Milo is 11 Months!

Milo completed his first masterpiece at 11 months! It was a struggle to have him not eat everything, but he seemed to enjoy it. He is sleeping better, maybe 1-2 nights per week we get a 7pm-4am stretch, which has made a world of difference.

He spends his days mostly at the Greenbelt pool and at the playground with Elsa, Jackson (our new nanny share), and Clara. He says mama, dada, a version of Clara and we think he is trying to say Elsa. Julian moved at the beginning of the month.

He is seriously into absolutely everything and he is very spirited. He is somewhat shy with most people, but once he warms up he lunges for people. He likes to point, give high fives, hugs and kisses. He also knows everything in Spanish - like with Elsa, Clara speaks to him all day in Spanish.

Early August

 We got a mini-pool in the yard, and although it didn't last long, Milo seemed to really love it!

 Elsa and Dolly. She has had this doll for two years now and is still as attached to her as ever.

Milo - not pleased we had to put a gate up at the top of the stairs...he is mischievous, fast, and not nearly as coordinated as his sister was at this stage. Pretty much if you re-direct him, he wants whatever you want him to avoid just that much more. Stinker.

A glimpse into late July happenings in the life of Elsa and Milo. Its been hot, hot, hot here and they have pretty much spent every waking moment at the pool! Milo is a crawling machine and officially a little stinker. He is into EVERYTHING!

A Boy and His Dog

Milo and Dalasi are buddies. Dalasi now sleeps next to Milo's crib, he lets him pull and tug on him, and most importantly he "cleans" up after Milo at meal time. Dalasi was always good with Elsa, still is, but Milo is stronger than Elsa and Dalasi still tolerates things that even Errol and I can't!

Summer Party

Our dear friends Ryan and Andrea host an annual summer party at his parents house up near Baltimore. Its an amazing spot on the water with tons of fun stuff for adults and kids. We all had a great time, particularly Elsa who got to go in a kayak for the first time, and Milo who "drove" for the first time!

Milo is 10 Months!

This month has been a big one for our little man. He started crawling, cruising, and has even slept through the night a few times. He is also getting super curly hair! He is now at the stage where he absolutely does not want to be contained - he always wants to be on the move. The video is one of his first attempts at crawling - in just a week he has really come along way. Sleeping, well, we won't hold our breath but even a few nights of uninterrupted sleep is appreciated around here!

Patapsco with Peace Corps Friends

We were lucky enough to score a visit with The Weber's during the hottest and stormiest weekend of the year, but you would never know it by looking at these pictures. Cadyn, Mason, Matthew, Elsa, and Milo had a blast playing in the Pataspco river. We were excited to see the Weber's if only for a short time!

Father's Day 2012

 Milo is happiest when he is "walking". If only he could actually manage it himself!

Errol's first fathers day as a papa to two!

Milo is 9 Months!

Milo has really changed a lot in the past month. He is constantly wanting to be "walking", pulls himself up, is showing signs of maybe getting on his hands and knees and in general really wants to be moving. You can see him get frustrated (pre-screaming his head off) when he wants something just out of reach, but he hasn't quite got it together to make the move.

He is also eating everything in sight - we still feed him, but his favorite thing is to feed himself, or rather shovel as much food in his mouth as possible. He loves everything but green beans and peas.

He cut his first two teeth this month - his bottom front teeth. They both came in over the course of a very drooly, cranky day.

He has started going to the pool 4-5 times a week and is a little water bug - he absolutely loves it!

His sleeping is improving, he only gets up 1-2 times per night and regularly wakes up at 5:30 which just happens to be when I have to get up for work so it works out well during the week, not so much on the weekends.

He has also become very vocal - he grunts in anger when you take something away from him and will push your hand away to try and prevent it. He is also showing signs that he is going to be a stinker....if you tell him "no", he chuckles and proceeds to continue doing whatever it is you are trying to re-direct. He also plays games by pretending to reach out for people and then when they reach out to him he curls back into who ever is holding him with a little grin on his face.

He is a momma's boy for sure and needs to be pretty much glued to me when I am around...with one exception, his sister. The kid is over the moon for her. If he is fussy or crying we ask Elsa to go in and smile at him and that almost always solves it. Its pretty amazing watching them together, we hope they are always this fond of each other!

Colorado 2012

 We had our annual Peace Corps get together in Fort Collins this year. We really love these people and would give just about anything to be able to live closer to any of them. Thanks for hosting Jen and Chris!

 Gus, Rigley and Elsa had a blast together. Poor Gus got bossed around by the two ladies, but so long as they let him have his trucks he seemed pretty OK with it. Rigley and Elsa just might be the same kid - super high energy, funny, talkative, and a general joy to hang with.

 We also had the pleasure of meeting baby Wally. He is Jen's mini-me and a pretty amazing little human. We can't wait until next year when him and Milo will be able to play together.

 We drove up as high as we cold and froze. Elsa was not pleased but did seem to appreciate that we were "close to the clouds" and in snow.

 Milo in general (excluding sleep) was a super traveler. He was annoyed he was strapped to me most of the time and couldn't run and climb like his sister.

We are looking forward to next year, nearly the same time, and nearly the same place!