Adrian Milo's First Blog

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T17:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of us in costume, plus a few other bonus shots from recent days. Enjoy!

Introducing my little brother, Elliott Charlie

2008-10-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

As you may have heard, I am now a big brother!

Elliott Charlie made his arrival via scheduled C-section on Friday at 12:17pm. He weighed in at 9lb1oz—nearly a half-pound bigger than I was at birth—but at 20" long was a half-inch shorter than my starting height. I have already claimed ownership of our new addition, demanding to hold him whenever I see him. Although for some reason, I rarely get my wish...

Anyway, here are some pictures of Elliott. One day he'll get his own blog (or mom will just start a new one for both of us—stay tuned for details) but for now I'll be a gracious big brother and let him post here. :)

2nd birthday party

2008-10-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Since my actual birthday is very close to when my new baby brother will be making his appearance (i.e. the day before), mommy and daddy arranged to have my second birthday party this morning at the gym where I take Kidfit classes on Saturdays. It was SO much fun and I had a great time playing on all the equipment with my friends. After we played we had pizza and monkey cupcakes, and I of course wanted seconds of everything. Here are some highlights from the day:

this one's for Uncle Pat!

2008-09-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

Mommy's been a bit lax lately. Sorry about that! If you have a Facebook account and want to get updates/images that way, just add her as a friend and you might get to see stuff quicker. :)

In the meantime, here's a photo recap from the end of the summer. I've been busy, as you can see!

lovin' summer

2008-08-03T16:56:00.001-07:00

I had my first proper soft-serve ice cream cone yesterday and it was DEELICIOUS. I have no idea why my parents waited so long to let me enjoy this delicacy but it was definitely worth the wait. It was really hot and not shady at the ice cream place so we ate our treats in the car. People might say mommy was crazy for letting me have an ice cream cone in the car, but she was sitting right next to me with many napkins at the ready (and I am a neat freak anyway, as well all know), so it worked out just fine. Until I put my thumb through the bottom of the cone and it started leaking, oops.

Then today we went to a park so I could go on the swings (my favorite). I also went down a tube slide and liked it, which is a new thing for me! Until now they have been more scary than fun for me. Maybe now I'm ready to go to Sesame Place and go on the BIG SLIDES!

You missed a spot

2008-07-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

I mean, really daddy. You don't have that much hair to speak of. How come I had to be the one to notice the near-invisible speck on your head that was screaming out for INSTANT CLEANING RIGHT AT THAT INSTANT? Thank goodness the baby wipes were close by. I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't been there to clean it off for you!

Mommy says I did not get this from her...

2008-07-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

My penchant for tidiness and cleaning. I will put my cups, plates and utensils in the sink after eating. I will wipe clean anything that doesn't move. And now, I will shout for the vacuum at all hours of the morning and night. I am very proficient with the hoover, according to daddy. Here, see for yourself:

Play Doh + baby doll + Daddy =

2008-06-27T12:15:00.001-07:00

And that's really all there is to say about that. :)

Choo choo!

2008-06-05T18:22:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, mommy and daddy and I went on a train ride. This train is a special one. It's really old! Grandma used to take mommy and aunt Meredith on it when they were little. She said it was a coal-driven train and we'd end up with soot and cinders in our hair. But that didn't happen because apparently the coal engine is being repaired. Oh well. Next time we go I can get grubby.

I loved the train. As soon as we got back to the car, it started to rain really hard. I liked that, too! We stopped at a diner for lunch on the way home where I charmed both the staff and customers by saying hello to everyone that passed by. I also made funny faces at myself in the mirror on the wall and called people passing by "mama" and "dada" (depending on who they resembled, of course), which everyone thought was hilarious.

Here are some pictures from the train. Mommy said they came out good because the natural light was nice, whatever that means. I can't wait to go again!

boardwalking

2008-05-27T06:35:00.001-07:00

It was a gorgeous weather yesterday for Memorial Day, so Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad and I all piled into the car and drove down to Point Pleasant for the morning. I'd never been to a boardwalk before (and mommy and daddy hadn't been to this particular one, either) and everyone had a great time. We walked all the way to the end and I loved feeling the sea breeze in my hair. Then we stopped and had lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the beach. I had fish and chips, which were delicious. But since I hadn't slept much on Sunday night, I was getting a little ornery after lunch so we said we'd come back and ride the rides another day. I had a nice nap on the way home, to mommy's relief, and had a nice early night last night too.

Notice a theme? Mommy slacks, again!

2008-05-18T18:53:00.001-07:00

Daddy politely reminded mommy tonight that it's been an entire MONTH since I updated you. Yes, she is pregnant and working full-time and all that jazz, but enough of the excuses. Tired is for wusses!

So here are a batch of pictures from the past month, starting with Fara and Steve's wedding in San Diego and then Passover with two sets of cousins in April:

With cousin Tyler in San Diego:

In my business socks at the fancy hotel there:

With cousin Gavin at Passover:

With cousin Brandon at the first seder:

At the Camden aquarium:

Looking at jellyfish with daddy:

Before I had my meltdown at the Garden State Discovery Museum:

I'm 19 months old now!

This is my new "smile!" face:

Here's me with mommy:

This is, I'm told, the bump that will become my baby brother or sister. Really, I am more excited about this than I look!

I love spinning in mommy's desk chair. Don't I look businesslike? Aside from the huge bruise on my forehead, of course.

Check out my cool-dude new shades:

This was a trip we made to a nearby farm on Mother's Day:

The animals scared me a little. We saw a goat that had no ears! Mommy said this goat looked like a camel.

And finally, these are my new Geox sneakers. They're awesome and keep my feet totally dry. We only have this picture because daddy did something to the camera when mommy gave it to him to take a picture of the two of us.

I promise I'll update before June 18!

the reason for all the slacking

2008-04-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Apparently, mom and dad were so thrilled with how I've turned out so far that they threw caution to the wind and are having another baby in October! It will make its appearance sometime around my birthday (10/16) although hopefully not ON my birthday, because really, I would rather have a new tricycle or something as a present. So anyway, mommy has been pretty tired and not feeling so great and thus hasn't done updates in a while.

To celebrate this joyous news, here is a backlog of pictures of my cuteness from the past month.

in celebration of my 52nd blog post—a haircut!

2008-03-22T19:08:00.001-07:00

My mullet/shag 'do was getting a little out of control, so mom and dad took me to get a nice trim today. Mommy got all teary when I was finished (and I got plenty teary DURING the haircut—I hate having my ears messed with!) because I apparently now really look like a "little boy." Awww.

You can see the before pics in previous posts; here are the after shots. Note the bubbleliciousness from my new battery-operated bubble maker! Mommy and daddy don't have to hyperventilate anymore!

a playdate with the cousins

2008-03-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

I hadn't seen cousins Lauren, Jillian, Mason and Gavin in a while, but we finally had a playdate! I get quite territorial at grandma's house and gave Gavin a hard time when he wanted to play with my toys. I mean, why didn't he bring his *own*? :)

Anyway, we all had a fun time in the end. I hope we get to see them again soon!

yes, mommy slacks AGAIN

2008-03-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, folks. I can't work the computer/camera by myself yet, so have to still rely on mom to post updates.

But I promise, it's worth the wait. Even with limited captions because hey, it's late and I'm tired!

These are some pictures from Grandpa Judge's birthday a little over a week ago. I love hanging with the family. :)

p.s. If anyone has seen the last of my front four bottom teeth, PLEASE let me know. It's MIA and starting to freak mommy out!

My first snow!

2008-02-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

FINALLY Mother Nature got her act in gear and made good on the threats to blanket our area with a real, sticky snowfall. We got about 6 inches of the fluffy stuff last Friday. Mommy and daddy stuffed me like a sausage into a pair of snow pants. They were so tight I could barely move. So they dumped me into the snow and took some pictures. I guess snow is cool, but I wasn't that impressed. I think I'm more of a summer guy myself. I can't wait to swim in the pool again!

You know the drill: Mommy is a slacker

2008-02-19T18:26:00.001-08:00

It's really been a pretty boring month since you saw me last. I have another tooth (my first molar), am saying a few more words (my repertoire now consists of sounds that mean eye, clock, duck, quack, woof, bottle, zipper, yes, up, down and ball), and have grown a bit more.

Yes, as of my 15-month checkup (which actually happened at 15.5 months), I weigh a hearty 33 pounds 5 ounces and am 33.75" tall. That is really rather large. At least I am able to walk myself to and fro now, so everyone's arms are getting a bit of a break.

Anyway, the parents have been pretty bad about taking pictures this month, so this is all I have to share. You want to see more? Leave a comment here. Maybe mom will get the hint. ;)

This is how I help out when we get home from the grocery store:

The first time Mommy saw me do this with her camera bag, she nearly had a heart attack because she thought the camera was in the bag! The joke was on her, though. It was empty. :)

This is just an EXTREME CLOSE UP.

And here I am getting drunk on a stuffed duck—not chocolate!—at the Jaques Torres chocolate bar in NYC:

Two, two, two birthdays in one!

2008-01-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we went to grandma and grandpa's house to celebrate Zaide's NINETY FOURTH BIRTHDAY! That's, like, NINETY THREE years older than I am! Anyway, it was a wonderful party. I got to see cousin Brandon and also meet new cousin Tyler, who is so small I almost tried to eat him. Tyler is one seriously cute kid, with as much hair as his dad, which says a lot when your dad has a lot of hair (i.e. not like mine). :)

My new thing is walking around with items in my mouth. Mostly socks. I like how they feel on my teeth. But also cookies. This makes mommy worried I'm going to choke, so she tries to get me to sit down to eat, but that's for BABIES.

Then yesterday night after dinner mommy and daddy gave me my very own Cookie Monster cupcake to celebrate my turning 15 months old. I didn't even leave the thing on my tray long enough for mommy to get a cute picture, I just grabbed it stuffed it in my mouth so I could suck off all the frosting. Mmm, blue sprinkles. Mmm, chocolate fudge smile. So tasty. I love cake.

Another new development, as of yesterday, is that I am now sleeping at least the first half of the night on a big-boy bed, aka an air mattress on the floor in mommy and daddy's room. I used to get put in the evil horrible crib after I fell asleep at night, but kept waking up really mad (I mean, hello, I am used to the plush styling of the queen-size Kingsdown pillowtop) and mommy and daddy can't spend their whole night hanging out in the bedroom to make sure I don't roll off the bed. So, we're trying this. So far the experiment is working! Eventually we'll move the air mattress into my room and maybe at some point I'll spend the whole night there—only when I know mommy is ready, of course. ;)

Anyway, here are some pictures of my recent shenanigans!

Green eggs, no ham (aka aren't my table manners lovely?)

2008-01-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

So I have this thing against broccoli. I hate the texture! Roasted, steamed, even mushed up—no go, sorry. So mommy got creative and decided to steam it, whirr it up in the mini Cuisinart and mix it with one of my favorite foods: scrambled eggs. Add a little dried minced onion for extra flavor and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese when it comes out of the pan and mmmm...delicious. I love having breakfast at dinner. Mommy even served up an organic waffle to go with my green eggs. No ham was offered, though. Daddy then humiliated me by making me a hanky hat, like the kind that British people used to wear at the seaside back in the day.

Also included here are bonus pics of my post-nap bedhead (and double chins and recently discovered underbite), as well as a sequential series of me doing my new favorite thing, which is repeatedly getting into and out of my blue Step 2 push car that I got from cousin Jessica for my birthday. It is the BEST THING EVER. It's been too cold to go outside in it much lately so I do the best I can in the living room.

Hope you're all having a good 2008 so far!

Check out my mad parenting skillz

2007-12-29T15:01:00.001-08:00

Grandma got me a doll right before my birthday. I LOVE MY BABY DOLLY! It is one of the first things I identified by name. I give it hugs and feed it brush its non-existent hair and parently things like that. I even have two now so one can stay at Grandma's and one can live with us here.

Mommy finally took some pictures of me with Baby Dolly, although sadly I didn't pose mid-hug. I did, however, test out my new Homer Simpson move.

Cow says MOO

2007-12-24T18:10:00.001-08:00

I went to the farm today with mommy and grandma. We saw cows (even one being milked!), peacocks, chickens, roosters, a few huge smelly pigs, horses, and sheep that wanted to eat my mittens. It was chilly out so grandma made sure I was bundled in 167 layers.

And yesterday mommy got lazy after my last messy diaper change of the night and put me in my Very Sophisticated sock monkey robe instead of putting real clothes back on. And then she gave me a piece of toast that I heartily enjoyed.

In other news, my future wife was born last week! Her name is Josephine and she lives in Australia. One day we'll meet, but for now, I'll let her concentrate on just getting her eyes to work properly. Welcome to the world, Josephine!

Daddy's math is wrong

2007-12-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

He says mommy hasn't posted here in a month, which is patently untrue. It's only been three weeks! Okay, maybe a little more than three weeks but sheesh, daddy, cut her some slack!

Anyway, here are some pictures from Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.

For Thanksgiving dinner, we went to cousin Lauren and Jonathan's house. I enjoyed sampling everything on the menu, especially Lauren's delicious butternut squash soup and sausage stuffing. I wore a special handmade turkey shirt, too, courtesy of Mom's crafty friend Heather.

Then for Hanukkah, we had a major Latkepalooza festival at Grandma and Grandpa's last Sunday. All the cousins were there and we got presents and ate lots and lots and lots of latkes. Well, I only had one, but I did see mommy eat at least three. :) And last week we lit the first candle on my cool train menorah that Peggy and Don got me. I was really, really tired and a little cranky, especially when I realized I wasn't allowed to touch that pretty, pretty flame! We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house again tonight for more presents (yay!) and to light the candles. I was sad that there were no more latkes, though. And also tired again. Watching candles light up is hard work!

To top it all off are some fun bath pictures from tonight. Hope everyone is having a good holiday season!

where "Cheerio" has new meaning

2007-11-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Hello chaps! I returned Monday night from my first transatlantic trip and according to mommy, I was a very good boy the entire time. I slept well and was delightful on both flights and I was sociable and friendly with my grandparents and great aunts and uncle and just about anyone else who cared to cast a glance in my direction!

We did a lot of eating, and I am now very fond of sausages and Yorkshire pudding and also fried bread. Those British people know what's really good, don't they!

Anyway, mommy is still quite tired (especially as she has come down with the cold I had last week) so she's just going to post some pictures from the trip now. I hope you like them.

On the plane, just before having a very tasty croissant:

Saying hello to granddad:

Visiting granddad's sister, my lovely great aunt June, in Shaftesbury. I had my first proper fish and chips meal there!

After dinner in a pub with gran and granddad:

With great aunt Freda (another sister of granddad's) and great uncle Pat in Portland (I was tired):

After lunch (roast lamb! homemade mash!) in Portland:

Mommy and daddy tried to get me to take a much-needed nap after lunch by going for a walk with me, but I didn't close my eyes at all! So they put me on this swing:

I was really, really overtired:

FINALLY, I fell asleep:

After visiting my gran and granddad for a few days, we drove to Brighton to visit friends Becky and Jeremy. And also this furry fellow who appeared to be waiting for a bus:

While we were in Brighton, more friends drove in to see us! These friendly folks are Michelle and Andy. Michelle grew up in the same town as mommy, and her husband, Andy, is British just like daddy. He let me sit on his shoulders and drool all over his head!

Then we went for a photo shoot on the beach:

I hope we get to go back soon!

Boo! from a kangaroo

2007-10-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I had a date!

2007-10-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well, sort of.

One of mommy's friends, Leslie, (who she used to work with) had a baby, Sarah, six weeks before I was born. We FINALLY got to meet today, since mommy was in the area for her friend Amanda's baby shower (she's having twins in January—more friends for me, yay!).

Sarah is, as you can see, incredibly cute. She is also very petite. The difference in our size was quite striking. I didn't notice that, though. I was too busy putting the moves on her. Mommy said something about "future daughter-in-law" as we were leaving but I'm not really sure what that meant! I'll have to have Grandpa Judge translate it from legalese for me.

"Here, let me buy you a drink. Do you like apple juice? Pear?"

"Mom let me borrow the car. Maybe you can help me reach the pedals and we can go for a spin."

my first haircut (belatedly)

2007-10-26T18:58:00.001-07:00

I was starting to get a wispy little mullet so mommy and daddy took me to get a trim before my birthday party last weekend.

I loved sitting in the cars, but wasn't such a fan of those snippy scissors getting close to my ears.

I think I look pretty good with my new 'do, don't you?

p.s. I'm huge

2007-10-25T05:34:00.000-07:00

Bigger than more than 97% of other babies. No shock, really. I was 32.5" long and weighed 31 pounds and 5 ounces at my checkup on Monday.

And you thought LAST week's cake was impressive!

2007-10-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

I had my first birthday party today. What a fun, wonderful—but tiring—day! In fact, mommy is so tired all she has the energy to do now is post pictures. Captions to come later.

p.s. Pictures of my Very First Haircut will come soon, too! I had a trim on Saturday.

A Festival of Cake, aka my BIRTHDAY!

2007-10-16T17:42:00.001-07:00

So, you may have heard that I turned one year old today at precisely 9:30 in the morning today. You know what that calls for. Yes, cake! Three, in fact. Although mommy only got pictures of two of them.

Anyway, there are lots of pics to post today (mommy said something about a "retrospective") so I'll let her get to it!

First, the shots from today:

And a selection of pics (not including very recent ones) from my first year in existence:

I have siblings!

2007-10-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, furry ones, anyway. I've seen them from a foot or so from the cage before, and love to watch them run around and squeak and kick up a big mess (because that means I have floor snacks, YAY!).* But today mommy decided I was old enough to actually meet and touch one. So she scooped up a rather unwilling Belle to be the guinea pig (ha! ha! ha!).

I was a little afraid at first, but after a while I figured out that she was very soft and not at all scary, despite her glowing red eyes. I even tried to help mommy and daddy by getting Evil Pig's water bottle out when it was empty, but unfortunately I can't reach the sink so was not much help there. I was confused because the only bottles I know are full of milk and have a nice soft drinking end! These ones did make a fun noise when you shook them, at least. Who needs toys when you have guinea pig water bottles to play with??

*that was a joke, Grandma! Honest.

Look, my toofer has a friend!

2007-10-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

A month and a half after my first pearly white tooth emerged, his partner in pain—er, crime—is finally breaking through to the other side of my gums!

Mommy hopes this is why I have been a worse sleeper than usual lately. Little does she know I am waking up 4,597 times a night crying JUST FOR FUN! HA HA HA!

p.s. here are some more pictures from the hilariously amusing peek-a-boo session we all had after dinner last night. Check out my amazingly cute double-chinnedness and the great new teething toy I found at the end of daddy's arm!

Pop goes the...burger?

2007-10-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today, after I managed to have my first good morning nap in weeks, we all piled into the car and headed to New York City to hang out with Aunt Meredith (aka Aunt Foxy) and cousin Ali. Aunt Foxy's friends Lana and Ellen also made cameo appearances and I was very happy to meet them, even if Lana did almost let me smack my precious little head on the edge of a glass coffee table. ;) I was distracted by her red hair and I swear the table moved, even though Aunt Foxy says they are so heavy as to be immobile.

After a brief tour of her gorgeous new apartment (and seeing only photographic evidence of Uncle Babka aka Kebab, who is "in Miami with friends" this weekend), we all headed out to have lunch at Popburger. On the way, a man stopped us and asked if I wanted to be in a photo shoot for a clothing brand (or something) called Crawlers, but he was disappointed to learn that although I am 11 months old, I wear a size 2T in clothing. Alas, my modeling career will have to wait!

Anyway, I had my own delicious Popburger (a slider with cheese on a brioche bun) and some of mommy's fries for lunch. More amazing to me than the food was the plastic tray I got to eat off of. Who knew it would double as such a fun toy?

After lunch we walked to a little British general store called Myers of Keswick, taking a detour because mommy got confused and started walking toward Tea & Sympathy instead. But once we got to MOK, I groped some packages of digestive biscuits and daddy bought Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, and a cheese, onion and potato pasty for mommy. Cousin Ali was horrified when she learned what a Scotch egg was, but Ellen and Aunt Foxy thought it sounded rather tasty. I hope daddy lets me try some tomorrow!

Then we headed back to Aunt Foxy's apartment (via Chelsea Market to pick up a little pumpkin for some Halloween cheer and a splash of color) where I started to lose it because it was nap time. We did manage to have some fun while I poked and prodded every un-childproofed nook and cranny of the place, though. I even got to drool on her cool red chair!

I was so well behaved that Aunt Foxy says we should all come back again soon. I hope we do.

Is it that time already?

2007-09-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

It's October tomorrow and the pumpkins are already out in force. Today we went to a farm to pick our own pumpkins and also get some gourds and mums to decorate the front stoop.

Something about all this nature scared me a little. I did NOT want to touch the pumpkins even though mommy showed me that they were safe. And then daddy plopped me in the wheelbarrow with one! The horror! I am told that's what Halloween is all about so I guess I should be prepared now.

Mommy also can't believe it's only SIXTEEN DAYS until my birthday. She says you should prepare yourselves for a massive photo recap of the year soon...

unleashing my inner art critic

2007-09-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

A week ago, mom and dad took me to Grounds for Sculpture, a really neat park-type place with all kinds of fun sculpture everywhere. We had a lovely afternoon strolling around, checking out the artwork and all the other babies that came out with their families.

I hope we go back again!

P.S. Mommy just realized that the comments had previously been restricted only to other Blogger users! She changed it so now anyone should be able to post (hopefully!).

P.P.S. She also just reminded me to tell you I finally have ONE TOOTH (well, half of one) and I also started crawling! Yay!

Pesto, prego!

2007-08-30T13:15:00.001-07:00

I had my first taste of pesto this week. Made with white beans instead of pine nuts, says mommy. DELICIOUS, although it took me a second to decide I wanted MORE MORE MORE!

Parklife

2007-08-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

The weather on Saturday was gorgeous—sunny and breezy and not too hot. So what did we do? Yes! We ran errands! (Actually, daddy and I did have some quality time outdoors in the morning when he took me on a brisk walk in the jogging stroller. You can see how from the pictures below how excited that made me. How about them tonsils, eh??)

The weather on Sunday was gray—drizzly and overcast and a bit chilly even in the morning. So what did we do? Yes! We went to the park!

Thankfully, the real rain held off until after we left the park (and farm!) and went to lunch. And mom remembered that the overcast sky actually makes for better pictures, or so her friend Anita (who is a really good photographer) told her.

Anyway, you can be the judge! Here are some snaps from the weekend.

Before my walk with daddy:

And at Longstreet Farm and Holmdel Park. The rooster scared me! I held on to daddy so tightly when I heard the cock-a-doodle-doo.

Then I went on the swings. I love swinging!

Afterwards, I had my first taste of macaroni and cheese for lunch. It was delicious! But the little pieces were slippery, so mom had to feed me with a spoon.

All in all, a very delicious weekend. How was yours?

10 months old, aka Mommy is a slacker

2007-08-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the picture drought. Mommy says we've been busy lately. Me, I've been busy trying to figure out this crawling malarkey. So far I do more of a modified reach-and-roll. If you have any tips, please, send 'em my way!

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

p.s. I am now in size 18-24 month clothing and size 5 diapers. This realization made mommy cry a little.
p.p.s. Mommy also cried a little when she realized she has to start planning my first birthday party. Started mumbling again about where did the year go or something. Silly mommy! She knows full well where it went. :)

another visit with the cousins

2007-07-31T19:37:00.001-07:00

Last week mommy had a few days off before she started a new job and we went over to hang out with cousins Lauren, Jillian, Mason and Gavin for an afternoon. Unfortunately we didn't make it to the pool but we still had a fun time. They have a big basement with LOTS of toys and room to crawl around. Well, if I crawled I'd probably like all the room but I just tend to sit and lunge at things. Including cousin Gavin, pictured with me below.

Do not adjust your screen. I really am a huge mega monster baby, and Gavin (a month older than I am) is a small-but-perfectly-proportioned baby. We balance each other out, I think. :D

(nearly) 9-month checkup

2007-07-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

I had my 9-month checkup today. The scale at the doctor's office confirmed what mommy's (and daddy's and grandma's) arms already knew: I am a big boy.

I was 25 pounds 10 ounces and 30 inches long—95th percentile for both. And my ginormous head was way off the charts (as it has been since birth). Mommy says this is because I have a very large brain in there. I hope she's right.

The doctor was very nice and told mommy and daddy I can basically eat everything now but shellfish and peanuts and honey. Bring on the salmon! And cheese! I already tried yogurt and really liked it.

Mommy told the doctor how I am not yet crawling but that I love to stand, and that I am very chatty but my vowel repetition is generally limited to "dadada" at the moment. And that I am not clapping or pointing or mimicking yet. He said not to worry. I pay very good attention and make very good eye contact and am very sociable. And as he noticed during the appointment, I do in fact clap—with my feet! My proficient foot clapping was very impressive to the doctor.

I really liked the paper on the exam table. And the doctor gave me a tongue depressor to eat, I mean, play with and I enjoyed that, too.

Mommy's favorite thing about the doctor's office is the amazing retro (aka old) wallpaper. We started off in the Paddington Bear exam room but were soon whisked into the Noah's Ark room. Mommy secretly wishes that one day she'll comment on the wallpaper and the nurse or doctor will say "Oh! We have extra rolls hiding in a secret back closet, why don't you help yourself!" and then redecorate my nursery. But I like my green elephants so I secretly wish that she never says anything about the wallpaper, just in case.

Welcome to my Crib.

2007-07-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

So last night I managed to pull myself up on the side of my crib for the first time. I also managed to pull some amazingly hilarious faces.

My aim, it is not so good.

2007-07-12T06:52:00.003-07:00

But each day I get closer and closer to actually feeding myself.

Baby's First Burger

2007-07-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday was quite the day for me! It started with breakfast where mommy shared her pancakes with me. They were delicious and I gobbled up nearly an entire pancake in very tiny little pieces.

Then in the afternoon, we went to New York City to meet a friend of mommy's. This friend is also named Amanda and she has a son just a couple of months older than me. His name is Sam and he makes the silliest faces! We had a late lunch at a place called Shake Shack and mommy ordered me my very own burger, once again eaten in very tiny little pieces (although mommy helped a lot with it). I wore my special hamburger bib for the occasion. I also tried to drink some of daddy's shake, but he'd finished it all before I figured out how to work the straw. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Mommy says she has memories of the Shake Shack, of many a lunch hour (or two) spent waiting on the seemingly never-ending line when she was pregnant with me because She Just Had to Have a Burger, Impatient Bladder Be Damned. So it was a very special day all around.

And of course, here are the pictures.

My First Sunday Brunch

2007-06-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday the whole family got together at cousin Jessica's amazingly spacious and beautiful loft for brunch. Well, the other people had brunch. All I got was milk! Mommy did, however, offer me a new favorite food—"pasta dinner" in a jar—when we got home, though.

So I got to schmooze with Jessica, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Foxy and Uncle Babak (aka Uncle Kebab), Great Aunt Rosalie and Great Uncle Yocky, and cousins Dayle, Irwin, Josh, Lauren, Jonathan, Jillian, Mason, and of course, my partner in crime Gavin, who has gotten SO SPEEDY since I saw him last. G-Max and I had great fun trying to claw each other's eyes out (amicably, of course), but the fun ended for me whenever he would up and CRAWL AWAY. As I am not mobile in any way shape or form yet, I was happy to sit like a slug and just look wistful as he scooted off.

Hopefully next time we get together cousin Ali will be there! And next time Mommy says she'll try and do a better job getting pictures of everyone.

"Adrian, what do you mean, you still have no teeth??"

Safari Saturday

2007-06-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day so Mommy dragged daddy and me out to the park. We went to the one with the fun playground AND the "zoo" (aka some deer, domestic geese, rabbits, quail, turkeys, peacock, chickens, goats, and emu in a fenced-in area). I seemed to like the playground part of the adventure best. The geese were shouty and scared me a little.

Boy, was I tired when we got back!

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

weekend shenanigans

2007-06-04T20:11:00.001-07:00

Mommy is too tired now to write captions. These cute pictures will have to suffice.

Mommy can't decide which is funnier

2007-05-20T19:51:00.001-07:00

These pictures, or the fact that daddy actually WORE these glasses circa 1992.

Aunt Foxy, these are for you! :)

a visit with the cousins

2007-05-20T19:41:00.001-07:00

We visited cousins Lauren, Jonathan, Jillian, Mason and Gavin at their (gorgeous!) new house today.

Gavin, who is a month older than I am, is already CRAWLING and STANDING UP but it seems I have superior stealth attack skillz. Behold:

I also decided to have me a taste of Gavin's sneakers:

a field trip to the 'hood

2007-05-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Today mom and dad loaded me into the car and took me to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to hang with one of mom's friends and her family. We had a blast! First we met up with Debbie, Stephen and their son Harry (he's 2 months older than I am and very advanced!) at a kids' concert (I got an autographed CD) and then we strolled back to their apartment to schmooze for a while. I heard mom mumble something about the cookies Debbie baked—that they were among the best she'd ever eaten—but she didn't share! How old do I have to be before I can have these chocolate cappuccino cookies?

Here are some pictures from the day.

this is your wake-up call

2007-05-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been waking mom and dad up at 5:30am, crack-of-dawn rooster-style. They say this is too early, but I say it's never too early for milk!

So speaking of roosters, here I am modeling a painfully cute ensemble that was the Best Gift Ever (sorry to everyone else who got me gifts, but hello, it's a CHICKEN OUTFIT!!! and you know my parents are obsessed with all things poultry) from mom's friend Jennifer, who is going to get a big wet kiss or a big fountain of spitup (I do both when I get excited—it's hard to control) the next time I see her. In fact, as you can see in these pictures, I was SO excited when mom put me in the outfit that I promptly horked all over it! So it officially has the Adrian Milo Seal of Approval.

Mom is reminding me to point out that while I finally grew into the outfit, the hat is really on the snug side since my huge coconut head is the size of a toddler's.

solid foods, take 367

2007-04-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

6 months!

2007-04-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am now officially half a year old. Mommy calls this "crazy."

It's been a busy month, and a sad one, as my Bubbe (great grandma) passed away a week ago today. I'm sad that she's gone but mommy says she is so glad that Bubbe at least got to meet and love me (and even got to see some of these blog pictures via Blackberry when she was in the hospital a few weeks ago: "Each one is cuter than the next!" she said, before demanding that we take her out for Chinese food).

I got to see my cousins at Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Yocky's house this week, since the family gathered together to sit shivah. Some of these pictures are from there.

I also had my 6-month checkup on Tuesday. I was 18lb 10oz (70th percentile) and 27.5 inches long (90th percentile). The doctor was very nice and let me chew on his stethoscope, which of course made mommy wonder about how many other germy mouths had eaten the stethoscope earlier that day. He said my development was just fine and not to worry that I'm not rolling back to belly yet, or that I'm still hating tummy time, or that I'm not stringing consonants together to babble yet. "Not to worry," laughs mommy! Ha ha! Grandma promises she will work with me on the speech stuff this summer so hopefully I'll be giving lectures by my birthday in October.

I'm still not into solids so much, although I have taken some applesauce lately without *too* much resistance. Mommy even made me homemade butternut squash and also fresh pearsauce, but I made my horrible faces and refused to eat much.

Anyway, enough rambling. Here's what you came for: the pictures!

Noooooooooooooooooooooo

2007-04-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

For some reason, and apparently for one day only, every time I said the word "No" in a sort of slow-motion-catch-the-glass-of-red-wine-before-it-hits-the-carpet way, Adrian would instantly pout, then bust out in sad tears. It was so strange, and yet, strangely amusing at the same time. And here it is on video:

surprised by sitting up

2007-03-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

For two seconds, anyway.

Extreme close-up!

One day, when I like food, I will have a burger like this one.

a bathtime photo shoot, and my first trip to the park

2007-03-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Couldn't you just EAT THESE FAT THIGHS??

Kicking back like a man:

The Bergman pucker:

5 month birthday

2007-03-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I turn 5 months old on Friday! Mommy keeps asking me where the time goes, but I haven't been able to give her an answer.

Grandma got me a very fun Blue's Clues cookie yesterday to celebrate turning 5 months old. I was going to have it with Grandpa's birthday cake, but he was busy working and looking after Bubbe in the hospital last night. :( So mom and dad lit the candle at home and we took pictures to share.

Of course, they tried to tell me I couldn't eat the frosting (although I tried!) so instead they fed me some pears to see if I liked them. Which I did not. They looked like they enjoyed the cookie, though. Mommy said something about loving all the frosting, but it was hard to understand her because her mouth was full!

Here are the pictures from last night.

too soon for summer?

2007-02-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

Grandma is always buying me fun presents. This present will be useful during the summer, when Grandma promises to take me to the fun water park near her house!

Thanks, Grandma! (and Grandpa, too, although I am sure Grandpa did not have anything to do with the actual purchase of the present) :)

p.s. These were a TODDLER SIZE but they fit perfectly around my huge head!

a first little taste of sweet potatoes

2007-02-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

fun with the cousins

2007-02-21T08:31:00.001-08:00

Adrian in his adorable bunting, a gift from Grandma's neighbors Marilyn & Sheldon:

Look, ma, no hands!

Do YOU see any family resemblance?? Adrian Meatball, meet Gavin String Bean.

Pleased to meet you, cousin!

With mommy.

2007-02-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

Well, our little guy is not so little! He weighed in at 17 lbs. 10 oz. and was 25.5 inches long (90% and 75%, respectively), up 2 lbs. 9 oz. and 2 inches from 2 months old.

He did well with the shots—just a little bit of crying after, and even then he looked so sadly cute I had to take a picture when the nurse picked him up—and we got the go-ahead to start puréed solids (a few tablespoons a day).

Here are some pics from the appointment:

I managed to fit most of him in the frame:

A closeup where it looks like he's wearing eyeliner or something ;):

Tearful eyes after the shots:

All chilled out in the car on the way home:

I can't believe my baby is growing up!

recent fun

2007-02-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

a new hat from grandma

2007-02-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today I went to grandma's house. She insists that I need a hat to cover my ears to wear under my bunting hood! She thinks I have a very big head!

As much as I love the hat, I was relieved when mommy took unwrapped me after we got home.