Party Animal

Last weekend we had not one but two children's birthday parties to attend. We had originally planned to be out of town but with our many social engagements decided to wait until Wednesday to head to the cottage. Anyway on Saturday we started off at Ford's second birthday party (how he's already two I'll never know) which was great fun. Young Ford has a huge, fantastic play set and there were piles of toys and yummy food. Plus of course presents in every corner for the birthday boy.

Me & G with Heidi & Lilah (the girls sporting the same Cindy Lou Who-do)


Ford's playset is the BEST!


The birthday boy tearing into the goodies


Hey, I see presents and cake over there. Hook a girl up!

After Ford's party we went to Peter's first birthday. Peter is the son of Brian, who coaches the Dominican Knights with Matt. Last summer Peter's mom and I sat around at their games with our huge selves. This summer we're chasing munchkins here there and everywhere. There was even more food and cake at Peter's party so by the time we left, all three of us were in sugar shock.

Wardrobe change


What is it with babies and water bottles?


A refreshing dip in the pool


The birthday boy being Shop-Vac'd after polishing off his smash cake


Hello Peter. I shall fish hook you for your birthday.

Earlier in the week it was so insanely hot that I broke down and bought G a pool. Emily & Erin - you are welcome to come soak in it anytime...I'll even help you out! G was a little suspicious at first but once she realized it was like the tub she was thrilled. The hat is still a no-go for this one, which she felt obligated to share with me once again.

Hey, my toys followed me out here


This is fun, mom!


See this? I hate it


Although it appears to make a decent waterfall


Chewing on Sushi (our name for her fish. The other is Sashimi).

9 Months & First Trip to the Zoo

Matt had last Monday off, and as I don't work on Mondays we decided to take advantage of it and take G to the Zoo. The Milwaukee County Zoo pass is a well known must-have for the local parenting set - unlimited visits for less than $100 - including parking! So we got our pass, packed a picnic lunch and about 20 bottles of water for the 95 degree day, and set off to see the creatures. Genevieve liked watching anything that swam...penguins, fish, turtles. We didn't make it around the whole park so her take on big mammals is yet to come.

Forget "Squishie"...her new nickname is Crested Screamer


Seeking shelter in an air conditioned exhibit


G now hates her hats. Here's our attempt to show her how fun it is to wear them.

After our wild adventure we headed off to our next appointment: G's 9 month visit to the doctor. Although there were no shots involved there was a quick finger prick for a blood test. The nurse said, "9 out of 10 babies don't even notice this". Matt and I knew that Miss Drama would surely find it a reason to shed some big fat tears, which of course she did. She measured 28.5 inches (80th percentile), and 19 lbs 4 oz, which is just the 60th percentile. Translation: she's getting taller and skinnier. Which we find hard to believe because she still looks, and feels, like a chunky monkey to us. Her hair is getting longer and much lighter, and her little bald spot from sleeping on her back has mostly filled in. Her two top teeth are juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust about to pop out, and she eats almost anything that we do. The pediatrician was surprised to learn that she's on mostly table food and gave G props for being a star eater. She's crawling like crazy now which Ralphie does not find amusing. He just gets up and leaves whenever she comes near, and he looks at us like, "what the heck do you call this?" It also takes the "easy" right out of activities like changing diapers and dressing her. Why get your rear end cleaned off when you could roll around naked instead??

Here's our big girl:

Scheming her escape

Maybe if I just keep crawling off the chair..... what mom, I wasn't doing anything! I swear!


Giving bear some loves


Loves her green ball...to the point that she's willing to dive off the chair for it.



Later Gator

Next week we're headed to the cottage for a long 4th of July weekend. Hopefully the oppressive heat wave we're experiencing is warming up the lake and we'll be able to swim. And hark...the Crested Screamer calls.

Adventures!

It's been a hopping last 10 days or so here at the Maio family ranch. Two weekends ago we visited Grandma & Grandpa Martin in Rochester. We have officially reached the point at which average car rides turn into seemingly endless treks across the landscape. What used to be a drive-lunch and 10 minute detour is now a solid hour...I guess that's what happens when one member of your family eats lunch in morsel-size portions. We finally arrived on Friday afternoon and were treated to dinner out on Friday night. Genevieve showed off her considerable eating skills and was very well behaved.

Bath time - wheeeeeeee!

On Saturday we went to visit the Mayowood estate (the summer home of Dr. Charles Mayo, as in the Clinic, not as in my in-laws) (although an estate would be great). They were having a family day and the weather was really gorgeous. We had lunch and hiked around the grounds. It wore one of us out.

Family fun day


Flirting with the camera


Our hungry baby bird


Playing is hard work

Later that afternoon our friends Kyle, Robin, and their now-one-year-old Miles stopped by. Miles made us fear for the inevitable crawling stage - he was off like a shot up and down the stairs and into any open room he could find.

Hey, this table is fun


Dueling runny noses


Super sneaky!

We came home on Sunday and although we didn't know it at the time, we had a rough week in our future. Squish managed to land another double ear infection so there were several sleepless nights to be had. Oy! But she made up for it for her daddy's first Father's Day by sleeping until 7:45. It was like being on vacation. And it must have done him some good because Matt went on to pitch a shut-out game that morning. Go Orioles!

We also had a bit of a surprise on Saturday morning where, in the space of about 10 minutes, our little girl went from potted plant to crawlie-crawlerson. It was like a switch flipped and she figured out that the goodies in the TV cabinet were actually well within reach. I've been trying to post a video of it for the last two days but for some reason can't get it to upload. Let's just say that (a) it's adorable and (b) we're terrified.

Standing by so the little minx doesn't crawl away


Matt's first Father's Day!

We go for her 9 month appointment this afternoon so more shots & stats to follow!

It Don't Mean a Thing

If you ain't got a swing, Squishie is not interested.

The beauty of working part time: we visit this park two or three times a week


Higher, mama!




Pure joy


My view on the way home

Meanwhile despite the happy appearance of the above-mentioned baby, the going has been a tad rough the last few days here at Casa del Teetharecomingin. Someone (I won't name names) is getting an attitude and showing signs of learning how to throw a temper tantrum (although never in daddy's presence, natch). And someone has been waking up in the middle of the night for the past few nights. While this makes our neighborhood coffee shop very happy (I'll take an extra, mega, super duper uber-grande) it's getting a little draining for mom & dad. And through the ear-piercing hollering I feel bad for the poor thing...anyone who's had braces remembers how tooth pain just pulses throughout your entire head, and without words or signs this is still her best form of communication.

But holy sh**, if this is a sign of things to come I'm going to say that we. are. toast.

Anyway other than the teeth, things are slowing down a little here and picking up a little there. The varsity baseball team that Matt coaches, the Dominican Knights, lost their playoff game a couple weeks ago but it was a well played game and overall they ended the season far better than a couple of years ago when he first started. At the baseball banquet last weekend all of the coaches received some nice glassware along with truly genuine thanks from team members and parents alike. But as that ends his so-called Old Man League (28+) is picking up. Last Sunday Matt pitched for most of the game and then caught the last few innings. This was cause to bust out the Swedish massage chair, which G thought was great fun. Maybe the shiatsu made her forget about her teeth.

What happens when I push this button?


Oh, it makes daddy's tongue stick out just like mine!

And the shot that I look at to make me laugh:

The most squeezable

Hot Mamas

For the occasion of her 30th birthday, our friend Brian decided to throw his wife, Jen, a surprise party. To guarantee appropriate festivities ensued, he enlisted the help of three of her dearest friends...Heidi, Tracie, and Sarah. Sneaky sneakiness commenced and it all came together last Saturday night for a girls-only bash that was one for the record books. We all gathered at Tracie's place for the cocktail hour portion of the evening, then we hopped in the stretch limo and hit downtown & the Third Ward. It was definitely the latest this mom has been out in a while, but totally worth every ounce of exhaustion the next day.

A moment of triumph for the planning committee: genuine surprise


The brains behind the operation: he's not just about computers, folks


Kids? Laundry? Dishes? Bills? I think not!


Don't hate us for looking beautiful


After a martini or two...


...or three...