Bro's

Well, Zachary is finally taking notice of Kitty! He follows Kitty with his eyes as he moseys about the room (ok, so it's more like a waddle these days), and seems so interested in this furry creature that he's been living with! Now, Zachary's regular reaction to Kitty is to make this loud panting sound with a huge smile on his face, shake his arms, and sometimes even squeal in delight. We decided to see if he would pet Kitty, and more importantly, if Kitty would let him... I think it went well... and of course, they were both adorable!

Sweet Peas for the Sweet Pea!

So far Zachary has tried Pears, Sweet Potatoes, Peaches and now Sweet Peas (in that order)! Up until today, the new flavors have been relatively easy for him to get used to eating. I'm not as confident that tomorrow will be a better day with sweet peas. He protested eating them throughout the entire container, but he did finish. It was just hysterical watching him make the faces of disgust, and trying to spoon more in while he held his lips tightly closed! Once I turned it into a game (I guess it was something like "airplane" - like we used to play as little ones), he was a more willing eater. We'll see how it goes tomorrow!

I don't know if there is a flavor of just potatoes, but I'm sure he'd like it, since he likes being carried around like a sack of potatoes!

6-Month Portrait- Take Two!

You may recall, Len and I unsuccessfully attempted to take Zachary's official 6-month portrait a couple of weeks ago. Well, we gave it another try last weekend... this time, we stayed home instead of venturing out... our neighbor had just created a beautiful new garden in her back yard, so we used that as our backdrop. It was tons of fun, and we think we captured some cute shots!

(Please note that no plants were harmed in the making of these pictures!)

Goodman Family Visit

This past Sunday, Len's Parents and Grandpa made a day-trip down to sunny Bel Air for a Zachary-fix! We spent a wonderful afternoon with the family - we played a bit at home when they first arrived, then walked to a local brewery for appetizers, wine and beer out on the patio (it was a beautiful day). We relaxed and enjoyed one another's company at the restaurant while Zachary snoozed in the new Jeep Jogger stroller... Grandma couldn't wait for him to wake up, though!

Right before we left on our walk to the restaurant, we took a couple of family shots - pictured above is the latest version of "Four Generations" (we'll call it v4.3) - they are all wearing their Father's Day shirts (from Len last year), as we celebrated a belated Father's Day with everyone.

We finished off the day with a very nice cookout - compliments of Grandma Goodman, of course! Unfortunately, right at the time we were about to set the table to eat out on the deck, a fast storm moved through, so we had to eat inside... good thing the sausages were already finished on the grill!


(Zachary woke up toward the end of our visit to the brewery, just in time to have a few sips of Grandma's water... he loves trying to drink out of cups like a big boy! We're even trying a sippy cup occasionally with just water for now.)

(After his bath, Zachary and his Great Grandpa cuddled for a while... Zachary was loving feeling Grandpa's soft beard... they were so cute together!)

Welcome to the family!

Zachary would like to welcome to the family his newest cousin, Laila! Dan and Emily are the proud new parents of this adorable puppy... she is a Boxer. Zachary can't wait to meet Cousin Laila (and "Aunt Em") very soon! Congratulations Dan and Ems!!

Gone Joggin'...

Zachary had another first today... he went jogging with Daddy in the new jogger we gave Len for Father's Day! Len had the day off today, so he spent it putting his new toy together just in time to go for a run when I got home. I was so excited to be able to see them off... Zachary looked sooo adorable and comfortable. What fun it will be for him to see things from a different perspective... and at a much faster pace than walking in his other stroller. I wish I could understand him when he talks, because I'm sure he'd have a great story to share about his first jog with Daddy!

Sleepy Boy

Zachary had a very good day at daycare today... they said he was so happy all day long, and had tons of fun playing. He was just exhausted when we got home, yet still in very good humor. Here he is still in his seat after taking the last spoonful of cereal... I think he was half-asleep for the whole last third of the bowl. What a little angel!

Happy Father's Day!

Len, Zachary and I had a wonderful Father's Day today! We also wanted to take a moment to send a big shout out to Poppie (Len's Dad) and Great-Grandpa - - we love you very much and wish you both a very Happy Father's Day!! Today is their first Father's Day as a Grandfather and Great-Grandfather... what a momentous occasion! We're so grateful that Zachary has such incredible role models spread throughout so many generations to help him learn and grow through the years ahead of us!

Here are some of the pictures we took to help us remember Len and Zach's first Father's Day together...


Len and Zach love doing raspberries together!


Zachary enjoyed helping his Daddy open presents from Mommy and Kitty this morning. We saved the gifts from Zachary until later in the day.


Zachary loved helping Daddy open the gifts from him... especially taking off the bow and ripping the paper! Guess what he got his Daddy?!? A tie! Here begins the annual tradition of Daddy getting a new tie every Father's Day!


Pinned to Daddy's new tie was a cryptic note with instructions leading him to another present. His big gift was hiding in Mommy's trunk and Daddy had to play 20 questions to find it... it only took him 6 questions until he opened the trunk and found it!


Zachary finished off the festivities doing one of his favorite things... playing with the beads on the lampshade!

Sweet Potatoes - Swwweeeet!

I thought I was getting pretty good at spoon-feeding the little man. With every feeding, I was dripping less and less, and keeping his face relatively clean, and Zachary was keeping most of what I fed him in his mouth. Well, I guess I was thinking that only because the cereal and pears are closer to his skin color... it's VERY obvious with sweet potatoes when it gets messy!! Today, Zachary had his first orange food, and boy was it EVERYWHERE! We had fun trying something new, and Zach really seemed to like sweet potatoes... I'm not sure if he was just more active than usual, or maybe I'm losing my touch (or just never had it), but these pictures show it all! He's just so adorable!

(Zachary face-planted into the spoon right before this shot!)

Daddy and Zachary - What a Pair!

I so often talk about my two favorite guys - my amazing husband, Len, and my incredible son, Zachary. I speak about how important they both are to me, and how much they completely fulfill me. A viewpoint I seldom reflect on in this blog is how much they mean to each other. Though I don't presume to know what it feels like for Len to be Zachary's Dad, I observe him in this role, and only hope to be just as an amazing parent as he already is. Fatherhood clearly suits him... he's a natural! Our son is one lucky little guy to have such a cool Daddy. Len is an amazing role model for our son - he's kind, generous, strong, stable, funny, loving, dedicated, committed, honest... I could go on with about 5 more pages from a thesaurus... so, you get my point. These are all qualities I hope Zachary inherits from his father! We know he's already gotten Len's good looks, too!!

I see how Zachary gazes into Len's eyes (even from his first days of life), interacts with him regularly (they love talking to one another), and smiles and giggles in absolute delight when they are hanging out. Zach LOVES his Daddy sooo much, and I just can't get enough of watching them together... they're like Frick and Frack, side-kicks, Daddy and Z!

That is why, on this first Father's Day for Len, I want to express how grateful I am not just for the gift we have in our son, but also for the partner I have in raising him - you, Len. You are such an amazing Father, and I love you even more with every new experience we have together! Happy First Father's Day!

Here are some of my favorite shots of Len and Zachary throughout the past 6 months... I'm posting them to commemorate Len as a Father, and the two of them as side-kicks made for one another!