A few things to remember

I really can't believe that I can't find a good picture of Frankie doing his 'sexy pose.'  Since he started crawling, his signature move was a brief pause where he would roll to his side, cross one leg over the other and look up.  It was classic.  He did it all the time.  And this is the only stinking picture that I can find.  Oh well. 

Ever since he started standing, he's done away with sexy pose.  And now that he's standing, bedtime and naptime have become much more fun.  He just wants to stand in the crib.  And cries as soon as you leave.  I'm really hoping we don't need to do more CIO and this will just pass.  I fear that we're setting ourselves up for a tough road ahead by caving and going in to rock him.  But how can I resist 5 more minutes of cuddle time that ends in him snoozing on my chest?

Frankie has also started to cry when we take toys away from him.  "Frankie, it's time to wash your hands for dinner."  "Waaaaaaaaa", as we pull him away from his music table.  I know this is just a preview of what's to come. 

Stop growing up so fast kiddo!

First Train Ride

Frank and I have never attended the Arlington County fair.  As a matter of fact, I'm not sure the last time I attended a fair at all.  But let me assure you, they have not changed one bit from my memory.  The same 'interesting' carny characters, rickety rides, games that make it nearly impossible to win the big blue stuffed dog, and of course, the same good ol' fried food.  I'm pretty sure I looked like I had somehow walked through a blizzard after I finished my funnel cake covered in confectioners sugar.  Wow that stuff is messy.  I was very tempted to try a fried oreo but opted for the funnel cake and maybe spared myself a few thousand calories. 

Like the zoo, I was hoping Frankie would be a little more excited about the fair.  I mean, at the least, it's amazing people watching, which is right up his alley.  We were planning to go one evening, but Frankie decided that he didn't want to nap on Saturday afternoon so we figured we would hit the fair instead.  You  know, really punish him for not napping. ;) 

He took his first train ride...

And rode the carousel...

Had he not been sleepy, I think he would have loved it a little more.  I mean, he got to ride a dog on the carousel - how much more excitement can we give this boy???

Sleepover!

A few months ago when we were hanging out with Greg, Eugenia, Mike & MK, the idea of a sleepover came up.  We all get to hang out and no one has to pay for a babysitter - SCORE!  We finally synched our schedules and bunked at the Klein's this past Friday night.  It was perfect - The babies got in some quality playtime and then after bedtime, the parents got to hang out!  It was simple and great way to spend the evening.  We are already talking about the next one. 

Bathtime!!

It's not good enough to look clean - Apparently you also need to pass Maya's clean-taste test!

Checking each other out in the mirror

Zoo

Frankie loves dogs - which must mean that he loves all other animals - which also must mean that he would love the zoo, right?  That was my train of thought last weekend, so first thing on Sunday morning, we packed up and headed to the zoo before it got too hot.  Frank didn't think the zoo opened in time for us to squeeze in animal watching before Frankie's first nap, but lucky for him, the grounds of the zoo actually open at 6am! ;) We lucked out and scored a parking spot right by the entrance off of Connecticut Ave.  (Turns out not many people are at the zoo at 8am.) 

Frankie wasn't as excited about the animals as I'd thought.  He seemed more interested in people watching.  (I wonder where he gets that from...)  I think the animals just weren't close enough to capture his attention.  We'll give it another go soon.

This big guy was still snoozing!

This face cracks me up!

Frankie checking out the baby gorilla

Petting the cow

Ma-Ma

After months of hearing da-da, Frankie has finally started saying ma-ma!  I promise he's usually in a better mood when calling me and just happens to be hungry and cranky in this video...but I had to get proof!

Lobster & Avocado Soup

While flipping through my magazine recipes, I came across a recipe for Corn Avocado Soup and figured I'd give it a try for dinner last Sunday night.  Frank isn't a fan of cold soup so I knew I had to do something a bit more to try to win him over with this one.  While at the grocery store, I noticed that lobster tails were on sale, and thought a little lobster meat could be just what this soup needed to impress my food critic husband.  Plus, it will be a great opportunity to have Frankie try lobster!  I thought the soup was perfect for a hot summer evening; however, Frank assured me that I could have the leftovers.  I did let Frankie try a little and got huge smiles, so at least one of my guys gave it a thumbs-up!  And like everything else, he gobbled up the lobster meat with thankfully, no negative reactions.

Lobster is so yummy, Mommy!

On a related note, one of Frankie's favorite foods is watermelon.  I think he could eat a whole melon and gets pretty angry when we limit him to a few pieces.

Library

Right before we left for the beach, we finally bought Maria a car seat and had the installation inspected along with ours.  Maria could not wait to bring Frankie out and about.  Part of me was hesitant at first to have her driving him around, but now that Frankie is almost 10 months old, I know it's important for him to socialize and I also know that we can trust Maria.  She is a safe driver and is only driving to outings for Frankie.  So far, the two have been frequenting the local libraries and parks.  Looking at pictures, I know Frankie is loving it.

Look at him sitting with the other kids at story time...Such a big boy!

Let's hope he didn't take this toy from the little girl staring at him

TWINS!  He may seem innocent, but apparently right after this picture he grabbed the other boy's shirt. 
I don't think he liked that they were dressed the same, after all. 

Jennifer...One of his girlfriends

Maria & Frankie

Frankie made us pizza one day at the library!  I suspect he may have had help!



He's Up!

Right around 9 months old, Frankie figured out how to stand up.  He would crawl over to you, grab your hands, pull up and 'walk'...all the time.  Then, one day he crawled over to his Laugh & Learn Music Table and stood up.  Now he's standing at everything...his bookshelf, his crib, the door, the gates, the couch.  He's even starting to take a few tentative steps while holding onto the couch.  I think he might find his 'walking shoes' soon.  Yikes.



Vacation!

It's certainly safe to say that this year's Nags Head vacation was like no other.  We may not have had many chances to relax on the beach and read or even sleep in, but this year with our little Frankie definitely goes down as one of the most fun we've had!

Because Frankie doesn't sleep that well in his Pack-n-Play, Frank and I made the decision to rent a crib for the week, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of the week!  (Kudos to Frank for the suggestion!)  Thanks to the crib, we got a full night's sleep almost every night - and Frankie kept to his two-a-day nap schedule with no problem.

Overall, Frankie seemed pretty indifferent to the beach - He played at the water's edge and in the sand (and ate some sand) but didn't seem overly in love with either...Thankfully, he didn't hate them either!  We did bring his little blow-up pool with us and he loved splashing around in there.  Most of all, he seemed to soak up the attention he received from the family.  I'm pretty sure he had the time of his life and was wondering where everyone was when we got back home.  I think he's counting down to next year along with the rest of us!

It should be noted that when I asked Frank which moments he'd like to remember from this year's vacation, he named when...

1.  Jon hit Frankie's head in the ceiling fan

2.  Frankie face-planted in the living room while standing on the couch

3.  I freaked out during our photo shoot because our camera lens was fogged and the pictures weren't coming out clear

And I'd like to add when...

4.  I thought I was getting swept out to sea while attempting to paddle board on the windiest day

5.  Laura & I were almost brought to tears on our last night when Dirty Bird closed early...and we were saved by the fro-yo at the Surfin' Spoon, thanks to Kelly's recommendation

As you can tell, we had a wild vacation! :)

Kissing Cousins...Kind of

Frankie loves dogs.  Anytime we see one while we are on a walk, he gets super excited and jumps up and down and smiles and laughs.  So, I was really hoping that when we went to Laura & Jon's for a 4th of July BBQ, Cosmo would be on his best behavior so he and Frankie could bond.  We didn't let them get too close, but they did share a few moments...

Happy 4th from Frankie & Cosmo!

Frankie carefully petting Cosmo

Laughing with Cosmo