Play Time!

We are leaving tomorrow for 4 days to go to the 

Gathering of the Vibes,

a music festival in Connecticut. 

When we return we will have many more pictures to share

which I will add to the collection of things

waiting to be posted, a collection that includes

seal watching in Chatham, music on the beach,

a Bob Dylan and Wilco show, and more.

Eventually, I will get better at this whole blogging thing.

For now, though, I recognize that most of you 

are only interested in cute baby pictures,

so this post is for you.

I put Ilea down on her play mat and starting

snapping shots.

I couldn't stop taking pictures and I couldn't choose

which ones to post so you get them all.

See you on Monday!

P-Town

Despite the fact that we have lived on the Cape

for over 2 years, Casey and I still hadn't been

to Provincetown, the town on the very tip of the island.

We have always heard nothing but good things about it,

so the other day, we decided to make the trip.

Being budding foodies, we picked out a South African restaurant

to go to for lunch and, because we got there a bit

later than we had planned due to what I call 

the nurse-poop cycle, we drove straight there.

We were not disappointed.

Casey had snail and Orin had monkey ribs

(not made from monkeys).

I, embarrassingly enough, was presented with lots of exotic

options which I eventually rejected for chicken salad,

because despite mostly eating as a vegetarian

there is a special place in my heart for good chicken salad.

After lunch we walked around downtown.

P-town is known for its robust gay population

which made for interesting window art.

This was my favorite:

And if you happen to be one of the pretty men

there are lots of options for you,

such as these:

or these:

And I suppose if you are not pretty,

you can shop here:

After walking around town,

we wandered to the beach, which sits less than a block 

from main street.

After spending some time on the beach

we made one last stop

to the observation tower at Race Point,

the furthest point out on the Cape.

Almost immediately after getting to the top of the tower

Casey said "look, a whale!"

and, sure enough, we could see spray from a whale's blowhole.

(You might have to click to make the picture

bigger to see the spray right in the center)

Now that we know what we were missing

I am sure we will take many more trips

to the town of strong women and beautiful men.

Princess Curls

As Ilea's hair has begun to grow out

I have been noticing something after her baths:

a small tuft of curly hair on the top of her head.

  Let's have a closer look:

I don't remember this ever happening with Orin

which makes me think that she might end up with curly hair
but because this is still her "baby hair"
it is too soon to say.
Her eye color is also a mystery.
They haven't budged from baby slate grey.

Let the guessing continue.

Marilyn and other Stages

When Ilea was first born 

for some reason every time I looked at her

 I would think about the line from the Grinch who Stole Christmas

"He turned around fast and saw a small Who,

little Cindy Lou Who who was no more than two"

So I started calling Ilea the tiny Who daughter.

But as she grew, the nickname fell away

and was replaced by Marilyn,

because every time she wore this dress

she reminded me of Marilyn Monroe.

 

Don't ask me why, this definitely could

have been a product of long term sleep deprivation,

but whenever she was in this dress, 

I called her Marilyn.

But the dress didn't last and neither did the name

because now she has entered a new stage...

not a little and cute Who daughter,

not a sophisticated Marilyn,

but instead just a sausage.

At the 5 week mark, she weighed in at a whopping

10.5 pounds, putting her solidly above

the 95th percentile for weight.

But this time I will not be fooled.

Orin spiked up to 95th percentile for weight as well

but when he hit around 20 pounds

he plateaued and didn't gain weight again until

he had dropped below the 5th percentile

where he likely still is as a 5 year old who weighs 

32 pounds soaking wet. 

 

So, the sumo stage will likely pass as well,

the only question is:

what will be next? 

Ilea's Lake Toes

The other day we took Ilea for a trip to Horse Pond,

our favorite swimming spot.

Because we live on Cape Cod, 

a place with hundreds of ponds and lakes

and the ocean less than 10 minutes away

pretty much wherever you are,

we figure that Ilea was born into 

the water baby lifestyle

(not to mention her water birth!)

So, we decided that 3 weeks old was a good time to

get her toes wet (quite literally)

At first, Ilea was curious.

However, her mood quickly deteriorated

when she realized that the water 

was slightly colder than she was used to

(a lot colder, in fact, due to a week of torrential rain)

Yup, she was not pleased.

Not at all.

Maybe next time.

Soccer Buds

Saturday was the last round of Orin's spring soccer league.
In the first half of soccer practice, the kids work on their
"soccer skills", whereas in the second half
there is a scrimmage in which the kids
completely disregard any skills they might have learned
and instead break down into a herd of squealing children
chasing after the ball and occasionally doing things
like kicking the ball at the wrong goal.

We thought Dorian would love it.

We were right.

There is nothing like a large mass of small children

running around wildly to tempt an (almost) 3 year old.

After all, there were goals to be scored,

Fists to be pumped in the air.

And of course, the most important part,

the decision about which sticker to choose

at the end of the practice.

And for all of you reading this on a device

that will allow video,

here is a short clip of the madness.