Brits in Boston

A few weeks ago our good friends Alanna and James came up from Cayman. Bob is a groomsman for James this August and two of the other groomsman flew over from London for a boys bachelor weekend. I think they had a good time. (Don't worry, Bob wore a Red Sox shirt so they wouldn't get beaten up)

While the boys were out on the town Alanna, Cedric, Siena and I headed down to the Cape. I rented a bungalow in Hyannis for the weekend and we had a relaxing time catching up, eating cheese and drinking wine. 

Alanna and I went for lunch at a traditional clam shack and had the best fried scallops and lobster rolls ever.

 Alanna was quick fan of the lobster, Maine lobster is much more tender and buttery than Caribbean lobster. The claws were our favorite! The pickles were Cedric's favorite, of course. 

Speaking of lobster, nothing better than prosseco and lobster eggs benedict from a restored church. 

We had Sunday brunch in Sandwich, the "first" town in Cape Cod. It was small, quite and quaint. Worth the stop for the yummy brunch! We tried to feed the geese but they were too far away (and probably scared of the dog). 

Monday and Wednesday were public holidays in Cayman so after the weekend the four of us were able to hang out. We went to a fancier dinner on Monday and had the best oysters and scallops I've ever had!

It was a great weekend spending time with our good friends. Funny the next time we see them will be in England for their wedding. 

Come back soon friends, you are always welcome!

9 months, continued.

I realized I forgot to tell some of the funny little things Cedric has been doing. Like fighting me when it is changing time. He is on the move and can't be bothered with sitting still. I usually have to give him something to hold to keep him occupied. Same goes for diaper changes. Of course, it makes it much harder to put his shirt on. 
 

Cedric has also figured out how to press buttons. He had been banging on large friendly buttons for a while but now is going for the small ones with his index finger. He surprised me when he started pressing spots on his toys that make noise. Playtime is serious business when you are learning boy!

He really enjoys sitting in the grass but he is still a bit confused. 

Here is Cedric, dressed like Bob. Cedric still loves the color orange and enjoys opening drawers and pulling the contents out. Any bowl or bin with stuff in it is immediately rummaged through and dumped.  He is a sucker for a smiling face, it is hard for him to not smile back. He isn't walking yet but can cruise along the coffee table. He really likes to pull up and squat down. His balance is getting better, he stood unassisted for a few seconds the other day. Cedric really loves Siena, he spends most of his time either chasing her down or trying to get to her water bowl. He loves splashing in water, he seems more fascinated by it during the day then at bath time.

And most of all, Cedric loves Cedric. Some days he is just the cutest baby ever. 

9 Months

Where does the time go? A man at the dog park commented that "when you have a baby the days are long the longest days you've ever had and the months are the shortest". I feel that statement is so very true. A friend had a baby today and it blows my mind to think back to when Cedric was a newborn. He has grown so much!

9 month stats:

Weight: 20 lbs and 2 oz - 62%

Length: 30.25 inches - 95%

Head Circ: 47 cm - 90%

He is down a bit, percent-wise, in the weight but still very long with a large head. Everyone comments on how long he is and how old he looks. Part of that is due to his early crawling and pulling up. 

Did I mention that Cedric is just the cutest baby ever? I love the new "big kid" faces he pulls. 

He finally has teeth! He has been cutting his two bottom teeth all month and they are finally in half way. 

The teeth have really improved his eating ability. He likes foods with real sugar and salt, though he usually only gets tastes of those when we are eating out. He also really likes pickles and lemons. 

Cedric now wants to chew on anything we are eating and, just this weekend, figured out how to put small bits of food in his mouth. It is cute to watch him go for the Cheerios. 

Whenever you give him a new food he always has a sour/disgusted face, even though he may like it and want more. He also makes a very serious face when he swallows big chunks, which makes me nervous sometimes :). 

We've been enjoying new adventures now that the weather is warmer. Cedric took a bit to warm up to the grass. He is still very apprehensive when trying to crawl on it!

He also grew out of his baby bath. Bath time is much more stressful for Mommy now. He loves trying to stand when he shouldn't!

Speaking of standing . . . 

 

Cedric loves it! He spends most of his time trying to pull up on everything around the house. Baby-proofing became our first priority as he wants to pull up on anything taller than himself, no matter the sturdiness. 

Cedric also loves to crawl around (he is an excellent crawler) and climb on anything he can. You can't turn your back on him for even one minute. I may be more tired than I was near the beginning. 

 

Cedric seems very advanced as of 9 months. He crawls perfectly, stands often, tries to cruise, knows who is Mama is, understands "up", "stand up", "sit down", "hi" and lot of others. He tries to clap and can help me put his jacket on. He likes books with flaps and remembers where all the flips are.  He loves the dog and she is tolerating him more now that he purposefully feeds her food at meal time. I'm amazed daily at what he can do and remember. He is such a smart boy, keep growing Cedric!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today was my first official Mother's Day. I say "official" because last year I was pregnant and was still treated very well, getting free desserts and special treatment when we went to the Red Sox game. Today has been a big reminder that we have been here a year.

The weekend started with a little Gymboree. We just joined this week and I think it will be good for Cedric this summer while he is learning to walk. He has been crawling and pulling up everywhere and we really need someplace he can practice! Did I mention that I have 20 sq ft of foam matting in my living room? 

Mother's Day was very special. It is a new holiday for me and I was surprised how many people I heard from and how special I felt. 

Bob did a great job, though he admits his ideas were a bit "on the fly". He let me sleep in when Cedric woke up at 5:15, took the dog out and made yummy breakfast. He then took us to the South End to The Butcher Shop to buy charcuterie for dinner. There are two kinds of chorizo, prosciutto sausage, duck liver mousse and duck rillette. So yummy!

We stopped buy Whole Foods for the accoutrements and tiramisu dessert.  

In the afternoon Bob watched Cedric while I went to the fancy Legacy Place to see The Great Gatsby 3D in the Lux Level. It was very nice and relaxing. Good old Baz made another eye dazzler. Did anyone else notice the visual parallels? The end of the movie with an exhausted Toby at the typewriter? It was very Ewan. Leo floating lifeless in the water? I digress. I was able to have a glass of champagne with my movie, which made it all the more enjoyable.  

Cedric may be small but he was a very good boy for me today. He cuddled when I wanted a sweet boy and ran around crazy for his dad while I was gone. He also smiled in all three photos we took. Such a good boy!

Tomorrow is his 9 month appointment, a few days early. I'm very excited to see how he had grown (or not grown, he seems longer but not much heavier). I'll keep you posted :)

First Museum

At the end of February we went to the Institute of Contemparary Art in Boston. The ICA is a smaller museum that does a family day on the last Saturday of each month. The have crafts for the older kids and free admission for the parents!

The museum is beautifully set over the Boston Harbor and is a very modern building. Cedric wasn't overly impressed. 

Bob's not a big modern or contemporary art fan but I enjoy it. I like how it can make you think, laugh, scoff, or just stand in amazement. Many times you see ridiculous mediums being used and below is a large box covered in pins. They weren't glued, maybe they were magnetically connected? Anyway, it was my favorite piece of the day. 

We definitely want to get out to the other museums around town. Now that Cedric's naps are more predictable it should be a bit easier to get out!

San Diego Wedding

At the end of April seven great friends got together in San Diego for a destination wedding. We told everyone we are high school friends with Jessi but really, most of us are much more. From elementary school to college to Vegas, we represented a good portion of Jessi's life. 

We all arrived on Thursday for the Friday night wedding and stayed until Sunday. This meant we had a lot of quality time to spend with each other. 

Four of us have children and we left them home with their fathers and grandmas. It was relaxing for me to not have the sometimes crushing responsibility of motherhood 24/7. I did not get extra sleep though, the time change really threw me. I also did not get Mexican food. Double fail. 

The wedding was on Coronado Island, which we were so impressed with we went back on the Saturday to explore. It was a very relaxed wedding, focused on love. As a side note, it was fun to see Jessi's KU Delta Gamma friends - most I haven't seen since graduation. 

Here I am with the beautiful bride! 

Here we are at the Hotel Del Coronado. They used this hotel as the model for the Grand Floridian Hotel at Disney World. 

We stayed on Mission Beach in a condo I found online. It was very nice to stay right on the beach. There was a little "boardwalk" type area with amusement rides and shops and a really nice walking path. 

Saturday we were able to take photos on the beach. It was Katherine's 30th birthday, so they were extra special. 

It is amazing how a photo shoot can bring out the silliest in a group of 30 year olds. Will we still be taking ridiculous photos when we are 40? 50? I hope so.