Pleased with Pickled

Yesterday while Dad was away, mom and Syl's Aunts and Uncles took her to Oga's Japanese Restaurant in Natick.  It is rapidly becoming clear that Syl has some of her hereditary culinary preferences: if it's pickled, she likes it...  I mean, pickled ginger?  What kind of a baby goes goo-gaa for pickled ginger?

Then last night she spent some QT with KT (Kay Taylor Winthrop, visiting from DC).

Out the door

A couple of photos - more in the August Gallery - and then Dad is out the door to his friend Christin'e wedding in upstate NY.  6.5 hours each way today and tomorrow morning, so Syl and Mom are taking a pass with regrets.  More tomorrow evening, I promise.

Busy Weekend!

Sorry for the long lag time between posts.  Things have been picking up around here.

On the campaign front, Dad just posted a whole lot more photos of his Young Professionals event in Boston from earlier in the month, which you can see here if you are interested.   Also, his first Candidate Forum went really well.  You can see video of that event on his Campaign Website.

Sylvie has been very busy too!  This weekend she went out to lunch with her good pals the O'Learys, and had two major firsts: her first french fry, and her first pickle!!  As you can see, she's a big fan of both.  

She also sampled spent some time on the Hopkinton Town Common, listening to a Beatles cover band while Dad glad-handed, and met a little dog - who she thought was about the funniest thing going.  She got a visit from new friend Maggie O'Brien, did a lot more standing around, and really enjoyed her first cookie.  All-in-all a full weekend.  More in the August Gallery.

Zoo!

Here are the promised shots of Sylvie's first trip to a zoo, this past Sunday with Aunt Emily and that bearded fellow who has been following her around of late.  Looks like she had quite a time!  More in the August gallery.

Aunt Emily and Bearded Guy depart tomorrow for the frigid North, so that Bearded Guy can reunite with his People.  Sylvie wants to express a great deal of thanks to Aunt Emily for spending so much time with her this summer, and for taking good care of her.  That Aunt changes a diaper like nobody's business, and makes a mean bottle to boot.  Thanks Aunt Emily!  We'll miss you!  Take care of the Bearded Guy!

Speaking of the Bearded Guy, attentive observers will notice a new piece of "bling" on Aunt Emily's ring finger in the final shot below...  

Lions! Tigers! Bears! Or at least a peacock...

Lucky girl that she is, Aunt Emily and soon-to-be Uncle Zach took Syl for her first trip to the zoo today!  Photos to follow as soon as I get them off of Zach's camera.  In the meantime, a couple of cute shots from Dad's camera today:

Busy Day!

Sylvie had a VERY busy day.  First, she stood.  A lot.  All over the place, every chance she got.  Second (this is related to the first) she had to get used to the new baby gates that went up today to keep her... contained.  She seems to kind of like them.  Then it was off to Hopkinton State Park where she watched Pax do some swimming.  Then, Syl's good buddy Uncle Zach reemerged from the wilderness.  Sylvie REALLY loves Zach - she can't get enough of him.  Finally, we all went to Jalapenos for some Mexican food.  Sylvie discovered she rather likes black beans.

Lots of photos in the August Gallery from today - some really good ones.  Here are just a few highlights.

Big Tub

One can only bathe in the sink for so long.  We thought we'd give the big tub a try, skipping right over the toddler tub, since Sylvie is such a fan of mobility.  I thought her constant motion would be a problem.  As it turned out she had a great time up until we had to rinse her hair, and then the downside of the big tub became apparent.  Two tries to roll over onto her stomach, one mouthful of water, and Sylvie delivered a negative verdict on the big tub, at least for now.  

You'll also note Sylvie's favorite new word in this video: "No."  Sometimes we are certain she understands exactly what it means, as she often uses it accompanied with an emphatic shake of the head.  At other times, though, it seems just to be her default word, and it degenerates into "Doh doh doh."

Munchies

Solid foods are still a bit of a trick, as you can see in this video.  Sylvie understands the basics - put it in her mouth, tastes good, etc.  But she has a tendency to quit there and spit it out.  When she does swallow, she tends to do so without chewing.  She also gets a little bit frustrated with the whole process...

Long, lean and toothy

Sylvie had her 9-month check-up yesterday, and all is well. She's of average length (can we call it "height" now that she's standing?) - 50th percentile - and slightly below-average weight - 25th percentile. The doctor saw no problems at all with her development, and she got her usual accolades for her sunny disposition.
Also, the doctor said her first tooth is just breaking through!

Just Standin' Around

Sylvie spends all of her time these days trying to find a stable object to use to pull herself into a standing position.  And as you can see, she's pleased as punch with herself.

Getting around

Believe it or not, this is basically how Sylvie's Dad relaxes these days - making silliness like this on his computer.

A compilation of various random video shots from the last week. Musical credit to the Gorillaz...

Thanks Grammy and Grampy!

I love my new outfit!  

It's perfect for just lounging around...

Though I can't help but feel that something is following me.

Health update

Yes, Hand Foot and Mouth Disease is the culprit. I don't understand why they call it a "disease" - seems rather alarmist for a common virus with symptoms not that much worse than the common cold. That said, little Syl was pretty miserable last night. She has sores in her throat (as distinct from a "sore throat," and apparently worse), so eating is tough. She was pretty clearly hungry, but would only take a few sips before screaming bloody murder. Twice she got so worked up that she vomited - once all over her crib, once all over herself and her Dad.
Melissa and Aunt Amanda (who came over to help out Melissa) report that she seems much better today though, which is a relief. Motrin is a big help.