First Words, The Escape Artist, and Family at the Pool (written 5-26-09)

This is sad. Our last post was in November. I guess it's to be expected from parents of two to fizzle out once the second is born, but I was hoping that wouldn't happen. Libby is zooming around the house, climbing stairs, torturing her brother, and cracking us up with her comedic facial expressions and well-timed gurgles.

According to the growth charts she is small for her age. But she has the biggest two-toothed smile you'd ever seen, and the clearest blue eyes that get complimented everywhere we go. In addition, she has the most beautiful voice in the world (that is a non-biased opinion, of course). She has started to say some words. Most notably "da-da-da" which we think is daddy, "dop" which is used often to get Harrison to stop, "ba-ba" which is bye-bye, and "doh" for dog (or sometimes cat).

As we enter into summer, we look forward to Aunt Reen to give birth to their fifth cousin (a girl) in the coming week(s), the trip to Myrtle Beach South Carolina in mid-June, and their birthdays in July and August. But to pass the time and stay active in the summer, we have joined the local YMCA and had our first family trip to the pool on Memorial Day.

Harrison absolutely loved the kiddy pool, equipped with all sort of fun pool toys, a fountain, and things to climb on and shoot water out of! We like the ability for him to have fun in the pool without needing to hold him be right next to him. 2 feet of water is perfect! Libby enjoyed her first time in a pool, as well. The kiddy pool has a sloped floor that acts almost like a beach without the sand, and she enjoyed sitting with mommy as the water came in and out against her chubby little legs. We spent only about an hour at the pool, and we love have short trips and not worrying about getting our "monies worth."

Well, life for us isn't always sunny days at the pool. Matt has been traveling a bit this spring, and has allowed for Harrison to perfect his disappearing act out the front door. He usually waits until the most opportune time, like during diaper changes, bath time, or bottle feedings. We might be a little unsuspecting of the quiet at first, thinking he is just playing quietly in his room or in his play room. But when we call for him and there is no answer, panic ensues. We rush out the door, and on a good day he will be right in the front yard playing in the garden. But he has started to make it a habit of running around the building to the backyard, or worse, running down the sidewalk and around the neighborhood. We are really worried about this. While we know our immediate neighbors, we do not know most of the people around the block, and some of them are a little strange looking. We are glad that nothing has happened to him to this point, and we keep telling him of the dangers of going out by himself, but I think the idea of something adventurous excites him, especially at times when he is bored. We also worry about the cars that, although it’s a townhouse community, folks still want to whip around the corner at a good 25-35 miles per hour.

That is what is new from us. We hope all is well with all of our friends out there, and we will be sure to keep you up to date.

Love,
The Four Combers