Road Trip to Vermont

Being relocated to Boston does have it's perks...for one, we get to see what beautiful New England has to offer.  I told Todd that while he is out here, we ARE traveling and seeing as much as we can.  Last summer we toured the city of Boston, walked the cliff walks of Road Island and drove around parts of southern Maine.  This past week, all three of us went on a road trip to Vermont, the Green Mountain State. 

Our first stop was Ben and Jerry's.  We went on a tour of the factory and ate a sample of the new flavor Late Night Snack (vanilla ice cream with fudge covered potato chip cluster and salty caramel swirl)...delicious!  Then we bought our own overpriced priced cream.  As you can tell, my little friend wanted some.

We stayed the night in Waterbury and the next morning we drove south to Killington.  With Allie strapped in the Bjorn, we boarded the gondola to get to the top of one of Vermont's tallest mountains.  Todd tried not to look down, or out the window for that matter...he isn't a big fan of heights.  Allie liked the gondola, but didn't like being contained in the Bjorn.  When we got to the top there were gorgeous views of the Vermont and the surrounding FOUR states.  I decided to wear my flip flops (it is summer) to the top not thinking that I would be hiking.  With Allie strapped to the front of me, I had a hard time keeping my balance on the uneven ground.  We didn't walk on too many trails.  I tried to give Allie and the Bjorn to Todd, but he wasn't having that.  For some reason he thinks the Bjorn is very manly.

This was Allie's first road trip and first time staying in a hotel.  We set up her pack-n-play in the corner and she slept all night long both nights.  We brought a handful of toys for her to play with when we had some down time.  We made sure to not lay her on the bedspread or the carpet...gross.  We also brought the Bumbo and the tray for her to eat in.  Overall, our road trip was a success. 

Allie playing on the hotel bed

Allie's 1st 4th

Happy 4th of July!  We sported our red, white and blue today in honor of the USA's birthday.  We weren't really sure how we would celebrate this year's Independence day, but then we were invited to the Shaver's house in Natick to watch the annual 4th of July parade.  We were warned in advance that this parade would last about two hours.  I don't know about other city parades, but when i was growing up our hometown parades were approximately 20-30 minutes.  We were also warned there would be MANY firetrucks that would blare their sirens often.  Really loudly.  Todd was a planner and brought along his earmuffs he uses at the gun range.  We knew they wouldn't fit Allie well, but they would get the job done.  She wore them without a complaint. 

Thank you Shavers for including us in your summer holiday.  It saddens me at times when we are in Boston, away from our home, especially on holidays you would normally be with your friends and family.  It was nice to be included in a family event and have somewhere to go at our home away from home.

Summer's for Swimming

When Allie I came back to Boston last week for the summer, her Daddy had a little gift for her...a brand new floaty to use at the pool here in our complex.  Todd and I took Allie to the pool for the first time.  Swim diaper, bathing suit, sunscreen and all.  Allie whined for a few seconds when I put her in it, but once she got used to the water temperature she was happy to hang out...literally.

7 Months Old

Allie is 7 months old and getting so big.  What a big month...Allie started eating solid foods.  Some of the foods Allie sucked, gummed and nibbled on were carrots, avocado, banana, prunes, pear, watermelon, broccoli and sweet potato.  She seems to like the carrots and prunes the best. We also gave Allie toast, hummus, applesauce, apples and pineapple.  Toast and pineapple are her favorites at the moment also.  We went out to lunch at Chili's one day and ordered Allie a kid's meal.  She had grilled chicken and pineapple chunks.  I finished working for the school year.  Allie is so happy to have more time with me.  We went on another play date this month too with 4 of Allie's friends.  It's such a great feeling to be free of work responsibilities...and to be able to spend time with my family of three!

6 Month Photo Shoot

It was about time that I scheduled another photo session for Allie. I know mom's usually take their new baby's photo every 3 months for the first year, but I just let it get away from me and never did Allie's 3 month photos. But....here are a few of my favorite photos from our 6 month session. Allie was very cooperative and smiled a ton. She is a naturally happy baby for the most part.  Thanks Amy and Jill for some beautiful photos!

6 Months Old

The weather finally warmed up this month and Allie and I took many walks around the neighborhood after I got home from work.  Allie developed a little personality.  Talking and giggling so much!  Todd and I love to hear her giggle and see her smile.  Allie continued to be a great sleeper...sleeping 10 hours at night.  She received her 2nd round of immunizations and did not like it at all!  I felt really bad for her.  Allie was cranky for a couple days afterwards.  At the end of the month Allie had her first outbreak of eczema on her face.  Her left cheek was very rosy (as you can see in her 6 months photos).  I can't believe she is a half a year old!  Time is flying by.  I'm really looking forward to hang'n with my Allie girl ALL summer.



Allie's 1st Bite of Real Food

One day short of 6 months, Allie got her first bite of solid food.  It was rather funny to see her grab the carrot sticks (that I think I didn't cook long enough) and gum them and suck on them.  I don't that Allie has any idea about what to do with "real" food yet. 

After a bit of research, Todd and I decided to pass over the baby cereal and pureed baby food and go right into real solid human food.  Would you want to eat mashed up peas and beef?  The theory is that babies who follow this type of feeding, will be better eaters in the long run and willing to try more foods in the future.  I have also learned that babies do not need solid food until really they are a year old...everything before that is just for fun and play...to teach them how to eat so they will be prepared when they do turn one.  My friends think I'm crazy and my pediatrician says she won't get enough iron.  I guess we will find out at her 9 month check up.  I'm not worried.  I just want her to have a good experience with food...and a non-stressful experience.  I don't want to play the airplane game and I don't want to force feed her just because she needs to finish the jar.  This way seems much easier...and I'm an easy going person.  It's a perfect fit.