Yellow DOJ Shirt and Mirror Time

Tommy represents by wearing the DOJ t-shirt he got from EZ's co-worker, Ed. Once he had it on, he couldn't stop looking at himself in the mirror, even going so far as to lick his own reflection. Is that a crime?

Show Me The Snow

The big snowstorm that hit DC dropped a few inches in and around the area. We took Tommy out back to help clear the car off so I could drive to work the next day. He liked watching EZ throw it up in the air.

Kitchen Laughs

This is his first try in the Ergo Carrier on EZ's back. He was okay with it, but then got curious about what was going on in front of his Mama and tried to peek around her.

Air-Suck

Tommy sometimes sleeps and thinks he's feeding. You can see his little tongue looking for a food source, and it's about as cute as can be.

Sleep Position #7

EZ came home one day to find Tommy asleep in this position. He had tried to go after the remote in the corner of the recliner and gave up.

Toes, Anyone?

Found a new teething toy - Papa's big toe. Don't worry, it was clean...

Mr. T Goes to New York

At the end of February, we decided to brave the Chinatown bus and make a trip to NYC with Tommy. At 4+ hours, it would be Tommy's longest road trip thus far, and, being the Chinatown bus veterans that we are, we knew it could be dicey and unpredictable. But our frugality (or is it cheapness?) won over, and we were up for an adventure. So we signed up for Eastern Travel's five-star, premium service bus, knowing we could realistically expect 2-3 stars, and below-average customer service. All in all, it turned out to be fine. Tommy slept most of the way, and there were only a couple of mishaps along the way - communication and customer service are not the strong suits of the Chinatown bus service...

Late night arrival - we rolled into Manhattan late on Friday night, and Tommy seemed ready to hit the town. These pics were taken at 12:55am. He felt right at home in the City That Never Sleeps...

Good morning to ya! We took our time getting out on the town the next day due to Tommy's late night rampage. Here he is with our view from the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in the background.

After our lunch with Tita Liz, Stephen, Cousin Vanessa, and Colin, we lay down for a quick nap (anyone see the Matrix Reloaded homage?). Sorry we didn't take pics, we're lame. But you can see some on Vanessa's Facebook profile if you have access...

Tita Liz and Stephen volunteered for babysitting duty, allowing us to enjoy a kid-free dinner and re-live our pre-Tommy annual visits to NYC.

In the lobby of the hotel.

We took the boy to the entrance of Central Park before heading home. Only had time to look into the park, but next time, we'll explore it with him.

A quick snack while we picked up the luggage on the way to catch the bus home.

On the bus home. This ride went fairly well. He slept most of the way as we drove into a snowstorm. The real excitement happened in New York before we even boarded the bus. It seems some riders who bought tickets for the 1:30pm bus had been waiting 2 hours when our 3:30 bus arrived. We made our way to the front as folks argued back and forth about letting us on because we had a little one versus letting on those who had been waiting for 2+ hours. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and we made it on thanks largely to one lady who had a six-year-old, too. Whew! Then it was a matter of settling in until Tommy fell asleep and continually declining the bootleg DVD's offered by the man sitting in front of us. Good times on the Chinatown bus...

February Came and Went

Still trying to catch up to the present, so here are the February highlights. It was an eventful month. Both of Tommy's grandmothers had birthdays, so we went to Richmond to celebrate. The boy went from raising up on all fours to crawling properly. He started babbling, "Ba ba ba!". The teething signs - drooling, ear-pulling, fussiness - continued without any actual teeth popping out (they still haven't yet). He swung on a swing for the first time and loved it. And his smile and easy laughter continued to charm friends, family, and strangers to no end. One huge adjustment came when Elizabeth returned to work part-time at the beginning of the month. It was a difficult transition for everyone, and thankfully, Lola came up to watch the little one three days a week for 6 weeks. It was a great comfort to us that we could leave him with family during this time, and Lola did an excellent job caring for him, and more importantly, bonding with him. Many thanks! On with the show!



Tommy gets his first baking lesson from his Mama. It's her dream to raise a son who can melt hearts with his baking ability. If he learns half as much as his Mama, that will surely come to pass.

The next series of pics are from our trip to Richmond to celebrate the grandmothers' birthdays. Here, he gets a hold of Tita Liz's nose. Doesn't that game usually work the other way around?

The boy gets a lesson in the I Got Your Nose game. Adults get kids' noses, not vice versa. Got it?

No, not really.

With the birthday celebrant, Lola.

Tito Rick pals around with the little guy.

He's a fan of the smaller goatee. Let's see if Rick keeps it...

Tommy tries his first high chair at Granny's birthday party held at Chez Foushee. He was surprisingly comfortable in it.

Winding down towards the end of the party.

And finally calling it a night. He was a party animal.

Hanging on Patterson Ave. with David, who is such a sweet older cousin to the little fella. He gives him kisses and hugs and wonders if he's sad whenever he cries. Good lookin out.

With February birthday girl, Granny.

This was too funny not to post. For the past several weeks, we've been putting Tommy on the Baby Bjorn Little Potty as soon as he wakes up in the morning. I'll spare the details, but he's quite consistent. Anyway, we have other shots of this particular morning that we're going to save for blackmail and/or embarassment later in life. Sorry in advance, buddy. Just make sure you watch your P's and Q's and stay out of trouble.

Lola and Tommy share a quiet moment. His naps seem to last longer when he's sleeping on someone, and we usually have no problem volunteering for that duty. Nothing like holding a sleeping baby.

Tommy and his Papa sharing a not so quiet moment. He's got a habit of giving slobbery gummy kisses. They're great.

Happy Lola. Happy Tommy.

We put down my old Star Wars comforter for him to play on. It's really nostalgic and meaningful for me to see him on it everyday, growing and learning so many new things.

I believe this is called the Table pose in yoga. He had it down pat for a while before deciding he wanted to be mobile. Then the movement really picked up, and he's been crawling and pulling himself up on everything.

Katy and Jason hosted a wonderful brunch at their place in Georgetown. The kids were so cute together on the couch, and the adults enjoyed the company and delicious food. Louis, Sophie and Tommy have grown up so fast together over the past months. It's a delight to see.

The ladies and their little ones - EZ and Tommy, Katy and Sophie, Susie and Louis.

More fun on the Star Wars comforter. This time, he's checking himself out in the mirror, which he often does. We think he's vain, but we gaze at him all the time, so how can we blame him for gazing at himself?

In D.C. on Lola's actual birthday, February 18.

Tommy loves to ride on his Papa's shoulders. Non-stop laughter ensues, and then I have to dry my hair because of all the drool.

Tommy's first ride in a swing. EZ took him to a local park, and again, non-stop laughter ensued. This kid laughs like it's an uncontrollable bodily function, but unlike other bodily functions, his laughter is music to our ears.

With Kate and newborn Cecilia at one of our favorite food spots - Taqueria El Poblano in Del Ray. A funny scene took place that night. As the waiter sheepishly approached our table, we let him know we were ready to order. Sure three of us were standing around the table, two holding babies and swaying, and one with the diaper bag at the ready, but yes, we were ready to order. I'm sure it's not an unfamiliar scene for those parents out there...

And that's the month of February. A short month, but one full of growth, change and transition for our family. It actually ended with a trip to New York, but I'll cover that in a March post. Good night!