chris was ready for fun! He spent the afternoon splashing, crawling around, and pouring water with the measuring cups. Kasey wanted to get in as well but she was hesitent to share the pool with, in her opinion, "a little crazy baby." She did drink out of the pool, however, assuming that it was just an oversized water dish. A fun time was had by all!

Here is "Senor Buds" (Daddy's current nickname for him) in his swim trunks waiting for the fun!

I carried a watermelon

Now that June is upon us, so too is the heat of Kansas. I think it is going to be something like 90 degrees today. When the weather gets warm like this, and thoughts of the perfect summer food enter my mind, all I can think of is watermelon... well, ok, and ice cream, lemonade, and Slurpees! For Christopher, however, we have started with watermelon. Let me tell you, the boy loves his watermelon. I believe this is due in part to the fact that he can pick up the little pieces with his fingers, but the watermelon is sweet and juicy and just plain old delicious. I tend to keep a few pieces nearby and help myself while he eats his fruit. We are beginning to experiment with more and more finger foods and our little "subject" seems to like everything we give him. This afternoon will be kiwi. Yum!

(I know someone out there is going to recognize my reference in the title. C'mon, who is it going to be?)