apple picking!

From a Fun weekend with Aunt Alexis

Lex came for a short visit for Yom Kippur, so Aunt Laur and Aunt Lex went apple picking with us. here are some pictures of our adventure. If you click on the picture below you'll see more pictures of the fun!

a Fun weekend with Aunt Alexis

Koby, BMOC, and his cousins Chloe and Caroline

We went to CT for Chloe and Caroline's Christening this weekend. The girls were very well-behaved. Koby was a little rambunctious. He played with the girls, and with their dog, Mazie. Here's a short video of Koby with his cousins. During the entire time that Koby, Caroline and Chloe were sitting in the chair, Koby was snuggling them. This video shows him patting both shoulders. Earlier, he was kissing them! Quite a far cry from when he was "sweeping" Chloe and Caroline with Meme's broom just a few weeks ago.

click to see Koby hugging his cousins

click to see more pictures of Koby from this month.

For Great Grandpop

We visited with Great Grandpop Allan today. He just got his knee replaced, and is going through intensive rehab for the rest of the week. Koby played with GGA with balloon therapy, and brought a smile to everyone's faces - the therapists, the other patients and most importantly, his great grandpop.

During our visit, Grandpop noted that the blog hasn't been updated in a bit. So, Grandpop, these are for you! Stay Strong! (All these pictures were taken during our recent visit to Cape Cod and Meme Kathy)

Koby sails a beetle cat sailboat.

higher, higher!

Cowboy Koby

Goin' down the shore!

What a fun couple of days! Aunt Lauren had shoulder surgery, Great Grandmom Alice, Great Grandpop Allan visited, we went down the shore, and Koby started using a cup!

Here's the run down: Lauren has had a bad shoulder for, oh, years. She has been working to find a solution for it for quite some time, and decided that surgery would be the best route. She had it operated on and is recovering at Savta's house. It's been about two weeks and each day she seems to improve. especially when Koby is around. you'd never guess that she recently had surgery the way that she plays with Koby! Grandmom and Grandpop wanted to see that she was doing well, so they visited for dinner. Koby had a spectacular time - along with first kisses (I mention that in my earlier blog).

This past weekend, we visited with Aunt Do and Joe down the shore. We had a great time playing in the water and in the sand. There are some pictures below from our adventures. Cousin Mara was there too, we all played together and had a fun time. It was so fun that Koby barely napped at all! He was in great spirits when we went to Judy's (Grandpa Phil's fiance) house to meet her children. We went swimming in the pool at Judy's and met her daughters Sara and Emily. We were in the car to go home at 6:30 and Koby slept from that moment until the next morning at 8:30. He was tired.

Finally... Koby's really starting to use a cup. We've been trying to hold back on the bottles and encourage him to eat more. And he's been doing it. A cup at every meal, and many snacks in between. He's been sleeping very very well since we started this. I think it's because the milk wasn't filling him up and he was waking up hungry in the middle of the night. Our little boy is growing up.

OK, now that I've completed the update, here is what you've been waiting for:

July 2008 add'l

even more firsts!

Koby's brain must be in the exploding stage. He's starting to make noises that we can actually understand, and he's making signs that are clear enough that the whole world can see them!

Here are the highlights:
1) Kisses! Koby has been throwing kisses for a while. On Friday night, Great Grandmom Alice and Great Grandpop Allan were visiting, we blew bubbles in the backyard, had a lovely dinner, but the end of dinner was where it got exciting! Koby gave his first kiss ever to Great Grandmom and his second kiss ever to Great Grandpop! Each kiss was accompanied by a "mmmmmmmmmmmmm" (which I taught him :) ) It was so sweet.
2) words! It's happening, it's really happening. Koby has been adding words to his repertoire. He said "bubbles" clear as day last week. And also "blueberry." I'm telling you, you could bribe this kid with promises of those sweet little things. And you might think, "blueberry," that's a three syllable word, there's no way. But honestly, honestly! Aunt Lauren and I were there, perhaps not clear as day, but I would certainly say clear as dawn, we heard it.
3) signs! A new sign this week is book. This is made by bringing your two hands together palms up into a "v" or book shape. We've been asking him at hight if he wants to read and he brings his hands together. Not quite into a book shape, but close. This is not one of the signs that the whole world can see.
4) posts! OK, this one is really a "second". And it's not really Koby's second, but rather his Meme's. You see, Meme posted on the blog for her second time ever! Way to go Meme!!

Koby's still growing like a champion. Which is good, because I bought the size 4 diapers when I meant to buy size 3 (disposables are only for nighttime - the rest of the time he's still in the cloth diapers). He has some curls coming out in the back, and not much other hair at all. I will post new pictures soon.

lots of firsts!

This weekend, Koby accomplished so many new things! He made the sign for "help," made the sign for "banana," stood up all by himself and ate with a fork!

So, the signing thing is quite interesting. It's sort of like baby talk - if you aren't familiar with the baby dialect, then you really can't tell what he's saying. So, the sign for please (a sign he mastered during the peak of blueberry season - more blueberries PLEASE, more blueberries PLEASE - is all we heard for a few days) is a circular motion on your chest. Koby's sign for please is made by scraping the palm of one hand with the fingertips of the other. The real sign for banana resembles the motion we make when peeling a banana. Koby's sign is one finger resembling the banana, the other pointer finger going up and down around it. Quite close to the actual one, really.

The help sign was made because his ball was stuck under a cabinet adn he just couldn't get to it himself. So he asked us to get it for him. Smart kid.

And, standing. Mark and I saw it happen and we just couldn't believe our eyes. He's been walking like a pro, but always pulling up on something to become vertical. This was the first time that he stood up without any help at all. I can't believe he's growing up so fast!!

July 4 vacation

We just spent the week with family, both in Connecticut (congratulations to Melissa and Jon for officially tying the knot!) and Massachusetts. In Connecticut, we explored the Mystic Aquarium with Uncle Dave. Koby - true to form - loved the fish. He played with sting rays (really - they have a touch tank), and watched jelly fish and sharks and all other sorts of sea creatures. It was hot, but quite fun!

In Massachusetts, Koby had his first row in a row boat, first sail in a sail boat (thanks Mr. and Mrs. Bowker) and first introduction to a cat. He loved each new experience. We also had ice cream and lots of long walks. Koby also participated in his first "Horribles" parade. And, of course, we can't forget to mention Koby's friend Thea. She was just precious as could be! Hopefully, we'll get back to see everyone later this summer.

Here are some snapshots of our journey:

July 2008