Our Sweet Kylie

A sweet old soul who brought so much joy to us. The house is so quiet without you, we will love and miss you forever.

8 Months!

8 months is definitely my favorite age so far. Holden loves to sit by himself and play with his toys while squealing at the top of his lungs. It's amazing the decibals he can hit. And since he's not crawling yet, I can let him sit and play while I get some things done knowing he can't hurt himself or go very far. I've been warned I should enjoy this now because I'll be chasing him around soon enough. He reaches for toys in front of himself while sitting and ends up on his belly but despite kicking his legs and flapping his arms, he doesn't go anywhere. He can now stand while we hold his hands which makes him look like such a big boy. He's got a great appetite and will eat just about anything I give him which has led him to outgrow the infant carrier and move over the big carseat. He's switched from catnaps to longer power naps, has 4 teeth with 2 more on the way, and moved over to the big tub for baths.

We're looking forward to trying out the pool this weekend, and a big roadtrip to SC next week.

We'd also like to welcome Elizabeth Lee Barbay, Holden's newest cousin who was born this morning. Congrats Karen & Kevin!

Look at me stand!

Bath in the big tub with Daddy. He was smiling and laughing just before this picture was taken but turns into a deer in headlights when the camera comes out

Big boy carseat - another deer in headlights momentPastina soup - Great Grandma Cerra will be proud!

Self portrait with Daddy

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day. Holden slept until 9am then booked me a massage for 10am. He also had a Bonsai tree delivered - a little tree from my little man. Grammy and Ernie brought me a beautiful yellow peony then we headed out for a yummy lunch.

In other news...Holden's 3rd tooth came in. This is his first top tooth and the one right next to it should be quick to follow. He tolerated teething much better this time by chewing on his bottom lip, poor thing.

My little tree

My little man (with a headless Ernie - sorry, Ernie!)

Madeleine's special first birthday playdate. Apparently Holden's card tasted pretty good.

Looking cute

Happy Birthday, Madeleine!

First taste of a cupcake


Hanging out with Riley after the birthday bash

Hanging out with the neighbor's bunny

Deer dining on our bird feeder in the backyard. This picture was taken from our kitchen window.

I Love A Parade...NOT

We ventured to Winchester for the Apple Blossom Festival (aka The Bloom) with Holly & Rick. We prepped and packed the entire day before to be sure we had everything we could possibly need. You never know when Holden may suddenly take interest in a toy he's never payed attention to and gosh darn it, Mommy was going to have it handy just in case. We've taken day trips before but this was the first time we were going to be on foot for 6 plus hours in a strange combo of rainy/sunny/hot/chilly weather. We got comfy in our grand stand seats for the parade and all was going well until the first group rolled by...a large collection of motorcycles with reving engines and Holden quickly decided he wasn't a fan (sorry Uncle David). So we spent the rest of the time walking the streets of Winchester and hanging out on a blanket under a tree. Even then he was still not too happy with the parade noise. But we had a fun time visiting with Holly & Rick and hope to try again when he's old enough to enjoy it.

Hanging out under a Winchester tree
Packed up and ready to go

Some shut eye far, far away from the parade action

With Holly wearing pink & green, the official Bloom colors (and our sorority colors from many, many years ago)

Playdate later in the week with friend Owen

Hanging around

Another exhausting workout in the jumperoo

7 Month Pro Pictures

Here are some of Holden's professional pictures taken 1 day before his 7th month birthday. He did really well and now is featured in big poster prints on every blank wall we had.

All good things must come to an end

Picnic lunch
Happy to be jumping outside

Even happier to be outside jumping with a dirty face. He despises getting his face cleaned.

He's a big fan of the sippy cup and loves to gulp down water. We're still working on self service.

More swing time




Holden has taken off with jumping. He can also spin himself around to play with all of the activities and keep himself entertained for quite a while. Many dinners have been made and loads of laundry done thanks to the jumperoo.

The aftermath of jumping

Thanks Easter Bunny!

Holden got a basket of puffs, juice, a sippy cup, sunblock, and a ball from the Easter Bunny. He also got a basket from Grammy & Ernie with some PJ's, a bunny that sings and dances, a play phone, 2 outfits, and some Baby Mum-Mums (rice crackers) which he loves. It was Easter, Rob's bday, and Masters Sunday all rolled into one fun day.The Easter/Bday goods

Easter morning

Thanks to Ernie for putting the swing up!!

Mission accomplished

Play time with Daddy

Playdate - notice the host is sleeping

Catching some ZZZs on Grammy
Our cute little man

Lots of Laughs

Finally a video to post! 6 months is definitely agreeing with Holden. The fussing has calmed down and he's laughing all the time now. One of the belly laugh triggers is the dogs. Sometimes all they have to do is walk by and he'll crack up. He especially loves when they play with Rob and he's fascinated when they eat. We are being proactive and installing a gate to keep them separated just to be on the safe side - I've heard too many scary stories. And as much as I wouldn't mind if our dogs decided to move in with another family, I must say it's pretty cute to watch Holden discover them...from a safe distance.
He's got a golf outfit. Now he just needs clubs and a few years of age.

We went to Philadelphia last weekend for cousin Jack's baptism and a visit with Great Grandma Cerra.

Like Father, Like Son

First juice

Some smiles with a side of peas

Playing outside with some of his favorite toys