Bye, Bye Boston

Before we leave town for good we had to visit some of our very favorite places this weekend before we pack it all up and say sayonara.  I'm not exactly ready to leave this city just yet, but I'm so grateful that we will all be living under the same roof (and that we can finally stop throwing away our hard earned money on RENT!)  Boston has a multitude of fun family things to do.  There are a ton of things to see in the city, it is super easy to get there from our place via the T, and we are right on the east coast next to the ocean. 

We took one last trip to the city to see some of the sites.  We made our way to the commons for a pit stop at tadpole park to play for a bit.  We were a little disappointed that frog pond wasn't open yet on this 90 degree day (apparently frog pond doesn't open until July). 

The commons were decorated for Memorial Day.  There was an abundance of flags stuck in the grass.  Allie tried to pull some of them out...luckily we stopped her.  I can't imagine how long it took to put them all up.

One of the main reasons I wanted to go downtown was so I could get a photo of Allie on the Make Way for Ducklings statue.  I had photos of her from last summer on the ducks.  This year she was able to sit on the ducks herself.  She recently learned how to say "duck" or "dut" so she was excited to see so many ducks...real and make believe.   

Summer 2011

Spring 2012

 Allie spotted the "duts" from afar and bolted over to them.  She would have liked to go swimming with the "duts" too.  Allie especially liked the "baa-bee duts."  I told Allie that the daddy duck has a green head and that's how we know he's the daddy.  Allie then showed me where her head was.

We couldn't leave the city without riding the carousal in the commons.  This was Allie's first time on a carousal and wasn't too sure of it.  She sat on the horse for a couple minutes but was MUCH happier when I held her. 

After a quick snooze in the stroller and a bite for lunch (north end pizza and gelato), we came across the fountains.  I guess this was a second best alternative to frog pond.  Allie wasn't so sure about the "wa-wa" at first.  She ran away from the fountains a few times.  After a little convincing (and Todd and I taking turns holding Allie and sticking her in the water), Allie had a BLAST!  She loved to stick her hands and feet in the water and have it spray all over everyone (including Todd and I who were fully clothed).  It did feel pretty good on this HOT day though.

This will be some of the things I will miss most about Boston...the downtown, the fountains, the food, the massive park...and all the fun and memories we've acquired over the past two years.  Thank you Boston for adding so many memories to our family scrapbook. 

The rest of our weekend was filled with other fun adventures.  We met up with the "Melrose Moms" at the toddler park for coffee and doughnuts (coffee for the moms and dads and doughnuts for the babes...and dad's too).  We hosted one last pool party for all our friends also.  Allie and I are sure going to miss the pool this summer.  Thank you "Melrose Moms" for being our friends during this exciting, yet hard time in our lives.  You girls were our friends and family here and we sure appreciate you.  You played with us, you took care of us, you invited us over for holidays and BBQ's...I'm so thankful for you.  Allie and I are going to miss you and the babes. 

Our family of three made sure to get some green monster ice cream one last time while visiting the city on the hill (twice).  We walked to Dunkin Doughnuts to get Allie a couple munchkins like a true Bostonian (also twice).  And...the day finally came when we walked around our apartment and said our goodbyes.  Allie said goodbye to her crib and changing table (which will be used in the future by Tony's new little brother arriving in late July).  She said goodbye to the sink where she took her first baths at one and two months old.  We said goodbye to our living room where we spent many hours cooped up in the LONG blizzard of a winter during my maternity leave.  We said goodbye to our table where Allie enjoyed many breakfasts, lunches and dinners (which will be a future dining place for Allie's friend, Cyrus). We said goodbye to the pool where Allie took her first swim.  We said goodbye to cute downtown Melrose where we walked (or ran) to almost everyday during the summer months and frequented Mexico Lindo, Starbucks, and Shaw's.  We said goodbye to Oak Grove Village...our home away from home.  You were a great home for our family and I'm so thankful we found you.  You introduced us to friends, fun, and family memories.  We couldn't have asked for a better location across from Pine Banks Park, a five minute walk to the T, and a mile from downtown Melrose.  We said goodbye to the Zakim Bridge and the "Big Dig" tunnel we drove through soooo many times on our way to the airport.  And when Allie and I stepped off the plane from our LAST trip we would ever take alone from Boston...we said goodbye to the 22 flights she has taken in her 18 months of life. 

This chapter in our lives is coming to a close rather quickly and in a week-ish Todd will be driving his car out from our underground parking garage one last time and make the treturous 14-hour drive home to Michigan.  I can't wait to see him pull up into our driveway.  Bye, bye Boston. 

Beach Baby

Allie absolutely LOVED the beach on this beautiful, sunny, Sunday afternoon.  Todd and I were wondering how Allie was going to do at the beach later this summer in Bermuda on our cruise we have scheduled to take.  Now we know....she's going to LOVE it! 

Swim diaper, bathing suit, hat, and sunscreen...Allie headed straight of the water.  She didn't think twice about putting her little toes into the cold lake water.  She splashed, laughed, and plopped right down. 

She also fell face first into the lake...but after a brief moment to collect her thoughts (and a few hugs from Todd), she was back to having some fun. 

Allie had a blast with her sand pail and shovel.  I got to catch a few rays while she played.  We didn't hear a peep out of her for a good 20 minutes.  I did get an occasional shower of sand as her shovel tossed sand on me.

I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time at Grandma's this summer.  A perfect May, Michigan afternoon. 

First Trip to the Dentist

The last time I had my teeth cleaned, the dentist told me to bring Allie next time so she could get acquainted with the office and all the dental tools.  She wasn't very excited about being there and had a look on her face that read "unsure."  She was pretty happy to be in the playroom, but once we went back to the cleaning rooms, she voiced her opinion. 

 She took a ride on the chair,  got a fun balloon (rubber glove with dental floss string), and watched "Mr. Thirsty" get a drink (you know...that suction thing that sucks all the water out of your mouth).  Allie did show the hygienist how she brushes her teeth with the new pink and purple princess toothbrush she got...she did a very good job.  The hygienist even looked at Allie's teeth. 

Although Allie did a petty decent job at the dentist, I don't think she is quite ready for a regular check up and cleaning anytime soon.

Part of the Family

Recently, Allie has not been very cooperative getting into her high chair when it's time to eat.  Picture Fred Flinstone feet as I try to place her little legs through and under the tray.  Not an easy task.  It usually end with me trying to grab her wiggly feet from the underside while she crying, arching her back, and kicking me with the free leg.

Allie in her high chair before (with the tray on).

Solution: take the tray off!  Allie still tries to pull her Fred Flinstone move, but has no luck now.  Defeat!  There is no tray to get in our way.  Allie now gets to sit with us as a family and have dinner all at the same table.  I think this gives her a little bit of happiness at mealtime.  Much better than sitting off to the side while everyone else gets to sit together.

Ta-daaa!  Look at me now in my big girl chair.

I can sit at the table with everyone!

My Mother's Day

Earlier this week Allie came home with a little gift for me she made at day care.  What a cute little gift!  A blueberry muffin baked into a flowerpot.  Allie decorated a card to stick into the top.  The muffin was very yummy...Allie and I shared it for breakfast one day.

Today was a day to celebrate moms...all of our moms...Todd's mom, my mom, and Allie's mom (me).  Yesterday, Allie, Todd and I all took a trip to the cemetery to celebrate my mom.  Today, we celebrated Todd's mom, and Allie celebrated me. 

Three generations - Kathleen (Grandma), Monica (Mommy), and Allie

We had a family day at home with Grandma and Grandpa.  For dinner we grilled (our grill hasn't been used since last Mother's Day).  Thanks Grandma for bringing dinner over.  You're the best!  It turned out to be a beautiful day outside.  It was perfect for Allie to get out and run around a bit.

My gift for Mother's Day slash my birthday, was new cabinets for our laundry room.  I picked out my gift myself.  Yep!  That's what I wanted.  I want to finish this house one room at a time.  The current room I'm working on is the laundry room.  Super big thanks to my dad for putting them together for us.  It's so nice to have a handy guy around who can do all the things I need done.  The best part is...he doesn't charge!  Don't they look GREAT!  I'm so happy with how they turned out.

Grandma liked her goodies she got from all of us.  Allie helped open.  She liked the chocolate bars the best.  Sorry Grandma, you probably have teeth marks in your chocolate bar now.

We ate dinner on the patio...I'm so excited we can FINALLY put out our patio furniture again...it's been two years!  I think Allie really enjoyed eating outside with the birds.  She kept pointing and talking about them.  She really enjoyed her corn too.

But the best part of the day was DESSERT!  Grandma brought cupcakes over for dessert, but we decided we should go out for ice cream instead.  Grandpa and Allie still wanted a cupcake though.  Allie ate every bit of the frosting off her cupcake.  Her dad helped her eat the cake part.

The Potty

Allie is almost a year and a half old and I think it's about time she meet her new friend - the POTTY.  We have two potties in Allie's bathroom...the one that goes on the toilet and the one that sits on the floor.  She's not too excited about the one on the toilet just yet.  She points at it all the time.  When I ask her if she wants to sit on it, she'll shake her head yes.  However, about two and half seconds later she is reaching for me whining to get down.  Not sure if she thinks she's going to fall in, or if she doesn't like being up high. 

From the moment I brought home the floor potty, Allie took a seat right away.  It didn't matter if she was fully clothed or stripped down naked.  She really liked sitting on the potty.  Maybe because it's a girly, pretty, pink potty.  Or maybe because she gets to read her books while on the potty.  Either way, I'm glad she is liking it at the moment.  Now, if only she would use the potty.

It just so happens that the very first time I put her on the potty she actually used it!  Todd and I were shocked!  We made the biggest deal out of it and gave her a treat (marshmallows) in hopes that the next time she would do the same thing just to get a marshmallow.  The very next day while Grandma was babysitting, Allie used the potty AGAIN!  As Grandma would say..."Allie did BIG POTTY" (if you read between the lines you'll know what big potty really means and that it was a BIG deal).  Again, Allie got a marshmallow. 

It's been over two weeks since Allie used her potty two days in a row.  Since then, Allie has sat on the potty every night before bed...but no potty...and no marshmallows for Allie.  We've gone to the bathroom on the floor a couple times though.  Luckily on the bathroom tile (easy clean up).