The Little Ones

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!

Well, here we are on the eve of Tommy's 7 month birthday. Time is flying, and he's learning new talents everyday. Like EZ said, he's pulling up on everything and getting into trouble wherever he can find it, especially in the TV armoire. Hard to keep him away from that. Anyway, let's catch up with the rest of January, shall we?

Tommy and Sophie enjoying some face time.

Winter Swim! EZ and Tommy joined Susie and Louis at the pool in their building. It was his first dip in the deep end, and after getting warmed up to the wet stuff, he seemed to take to it like a fish. Here he is all smiles, pre-dip. Swim trunks courtesy of cousin David...

A bit wary at first...but after a while, he splashed around like a tadpole. Should be fun when the Fairlington pool opens up in May!

Post-swim chill time with Louis and Susie.

Vu called me up one day and said he and Jackie had an extra ticket to the Wizards game. EZ had planned on going out for drinks with Nidhi, so I told him he'd have to be okay with me bringing the little man with us. No prob. I think 2-foot T-bone could take 7"2' Shaq (seen on the big screen) to the hoop, but we'll never know since they'll have played in different eras, lucky for Shaq.