Griffin Enjoying a Mum-Mum

Griffin is quite the eater these days. While he has only had two teeth since August (two more are just poking through), which limits his ability to chew things, anything dissolvable is a huge hit. He's started saying "mo-mo", which usually seems to mean more, though occasionally could be interpreted as mommy. He's also quite good at pointing at Elliot and saying "da-da". Here he is enjoying a mum-mum, which could also be the inspiration for some of his words:

Thanksgiving Pleasures

We were in Stockbridge for Thanksgiving, and had a great time. Griffin went exploring:




And then took a break:





And we ended our trip with a stop at Costco, where employee Lora was very friendly:




As nice as our holiday was, it's great to be home and getting settled.

Mugrat Muggle

I'm proud of the little sign I photoshopped for Griffin's bedroom door:



(You need to know Harry Potter to understand...)

Halloween Costumes & Other Delights

Lucy went trick-or-treating as the Little Mermaid and Elliot and Griffin joined her as Sebastian and some other fishy friend:

Lucy's being a little goofy, but that was actually the best picture of her!

In other news, Griffin has taken on crawling in earnest and is keeping us on our toes with his movements.  Here's a shot that Lucy took of him in action:

It's been a fascinating weather season here, with everything from snow two weeks ago to 70 degree weather the past couple of days.  Still, the leaves are falling, which gives us the opportunity for a classic autumn picture:

Spooky Hayride

We met up with Lucy's best friend Eddie and his friend Maddox at Wilson Farm today to go on their (only slightly) spooky hayride and eat fresh cider donuts. Here's a shot of the kids just before the hayride began:

Griffin's New Skills

Griffin started sticking out his tongue at us today. And he's working on his standing skills. Time to dust off the baby-proofing supplies.

Delightful Griffin and Brave Lucy

Griffin's spending most Wednesdays with Eema and Saba, who are great at taking pictures.  Here's a fabulous shot that they caught of him today:

Meanwhile, Lucy was out in Stockbridge with Eema and Saba last Friday for an overnight, and got to go horse back riding:

She's come so far from the days when she was terrified of sheep and bunnies...

An Update on Lucy

I realized that I've been neglecting poor old Lucy on the blog lately, and found a few photos from the end of the summer to share.

We hit up Storyland again this year, and Lucy got to connect with her friend, The Woman in the Shoe:

We then headed to Islesboro for some R&R.  Here are Elliot and the kids enjoying the ferry ride over.  We made the last boat of the day by about 20 minutes, which is closer than we usually cut it:

Lucy also got to go on her first sailboat ride with my dad:

She has come a long way in her appreciation of boating. 

Now, Lucy's launched at her new preschool and having a blast.

The Book and Paper Phase

Griffin is now in the stage where he will play and gnaw on many things, but books and their paper pages are especially compelling:




He was sitting on my lap playing with a toy while I tried to read - silly me!

Griffin Goes Driving

Griffin and I were waiting in the car for Elliot and Lucy and decided to showcase his fairly recent sitting skills:

Griffin's First Tooth

It's not out enough to be photographed yet, but Griffin's first tooth is coming in! He's had a few uncharacteristically fussy moments recently, but he does like his icy chew toy:




You can see from that picture that his dexterity is also improving, though we still have some work to do:

Our Giggly Guy

Lucy's in the Berkshires with Eema and Saba for 6 nights, and Elliot and I are both missing her an awful lot. Fortunately, we still have giggly Griffin:

What a delight! He is a smiley fellow, especially for Lucy, and is so incredibly mellow. While he's not quite the same champion-level sleeper that Lucy was at this age, he's starting to go through the night more these days.

More Summer Travel

The kids and I have went down to Maryland to visit Grandma two weekends ago. We got to have some fun time in the pool with Grammy and Uncle Henry:




Then some more family came to visit and Lucy got to meet another second cousin, baby Hannah:




You can see that Lucy continues her love of lemons.

Finally, we headed out to the Berkshires for a couple of nights to see Eema and Saba, and discovered how fun the beach can be when you're three:

A Trip to the Dentist

Lucy's getting her teeth cleaned today. She's a fourth generation dental patient at Dedham Medical Associates. We're in the same space as the orthodontist - still the same doctor who straightened my teeth 20 years ago.

A Visit with Grammy

Grammy's visiting from California (just in time to escape Carmageddon). We had a nice dinner together, with Lucy bouncing all over the place, Griffin enamored of his big sister, and the rest of us enjoying a few snippets of adult conversation.

Rolling in the Grass

A couple of weeks ago, I taught Lucy how to roll down a hill at Gramps and Mimi's house and now she enjoys rolling on flat and sloped grass:

Griffin thinks it's great too.

A Boat Trip

This year was Lucy's third annual (and Griffin's first) trip to Tumble Down Dick. We went over with Haven, Molly, Lilly and Henry. Haven was kind enough to row the girls:

And all three of the kids had a blast making silly faces for the camera:

And see the house in the background? That's where Elliot and I got married almost seven years ago.

PJ Party

While the kids and I were up in Maine over the 4th of July, Lucy got to spend a little time with her second cousins, Lilly and Henry. Here they are in their PJs on the night of the grown-up family dinner:

The next day I asked Lucy if she had enjoyed seeing her cousins. She looked at me in shock and told me with utmost authority, "I don't have cousins!!" I tried, briefly, to explain the concept of second cousins, but I think it's a bit beyond our 3-year-old's understanding.

Time for a Haircut

Lucy's bangs had gotten really long, so we finally decided it was time for a cut. She's pretty somber, but that's a huge improvement over the hysteria she used to exhibit.




Griffin's keeping an eye on the haircut and being his usual agreeable self:




And here is the finished product!

Sleeping Cuties

The kids and I were in Maine for
the 4th of July, and when I woke up this morning, this is what I saw:



They had both ended up in my bed over the course of the night and stayed sleeping like this until 7 (that's late in our household).

Hanging at Explo

The Explo season has begun. Here's a shot of Elliot and Lucy dancing on stage:




Griffin doesn't have dancing shoes quite yet, but he is working on his kicks and smiles:

Father's Day Fun

Yummy ice cream to celebrate the day!

A New Toy

No need to buy anything fancy when we have plastic hangers:




Between this and his toes, Griffin is one happy guy.

Playing with a New Toy

It's a hot Memorial Day here in Cambridge, and Lucy is at the park frolicking in the water feature with Elliot, while Griffin and I hang at home. Here's a video of him clinging to one of Lucy's old baby toys:

He's resting on a quilt that Grandma (my grandmother) made him because of his nickname. Very sweet!

Finally, Lucy and I had a very funny exchange earlier today as we were driving by some holiday crowds:

Lucy: Mommy, why are there so many people?
Me: Because it's a holiday, sweetie.
Lucy: Is it Shabbat?
Me: No, it's Memorial Day.
Lucy: Oh. We eat challah on Memorial Day too?

I guess holiday and challah day do sound awfully similar...

A Day at the Fair

The kids and I met Aunt MelMel at the DCD Fair today. What a blast!

From cotton candy...

to fire truck rides...

to riding a real pony (twice!)...



Lucy had a fabulous time. Griffin? Well, he slept through it all, but in a couple of years, he'll love it too.

Finger Food

Griffin is starting to realize that he can chew his fingers, and seems to find it quite soothing. He fell asleep right after I shot this video:

Moving Right Along

It's hard to believe, but I only have two more weeks of maternity leave and Griffin's almost 11 weeks old! Lucy is pretty excited about having Griffin join her at school (aka day care), but I'm going to miss all my quality time with him.

Here's a shot that Elliot took of the two kids earlier tonight:

Kisses for Griffin

Lucy has been enjoying Griffin's smiles lately. Here's a short video of them together:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

All Dressed up

We're about to head to Eema and Saba's house for Passover and Lucy is sporting her new dress for the occasion. She didn't want me to take her picture, so it had to be a sneak attack:




Fortunately, you can see the butterfly, which is her favorite part.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2 Months of Griffin

Griffin had his 2 month check-up yesterday and is doing great! He's 13 lbs. and 24.5 inches. He also got some immunization shots, which is why he looks like this:


Luckily for us, that's not his regular style.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Griffin's Waking Up

It takes a while for newborns to start opening their eyes and smiling, but Griffin has started engaging with us more and flashing us his charming smile in the past week or so. Here's a video that starts with a hint of a smile.

Settling In

Griffin is five weeks old now, and we're all feeling a little more used to life as a family of four. Not to say that it doesn't have its challenges! Still, Lucy is very sweet with her brother, and Griffin is starting to sleep a little longer at night. Here's some recent footage of Lucy and Griffin cuddling together. It's not conscious movement on Griffin's part, but I really like when he reaches for Lucy's arm.

Lucy and "Turtle"

Lucy still calls Griffin by his sister-given nickname (Turtle) most of the time. Overall, she has been exceptionally sweet to her little blubbery brother. (she was a bit confused when we brought him back from the hospital, since she believed we were simply visiting him there) This is a favorite photo from the first night we were all together at home.

Lucy Speaks

I recorded this in mid-January, around the same time Lucy was getting pretty excited about the new baby's imminent arrival.

Griffin Howe Targum

Sorry for the delay - but we've been busy.

Griffin Howe Targum was born Thursday, February 10, 2011, weighing in at 9 pounds 4 ounces and measuring 22.5 inches tall. Barbara was a superstar.

Here's the play-by-play:

9:30pm: Watching terrific Valentine's Day episode of Modern Family on the Tivo
10:00pm: Started watching the pilot for the awful new Matthew Perry show that follows Modern Family
10:07pm: Stop watching the show in disgust
10:08pm: Barbara notes that her cramps might actually be mild contractions
10:10pm: I decide it might be time to pack an overnight bag - just in case
10:12pm: Barbara decides that she is definitely having contractions, and starts timing them
10:17pm: Hey - look at that - the contractions are about 6 minutes apart. Barbara calls the OB's answering service. I start hurrying with the packing.
10:18pm: Freak out, just a little bit.
10:22pm: "Elliot - I think my water just broke."
10:23pm: "Yup. My water definitely broke."
10:24pm: OB says it is time to head over to the hospital.
10:25-11:30pm: Somehow, our friend Nick Rosenberg shows up to watch Lucy while my parents drive in from the South End. We get in the car, remarkably calm and organized, and show up at a busy labor and delivery. After waiting a moment for our room to be cleaned, we head in.
11:30pm: We enter our hospital room. I put on some New Age music and Barbara is entering a relaxed state for her drug-free HypnoBirthing. Some miraculous things occur.
12:58am: Griffin is born! Barbara holds her baby boy for the first time and I cut the cord. We're thrilled, our eyes filled with tears of joy. Griffin seems a bit surprised.

We stayed in the hospital until Saturday afternoon, then headed home to enjoy being a new family of four.

Here are a few photos from his first few hours.