paris for christmas

Tom and Susan brought all of their kids and spouses on an amazing trip to Paris this winter for their anniversary. A free trip to Europe - need I say more? Thanks Tom and Susan.

It was also great that the European branch of the family could join us there. It was wonderful to see Francis, Teddy, Nik and Nicola

thanksgiving new york 2007

Samuel's first Thanksgiving. One of the great things about having a child who doesn't sleep (can there be anything great about having a child that doesn't sleep?) is that going on vacation doesn't make a difference, cuz they certainly can't sleep any WORSE. I mean, once you are already getting woken up every hour or two, can you really go down hill from there?

So the trip went off without a hitch and it was great to see Steve's fam.

first solids

This is a video of Samuel's first solid feeding. Not long after this we decided to not feed Samuel ourselves, but use the concept of "baby led solids." We didn't mash up food, or feed him with a spoon, but offered him soft vegetables that he could try to eat on his own. The idea is that developmentally he wouldn't be able to put anything in his mouth that was small enough to choke on, until he was ready to swallow it.

pumpkin pie anyone?

The pictures say it all. Halloween at Microsoft.

why didn't steve stop me?

It is well known among people who know me that I have very big ideas. This can be a good thing. However, sometimes I need Steve to help me pare down my big ideas into something more manageable; he helps me with moderation. So it was his job, when we talked about our first major trip with Samuel, to keep perspective.

For instance, when we started talking about going to Maneesha's wedding in Detroit and I mentioned that we should visit his parents, Steve probably should have proceeded with caution. When I suggested that we stop in Chicago along the way perhaps alarm bells should have sounded. Then I dreamed up the idea of flying into Minneapolis for a few days, flying to Chicago, staying two nights, renting a car, driving to Detroit, doing a pit stop to reminisce in Ann Arbor, staying two nights in Detroit, go to the wedding, turn around and get back in the car to return to the Chicago airport and fly home.

What?!?! With a 5 month old who had never been on an extended trip before? I'd say what was I thinking, but we know what I was thinking - it seemed like a good idea at the time, and so efficient! The real question is, what was Steve thinking? I mean really, it's his job to keep me in check.

It all worked out in the end. Samuel got to visit Grandma Susan and Grandpa Tom for the first time, we saw Ben and Jill in Chicago and stayed in a nice hotel, Steve was pleased we were able to make it to Maneesha's wedding, and the only tough part was the drive from Chicago to Detroit and back again. That was fairly hellish. Samuel screamed almost the entire way there and back.

sitting

Samuel started sitting up on his own for the first time at Grandma Susan's and Grandpa Tom's house at the ripe old age of 5 and a half months. This exciting new development has opened up whole worlds of activity as Samuel can now use his hands to play with toys much more easily, and his view of his environment has drastically changed from his new perch.

Car Camping Extravaganza

Our first camping trip with Samuel was uneventful. We were up in the redwoods, not too far from home. We did one overnight, and took a couple of hikes. The amount of crapola that we crammed into the car for a two day trip was pretty amazing. Here is a silly video clip of us leaving the camp, and a couple of pics of our time there.