Memorial Day Weekend Shots.

Memorial Day, etc.

We have a ton planned for this weekend - it all starts with a quick stop up at the B-Castle club for short order night - we won't stay for bingo afterwards. There are several new members that we've managed to bring into the club, so, hopefully us mid-thirty-to-mid-forty-somethings will take over the place - or at least be less of a minority. If MOJO cooperates, we'll head from the BC to a local establishment for more happy hour fun. Tomorrow brings two birthday parties, and Monday, we may try to hit the concert down on the river - All Beatles bands and music all weekend long!
MOJO reports: Her hair seems to be getting longer, especially in front of her ears; she had her first piece of chew toast a couple of days ago and seemed to enjoy it; she wants to throw everything now, including her pacifier; she is a carnivore this week, having tried a few meat baby foods; she still dances and makes her raspberry and trill noises; she is realizing what waving means and seems to do it more often; she prefers to sleep on her belly, with her legs hanging between the bars on her bed; her last day of PDO before summer break was Thursday; she gets a special visit with Auntie Chrissy this weekend; she gets to go on her very first beach trip in exactly one week from today. I'm sure I'm missing something monumental, but I will include it in the next entry.

Mojo throws.

Shamrock Challenge.

Sorry, I haven't made time to put up a new entry. More to come.

Happy Tuesday.

Mojo has no great news to report, other than spending time with Aunt Kathy, and Cousins A & G last night. She did take off her sock and earnestly offered it to Jezebel the super-cat this morning. She's cute, smart and considerate.
Oh yeah, our shamrock is doing ok. We're not quite up to the Shamrock Challenge standards, but we're hanging in there.

Maureen wants to hear from all of her fans out there - send us a little note to make sure we know you're still alive!

For now, adios amigos!

A Happy Mothersday.

Yesterday was a full day of celebrating mothers. This was especially important this year with little Mojo around. We started off the morning bringing a wide awake Mo into our bed, a bed with some not-so wide awake parents, and enjoying her quirky sense of humor. She still can't say "Mama", but it is clear she knows how to say "Hi Dad" and the raspberries are still abundant. We did not have to worry about Kristin heading off to an open house today - it was family fun day and that's exactly what we experienced.
Once CBS Sunday Morning, a personal favorite of the household, was over, we got dressed up, went to the "garden" to cut some fresh flowers, then went to the cemetery to see my Mother's grave. I think mother's day must be the busiest day of the year for a cemetery because the traffic was heavy down those narrow pathways.
This has always been a non-holiday for the past 19 years for me, up to now. When I think about it, my only regret with losing my mother is that she did not have a chance to hold and kiss on her grandchildren. She would have made a great, loving grandmother and her grand kids have been slighted for not being able to know that love. But I can't get swept up in feeling sorry for my loss, because I have gained so much these last few years.
Most importantly, I've gained the love of my life and an awesome mother for my child in Kristin. I was fortunate to find someone with a big heart, a great sense of humor, and someone who will not let me get too wrapped up in myself(she completes me?) We've had a rough few months adjusting to new responsibilities, but it's been great knowing that we have each other to lean on through these new challenges. And it is very evident that she is a wonderful mother. Mojo ADORES her.
But back to our day: we went to Target and met GMK and GPP - we shopped for our up-coming beach trip. I had a lot of fun with Paul - we convinced (?) the ladies that we NEEDED to buy a pavilion tent to keep Maureen out of the sun. We bought a few other "essentials" and then went to brunch. Following our excellent buffet meal (the type with a waffle station), we went to the zoo again to visit the baby elephant and the gorillas.
Needless to say, it was exhausting, but I think Kristin appreciated her day. It was a perfect day to celebrate our new family.

Princess Mojo.

We are working on trying to get Mojo to say Mama, but all she really wants to say is Dadda, pffftt, and non-descript jibberish. Yesterday she started throwing blocks - we see some athletic potential in her - perhaps she'll take more after mommy than daddy in that respect. She loves her big yellow balloon - it's the type with a rubberband attached so you can play paddleball with it. She will grab the rubberband and flail around for a bit. We made a movie to illustrate - we did not get a dime from Citi-Bank, by the way.

The photo shows Maureen sitting on the inflatable throne at Gus-boy's B-day party. The party was held at an indoor inflatable playground. Those playgrounds are truly designed for kids and not adults. I walked away from that place with a big strawberry on my arm and an ache in my bones. This is mothers day weekend and we are going to treat Kristin like a queen - we already gave her a mothers day gift; a gift that represents our love an respect for her - a four-drawer filing cabinet. Top of the line. Nothing is too good for my baby!

Raspberries.

Yes, Mojo can now make the raspberry noise as of the weekend. I'm not sure where she picked it up, but I like it!!

Video of the week: Little Bo Peep.

All dressed up.

It was a long, enjoyable weekend. Horses, family, friends and good food (love those ribs GPP!) We got to see Uncle Dolberry, APD and KMD, Aunt Chrissy and a host of other folks we didn't know before. Here are some shots of Mojo, all dressed up for a special party. She was the belle of the ball for sure.

Hi Daddy.

This morning was a normal Thursday “Daddy Day at the PDO” (as Mo and I call it) – basically one of the two days I take her in to daycare. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kristin goes in to work early and I go in to work an hour late in order to get Mojo to “school” by 9 a.m. On these days, depending on when Maureen wakes up, I am the one who dresses her (I try hard, but sometimes I miss the mark on that one), feeds her breakfast (I do that pretty well) and packs her up for school.

Anyway, I try to prepare everything ahead of time before Mo wakes up. We have the super-duper TV monitor set up in the Kitchen so I know when she is awake and ready to get out of bed. This morning, she started stirring but was not upset so I let her stay for a while as I prepared her breakfast. She was doing a great job entertaining herself, making cooing noises and her trademark trill noise. Finally I finished the preparation and went upstairs to get her ready for a long day.

I got to her crib and she gave me her usual, heart-warming smile. I picked her up immediately, and the first thing out of her mouth was “Hi Dadda”. Clear as day. I believe this was not an accident, and it truly started my day off right. The rest of the morning was all smiles, and she greeted her favorite day care teacher with enthusiasm.

Today is the big parade downtown and Kristin has been working hard, preparing for the Girl Scouts’ participation. She will be shuttling Mojo out to her grandparents (P&K) prior to heading to the parade, and I’ll have to pick her up when I get off work. Kristin and I will be spending the day at the track tomorrow, and Aunt Katheigh will in charge of Mojo at that time. We hope she handles the shifting back and forth gracefully; she’s recently developed separation anxiety. We pray that she is becomes more comfortable staying with the family – we shall see this week.

Yesterday's photo.

100th post and still going.

This is my 100th post and I haven't given up yet. The adventures keep on rolling. We were able to have family togetherness day yesterday as we went to the Art Fair in the park, and ended the day at a baby shower for our friend Nancy. The weather was gorgeous - we did our best to protect Mojo from the sun, though we need to keep our sunscreen with us at all times.
We think Maureen is learning that she wants Mommy and Daddy around her at all times, and she's starting to get upset, even if we leave the room for a split second. She doesn't have a problem with day care because it's part of the routine. It's just when she has a baby sitter that she starts to break down (sorry Karen.) This will be a big week - Kristin is in charge of the Girl Scout's in the big parade, I will be going to the track on Wednesday (for work), we'll be back out at the track on Friday (for fun) and Saturday will be spent at various locations in the city. As I mentioned, the Dolberry family will be coming to town, as well as Auntie Chrissy - we hope to get a chance to be with all of them when possible.
Five and a half more weeks until vacation - I'm wishing my life away!!
Here are some pictures from my Birthday Week (yes, I get a week - what about it?), and from PDO Family Fun Night (which was a hoot.)

Video of the week: Bouncy Swing

Sweet Potatoes for a Sweetheart!

Yesterday, Maureen transitioned from fruit to vegetables, though Kristin started her with sweet potatoes, which really aren’t vegetables, but the next logical step into new foods. Mo really didn’t notice the change.

She came to my work yesterday afternoon, at closing time because we needed to do the big child-swap - Kristin had some real estate appointments in the early evening. I don’t think Mo was impressed by the office though I’m not sure what she was expecting. We left work and went to my dad’s house and hung out with him, Uncle Joe and Aunt Erin. Mojo had a great time playing with the little rubber squeeze ball, clapping and kicking grandpa with excitement. She was too cute.

Tomorrow night is the PDO Fun Night. Perhaps I’ll have some photos or a video to share this week.

Editorial note: Papa Sparky is a bit disappointed with his blogging counterparts – it’s been a long time since their last entries. Come on folks, stop working so hard and start sharing. Peace!

Baby Elephant at the Zoo.

It was a fun weekend. The biggest news is that Maureen now knows how to clap. It happened all of the sudden, and looks like it will continue for a long time. She knows that if she claps, we will pay attention to her, and applaud her for applauding. See photo below.

Earth Day was spent at the zoo - trying to get as much out of our membership as possible. We were able to see the new baby elephant - see video of the week above. This time, cousin Claire stayed awake, and Maureen slept through most of the trip. I am hyper sensitive to Mo being exposed to the sun, so we had her blanket draped over her stroller and baby-sunblock #30 on her little arms and legs. The directions say "not for internal use" so we did not put screen on her hands and feet (yes, she puts her toes in her mouth!)

We are anxious to see Uncle Dolberry, KMD and APD next weekend, as they are coming in for our dear city's big event - first Saturday in May. We will be busy a big part of the next two weeks with parties and events. This Thursday is the Parents Day Out Family Fun Night, where Your's Truely will be playing ukulele in the PDO band. We're playing all time classics like Shake your Sillies Out and Oh My Goodness Look at this Mess (my personal favorite).

Kristin gets her cast off today (she had carpal tunnel surgery over two weeks ago) and we are very excited. She has had a difficult time dealing with one hand for the most part - worst part of all is that Dad was in charge of doing all the dishes, among various other jobs. Not that it mattered! But seriously, we are all looking forward to her being pain free in her wrist for a long time to come.

Or else...

Video of the Week: Feeding Frenzy

One more quick entry:

This photo corresponds with yesterday's entry.

6 month photo

Here's Maureen's 6-month photo, taken last week.

Just a test.

This is just a test to see how the AbbeyGus, Dolberry and/or CarrieGabe bloggers respond. Just keep pushing that Tech Button.

Tummy time.

The latest in Maureen's bag of tricks is rolling over in bed and sleeping on her stomach - new last night. We knew the night would come, because she has been sleeping on her side, with her neck crooked back. All it took was a little more umph and bam, on her stomach.
She is gaining a great deal of strength - she can prop herself up with her arms when she's on her stomach, and she can also get her knees under her while on her stomach. She's not yet able to coordinate the two to start crawling, though. But it's only a matter of time.

Baby of the Week.

Our little baby is baby of the week in this Week's Voice Tribune society section. This is a huge honor. Go out and buy a few copies, she can be found on page B-18, slightly above the fold.

Caption says: Maureen Lally, at 6 months, is the daughter of Tim and Kristin Lally. Her Grandparents are Joe Lally Jr. and the late Alma Lally, and Paul and Karen Dolwick.

I couldn't sum it up any better!

Photo of the day - Happy Girl.

Asleep.

Brand new photo sent via Kristin's phone.

The Easter Joby.

Happy Easter!

This is Mojo's first Easter! When we woke up we put the rabbit ears on Maureen and took her to the mirror - it was literally a jaw dropping experience for her as her pacifier fell to the ground on first sight. Mom and Dad got a good laugh out of it. To all of those numbers that click in to our counter, we wish you and your family a happy Easter.

PS: our shamrock may not be as full as Katheigh's, but how can we expect it to grow with our little plucker around?

Mojo video of the week #2

Maureen at play.

Real comedian!

I have a meeting this morning so I had to dress up a bit. Maureen thought she'd have a little fun with Dad and spit up inside his front shirt pocket. Hilarious - the little twerp. She seemed especially spry this morning - little did she know that she would be getting some shots in her little butt this afternoon. Yes, today is Maureen's 6-month birthday - hard to believe we all made it that long.
Tonight I will be getting together with other PDO (Parent's Day Out) moms and dads for the first PDO band practice. We will be performing at the Family Fun Night later in the month. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'll be bringing my trusty Ukulele - the one with a pick-up, to be played through the amp, as opposed to my everyday Ukulele.
We are waiting to see how Maureen's Aunt Carrie did with her interviews yesterday, and how potential Uncle (Tio) Gabe is doing with his appendix woes. Let us know.

Swinging Mojo

Maureen's first time on a playground swing.

Fun Day.

We watched cousins Abbey and Gus play baseball today. What a hoot. The day was absolutely gorgeous. Following the game we went to visit Mojo's Great Grandfather "Doc" at the nursing home, and hosted a cookout later at our home. In attendance: GM Karen, GP Paul, GGM Betty, Kathy (Katheigh), Scott (Skot), Abbey and Gus. We are dreading the end of a great weekend.

MoJo top ten.

It's hard to believe that Maureen (pictured here with cousin Claire) will be six months old this Wednesday. She has developed so much in those months you can really start to see personality shine through - its been so exciting to us to see the transformation. With a nod to my counter-blogger Dolberry, Kristin and I have come up with the following list of the top ten endearing MoJo qualities, in no particular order:
10. Her Smile. From early on, I believe in the hospital at birth, Maureen has been an excellent smiler. You can tell just by looking at my past entries that she already figured out how to work the camera, not to mention working her grandmother and grandfathers. At my most grumpiest times (usually about 6pm), one of her smiles changes my outlook. Enough about the smiles?

9. One of Maureen's latest developments is patting my shoulder when I pick her up. It only started this week and I think it's her mimicking me.

8. Her kisses for Mama are some of the more hilarious moments we've witnessed. This has been something she's been doing for a couple of months, where she grabs both sides of Kristin's head and brings her in for a big sloppy, wet one. Its more of an open mouth cheek suck than a kiss and it only happens with Mama because Daddy's cheek is a bit too rough.

7. Maureen goes nuts when she sees herself in the mirror, especially the one in the dining room that we have since dubbed "The Magic Mirror." It helps to calm her down when she's in the crabbiest of moods.
6. MoJo is a morning person. When she first wakes up in the morning, she just lays in bed waiting for someone to come get her, and she beams at the first sight of either of us.

5. Maureen is at the top of her class when it comes to friendliness and following the rules. Ok, this may be a stretch, but we do know that the teachers love Maureen and have the fewest problems with her when the room is full of kiddos - trust us, they've said so. Even the director of the program makes a point to see her every day (of course this is our good friend Amy and she's a bit biased.)

4. Maureen has great facial expressions. One of my favorites is the lifting of the eyebrows at something interesting or surprising. She also has the furrowing brow down pat; not to mention the doe-eyes. She's a charmer.

3. Yesterday when I came home from work Maureen was in a particularly good mood, squealing and laughing. She was playing peek-a-boo on our bed with the sheets and also played bounce-on-the-bed with Mama. The laugh was adorable. I guess her laughter constitutes #3.

2. She has Michelin Man arms and legs - maybe they're more like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

1. Just look at her! That's reason enough!

Must eat camera.

Happy Spring (or is that summer?)

We went from Winter to Summer, with a few flowers thrown in for effect. Saturday was family fun day at the zoo, for us and for every other family in the city. Every parking space was full, and strollers were in abundance. Funny thing is, many of the strollers (including ours) obstruct the view of the babies inside them. Maureen was asleep for the first leg of our journey, and her cousin Claire fell asleep for a good three quarters of the trip. I think zoos are really made to wear kids out with all the walking, while giving parents something interesting to look at along the way. Take all the animals away and fill the pens with accountants and the kids will have a blast just the same. And they would still want to go to the gift shop at the end of the line to buy pocket protectors or stuffed CPAs. We got some great photos - this was the first time Mojo ever sat down in grass. She is loving the great outdoors.
Anyway, a good time was had by all. On a personal note, I am leading the Dolberry Invitational NCAA pool, with all four teams left in the final four - of course they are all Top one and two seeded teams. Go Gators!

Aunt Ang's quilt.

New photo taken today on the quilt (Great) Aunt Angela made for Maureen. She reportedly loves grabbing at "All the cool things" on the squares.

Mojo can't wait until her first sleep-over guest, cousin Claire! We're going to the zoo and have all our toys ready for some serious play time.

Have a great weekend.

Pura Vida!

In Costa Rica, the locals use the greeting Pura Vida, literally meaning "Pure Life." The context in which they use it is more of a "This is Living" or "Life is Good." I love this expression, and think of it more and more at special times with Kristin and Maureen. Even at the most stressful times (and they seem to be coming more frequently) I need to realize that I really have a great situation - a great family, wonderful friends, and a comfortable life.

On the baby front, are getting good reports from the parent’s day out teachers. One is so in love with Maureen and has offered her babysitting services during the summer when PDO is out. Maureen is not a whiner (except when Granny is trying to put her to sleep), is really laid back, and loves to sit back and observe the other kids.

We’re on rice cereal twice a day, and she is getting better control of her body. She is great at sitting up; she’s rolling over more often; and is much better at being on her stomach – pushing up with her upper body and even raising her tail up. She seems poised to go mobile any day. It seems like she matures a little more each afternoon when I come home from work. Life is good.

As Promised.

Here are our St. Patrick's Day Parade pictures as promised. I marched in the parade (March 10, 2007) with the Bonnycastle club, and then met up with Kristin and Mojo to catch all the paraders behind us.

I still owe you St. Pat photos.

I really want to keep this blog going, but have had problems keeping at it. I promise to send those St. Patrick's Day Parade photos this week - they're a hoot. We are really excited about the NCAA Tournament this week. We are also looking forward to the second annual Fonduepalooza, held at Katie and Drew's castle. It will be on St. Pat's Day this year, so I'm expecting to see some really gross green fondues. Drew has a special home brew for the occasion, and there is talk of many guests growing mustaches and beards for the event. It's funny what gets you excited these days. Here's a photo that was taken on Monday, in honor of Aunt Chrissy's birthday. Have a great day, go cards, and beware the Ides of March!!