Beachy Keen

We had a great weekend at the Cape with Pete and spent lots of time at the beach!  Experiencing new things with Pete is incredible … he is so excited by everything around him and I love getting to see the world through his big, blue eyes.

I know Pete will probably hate me for his outfit someday, but that’s okay.  Hopefully he’ll look back and know that we just loved spending time with him and getting to hang out with him … when we weren’t at the beach, Pete spent most of his time being spoiled by Nana, Grampa and Auntie Liz and testing out Pat’s rocking horse and rocking chair from he was little:

We had so much fun and Pete was a tired little boy when we got home.   Here’s my favorite picture from the weekend … his dad makes him laugh like no one else can!

Take Your Pete to Work Day

Pete went to visit Auntie Liz at work today.  Liz works at Harvard, so after we ‘pahked the cah in Hahvahd yahd’ (literally) we made our way to see Liz’s office.  Pete was quite the little celebrity and it was pretty awesome that so many people recognized him.  I think his aunt likes him.  When we got to Liz’s desk, Pete saw the picture of himself on the monitor and said very excitedly, “baby!”  Here he is hard at work at Liz’s desk:

One of Liz’s coworkers, Dayna has a niece Pete’s age. We’ve heard lots about Ayla and finally got to meet her and her family today!  She just turned one and is adorable.  It’s always fun to see Pete with kids his age.  He went right for her shoes and tried to take them off, it was very cute.  We had lunch in the sunken garden and while Ayla sat quietly reading her book, Pete had to be contained.  There was a fountain nearby (he kept asking if it was a bath) and knowing Pete, I think he would have tried to climb right in.

After checking out the Curious George store, we went to Starbucks for an afternoon treat.   Mrs. Johnson managed to get a shot of the whole group (Ayla and her Aunt Laura with Pete and I on the left, then Dayna & Ayla, Ayla’s mom Erika, Laura, Pete & I and Liz on the right):

We had a very fun afternoon in Cambridge.  Every time I’m there, I wish we could spend more time checking out all the cool shops in Harvard Square.  There’s so much to see and do and it was just a perfect day.  Thanks again to Auntie Liz for having us; we can’t wait to come back again soon!

Adventures in Babysitting

Pete had a special guest babysitter last night – Uncle Shay-Kay. Pete loves Shay.  Even when he was a newborn, he’d hear Shay’s voice and would stare, fascinated by his Irish brogue.  Pete gets so excited when he sees Shay and usually makes a beeline right for him.  They get to hang out pretty often, but last night was the first time it was just the two of them.  I knew Seamus was perfectly fine to babysit, but wasn’t keen on changing a poopy diaper.  So, I reassured him that he was probably off the hook because Pete had already pooped.

Pete was pretty excited to have Shay all to himself; they played and had dinner but when it came time for bed, Pete didn’t want to go to sleep.  He was just too excited.  Shay decided to take video because it was pretty cute.  He also captured this:

I love this video for so many reasons: Pete is so excited and his dancing cracks me up; he says “Shay-Kay” which is just adorable and of course, his unmistakeable poop grunt – he is such a boy.  I’m not sure what Shay’s reaction was when he saw what was going on, but he handled it like a pro and Pete was clean as a whistle when he woke up this morning.  Pete’s a lucky little guy to have an uncle that loves him so much … we can’t thank Shay enough for babysitting the little man.  And now that we know he’s an expert diaper changer, we’ll be calling on him more often!

Birdie’s Boy

Pete is constantly on the go.  Most days, he barely sits still.  I cherish the moments when he cuddles with me because I fear/know they will happen less and less as he gets older.  I went out tonight with my mom and Kristen, so Pete stayed in Canton with Birdie.  Things took a little bit longer than I anticipated, so when we got home, I expected to find a slightly fussy, very tired boy.  Instead, I found this:

Pete was fast asleep – sweaty, snoring and completely content. I think Birdie was as amazed as I was that he not only fell asleep, but stayed asleep.  It was adorable and I think it’s true what they say … a picture really is worth a thousand words.

 

 

A Busy Few Weeks

It’s been a busy few weeks in the Marr household, and I’ve clearly been slacking with posting updates!  Suffice it to say, Pete is the best.  He is just about 14 months old and gets cuter every day.  He talks so much and repeats just about anything you say, which can be dangerous at times!  Off the top of my head, Pete says down, car (still with a Boston accent), baah (for bottle), Bailey, baby, socks, shoes, ppp (when he wants to be picked up), wow, bang, brush, mama, dada, go-go-go, and no-no.  He loves Pat’s ID badge for work and every morning as Pat’s getting dressed, he says “badge?”  When he sees something he likes he says “ooohhhhh”, when he falls he says “boom” and when he stands up without holding on to anything, he looks around, says “whoa” and then eases himself back down.  He’ll walk eventually!

Here are some pictures from the last few days:

Every day with Pete is fun; he’s changing and growing so fast … he really is such a good-natured guy and I can’t get enough of him!

Happy Birthday Brienna

It’s hard to believe our little girl would be three years old today.  Not a single day goes by that I don’t think about her and wish she was here with us.  Watching Pete grow and learn has brought so much joy to our lives, but also makes me sad for all that we missed with our sweet Brienna.  I fantasize about cuddling with her, giving her hugs and kisses and I long to hold her again.  Even just for one minute.  I miss her so, so much and the weeks leading up to her birthday are especially difficult … I feel the pain of losing her as acutely as if it happened yesterday.

We celebrated Brienna today though.  It’s her special day and as much as June 2 makes me sad, I’m so happy that she has one day that is hers, and hers alone.  We did a family 6.2 mile run this morning in honor of her birthday.  I love running in her memory and it’s my dream someday to organize a 10K and hold it every year on/around her birthday.

So many of our friends and family members thought about Brienna today and sent us messages to let us know; I wish I could express how much that means to me.  I love that her memory lives on and that she made such an impact on the lives of so many people, some who never had the chance to meet her.  She is a special little girl.  When we visited her bench this afternoon, we left three balloons and her dad gave her a single pink rose.  The plants are from her grandparents and I think anyone looking would instantly be able to tell how loved she is.  I can only hope she feels our love too.

“Loved with a love beyond telling,
Missed with a grief beyond all tears.”

 

Memorial Day Weekend 2012

We kicked off summer with a trip to the Cape to visit Nana, Grampa and Auntie Liz this weekend. Pete loved exploring his new surroundings and playing with all sorts of new toys and tupperware – his current favorite toy!

On Sunday, we went to Aunt Pam and Uncle Steve’s house for a cookout.  All the Cundall clan was there which meant that Pete got to hang out with his cousin Gracie.  Grace is exactly two months older than Pete, so it was pretty cute watching them together!  The two of them have the bluest eyes and are just adorable.  We played for awhile and then went for a ride around Hyannis Harbor on Steve’s new boat.  It was a gorgeous day and we had so much fun watching Pete experience his first boat ride.  He was a bit skeptical at first, but was smiling and dancing by the end of the ride:

Pete was doted on all afternoon and it was such a treat getting to see him loved on by his family.  He and Gracie made us smile and laugh all day.  And despite being awake long past bedtime, they were happy and content to just play and be adored.

After a much needed good night’s sleep, Pete got to play on his new swing at Nana and Grampa’s house.  He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at first, but very quickly figured out how fun it was!

We had such a great weekend, but it went by way too fast.  We didn’t even make it to the beach, so that’s on the agenda for next time.  We already can’t wait for our next visit!

Haircut

Pat and I took Pete for his first haircut today.  It’s hard to believe he is old enough for one, but his mullet hair was getting a little bit out of control, so we decided it was time.

He was okay with things at first:

But then decided that perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all:

Luckily, there were animal crackers on hand and they made everything better:

Pete ultimately survived unscathed.  I was so nervous that I’d be devastated to see him without his curls, but he looks too cute to be that upset.  I miss them, and miss his baby look already.  But he is one handsome little boy!

And just when I think there’s no way he could be any cuter, somehow, he is.

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

We had a great day visting our mothers and grandmothers yesterday.  Pete was Mr. Charming (as usual) and made my day pretty close to perfect.

To Bana and Nana especially, thank you for your constant love and support.  We don’t know what we’d do without you in our lives and we love you both so much.  Seeing you with Pete over the last year and watching your love for him grow has been pretty amazing. He is lucky to be so adored and based on how excited he gets to see you both, I’d say the feeling is mutual!

One Year Update

I still can’t believe that we have a one-year old!  The little man had his checkup this week and did great.  He weighed in at 22 pounds 3 ounces and is 29.5 inches long.  That puts him right around the 50th percentile. Everyone at the office commented on how cute and happy he was (until he got shots).  I am always so proud of him!

Pete continues to change so fast.  He is talking up a storm and I love hearing his little voice. One of my favorite things is when he wakes up in the morning or from a nap and just sits in his crib talking and reading his books.  His voice is so sweet and he has full conversations with his toys and I just can’t get enough of it.  He says car (with a Boston accent) and when you ask him what sound a car makes, he says “vroom vroom”.  He also says thank you “gak goo” and wow.  When he’s in his high chair, crib or on the changing table, he loves to throw whatever is in his hand overboard and say “uh oh”.  Pete crawls up the stairs like a champ and knows to turn around and slide down the stairs on his belly.  He’s too smart.  He also knows that at this point, crawling is much faster than walking.  I’m excited for him to take his first solo steps … though I think he’s going to be one of those kids that goes from crawling right to running!

Pete loves to play on his new slide; he climbs up one side, and then turns around and slides down on his belly.  He says “weeee” the whole way down.

Pete also had a little birthday party.  He tasted a Hoodsie for the first time (and loved it) and was spoiled with love, attention and presents.  We had such a fun day, and were so excited to celebrate with the little man.

As always, we’re excited to see what’s in store for the little guy in the months to come!  Hopefully I’ll have a bunch of new pictures to post soon too!