standing and laughing

So here she is standing with the help of a chair, and having a grand time playing with the cat and with Daddy.

Nature Walk

Today was a rare day of fun. Tara had the day off, and Scott was caught up with work, so we slept in, and then went to Middlesex Fells nature reserve for some hiking. We didn't go very far, but the weather was crisp and sunny, we were warm and cozy in our coats, and we had a great time showing Audrey the fall colors as we walked through the trees. Our trail climbed a tree-covered hill and ended at an observation tower, where we had a great view of the surrounding area, including downtown Boston. We've been very busy lately, but we were extremely grateful to have such a refreshing day outside.

Talking with Mommy

And Audrey's first word is ... Da-Da!!! Of course, she doesn't know what it means yet.

Crawling to Daddy

Audrey's really starting to move around. Here is a video of some of her first actual crawling steps.

Gymnastics Practice

A while back Audrey really loved to kick her feet in the crib.

First camping trip!

Last weekend we went for our first family camping trip! We went to the end of Cape Cod, and camped at a private campground called Dunes' Edge. We highly recommend it -- it wasn't too crowded, and we had a nice little site surrounded by trees. We arrived late Friday night (setting up the tent in the dark), and departed on Sunday morning to get back to a visit with some friends, so we only really vacationed on Saturday, but it was lots of fun. Audrey did a great job sleeping in the tent, and we enjoyed cooking on our new camping cookset.

Saturday was cool and clear; a great day for sightseeing. We had a small mishap in the morning where, while mixing the pancake batter, Scott confused the small bottle of oil with the small bottle of soap. If you've never tried Soapcakes, then ... don't. After breakfast and Audrey's morning nap, we went for a hike on an un-advertised trail that our campground owner recommended. It took us through a salt marsh to a lighthouse at the end, on the ocean. After that we walked around the town of Provincetown, had lunch at a South-African restaurant, some obligatory vacation ice cream, and went back to camp in the afternoon for a much-needed nap. Hamburgers for dinner, and quarter-funded hot showers rounded out a great first family camping experience.

Audrey update

Over the past week and a half, Audrey has done some things that only a parent would find interesting. But since we're her parents, and this is our blog, we can write it anyway. First, about a week ago she found her feet, and has therefore been putting them in her mouth ever since. Second, she has started to lift her chest off of the floor with her arms, as shown in the picture. Last, she sometimes plants her whole face on the floor and pushes up her bottom half with her legs. (We have a picture of that, too, but it's considerably less flattering.)

Audrey continues to enjoy daycare, and we'll soon be getting two adorable pictures of her first finger-painting experience, which we'll be sure to post. She has a little "boyfriend" there, Calvin, who just turned six months and is learning how to crawl. The staff tell me that they talk to each other -- maybe that's why she's starting to do these new things! She's growing and changing so quickly that we're not sure how to feel. But we love her!

Audrey doing ... something

Today is a video bonanza!!

Audrey Laughing

This is a little old, too -- we're catching up.

New Video

Finally got a video of Audrey rolling over from back to tummy.

First Day of Work

Today was also my first day of work at Harvard! It was actually a pretty mundane day -- I got my office, my keys, my ID (pictured), and signed up for benefits. But it definitely felt different walking around campus knowing that I was actually employed there, and not just visiting. I've tried never to make too much of the fact that I'll be teaching here, but still, it's pretty awe-inspiring when I let myself think about it. It will be a great experience, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

First Day of School

Audrey's first day of daycare was today. Her report card said she was "cheerful," and added:

Today I had a great first day! I painted with Liz, exploring the paint and making a hand print. I enjoyed meeting my teachers and exploring tummy time.

It was hard to drop her off. Even knowing that she would be taken care of, it felt terrible to just leave her there. I felt like a horrible parent. But it was exciting to have the freedom to go to my first day of work, and be able to efficiently do some housework before going to pick her up. And I try to remember that this way we get to get all of our responsibilities done while she is playing with the other babies, and then spend quality time with her in the evenings, without being distracted by other responsibilities.

A good day

Today was just a very good day, and I wanted to write about it. I got up early with Audrey at 7:00 and stayed awake all day, which will help me move to an earlier schedule for the start of work. Audrey went down for her morning nap just as Tara went to sleep, which gave me two and a half hours of me-time! I was able to start some bread, go for a jog (the first in a *long* time), and take a nice cool shower afterward. Then took care of Audrey for the rest of the day after she woke (Tara had a long night last night, and Audrey refused her afternoon nap, so that was the afternoon).

In the evening we went to have dinner with some new friends from our new church. We've been so blessed in the process of this move, and one of the ways is that we quickly found a church that we felt comfortable attending. The preaching is biblical and thoughtful, there's a great community group system, and there are lots of young couples with kids -- apparently a recent baby boom has yielded 27 infants already this year (which is surprising, because the church doesn't feel that big). But more than that, another couple there were quick to meet us and invite us over for dinner. We had a great time getting to know them, and are looking forward to getting more involved.

Back to front!

Audrey is four months old today, and she celebrated by rolling over from back to front for the first time. Then she did it four more times, but unfortunately, I was never ready with the video camera like last time. Pretty soon she'll be rolling all over the place. We'll put her down in her play mat in the family room to do something, and when we come back five minutes later she'll be under the table.

Our New Apartment

Thought we'd post some pictures of our new apartment, now that we're settled in and everything is put away (inviting friends over is a great way to get the house cleaned!). Click here, or just enjoy the smaller version below.

Sleeping through the night

Audrey slept for eight hours straight for the first time last night! This was probably greatly helped by the fact that I forgot to turn on the baby monitor before going to sleep. She had already been sleeping about that long, and usually without a "dream feed", but she has needed help along the way -- we've been getting up and putting her pacifier back in whenever she starts fussing. But last night I didn't hear her, and she evidently managed to put herself back to sleep each time. Great!

Rolling over

Audrey rolled over today! See the video below. Also, the girl's voice at the end is ... Scott. :(.

First Post

Okay, here is the much-requested blog. It will probably mostly have stuff about Audrey in it, but maybe we'll post some adult-oriented stuff as well. For future reference, we also keep a photo gallery through picasaweb.