Five Months

It's only been five months, but we somehow cannot remember what life was like before lil' dude was around. He's been super active, very inquisitive, and generally happy (but not afraid to let you know when he's not). Here's a quick update on what life looks like with our guy.

Eating

Hamilton's been enjoying bananas and rice cereal lately. He gets so excited when he gets put in his booster chair--he knows what's coming. He grabs the spoon and sticks it in his mouth and actually gets most of it into his tummy. This is a picture of how happy he looked after a meal.

Crawling

Alright, not quite yet, but he's got some of the moves down. In fact, he seems to like this position a lot (even in his sleep).



The main problem is he seems stuck in reverse; he covers quite a bit of ground, but it's all going backwards. The result is usually something like this...

Teeth (Tooth)

Just tonight, we felt the first tooth coming in (I've been "seeing" it for months, so I had Freeman confirm). No pictures quite yet, but I have a feeling the days of letting him gnaw on our hands are coming to an end.

Apple Picking

The adventure this Saturday was some apple picking with the cousins. We didn't realize that we should have gone earlier in the season...when there were actually still more (edible) apples on the trees. Nonetheless, the little ones got to pick their own apples and run around. For us city folk, it was also a good chance to see some of the beauty of God's creation.

Jenny looking really ready to get picking and Hamilton wondering how to get that plastic bag (which, by the way, he does).

Check out the orchard in the background. It was smaller than we anticipated (though it probably seemed huge to the little ones).
Saraina showing off her Fuji apple.

We don't want to leave the littlest cousin off of this post! Paloma slept through most of the apple picking, but she and Hamilton got a chance to play before our train ride back into the city. (Yes, that is a look of sheer joy on Hamilton's face).

La mia famiglia

Hamilton got to see a good bit of his family this week and loved every moment of the love and attention.

First, we traveled to Aurora for a quick visit with the cousins which was so much fun. Hamilton couldn't stop laughing at Joshua and was straining to be put on the ground where he could play trains with Kadin. This picture is of Joshua and Saraina having a very sweet conversation with Hamilton.



Then, Oompah, Taita, and Sharif drove into the city to visit us. A good bit of time was spent with Hamilton trying out his new toy--a walker! Hamilton seemed to recognize Oompah at the door; Sharif got some pretty great squeals of joy; and Taita got lots of kisses. All of the excitement wore him out, though, and he's been asleep since 6:40 tonight!

Oompah's got the hold so that Hamilton can check out the goings on.

Taita lovin'!
The cool guys.

Afternoon at the CSO

Our neighbor, Walter, is on a committee with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that puts on Macy's Day of Music every year. We decided to take him up on his invitation to attend this year and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon. Admittedly, we did not go to any performance that wasn't labeled "Family Friendly," but Hamilton seemed to enjoy being around so many people, sounds, and lights.

I know Freeman's head is partially blocked, but this photo shows what it's really like to be around Hamilton. He loves standing on laps, looking around, and chewing on fingers.