June Photo Bonanza

This month has gone by way too fast.  So instead of posting all different entries, here's one giant photo-a-thon of what's been cooking at the Maios:

huzzah, the swing set is up and running!  we barely avoided a mutiny by the under 4' set

this girl could seriously swing for hours on end.  lukie is also a fan

look ma, no hands!

holding on tight

scaling the rock wall

finished product.  no it did not come stained or with cedar shingles.  that's just how we roll in the grove

ma, this thing is great!

where is that sissie?

i spot her!

peek

Father's Day weekend was spent at the cottage with my parents, Grant, and his gf.  Nothing says "dad, you're the best" like a home made potato gun.

lukie's first dip into the lake

and the priceless face that accompanied it

this mustache has been mystifying babies for years

We finally made time to go meet our newest little buddy, Reagan! 

six weeks - so petite and adorable!

7 months - so tall and hefty

g and ry, ready to hit the pool

boo boo and reagan - ready to supervise the big kids

Now that Lukie is strong enough to sit in the tub on his own, we've been having lots of fun bath times.  These little tub parties are so fun and they are just so dang cute with each other.  I die!

her 'monkey' face.  not bad, huh?

We also finally made it to an Orioles game.  Since it was about 100 degrees and the park had a splash pad, we were happy to pack up and cheer dad on.

And while the weather is beautiful, we better take advantage and get to the Zoo!  PS - I can hardly begin to explain the look on Lukie's face in the aquatic building as fish were coming toward him.  Those baby blues got about the size of dinner plates with a mix of concern and amazement.  So funny.

graham cracker break

wouldn't be a trip to the zoo without hitting up the carousel

his face here kills me and almost replicates the face in the aquatic building

this is when i realized those jeans had to be rolled up to fit her last fall

sheer joy.  giddyup!

7 Months

Over Matt's birthday weekend Lukie hit the 7 month  mark.  He of course continues to change tons week over week.  He's now sitting up for long stretches on his own which, as my friend Robin aptly puts it, is the potted plant stage.  Pre-mobility bliss for mom & dad (and probably G and Ralphie too)!  We'll enjoy it while it lasts - when on his stomach he can swivel himself around and can wiggle his way backwards so crawling is a few short months away.  Not unlike Genevieve at the same age, he is still pretty uninterested in rolling.  He's done it a few times from front to back and back again but overall I think Matt and I have the laziest rollers ever.

Lukas continues to have zero interest in traditional baby food, so we have skipped over all the 'stages' (can I interest anyone in the stacks of baby food in my pantry?) and have gone right to table food.  Which means cutting everything into miniscule pieces or throwing it in the food processor, which - next to Pinterest - is the biggest time suck on the planet.  He's starting to get the all important thumb/forefinger pinch down, but he gets frustrated when the poufs don't quite make it to the mouth.  No worries, as big sis is usually right there to help him shove it in.  He's still a milkaholic but nursing is starting to get more challenging since he just wants to see what's going on and not concentrate on eating.  Feels just awesome when he turns his head without letting go first.     

At the time of these pics, poor Boo Boo was struggling with a fever and general crankiness.  I'm grateful that it took 7 months for him to get his first fever - seems like a vacation after G's series of double ear infections - but whether it was the fever or a growth spurt or who knows what, the boy has been up from 2:30-3:30 every night for more than two weeks.  Oy.

I managed to get these shots of him in that one hour grace period when the Tylenol and ibuprofen rotation is in full effect.  We are LOVING his spiky hair and hope it sticks around for a while. 

taller and taller!

hey mom, want to see my belly?

i stick it out for you

teddy head lock

sitting straight

and being a lazy lunker trying to slide down the chair

i'm sitting up.  are you happy?

telling me how he feels about this series of pics

rosy fever cheekers

hi mummy

we have grown some lashes over the last couple of months

love this pic.  those ever-changing eyes are killer

jazz hands!

love the little man

G takes over taking pics

love poufs

look at that concentration!

score

after a long night of being awake and cranky, finally crashes in our bed as we get ready for work.  poor bub!

not feeling hot, but still silly

loves to hang in the tub and chew.on.everything

two days later and fever free

so many toys, so little time

peek!