Picture of the Day: 9/30/11

I got ketchup and mustard on my Simon dog!! Or the new rep for McDonalds. Look at that smile!
(From Britni)

Chatty baby

In the past couple of days Simon has started "talking" to us a *lot* more.  It's mostly coos and coughs so far - he hasn't realized he can use his tongue to make different sounds yet.  We're having a tough time understanding what he's trying to tell us, but the fault is totally on our side and not his.

We keep trying to take videos of him babbling to us but he gets shy as soon as he notices the camera and quiets down a bit.  As soon as we turn off the camera he gets a big smile and chats to us again.  I'll have to figure out a way to hide the camera in a teddy bear or something.  This video below has at least a little bit of babysounds.

Simon laughs, babbles, and soaks his shirt with drool

Laughing baby

A few weeks after learning how to smile, Simon is starting to laugh.  There are a few things that he finds consistently funny, like the clock above the TV, our tiny stove, and the animals on some of his blankets.  He's still not sure how to laugh for more than a second or two before he starts coughing on his drool, but he'll get there soon. 

Lions are hilarious!

Misc Simon Videos

It's been a while since we've posted any Simon videos, so here are a few from the past week or two.

Picture of the Day: 9/27/11

The train is a wonderful place to snuggle up with your monkey and sleep. Ask Simon. He knows.

(from Britni)

Simon's Monkey

Simon has started chewing on his stuffed animals. This weekend at breakfast he was munching on his monkey's ear. Then Alan went to move the monkey and got one of the most suspicious looks. :) "Don't take my monkey!"

Picture Of The Day: 9/24/2011

Thumbs up for naptime!

Picture of the Day: 9/23/11

Lazy Friday.

We have Floors!

The house has drastically changed since the last house post. Alan will post to fill in the missing time, but somehow we always seem to run out of time lately!

So I'm going to jump to present and tell you that we now have all our roof, amazing blue siding with beautiful white trim, a lovely back deck with a spot for a grill, air conditioning, heating, wiring, and plumbing. You won't believe it, but we also have drywall and hard wood floors!! Here's a picture from the basement door looking back through the den and kitchen.

Next week we will be banned from the house while they sand and stain the floors. Then installing cabinets, tile in the bathroom, counters, painting and trim and then we move in! Date we are shooting for right now is October 28. Just around the corner!!

More pictures after the jump.

Picture Of The Day: 9/22/2011

The elephant tastes so good!

Back To Work

Summer felt over for me when I went back to work on September 12. A week and a half in and it has actually been fun getting back. Not too much has changed at the office, people are the same and projects are the same. I enjoy using the trouble shooting and work parts of my brain again.

The biggest challenge about being at work is continuing to feed Simon. Breastfeeding is important to Alan and me (and Simon too!), which means pumping at work. They set up a nice little room with a couch, comfy chairs and a fridge for me to use and I put some pictures of Simon on the wall. The room is almost as big as our studio! And I almost forgot how nice sitting on a couch is. There are other folks using the room or I might be up there all day. ;) Pictures of the room after the jump.

Bye bye

Simon says bye to his Aunty Amy... but not for long! We will all be flying to Boston the first weekend of October to see family and celebrate a very important wedding anniversary.

(Sorry for the overexposure on the pictures, but I like the effect!)

Picture of the Day: 9/18/11

Our friend Madigan's 7 month old daughter Belle snuggles up with Simon, who plays it cool and acts like he doesn't even know she's there

Simon at Safari

Auntie Amy, Alan, Simon and Emily hung out at Safari Cup (the local coffee shop) and we ran into friends who are also from Boston. Belle is 4 months older than Simon and seems like a little person. Great coffee, french toast and yummy pastries. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Now, off to baby stores to look at travel cribs...

Hello Aunty Amy!

Auntie Amy is in town for the weekend!

Good Morning Birds

More than any other thing in the world, the birds above his bouncy seat make Simon smile. It is a cautious greeting each time (what might have changed?), but then the friendship is picked right up from the smiley place it left off. Yay birds!

Happy Duo

Maya is the other baby in our nanny share and is three weeks older than Simon. They are buds already!

Picture of the Day (2): 09/09/11

Muppet Sad Face

After weeks and weeks of trying, we have finally gotten a picture of the Muppet Sad Face. It is my favorite angry expression. It is the face Simon makes when he is revving up to cry or if he is taking a little break in between crying stanzas. It is his way of telling us that he is serious, things are bad, we need to do something. I know it's awful, but as soon as he makes the face I always laugh. I do take care of him, but I laugh while I do it. 

Picture of the Day: 9/9/11

Simon slept from 8pm until 5am!! He woke up happy, well rested and _really_ hungry!

Grandma and Grandpa Basque Visit - July 23 - 31

The Grandparents Basque arrived on July 23rd to a hive-covered Emily and a 6 week old Simon. They had a fun long week with us filled with doctor appointments, home cooked meals, laundry and even a movie/date night! Follow the jump to get details and lots more pictures. 

Picture of the Day: 9/8/11

After a long walk/nap with Britni, Simon is in a good mood. He was the grouchiest baby last night, so smiles are good! Note that he now holds toys! And will reach for rattles or hanging things.

(picture from Britni)

New England Fish Market

The New England Fish Market is a new restaurant down the street that opened today. Simon insisted we try it out and these are his thoughts:
1) great fried fish
2) need better lemon wedges
3) not enough milk

Check out my gamerscore!

Dad has already set me up with a profile and I'm a natural!!

Thanks to Jake and Emily for the great shirt.

Sitting up! (with help)

We had some fun times this morning seeing if Simon could sit up on his own. He would have it for about a minute and then decide to push off with his feet. That doesn't work so well when we're sitting up - but is super fun when we're standing up. Simon can only sit up if you position his legs and hold him up for a second to let him get his balance. It is definitely Stage One: Sitting Up with Help. 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but he's very advanced for his age.

Pictures of the Day: 9/6/11

Aunty Colleen dressed me in the cutest von Trapp baby outfit today

Oh, and I'm super close to sitting on my own - just a little help from mom so I don't fall backwards.

Picture of the Day: 9/5/11

Our little Eskimo baby was so tired last night

Chillin' at Waterhouse

On Labor Day Monday Colleen, Alan and I had lunch outside at Waterhouse. It was actually rather cold out so Simon spent most of the time under many blankets, but when it warmed up Simon came out to play with dad. More pictures after jump.

Aunty Colleen on Labor Day

It is freezing and rainy so far on Labor Day, but Colleen and Simon are still having fun!

Meetup with Man on Train

Today we went to Lincoln Park for the farmers market with a few other moms and their kids. We had some socializing and some looking at fruits and veggies and then when the group broke up Alan, Simon and I decided to walk a bit more. We made it to Diversey before the torrential downpour hit us and stopped for a delicious burger at The Counter (recommend by Oprah!) and then on to the train. Just after we took the picture a dude walked up to us and said cute kid (or something along those lines). I showed off his 'achievement unlocked' shirt (thanks Jake and Em!) and he made a joke about the baby earning us 10 gamer points. We joked a bit about it and then he mentioned that his wife runs an online geek group. I then very creepily asked if his wife's name was Katherine. You see, I had already joined that group and there was a BBQ today that we hadn't gone to because we did the farmers market. How completely weird is that? That I knew the guys wife's name (group organizer), that it was the same group that I'd already joined and most that we actually struck up a random conversation with this guy!?

Picture of the Day: 9/2/11

Simon spent his first half a day with Britni -- doing tummy time, going for walks and generally having a great day. They were snuggled and Simon was sleeping when I got back from laundry and other not so fun errands. He woke up when she left and we started another round of play/eat/sleep. He has started reaching for the toys and likes it when they move, but doesn't know how to grab and hold yet. I think that will come soon!

Oh happy day

Our smart and advanced son slept from 8 o'clock in the evening until 5 o'clock in the morning. Nine full hours in a row. That is pretty darn amazing!! Alan and I didn't go to bed until around 9:30, but that is still a great long night of sleep with no interruptions. Oddly enough, Simon isn't tired now. He'd much rather play with the blanket (as seen in pictures). In the last couple days he has started holding the edge of his blanket and moving it around. He has also started making noises that aren't crying, a precursor to the babbling that comes before talking. He _also_ now spends more time looking at us. When he is in his bouncer and I walk around he follows me with his eyes. Then will make noises until I come to pick him up or play. Smiles when he sees you are the best!! I've said it before and will again: Our little boy is so advanced!