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Kasper likes to be upright. This has been the case from the beginning and shows no signs of abating (which is probably good since walking upright seems to be big for us homo sapiens).

Against my better judgment, we got him a push toy. He pulls himself up on the handle and off he goes! He's great at the walking part, zooming around the apartment like he's one of the Duke Boys. He can see how much he enjoys it (and, yes, he's making the sort of very loud sound you would imagine by the look on his face).

Unfortunately, he hasn't figured out stopping. So, he just crashes. Into anything. Into everything. And it ends up looking like this. Do you think we'll be able to use these photos to postpone enrolling him in driver's ed?

Nature walk, urban style

Theodore Roosevelt Island is a nature sanctuary/national park/monument in the Potomac River between Virginia and the District of Columbia (if you've ever driven into the city on I-66, you've traversed the end of the island on the Roosevelt Bridge). It's on the way from from picking up Patrick at his office but you feel like you're way off in the woods (except the woods are in the very loud flight path of Reagan National Airport). It's a lovely spot. It's a nice taste of nature in our urban/suburban sprawl.
The bridge in the background is the Francis Scott Key Bridge between Rosslyn, VA and Georgetown in DC.

Fantastic Photo Friday

I have been informed (in no uncertain terms) that we have not updated the blog enough lately. Hence, I offer you a few snapshots of the ever-expanding Kasper (click on the photos to see a full-size version):


Visiting with his Mema last weekend (sorry, we didn't get a photo of him biting his napping grandfather's big toe)


Enjoying his first balloon


Showing us his tongue while wearing his "new" hand-me-downs from cousin Declan.

Howlin' wolf

The audio's a little rough, so turn the speakers up on your computer before you download this. It's worth it.

I haven't blogged in a while; luckily, Meaghan has been here to pick up the slack. Instead, I've been learning the tough lessons of parenthood. Here's what I've picked up lately:

• It doesn't matter how many times you say it, there's nothing that will make zucchini "yummy yummy yum." Conversely, there's nothing that can't be made "yummy yum yum" by dipping it in applesauce.


• To a baby, the noise made by the velcro tabs being pulled off a dirty diaper sounds like a starter's pistol.


• You can have five, you can have ten, or you can have 50, and you'll still find yourself standing by their crib at 1 a.m. saying, "Where the hell is that pacifier?"


• You can dress your little boy in the latest trucker chic, and the clueless, childless checkout guy at the grocery store will still tell you "she's so cute."


• Trashcans and toy baskets look a lot alike, except the stuff in the trashcan is way more fun to play with. And tastier.

Gotta go. Kasper just up from his morning nap, so I've got a diaper to change. Should I be worried that he's wearing track shoes?

One apartment, two nights, six Woodfords

We just wrapped up a wonderful visit from Patrick's brother, Adam, his wife Michelle and their beautiful baby girl, Shylah. She had taken over Kasper's position as youngest grandchild and is handling the role with ease. At six weeks old, she has already been through every state on the Eastern seaboard from Maine to Virginia with a sidetrip to a wedding in Pennslyvania. It was a great treat to have everyone together - I'm sure Patrick will have more to say about it, but I knew getting a photo up for Grammie Woodford was the first order of business!
(Yes, that's my arm Kasper is chewing on - he was very interested in his baby cousin but still hasn't learned the meaning of "gentle". I tried telling him that babies were only for looking at, not for touching but he wasn't buying that either...)

Couch potatos by the bushel

Kasper continues to attract friends from far and wide. My friend (and ex-roomie) Jason came to visit this weekend from Maine. Kasper pulled out all of his best tricks: diving off the couch, waking up at 11pm and not wanting to go back to sleep, drooling like a St. Bernard, using the restaurant bread basket as a hat. They became fast friends. (Kasper is busy making a new friend today - his cousin Shylah is here with her parents, Adam and Michelle. Photos to come...)