How, how, how did my baby get to be nine months old already?
Think about that. He's spent the same amount of time outside me as he was inside... And ain't life grand now that Ollie is here!
His nine-month check-up was this week. Oliver is 19 lbs., 4 oz., and 28 inches long. Right in the 50th percentile. With those five teeth (two more on the way), he's doing better about sleeping through the night (making it until 4:30 or 5:30 each morning), and is now taking baths in the evening with his big brother. And he knows how to pull himself up-- on anything. Still no crawling, but that is OK.
Love you, peanut. Enjoying this first year very, very much, and relishing every day with you.
Many thanks to our friends Dawn and Katie for taking us along for a (free, short) trip to Great Adventure today. The Wiggles World section of the park was right up our alley. And with the weather hot (94 degrees), hazy, and HUMID, we spent the rest of the late-morning in a small water-park zone (no pics of that). Highlight of the day was the skyride, for sure. Everyone is sleeping soundly tonight, with the help of the A.C.
This is what it looks like at dusk on Belmar beach in July.
This is what an attempt at getting my two boys photographed, in the best light possible, looks like.
Sandy. SAN-DEE.
And then, purple. This is because I switched to the 'dusk' mode on my camera. Won't be doing that again, as I've totally lost the warm light... and gotten something lavender instead. (Dontcha know white is so in now?)
Trenton cooperated very well. Ollie was distracted by the people/flying-birds/shouting/sand-on-his-feet (take your pick).
Last few shots should have captions that read as follows:
"Fine. Play in the sand. Just don't eat it." **** "You want to eat it? Then you sit in this stroller." **** "And how the heck do you always find a dirty straw to play with in the sand???"
If you were lucky enough to have a childhood that was anything like mine, you probably benefited from summer vacations with your family. Each summer, when Len and I were kids, my mom would take us up to Marion Heights, PA to visit with her dad. The highlight of the trip was always when the four of us would travel out to Knoebels for the day. This enormous amusement park is nestled between tree-covered rolling hills in north-central Pennsylvania. Even as a kid, I could tell that the place had been there for awhile. My mom can recall her dad talking about a cottage that HIS aunt had on the property; during this trip, we saw a sign that said "80 Years and Counting".
I think the last time I was there was when I was in high school. We had gone camping on some property that my family owned in Selingsgrove, Shairna was with us... and we had a blast going on the rides. The Phoenix is one of the best wooden roller coasters you'll ever go on. Seriously. I got my dad to go on it with me this time. I believe he was screaming "I'm going to die!" as I shrieked and held onto that bar for dear life...
But returning to the park this time, I wondered how much of it I would remember and how much was still the same. Honestly, I was quite surprised. There were maybe only a handful of newer rides, and the old ones (the boats, the Whipper, the Hand Karts) were EXACTLY THE SAME as I recalled. My memories go as far back as when I was six years old and I bought a souvenir hat that said "I Look Just Like My Dad". Green and white cap, with adjustable headband... I had that thing forever, and wore it proudly. Do you know that that hat stand was still there, in the same place? Still selling hats (but not that one) for an average price of $4.95?!?! And it makes you wonder 1) How they stay in business (especially after all the floods it has gone through) and 2) How other places can charge so much for their memorabilia.
But then I had the added pleasure of viewing the park this time through the eyes of my sons. Magical, to say the least. Although Ollie couldn't do much in the way of rides, he did thoroughly enjoy the train ride. We went on two or three times. The train goes fast, winding around a new roller coaster, through a tunnel, and into the woods. You can catch a glimpse of some squirrels at the corn feeders if you are quiet. (We saw a black one on one ride-- T was ecstatic!) Each time we were in the tunnel, Ollie's eyes would get real HUGE. Trenton covered his ears, as it was quite echo-y, grinning the whole time. I got a great picture of this scene with my mom's camera (will post if I get it here).
And Trenton? Let's just say that it was hard to say no to just about everything he asked.
"Can I go on it again?"
"Sure!" (Each ride was about 75cents in tickets-- compare that to Pt. Pleasant, where rides are 4 tickets each, with each ticket costing 75cents. Although it didn't help that I lost an entire book of tickets when I got a diaper out of the bag... Doh!)
"Can I have an owl?" (See picture above)
"Sure, buddy. They're only three bucks". (Awesomely hand-carved. He says it is for Dad, though.)
"Can he make me a horseshoe with my name on it?" (See picture below)
"Yup, so long as he makes one that says Oliver, too!" (And where am I going to safely hang these things?)
"Can I have some ice cream?"
"OK, yup" (The food at Knoebels is ABSOLUTELYFREAKINGFANTASTIC. They consistently score highly among amusement park food rankings. I actually persuaded my parents to return to the park briefly on Sunday, just so we could get pulled pork sandwiches and hot sausage sandwiches, and another chocolate-peanut butter-and caramel sundae. Yes, another. I had two. With tons of peanuts. And whipped cream. And THREE cherries. Which is a good thing, when you have a kid who steals two of them.)
We all said that we'd totally have to come back again with the kids, and with Jim. He's out west this week running his arse off. On Saturday, he ran FIFTY MILES in UNDER TWELVE HOURS in Washington State. Take THAT, marathoners! And next Saturday he plans to run FIFTY KILOMETERS in Montana! (Not as far, but still farther than YOU'LL ever attempt in one day)
I do miss my husband lots this week and wished he was there to witness the smiles on the boy's faces as they did all the things that I did when I was a kid. Also, our sixth wedding anniversary was on the 26th... And Jim's 30th birthday is this Thursday. But I know he's enjoying what he's doing and that it would have been a CRAZY trip if we all went with him...
Sorry it took so long to put words on this post-- haven't had time to catch up! All pictures below are captioned for more informative recaps...
Had to share this article with you all. This is one of the reasons why everyone thinks New Jersey politicians are sleazy and unethical-- because lots of them are. Amazing what power and money can do to you, right? Let's just hope that the Feds have done their jobs right and that these sleezeballs don't get off on a technicality. A good discussion and analysis here.
This one is a bit longer (6 pages!) We all know that Jersey has some of the best defensive drivers-- because they have to be-- but please, don't add on to the stupidity out there. I can't tell you how many times I've been driving up the Parkway, some car in front of me swerving at the wheel, and I look down and see them texting. TEXTING! I do believe that I drive just as safely while talking on the phone (with my earpiece in) but I can't imagine taking hands off the wheel to type letters into my phone. What can't wait? I actually give these people a "thumbs down" when I pass them. Don't they get it that I have two kids in the car? And they're TEXTING?
In case you missed it, Michael Pollan was on the Colbert Report, speaking about what we put into our bodies. The discussion even included breastfeeding and how this natural way of nourishing our babies should be given consideration and respect. Interestingly enough, Pollan himself discovers that he was not breastfed. Seems that he turned out pretty well...
Leaving tomorrow for a mini-vacation to Knoebles Amusement Park with my parents and the boys. We used to go there often when I was a kid. It is the kind of park where you don't pay admission and all the rides are three tickets (75 cents) each. Looking forward to it & I'll blog on Monday ;)
So what's with this? Point Pleasant had the annual Christmas in July Celebration today. I have to say, it truly felt strange to see Santa in a bathing suit. Makes me wonder how Australians get into a Christmas-y mood in the middle of the summer. Very odd.
T made out with a free candy cane and almost twisted my arm to play a boardwalk game (fishing pole one...) but I resisted. Instead, I let him pick from an assortment of "stocking stuffers" AKA $1 crap toys. He was happy with that.
Had to include the picture below, as it was his first time on the crocodile ride. It truly is the kiddiest of the kiddie rides. But he wanted to try it out... the red one (named Wally, which he thought was WALL-E, and liked it even more). "It was kind slow, Mom."
Little Man no longer wants to eat baby food. I even broke out the food mill and started grinding up whatever I was eating for him-- fresh. Still, he'd much rather have itty-bitty pieces of chicken, cheese, crackers, beets, and sweet potatoes. Just means that I have to get everything small and soft.
But it makes him happy. And no choking issues-- yet.
What? Me? So I like it in chunks. Sue me!
Trenton, on the other hand, is getting fresh veggies snuck into just about everything. Here he eats a grilled cheese with zucchini slices in it. Doesn't notice it (when Barney is on, anyway). I just won a copy of Deceptively Delicious on Ebay and I'll let you know which recipes I like best.
Trenton, Jim, and our neighbors Craig, Christian, and Emily all went fishing at Echo Lake this Saturday. Trenton spent time with Pop Pop collecting worms in preparation for the event. He got quite a few. "Nightcrawlers, Mom."
Seems that the fish weren't biting much. Jim got one and T hooked a turtle. Christian dumped his pole in the water a few times and then his dad's cell phone.
