Keb' Mo'

Last night, Casey and I took Orin out to see the blues singer

Keb' Mo' in concert.

We are hoping that by introducing Orin to different types

of music at such a young, impressionable age

he will develop well-rounded taste,

and maybe not subject us to continuous heavy metal

during his adolescence.

(...wishful thinking...)

I know what you are thinking...

Orin may not be sophisticated enough 

to appreciate good music yet,

but it sure can't hurt.

So here's Keb' Mo':

The band sounded really good live

and Orin had a fun time dancing around with us.

During the set break Casey got a case of the munchies 

which could only be satisfied with a 5-topping "Bad Dawg."

Orin was under the impression that he, too, could handle

the quarter pound XL

and was very disappointed when we informed him of the 

 diet we have planned for him for the next 6 months or so.

But that's the price you pay when you demand 

to be carried everywhere.

Big Fish, Little Fish

On Monday, Casey and I decided to make a trip into the city

to take Orin to the Boston Aquarium.

Here are a couple of the highlights:

This is Orin, checking out one of the three different types

of penguins that live at the aquarium.

and this is the Sea Dragon or, as Casey called him,

"the most amazing thing I have ever seen"

I am not sure who I would have picked as my favorite sea-dweller,

but these surely would have made the top five.

If anyone knows what they are called, please let me know.

As for Orin, it was love at first sight when

he happened upon this sting ray.

He started kicking, waving, and 

babbling uncontrollably.

I felt bad when I had to cut off their conversation,

but we had to move on to...

the piranas...

and frogs...

(yes, that oddly textured thing in the center of the picture 

is, in fact, a frog)

On the way out, Casey made friends with a little penguin...

We promised him we would visit again soon

After the Aquarium, we went on a hunt for the pizza

place that I used to love when I was a kid.

When we got there we found that it had been bought by a different

pizza company, but we were hungry

so we decided to give it a try.

It wasn't bad.

But it wasn't Newbury Pizza.

(Its gone, Andy... I know, I am devastated too)

I guess I will have to move on now and find another

representer of the best pizza in the world.

After lunch, we walked around the city 

and did a little window shopping.

Orin, having used up his small reserve of energy at the Aquarium

snoozed in his stroller.

Which is too bad, because he missed out on seeing a car

attempt the tightest parallel parking job I have ever seen in my life.

The car literally pushed the other two cars out of the way.

Only in Boston.

Or maybe New York, too.

That's it.

In another week, we are headed off to New York,

so Casey can see a far-inferior city.

Until then, let us all dream of penguins...

Georgia on my mind...

Last Sunday, Orin, my mother, and I

flew to Georgia to introduce Orin to his 

great-grandparents and other crazy southern relatives. 

When we arrived at the Atlanta airport we

took the train to pick up our rental car...

but there must have been a terrible mistake 

because when we got to our car, we found that it was locked...

so we had to settle for a less exciting vehicle.

We checked into a cabin near my grandparents house

where we would be staying during our four-day trip

My grandparents live on Lake Linear,

which used to be a huge, beautiful lake...

but has recently been drained to help compensate for the 

long-standing drought in the deep south

Soon after arriving at my grandparents,

the house was flooded with aunts, uncles, and cousins

all wanting to meet the new baby.

Normally, I only get to see my extended family 

once every two or three years,

but this year was special because my brother's graduation 

from the army and Orin's birth sparked a double-visit.

Back in November (for the graduation),

 every woman in the room under 30 was pregnant...

so during this visit, it was Baby City

Orin is the youngest of my grandparents eight great-grandchildren

The second youngest is Sara,

daughter of my cousin Parker and his wife Eva.

I particularly enjoyed seeing Sara because

she gave me a sneak-peak at the next stage in development for Orin.

Here is Sara, eating a little solid food...

and standing...

(Orin can do this too, but Sara is a lot closer to being able to 

balance for herself, while Orin still needs somebody to help him)

Because neither Orin nor Sara could run around with

the older babies, they got acquainted during 

a little tummy time on the floor

Sara showed immediate interest in Orin...

she began grabbing and shaking him enthusiastically...

Maybe a little too enthusiastically, in fact.

After all, it wasn't a fair fight... 

Orin still needs to develop his upper arm strength.

Eva had to step in.

So Orin moved on to some (only slightly) less scary introductions,

like his great uncle Paul...

My cousin Loni...

and his great-grandfather Paul

At that point, Orin started to show some real interest

in the Georgian lifestyle,

so we introduced him to two southern staples:

Peaches...

And Bubba Burgers 

(burgers that are actually shaped like the state of Georgia)

After a long visit, the extended family left

and we retreated to our cabin for some R&R.

Orin felt so at home there, that night he decided to wet the bed 

(I forgot to pack the "lazy-mommy-proof" night-time liners)

So this is us, preparing for a little laundry

The next three days were spent relaxing with my grandparents

On our last day, my uncle Paul dropped by to bid us farewell.

 I jumped at the opportunity to get some pictures of

Orin on his Harley 

My grandparents couldn't resist getting in on the action.

All in all, it was a lovely trip

and was highlighted by one, major developmental milestone,

which will serve as the "baby updates" section for this blog:

One day, when we were sitting down for lunch,

Orin reached out and grabbed his toy...

He got so excited, finally realizing that he 

could control his arms.

I videotaped the whole thing so Casey wouldn't miss it.

Now, a whole new world has opened up...

Ori is like a baby on a mission, he wants to feel and shake everything.

It won't be long now before he starts shoving things in his mouth,

I can wait for that, though.

As I write this, we are safely home again

and happily reunited with Casey...

just in time for Ori's three month birthday.

Happy Birthday Orin!

Counting Crows or Cars...

Sometimes things work out,

and sometimes they don't.

For example, the Wilco show was splendid.

So, in order to keep balance in the universe, the Counting Crows show

did not go so well...

Actually, it probably did, but we weren't there.

We got to see this instead:

Taillights. 

Red ones.

For 3 and 1/2 hours.

It's too easy to forget the rule that if you are on a highway 

in the northeast between 3:30 and 8:00pm you won't actually 

make any real progress towards your destination.

By the time we got to the concert Maroon 5 had already come and gone

and the Counting Crows were just finishing up.

I think we heard four songs.

Well three, actually, because a group of drunk girls in front of us 

sang "Long December" so loud that they were all we heard.

And they didn't even know the lyrics.

At least we were in good company.

After what was left of the show,

we decided to go back to the hotel room that Colleen and Cody 

had rented for the evening.

 We ordered a huge, greasy pizza

and soon forgot all about our wasted road trip.

Because at the end of the day 

life is only what you make it...

and it is pretty darn good 

if it's large and cheesy and has lots of pineapple.

Wilco Now

Yesterday, Casey, Orin, and I headed to Tanglewood

 in Lenox, Massachusetts to see the band Wilco in concert.

The grounds at Tanglewood are beautiful... 

500 acres of rolling hills, forests, and gardens, 

with the concert shed nestled right in the middle.

I had originally bought us tickets in the shed,

but after arriving and surveying the situation,

we decided to put a blanket down and watch the show from the lawn.

Wilco started to play right as the sun was setting

and finished under a blanket of stars.

We all had a fantastic time.

Orin was (like always) an angel baby,

playing on the blanket in front of us while we listened to the music.

As a treat, we bought him a Wilco onesie.

And for October, a bumper-sticker that says "Wilco Now"

Now for the baby updates section:

Last week, Orin laughed for the first time.

Casey was playing with him after he got home from work

one night and Orin just exploded into giggles.

It was absolutely adorable.

Also, Orin has discovered a new hobby:

He is quite content to chew on his hand all day long 

and can, as you might note, fit almost his 

whole fist in his mouth.

He has also taken to standing up in our  laps,

so we decided to indulge him with a dancing contraption.

(This idea was inspired by his cousin Alden,

who just became a dancing queen herself)

We are thinking it may also have the added benefit of helping him

to slim down a bit (look at those legs!)

because when we weighed him today he was a 

whopping 15 and 1/2 pounds!

And trust me, it hasn't gone unnoticed.