Postcard from Staycation: The Zoo

Joe was able to take this past week off of work so we decided to do a staycation in beautiful Cleveland, OH. Our plan was to go and do some fun things close to home and enjoy some family time, which has been awesome!

We decided that a great way to spend one day would be to take Connor for his first trip to the Cleveland Zoo. He was excited! The boy was blessed (cursed?) with his daddy's pale skin, so we lathered him up with sunscreen and off we went.

Ready for the zoo!

 

It was a beautiful day and we decided to try to see as much as we could and leave when we felt like Connor had had enough. So we packed a nice picnic lunch and headed out. Connor did AWESOME! He was great riding in his stroller and enjoyed animal (and people) watching with us.

Strolling through the zoo

We were excited to see the new baby rhino at the zoo and were able to get some good views and pictures of him (her?). Connor, being a baby, was especially excited to see baby animals.

Joe and Elle with baby Connor and baby rhino

We were also able to check out the new elephant exhibit (well, new since we've last been to the zoo, which was, by the way, one of our early dates back in 2006, so its been awhile).

Joe and Connor with the elephants

We stopped for lunch under a covered pavilion and no sooner had we sat down then it started downpouring! We ate lunch (sandwiches for the parents and bottles for Connor) and by the time we were done the sun was back out and we were off to see more animals (perfect timing!). He looks furious here, but I swear he enjoyed lunch!

Lunching while it rains

We switched Connor to the ergo because he as getting a little tired of sitting in his stroller. He had a better view this way.

Connor chilling in the ergo

We stopped by to see one of my favorite animals, the polar bears, who must have been hot in the Cleveland summer sun. Joe assured me that zoologists who were more knowledgeable than me had thought things through and the polar bears were cool as cucumbers polar bears. Don't worry furry friends, the dreaded Cleveland winters are (unfortunately) on their way.

By this time, Connor was starting to get tired and fell asleep in the ergo. Animal watching is hard work!

Exhausted from all of the zoo fun

 

Tired boy

Overall, the zoo was a success! We are looking forward to going back soon. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, although I think the excitement of the day caught up with Connor who was too tired for even his favorite activity.

Poor guy fell asleep in the door jumper

Zoo for the win!

 

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A 6 month letter to Connor

Dear Connor,

Yesterday, you were 6 months old (on Mommy and Daddy's 4 year wedding anniversary!)

Connor is 6 months old - the monkey is getting smaller and smaller

Looking back over the last 6 months, you have grown so much!


We are so proud of all of the things that you have been learning and doing lately! You are expanding your culinary repertoire past rice cereal into fruits and veggies. So far, you have liked everything you have tried, although sweet potatoes are your definite favorite, with bananas and peaches not far behind. You are a great eater, opening your mouth wide for the next spoonful.

Opening wide even for green beans

You also tried a sippy cup for the first time the other day with some water in it. You still need a little practice with it, but we know you'll get it. You look like such a big boy drinking from it!

Hmm, this isn't milk

You love to play, whether it be on your play mat, in your door jumper, or sitting on our laps.

You are great at lifting your head up during tummy time and love looking around.

You are playing more with your toys. Your current favorites are funny bunny and your rattle. You love to shake your rattle and you are now able to pass it from your left to right hand for optimal shaking.

We put you in your door jumper the other day for the first time and you love it! You are a big fan of bouncing and will play happily in there for awhile. You are so smart and figured out quickly how it works.

We are practicing sitting with you while we play. You are doing great with it, but still need a little help

Getting pretty good at this sitting thing

You have 2 little bottom teeth that came in recently. Being the laid back baby that your are, they gave you a little trouble one night but didn't really seem to be bother you otherwise (hopefully that trend continues with all of the others!)

2 little bottom teeth poking through

You are becoming more aware of the dogs and reaching out to pet them (they've been licking you since the very beginning). You reach up to "pet" Graham and Guinness by grabbing a handful of their fur. They love you so much and patiently let you do it. They always want to see what you are up to and what you are playing with (Graham is still holding out hope of getting a hold taste of Sophie).

Divers brothers

You are going to be an avid reader because you're already showing a love of books. We love snuggling with you before bed with a good book and reading to you.

Reading with Daddy - this picture makes Mommy's heart melt

Connor, you are such a laid back, easy going baby. You've been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks (although I imagine we will pay for this with your siblings) and you greet us with a smile every morning when we come into your room to get you. There are so many wonderful things about you, buddy, and you make us smile and laugh everyday. Whether its the way you try to drink your bottle and suck your thumb at the same time, the way you blow raspberries and chat to yourself in your swing or in the car (you often laugh at yourself too. To be fair, you're funny!), or the way you always suck your thumb throughout your entire bath, there is just so much to love about you.

Chatting away on my mat

Speaking of thumb sucking, you are still definitely an avid thumb sucker. It's pretty adorable.

Thinking deep thoughts

These past 6 months with you have been such a blessing and we can't wait to see what amazing things the future holds. We love you so much, Connor, and we thank God every day for the gift of you. You have brought so much joy to our lives, buddy, and we love you so much! Happy 6 month birthday Connor!!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

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This and That

Puppy Love

It's been a busy week for Connor. His repertoire of foods has increased by two, as he is now eating both green beans and peaches. The green beans are more or less tolerated, but he is willing to eat them. Apparently that's more than I was willing to do as a wee one. The peaches were received much more enthusiastically. As you'll see below, he greets each mouthful with an "mmmmmmm" that the green beans just didn't elicit.

Connor is continuing to grow up right before our eyes. His "push ups" are getting higher and lasting longer. The baby who learned to roll over purely as a method of escaping tummy time is even tolerating it for fifteen minutes at a clip.

Pushing up!

We had a lot of family up this week. On Thursday, Nanny, Pappy, and Mudsey came up to visit from the 'burgh. Elle has some good pictures that she will be putting up on a separate post soon. Over the weekend,Connor got to visit with his Aunt Krissie and Uncle Erik who were up from their new place in Cincinnati. He was quite a bit bigger than their last visit (while they were more or less the same size). For some reason, we didn't get any pictures (a real rarity for us in any situation). We did capture an encounter between Connor and Grandma and Grandpa's dog Spike. At least here we have a dog that Connor will outweigh before too long. Not the case here at home.

Finally, here's a picture we took of Connor in honor of his first shark week (although, without cable these days, none of us will be watching much of it). The shirt is accurate, too -- he loves working out his new teeth. Watch your fingers!

 

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What's up, Doc?

Messy eater!

Lately, Connor has been branching out to some new toys. He briefly entertained a couple of the teething toys while those first bottom teeth were pushing through and he's been giving his rattle a real workout lately. The seeming favorite, though, is his funny bunny.

Life is good.

Smiling!

This bunny has been hugged, squeezed, gnawed, thrown, and eyed enviously by Graham. Since he's such an integral part of Connor's day-to-day, we thought it only appropriate to ask him for some input on Connor's next dietary adventure. Sweet potatoes were a smashing success, but where to go from here?

How about carrots?

Carrots it is! It's been fun to see how quickly Connor has picked up eating from a spoon. He's at the point where he opens his mouth WAY up when he sees the spoon coming. As he takes a bite, he makes a pretty cartoonish NOM sound. I suppose after six months of nothing but milk, I'd be excited to eat something new as well -- even carrots. The carrots were a big success, too, as you can see in the video. Trying new foods is fun!

Finally, I'm throwing in one more picture that doesn't really fit the theme of this post, but it's one that I really love. I'm a lucky guy.

Yep, pretty lucky.

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Growing Pains

I know it's cliché to say that kids grow up fast - but I don't care I'm saying it anyway...

Boy, do kids grow up fast!!

Watching Connor grow is so exciting as he gets bigger, discovers the world, and learns new things. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little sad seeing him get big, but each new stage is fun. It's crazy though to look back and compare his then and now pictures - the difference is astounding! I remember thinking he was big when he hit the 7 lb mark! (I also remember crying when he was 3 days old about how he was growing up too fast, but that was whacky after birth hormones and another story ;))

 

Here are a few comparison pictures of Connor, then and now (feel free to exclaim "I can't believe how big he is!" because I sure did!)

Carseat (coming home at 3 days vs 5 1/2 months):

 

Tummy time on the Boppy (2 months vs 3 months vs 5 1/2 months):

 

And finally, the swing - Connor's favorite place to nap. I fear the day he outgrows it since his only good naps are in the swing, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it (or find a swing with a 75 lb weight limit and hope he naps without it by then). Here is Connor at 1 week vs. 5 months:

 

We love you little big guy!

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