Kimball Farm

We went to Jeff's annual company summer party at Kimball Farm this evening. Lucy had a ton of fun jumping in the bouncy castle...we could barely get her out of there. I even got into the fun activities by taking some swings at the driving range under Jeff's capable tutelage. I actually hit the ball into the air a few times, which as far as I'm concerned is pretty darned impressive (gotta remember...head down, eye on the ball). Of course, I took hundreds of photos...

{she's bearing weight on her legs!}

{what could be better than a bite of ice cream from your big sister?}

{our little tiger-in-training}

{queen of the bouncy castle}

{we're all glad that daddy is home!}

The Summer of '74

Six Months Old

Wow, am I ever behind on doing this post! Phoebe turned six months old last Tuesday. A whole half year. Where did the time go?

What can I say about her at six months...she is just so darn cute. Her personality is really starting to emerge. She loves Lucy SO much and follows her everywhere with her eyes and, now, her body. That's right, she is basically crawling! She pushes herself forward with her back legs and although her tummy is mostly on the floor still, she can get herself clear across a room with no problem. She is starting to get up on all fours and rock, so I think that full-on crawling will be happening soon. Batten down the hatches! When she wants something, she is like a girl on a mission...she really goes after it. Today I actually told Lucy to watch out because Phoebe was "on a mission to steal her sippy cup," to which Lucy replied, "no mission, Phoebe!" The girls are so cute together and I love to watch them play. I have even caught Lucy "reading" on of her Curious George books to her baby sister...priceless.

Here is an "action sequence" of her scooting across the crib to her "6 Months Old" sign:

{got it! and in the mouth it goes.}

She gobbles up solid food like a champ. Unlike Lucy, who would not open her mouth for nothin' at this age, Phoebers seems to really enjoy solid food. So far, she's had carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, avocados, baby cereal, and prunes, prunes, prunes! I was hoping the daily dose of prunes would help keep her more regular, but it really hasn't. I don't think I have posted about this before, but since her first week of life she has been a very irregular pooper. I used to worry about it but now I know that it's just part of "who she is" and that everything that goes in comes out eventually.

She's still not sleeping through the night on a regular basis...we've had a few nights of her going through until 6am but that is not the norm. She's still waking up to nurse at least once during the night, though thankfully she always goes right back to sleep. The bigger challenge lately has been her refusal to take good naps, though today we finally let her cry it out and she fell asleep and stayed asleep. It is painful to do, but in the end I think we are helping her learn to put herself to sleep, which is a good thing. She is still sleeping in a bassinet next to my bedside, but that will have to end very soon because she is outgrowing it and she needs to sleep in her own room in her crib. The two naps she took today were in her crib and I think that it helped her to have the extra leg room. I will miss her a lot, though, because I have gotten very used to her being next to me. But it's time to let go a bit...

This coming month holds some very exciting things for our family...a trip to Italy and a new house! We are so excited to have Phoebe here to share in all the good times.

Happy six months, Phoebe Grace. We love you right up to the moon and back.

Seven times five

{my presents to jeff...original encaustic paintings purchased on etsy from newbyart}

Jeff and I turned 35 last week...yes, both of us. We were born four days apart during the same heatwave in the summer of '73. So now, our birthdays are more like a season than a day. I often wonder if the girls will grow up thinking that everyone's mommy and daddy celebrate their birthdays together!

The festivities started last Monday, August 4, for Jeff's big day. I always give him a little "party" for just us and the kid(s) (one more this year than last!) I chose a Hawaiin beach party theme this year, complete with leis for us all and a grass skirt for the birthday boy. The girls got into the action by wearing their bathing suits. Unfortunately, Lucy had a fever all day and was generally punky all around, so she couldn't fully enjoy the party. She put on a brave face and did her best (far be it from her to miss a party) but she kept putting her head down on Jeff or the couch...poor baby! She was right as rain the next day, much to my relief.

{kisses}

{opening presents}

{chipwiches in lieu of cake!}

{bikini girl phoebers}

On Thursday night, I went out with Laura for some much-needed girl time. We got manis and pedis on Beacon Hill and then Laura treated me to a great dinner at Bin 26 (thanks, Laura!). On Friday (my birthday), my parents came to watch the girls and Jeff and I headed out for the afternoon and evening. We started out by getting massages at Exhale (thanks, Mom & Dad!), then got dressed up and went for a drink at the Oak Bar at the Copley Plaza followed by dinner at L'Espalier (thanks, sweetie!). Not a bad way to celebrate, and it eased the blow of turning 35 for sure.

{blowing out candles with lulu}

{posing with fifi, the littlest princess in the land}

{3 generations}

{jeff & me before heading out}

{post-massage, pre-dinner...self-portrait}

{i loved my dress...pretty, flowy, and comfy}

And because I like to look back, here's a photo of us celebrating Jeff's 30th in Madrid:

And mine, four days later, in London (international jet-setters that we are!):

{i love this photo...we displayed it at our wedding. that was another great day...i woke up and went to sleep at the savoy.}

Countdown to Italy

{my great-grandfather, louis porco, in front of the church of the madonna del rosario in pompei, 1951}

I LOVE my new scanner. I was able to scan the above photo and can now share it with my family. I also LOVE Google, because it allowed me to take my great-grandfather's little note that says "Chiesa, Pompei" (which means church, Pompei) and figure out exactly which church he was standing in front of.

Less than three weeks until we leave for Italy! I'm not sure if we'll make it to Pompei, but if we do you can bet your bippy I am finding this church and taking my picture in the exact same spot.

The big three five

I am 35 today, which to me is the official transition out of youth. No excuse now...I am totally a grown up. Jeff got me a scanner, which will provide me hours upon hours of fun with old photos, but for today I am just posting this one photo to remind myself that I was once very young and also kinda cute :)

Happy 08-08-08 to everyone!

I think she has my nose...maybe?!

I noticed in this photo that it looks like Phoebe has my nose. Maybe it's just the angle, sprinkled with a little wishful thinking on my part that one of my children could actually resemble me...

Visit to Uncle Josh and Auntie Lisa's

We went to visit Josh & Lisa on Saturday. It was their first time meeting Phoebe and also the first time they have seen Lucy since she has been truly conversational, so it was a lot of fun for them to see the girls. They have 10 cats, but Lucy was obsessed with finding just one of them -- the kitty named Jasper (Lucy calls him Jah-sper). I am pretty sure this is because of the character Jasper in her #1 favorite movie, 101 Dalmations. She spent a lot of time looking for him with either Josh or Lisa, assisted by a little flashlight. I'm not sure if she ever did find him, though I think one of the other cats played the role of Jasper for the day and she was satisfied :)

Here are some really nice family photos from our visit.

{phoebe & auntie lisa}

{my parents' offspring!}

{in b&w}

{phoebe with uncle josh}

{phoebe with uncle josh & auntie lisa}

{lucy & auntie lisa}

Everyone loves an Italian girl

Believe it or not, my girls are more Italian than they are anything else. I really thought that my dark hair and eyes would predominate over Jeff's very Anglo looks, but boy was I wrong! Anyway, here is our little Italian princepessa having some fun yesterday,

Thelma and Louise

{"let's just keep driving"}