i'm back!

bet you've been wondering where i've been these last few days. well you may not know it, but being a baby is a lot of work and i really needed a vacation. so i convinced mama and papa to take me to miami, florida for a spontaneous long weekend in the sun. here are a few highlights.

from the airport (after i slept through a brief stop for some fresh guava juice and lunch—which was good, since i'm a city kid and hate my carseat) we headed straight to the beach and soaked up some sun and vitamin d.

i was more interested in papa's hat than in the ocean.

but i did really love being outside.

it's been a long cold winter so far, and it had been way too long since we'd had a picnic in the park.

so we made sure to get in some good grass time.

i've sure missed those long afternoons in the park with mama.

will spring ever come!?

to further maximize our outdoor time, mama and papa splurged on a hotel room with a balcony, right over the ocean.

which was good, since my favorite thing to do—in this beautiful, sunny, warm beach town—was hang out in the hotel room and play.

the view was great...

but i was more interested in the dirt on the floor.

which may explain why i developed a very ill-timed cold on our first morning of vacation. but like they said in the 1920's—nothing a little sea air couldn't cure.

as you can see i still had a lot of fun in between my sneezes and hacking coughs.

and papa did too.

i haven't seen him smile this much in a while—he's been working too hard!!

i had fun, that is, until...

someone had the bright idea of putting my feet in the sand.

this was my sand-stance—keep one foot off at all times if possible.

and if i'm forced to sit in the sand—cry until someone moves me.

but put me on a towel...

and i'm as happy as a sand crab.

although still a little concerned about this weird stuff on my feet.

i did however, love the pool.


i loved swimming.

and splashing.

and screaming.


here's me in action.


i just can't get enough of this water thing.

we also had some pretty good grub. my favorites were the fresh guava juice and the empanadas from a tiny hole in the wall place next to our hotel.

but best decor was this cuban restaurant with chandeliers and etched glass. i was a bit under dressed since i didn't bring my cocktail bib.

speaking of favorites, i know i said my favorite thing was playing in our hotel room, but now that i think about it, my favorite thing was actually walking on the beach with mama and papa and taking a good long nap in the sun.

i wish we could be on vacation forever.

Photoshoot of Cuteness

(and this is narrowing it down)

Gym 101

Today was Ollie's first Little Gym class. Luckily it was nothing like the gym class I remember—short shorts and sweaty teens. Just diapers and drooly babies—still smelly, but way cuter. Ollie warmed up with a few chin-ups on the uneven bars and some squats at the balance beam. Next week he plans to start his floor routine. Also it appears we have to teach him about soccer and handballs.

Cause He's Adorable

Fun Michael

Ollie loves when Michael comes over to play with him.

engi-nerd

papa introduced me to one of his design manuals from work—he called it the green book. i had to correct him and tell him—no papa it's the manual of steel construction allowable stress design 9th edition.  


its a pretty good read, not quite good night gorilla, but....

... i would have to say my favorite part is all the tags!  i wish all my books had this many tags!!!!

Another Sleepover

Last Friday, Ollie's friend Zoe came over for the evening while her mama and papa went out on a date. (Ollie's mama and papa better go on a date soon themselves and send Ollie on a sleepover!)

First they looked in the toy chest which is filled with toys—toys that are apparently boring to little children since they decided to play with diaper bags, kitchen utensils, fans, and chairs instead.

Seems like chairs are the most fun.

And before they knew it, it was time for a bedtime story, then off to sleep.

Ollie and the Ladies

Here are some faces you haven't seen before.

That's Tuesday in the middle—Ollie knew her before they were even born—since their Mamas were in a birthing class together. On the right is Hana, she's a friend of Zadia's, and a very serious baby—I think that's actually her smiling face.

But that didn't deter Ollie from making friends.

And you remember Zadia... not such a serious baby.

Tuesday's mama had the idea that they should all start a Caribbean rock band called Ollie and the Ladies. We've got the steel drum, maracas, and lots of bouncy babies. Watch for it!

Big Boy Bath

It's about time! We finally transitioned Oliver into the real bathtub. Until now, he'd been in the little portable tub on the kitchen counter (or the occasional sink when traveling). We're happy to report that he's loving it. And now Mama has a little more motivation to keep the tub clean.

Another Snow Day!

Yesterday we had another big snowstorm here in Brooklyn. 

Ollie's friend Elodie usually goes to daycare, but she had a snow day and lives right around the corner from us—so we bundled up and trekked through the unshoveled sidewalks to go play with her. And lucky for the two little speedracers, the streets in Elodie's living room were plowed:

Ollie seems to like driving a little more than riding:

ribs and culture

this past weekend we took a trip into manhattan for some eats and some culture.

first we had some ribs at r.u.b. (righteous urban barbeque).

i mostly liked the hush puppies, but also gnawed on a rib or two.

afterward we went to see the new gallery that papa worked on. i pretty much slept through that.

but did get a glance of the really cool exterior just after the sun set. isn't my papa a genius?

Stock Tip: Buy Shares in Paper Products

Ollie found the toilet paper roll the other day.

He also enjoys tissue boxes.
 

Tissues.

And cardboard boxes.

I'll let you know what brands to invest in if you're interested...