April was a busy month, full of fun and friends. Our friends Jen and Marc flew out with their daughter Sage (nearly 2 years old), and then we each had our own fun for Easter weekend-- Jase and Marc went for a 3-day bike trip on the White Rim Trail, and Jen and I stayed home and had a quintessential Easter time with the kiddos-- Easter cookies, Easter Eggs, a bunny trail, even an Easter Egg Hunt (though my poor planning landed it in the hot afternoon sun and smack during Peter's pre-nap freakout). After the guys returned, bikes in tow (and unfortunately, Jason's bike had a wheel that looked like a taco shell), Jen and I were treated to a half-day at the spa to get our groove back. It was definitely an even trade!
White Rim campsite... damn it looks hot.
Jason's taco wheel-- on the first day, too!
Marc and I also fit in a little skiing, too. Pure Utah-- skiing and mountain biking on the same weekend!
Easter defined.
Sage and Peter-- they actually got along quite well, but Sage is guarding her newfound toy friend-- it's Peter's glowworm.
Jen and Sage on Easter morning
Sage making Easter cookies
Jen and Sage making Easter cookies
Dyeing Easter Eggs
Neighbors Alexander and Lindsay at the Easter Egg Hunt
Strong women on a hike
Strong woman and a tiny man
Peter and Sage even got to have bath time fun!
Sage put the Rocking Horse to good use
It was also a month of many firsts for Peter. He had his first ride in a grocery cart, started to try to use a sippy cup (sort of), discovered flashlights, and got his first swim outfit. He also had his first taste of brains-- er, beets-- and made an adorable zombie baby.
Braaaaiiiins!!!!
First grocery cart ride-- Sage is in the truck up front
Sippy cup trials
Most adorable swim baby outfit, courtesy of GrandNan and baby catalogs
The Light from Within
Big Yawn-- you can almost see teeth!
It seemed strange to us that Peter's daycare had "school pictures"-- after all, these kids are likely photographed within an inch of their lives-- but we bit and I even dressed Peter up a little (i.e., no boogers or oatmeal smears). We figured we'd have some killer shots, since Peter usually loves people and the camera. Unfortunately, something about the situation didn't quite work out after the first frame...
Apparently he kept screaming until he was brought back to the nursery. Maybe it was the fake log?
Peter also met our good friends Kathryn and Chris, and Kathryn got to experience the squirminess of bedtime stories. Peter soon developed an irrational fear of both of them, I think because of the bicycle helmets that they frequently wore... we're working on it :)
In just a month, Peter went from sitting with a drunken slant to solidly plopping himself down, reaching and grabbing whatever seemed interesting. The second-hand exersaucer that we picked up was perhaps one of the best purchases we've ever made-- Uncle Nick promptly deemed Peter "The Captain" and his exersaucer "Mission Control."
Baby Carhartts... double-reinforced knees, even!
Mission Control
The many faces of Peter
Shy for the first and last time
March was the also first time Peter and I flew solo when Jase went to a couple of science meetings. Grandparents Laurie and Ken came and played with us (and picked Peter up from daycare, since my work hours are just silly), which was wonderful. They even braved the outdoors one chilly morning, waiting for me to finish my first skate-ski 5K. It took me longer to ski a 5K than it does to run it, but it's the effort that counts. I wanted to show Peter that moms can be awesomely strong, even if it's just in their attempts :) I did get a belt buckle for my efforts, since there were only 2 women in my age group-- whoo too! There aren't any pictures of this event, and for good reason. :)
Grandpa Ken and a happy boy.
Peter seems to need Grandma Laurie's help figuring out that ball
Happy Peter and Grandpa Ken and Grandma Laurie
One of his favorite toys-- gets kisses every day
Amazing what you can get away with for gifts when you have a baby
Bright eyes!
Solidly seated
We went on lots of hikes
First time swinging-- a mixed reaction
Look at those little fat baby feet!
He also figured out what a camera was, and how to make us smile and laugh. He was quite a ham by the end of the month!
Skyping with GrandNan
Learning how to kiss
Truer words were never written on a T-shirt
Bethany and Ada visited and brought muffins!!!!
Peter with his newborn outfit
Monster Peter
Peter continued his exploration of the wonderful world of solid foods. Although he started off feeding himself right away (see February's post), then quickly figured out how much more got into his belly if he was lazy and let us feed him. He was not a fan of carrots (video below)
Avocado is the best food ever!
March also got VERY busy very quickly-- I also added on another very part-time job in Hospice-- I’d always wondered if hospice would be a good fit for me, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it out—so far, I don’t like the time away from Peter, but I love the work. It is fun, but unfortunately tends to take up more than the 8 hours I was hoping it would... just another excuse to not be blogging more frequently. Jason was incredibly supportive, as usual, as I balanced my Midtown job and my Hospice job, and tried to find some room in there for playing with him and Peter. Jase got his karmic due when we learned that he was approved for his big K99 grant! This is a huge deal in the science world, and made him even more employable than he was before. Peter and I were immensely proud and Jason was even more relieved. We could now go into April with our sights set on the Great Unknown of Fantastic Science Jobs for Jason. Stay tuned for Part 3/7 in The Great Catch-Up: April!
Nothing like a first birthday coming up to remind you how darn quickly time passes.
Sorry we haven’t been posting much (or AT ALL) since, oh, January. There’s this amazing thing about babies—the older they get, the more fun they are (and the more time-consuming they become, too). As you can see from the following posts, Peter completely rocked babyhood and is now a pre-toddler. I can't quite believe how grown up he is already. He looks like such a little boy.
Peter and Bodhi, his daycare friend, January 2012
First food, January 31, 2012, already trying to master the spoon
Peter's first attempt at a cup-- on the way to Zion, February 2012
So proud of himself after drinking from a cup!
The normally chilly month of February was ridiculously warm and cozy, moreso because Peter had his baptism in Zion National Park February 17. We couldn’t think of a better place to welcome Peter to the world than the red canyons of Zion and the crisp Virgin River.
Peter, Jase, Laura and Hope
Our friend Hope officiated, and wrote a beautiful ceremony for Peter that perfectly reflected the lovely setting. We were joined by my parents and brother, and our friends and neighbors Craig and Ernie. We had a lovely time eating, drinking, chatting and hiking around some of the most amazing landscapes in the world. Truly a spot to contemplate inner divinity, unbounded potential and love.
Peter's baptism site, near the Narrows, Zion National Park
Peter's baptism site-- Zion Canyon and the Virgin River
The Baptism Family-- Craig, Ernie, Jason, Laura, Nan, Nick, Ralph and Hope
A moment of thought during the baptism
The moment of baptism-- with crystal clear Virgin River water
Peter and Jason
Peter and his baptismal fount The Virgin River
Craig and Ernie on a hike
Our little star, post-baptism
Nick on a hike
Peter, post-baptism, trying to feed himself the bottle to prove he's all grown up
Baby blues
Contemplating
Peter and Grandpa Ralph
Trying to nap with Grandma Nan and Grandpa Ralph
Peter and Grandpa Ralph, in Zion
He seriously looks so cute he looks fake.
One of their favorite poses
Future Broadway star
Getting familiar with oatmeal
Obligatory bum shot
Loving his new t-shirt from Aunt Nancy
Trying to eat the bedspread
Not a huge fan of carrots
We also had a visit from our friends Meghan and Otto. Peter and Otto don't know it, but they've been friends since they were conceived, since Meg was my pregnancy buddy.
"What do you think of our moms, Otto?"
Otto and Peter
Peter loved Meg-- she knew how to play!
Rather than make a marathon post that may burn your retinas with Peter's unending (and increasing) cuteness, I figured I'd do it in parts-- flip to the next entry for March 2012!
