watch him grow

Twelve beautiful months of Garrett.

happy first birthday, garrett!

Dear Garrett,

Happy birthday, my baby boy! One year ago today, you entered this world and my life. As I look at you now, playfully scooting around, exploring and mimicking everything around you, it's hard to remember how tiny and helpless you once were. The day you were born is still crisp in my mind, though life before that is getting harder to remember. A life without you just isn't complete!

You've done a lot of growing up in the last year, and I won't hesitate to say that a good chunk of it happened in this last month. For one, you are mobile! I've waited a good long time to see you scooting about, and I can honestly say that I'm so happy to finally see you on-the-go that I don't mind the messes you leave in your wake. I can't proclaim that you are technically crawling; your preferred method is more of a monkey-like scuffle on your bottom. But it gets you where you want to go (usually the bookcases and the scanner), and that makes all of us happy.

Speaking of mobility, you have also recently developed the skill to pull yourself up to a stand (and not just when you're being cheered on). It's made putting you down for naps and bedtime in your crib a little more challenging, and it's been the result of a few more bumps, bruises, and tears, but it makes me feel so proud to see you standing tall. Before too much longer, you'll be brave enough to move your feet without my hand-holding help, and won't that be fun!

You have also been busy growing teeth. This month you sprouted three more, all on the top, thus bringing your total number of pearly whites up to five. They were the reason for some days and nights of painful crankiness, but to watch you eat is to assure me that you're glad to have them. You've started favoring bite-sized portions of "grown-up" foods to your pureed meals, which you like to either feed yourself or have me feed to you using a fork. Your favorite dish is meatloaf with a sticky Dum-Dum sucker for dessert. I have to admit that I'm quite fond of your toothy smile with its accompanying scrunched up nose, and, now that you're getting bigger, wouldn't trade it back for your gummy grin for anything.

Warm summer weather has taken us outdoors more often. After a few tries, you finally decided that you enjoy bathing in the sprinklers and fountains at the park just as much as you like being pushed high on the swings. Sadly, spending more time in the blossoming sunshine has made me and your doctor realize that you've got a bad case of seasonal allergies. It breaks my heart to watch you sniffling and sneezing when you should be smiling and happy, so hopefully we'll be able to soon find a way to calm down those miserable symptoms. Sitting on our front stoop with you in the cool of the evening, blowing bubbles or just watching people walk past, is quickly becoming a favorite past time, and I find myself looking forward to that time each day.

Garrett, my boy, I love you! It's been wonderful getting to spend the last year with you, and I am eager for many more to come. Keep growing healthy and strong, just as you are, but don't forget that you will always be my first-born baby boy.

Love,
Mama

central park

Perhaps because of the shade-giving trees, or perhaps because there are just fewer heat-creating buildings, Central Park often feels cooler than the rest of the city. Saturday was sunny, warm, and humid, so we decided that exploring the more comfortable wilds of the park would be a fun way to spend the day. So we topped Garrett off with a dose of Benedryl to combat the allergy symptoms we knew were inevitable, what with being outside among greenery and blossoms and all, and we jumped on the first train out of Brooklyn.

First we took Garrett to ride the carousel, where, despite this being his first ride, he knew exactly what to do. He held onto the pole with two tight hands and didn't let go until it was over.

Here are some carousel factoids for you: A carousel has been in operation on this site of the park since 1871. These particular horses, however, are the third group to ride here, the first two having burned down. They originally belonged to Coney Island, but have been circling here since 1951. According to park legend, the very first carousel was powered by a blind horse and mule.

We then found our way to Central Park Zoo.


It's a small zoo, but that didn't make it any less worth seeing. The seals were playful, as were the polar bears. The penguins were entertaining to watch as they waddled and tripped into the water for a swim where they chased each other around like black and white bullets. Tropical birds swooped overhead in the rain forest exhibit, and I've never seen so many turtles lounging on logs in the sun in my life.

watching the seals with Dad

hanging out next to the snow monkey exhibit with Mama

Next it was off to the Conservatory Water to watch the radio controlled model sailboats paddle through the pond.


By this time Garrett had fallen asleep in the stroller, and we were warm and tired as well, so we started to head back to the train. The walk was pleasantly cool, though, so we took our time and stopped at this great little juice bar on Lexington Avenue for the most delicious smoothies I've ever had. Think blueberries and strawberries mixed in a raspberry sorbet with apple juice, and then start drooling.

Just a few blocks away from the subway and we were pelted with a sudden thunderstorm. We made a mad dash for the protection of the underground, but that didn't keep us from getting soaked. Luckily, it also didn't keep us from giving two thumbs up to a summer Saturday spent outside. There's always more to see and do in Central Park, especially in the summer, so I'm sure we'll be back again soon.

my little monkey

I'm not sure if it can technically be called crawling, but Garrett's monkey-like movements sure get him where he wants to go. (And by "where he wants to go," I of course emphatically mean "absolutely everywhere.")

some faces

I was searching online for clipart from The Friend that I could use for my nursery lesson this Sunday. As I was clicking through images in the "people" category (the lesson is on "I Belong to a Family"), I came across the gems you see below.

Why do these children's faces warm my heart so? Well, only because they were cut out, laminated, attached to large popsicle sticks, and used as visual aids for one of the talks nearly every child in my family gave at one time or another during our years in Primary.

Want me to share the talk with you? I still have it memorized.*

Some faces are round,

some faces are thin,

some faces are freckled,


some have a long chin.

Faces of children
are different, it's true.
But each child is special,
there's only one you!

*And speaking of memorized Primary talks, one of these days I'll have to tell you about the very first talk I gave in Sharing Time when I was a four-year-old Sunbeam. (Which yes, I had memorized.)

frozen

I don't know how people got by in the days before the electric freezer, because I'm here to tell you that I'm addicted to mine. It's nothing fancy: just the top portion of my Frigidaire. But, oh! The frozen solid wonders it holds!

There's the chicken (boneless/skinless, as well as ribbed breasts, drumsticks, and thighs), the ground beef (portioned into one pound chunks), the grated cheese, the extra loaves of bread, the vegetables, the hot dogs, the pork roast, the hamburger buns, the fish sticks, the Italian sausage, the flour tortillas, the meatballs, the sticks of butter, and the second loaf of meatloaf my recipe made last week. And let's not forget the ice cubes and the popsicles, necessities to beat the summer heat.

Though I don't have any in there currently, other things that taste delicious frozen are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Swedish Fish, and grapes. Really. Go freeze some. You won't be sorry.

I like to imagine that one day I'll be the kind of woman that is lucky enough to own two freezers: one attached to my refrigerator in the kitchen, and another (standing or chest style) stashed away in the basement or garage. If ever that day comes, watch out because I'm sure I'll start sale-shopping and stockpiling like the world's going to end tomorrow!

There's only one drawback to the electric freezer (besides the requirement and cost of electricity), and unfortunately it's a pretty major one. If you want to whip that frozen chunk of ground beef into a delicious dish of stroganoff, well, you'd better think ahead of time because baby, that beef's gotta thaw! So while it's pretty fantastic to have the option to stockpile and store all sorts of goods away in the cold recesses of the freezer, you've got to think sooner than thirty minutes before you want to eat to begin the thawing process.

Which means that we won't be eating barbecued pork sandwiches for dinner tonight.

inside and outside

Inside fun, with a game of "now you see me, now you don't":

And outside fun in the park sprinklers:

scanned hand

This

plus

this

equals
this

Also, this?This is the reason why nothing in this house is safe anymore. It is also proof that his latest talent isn't only showcased in the crib.

i am allergic to massachusetts

And so is Garrett. Well, I suppose I shouldn't generalize too much. So let me rephrase: We are allergic to Massachusetts in June. All that green. All those blossoms. Though they're a seriously miserable problem for everyone else in my family, I seem to have gotten away with only the traveling variety of hay fever: I'm fine when I'm home, wherever I may be presently calling home, but the minute I hit the road for some fabulous summer weekend destination, I come down with a horrible case of the sniffles. Like the time, two years ago, when we inadvertently planned a trip to Mascoutah, Illinois, during what turned out to be a weekend of high spring pollen counts. I never thought I'd be so grateful to know that allergies run rampant in my extended family as well, but, see, my uncle had a stash of Claritin he was willing to share with me.

Anyhow, all sniffles and wads of Kleenex aside, we got home last night from a weekend trip to the Berkshires. The reason for the getaway was a party, held at the Darger family's barn just outside Pittsfield, hosted by my aunt and uncle to celebrate the recent marriages of two of my cousins. I love the city, but love getting away sometimes, too. It was nice to be able to relax, and even nicer to get to visit with so much family. The barn party was a blast, full of delicious food, which was grilled to perfection by Blake, and baked, sliced, and arranged by everyone else. Even though every ounce of in-between time was spent blowing my own nose or wiping snot from Garrett's, we had a wonderful time.

This is the barn. Isn't it fabulous? Inscribed inside above one of the doors is the line, "It was the kind of barn children liked to play in," from Charlotte's Web, which I thought to be most fitting.

And here we are, taking a break from the constant nose-wiping and sneezing.

There's no doubt that trees grow in Brooklyn, but I do sure love the fact that, now that I'm back in my cement-surrounded home, my head is less congested and I don't have to blow my nose as often.


***
While we were gone, my computer-savvy brother created a fabulous new header for my blog. Isn't it awesome? Thanks so much, Tyler!

naptime

But who wants to take a nap when you can stand up and explore the nether regions of the crib...


...while pulling silly faces...


...and letting out silly screams?


(At least he stopped licking the wall, which is what he was doing when I first found him not sleeping.)