Another Little Bear Sighting!

Happy Memorial Day everyone - and what excellent weather we had here in northern NJ! On Saturday Sonny and I went to the US Open of Mountain Biking to check out the pro-qualifying events - very cool.

Then the whole family had dinner in the backyard and Sonny dressed up in his warmest bear outfit.

On Sunday, we headed over the grandparents Chris & Jim's house for some much-needed family time. Everyone loves you, Grampa Jim. When we got home, Sonny jumped (get it?!) into his frog suit for a final showing. Next time we might not be able to pull him out of it.

This past week Sonny started dining on solid (sort of) foods. A little bit of rice mixed in with his usual liquid lunches doesn't always make it down the hatch, but some does! The rest is usually swished around like a fine wine, then shared with the chin, the bib, the hands, the shirt, the height chair, and sometimes even the floor!

Messy, messy, messy!

Happy Mother's Day & Mother's Birthday!

Patience everyone! We've been sick over here!

The good news is we all seem to be recovered, or at least well on our way. This time, Sonny started with the sniffles. Lisa, then, fell deep into the throes of the flu - all but immobilized. Sonny's sniffles progressed ... well, you get the idea... it was ugly and there are no photos to support what I'm saying.

However, leading up to and since then, we've managed some great photos and a video worthy of posting.

Sonny, the bouncer (go ahead, click the arrow).

Feeling much better!

All set for Happy Hour with Rick & T.C.
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Unsolicited support from Walter.

Plus, Sonny passed the 5-month mark! We noticed Sonny had begun to incorporate Douglas, his brown dog, into his daily wardrobe in an effort to cover up what can only be called "strange pattern baldness." He thinks no one can tell... and we haven't had the heart to tell him.

Plus, we celebrated all sorts of Mother's Day!

Plus, it was Lisa's birthday!

Happy Mother's Day Mom, and Happy Birthday... we're glad you're feeling better! And thanks to all those who came to our rescue while we weren't feeling well, really.

The New Routine

This week marks Sonny's debut at daycare, and Lisa's return to work. We've worked out an arrangement that seemingly combines the best of several situations: part-time institutional daycare for socialization and early germ exposure, flexible employers who allow us to work from home periodically, and grandmothers who can't get enough Santino-time.

A very sincere thanks to all. It's been an emotional first week, but all-in-all, a successful one.

The nice weather this week allowed us all to get a little more fresh air... even some front porch grooming.

Whew, it's been exhausting!

Has it been 4 months already?

Unbelievable, really. Happy 4-months Sonny! It's been the best four months of your parents' lives. We recently had a visit with Lisa's family to celebrate Kofi's b-day and Easter. Other than that, we've pretty much remained home - napping, babbling, snuggling, eating, pooping, playing with Walter, and trying out some new baby contraptions. Just some of the highlights:

Mr. Hankes goes to Washington

First of all, we're all feeling better... and we were visited by an actual bear in our backyard!

This past weekend we made our first family road trip - to this great nation's capital. We arrived just after lunchtime on Friday. The weather was perfect for sightseeing and tummy-time in the room.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the hotel and hit the streets. Friday afternoon we saw the White House, Vietnam War Memorial, WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and several other sites along the way. Then, a light dinner with some wine in the room and off to dreamland.







On Saturday, we hit the streets early. We Metro'd beneath the river, over to Arlington National Cemetary to see the grave sites of John F. Kennedy and several Supreme Court Justices, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Metro took us back across the river to the Capital Building and Supreme Court neighborhood, where we started our journey back to the hotel.

Our favorite officer of the Court.

Lisa bumped into a few old friends along the way - who put her on the spot for an endorsement.

Looks like the joke was on them both.

On Saturday night we had an early dinner with Meg & Peter, who were kind enough to pry themselves away from packing up their DC apartment in preparation for the return to NYC!

Please note, the previous entry was posted late - might be worth a look unless you're sure you've seen it!