house of bellies: July 2009

Rigatoni is almost 4 months old now. Where the hell has the time gone? The little guy is already able to roll himself over (and has even rolled himself back once) and continues to chat up a storm. We think it's only a matter of days before he starts to get his first tooth coming in - he's chomping on just about anything hard (including his fist). Something tells me that Shelly isn't going to be so thrilled when they do ('cause she's still feeding Hank "the old fashioned way"). Ouch.

We had two of my cousins come into town for a quick overnight (Meg Griffiths from Queens, NY, and Jessica Griffiths from Cali) and had a blast catching up with them. Jess got to see Hanks first official barrel roll, while Meg introduced him to NY's "high fashion" (see photo below). He was definitely lovin' the scene and the chemistry with his cousins was profound.

All is good on the sleeping front. I think. Let's be honest - I sleep like a log while Shelly is on late-night baby patrol. I know, I know - I'm supposed to share in all the midnight madness. But until my 33 year old man boobs start kicking out the moo-moo juice, I'm going to saw logs. I'll change diapers whenever it's needed - but I learned the other night that it's a good idea to be wearing my glasses when I do so I don't go smearing things that are supposed to be wiped. Seriously, though, he's been a great little sleeper - napping regularly and able to sleep through loud noises (reasonable loud noises...if you blew an airhorn in his face I'm sure he'd wake up).

Enjoy the photos!

Dave, Shelly and Hank!

New York is in the house!

Sleepin' in style

He's got his mama's eyes...

Our little "Ankle Biter"

Two of the best cousins in the world!

Sunset from the golf course behind our house

So I say to Rigatoni: hey - if you can fit your whole fist in your mouth, I'll pay for up to six years of college. Damn!

In black & white, he kind of looks like a little prisoner in his shirt, doesn't he?

Shelly and I took Hank on another trip over the 4th of July weekend...this time to see his new godparents Tom & Leslie Grob, and their 2 year old son Finn. Had a blast together - hit up the Portland farmers market, danced to the JB's "Breakin' Bread" and indulged in a little vino. Wish I could share some funny stories, but Hank was as a steady as a pulse. He took a very fond liking to Tom and Leslie, and enjoyed his playtime with Finn too.

On the development front, Hank is giggling more now...to the point that it's starting to sound like a laugh. His expressions are becoming more pronounced, and his ability to roll around (almost over) is keeping us on the edge of our seat. He's also sitting upright in his Bumbo chair, and is able to grab just about anything in a 5-inch radius of him.

Enjoy the pics!

Cheers -

Dave