October 2008

October has been a fun month month with Avi so far. He has a little cold, but is the trooper he always is (with the exception of getting really annoyed with me when I wipe his nose). He laughs so much, bables constantly, waves bye-bye, is ticklish all over, and likes to "hide" by putting his face in cushions and craking up. He is crawling like a maniac, and climbing whatever he finds. We spent the first day of sukkot with Saba and Savta, where Avi discovered STEPS, which we do not have in our apartment. Within two seconds of reaching the step, he figured out how to climb all the way up to the top, and then speed-crawl into the kitchen to find Savta. He loved eating in the sukkah (especially since he got to have his first "people food" when he got a mashed up sweet potato and carrot from Savta's yontif tzimmis). The general consensus is that Avi is starting to look more and more like his Abba, after many months of looking mostly like his Ema. Whoever he looks like, he is the most delicious baby we know!

New Teeth, New Tricks, New Haircut

Avi is now 7 months old. He has two teeth, he crawls clear across the apartment (or anywhere we put him down), and pulls up on any solid (and not-so-solid) surface he can find. He also convinced us to cut his hair much sooner than we had intended to by constantly pulling at his long wispy baby hair and smearing cool things like sweet potatoes and green beans in it. Now he is officially a "big boy" with short blonde hair (that sometimes spontaneously forms into a mohawk similar to his newborn mohawk hairdo), and he looks like a mini man in his jeans and sporty shirts and hoodies. We can't believe Avi's first year is already more than half way over!

Nana's Birthday and Avi goes to the Dentist

This weekend, Avi went to Steelton to celebrate Nana's birthday. He showed off his new skills--including pulling up on our hands and "walking" across a room--and had fun getting spoiled by Nana, Pop Pop, and Aunt Daya. The next day, he went to Philadelphia to have lunch with Saba Raba, Savta Raba Evelyn, and Great Aunt Susan (he tried to take the check, but Saba Raba insisted!), and to visit Great Uncle Ron's dental office. Although he has two tiny teeth now, it was Abba who had the real check up, while Avi and I played in the waiting room. After Abba's appointment, we went to cousin Rebecca's for a play date with Daniel and dinner with the cousins. The boys are getting closer to being able to play together, and even began their cousin-rivalry by reaching for the same toys at the same time, and racing to Aunt Susan's lap. A fun day was had by all!

Avi Goes West

Avi took his first trip to the west coast this month, flying to Seattle on his 6 month birthday. He was great on the plane, although he was too excited about the new experience to sleep much. This made for a long 6 hour stretch for Ema and Abba, but was great fun for the little guy. In just 2 weeks, Avi met and got to know his Grandpa Arthur and Grandma Terri, Great Aunt Char and Great Uncle Kim, Aunts Cecily and Lyndsay, and lots and lots of Dunn/McGinnis/Gabriel cousins. There are too many good pictures to post, but here are a good selection of our favorite moments from the trip--Avi trying to drink beer, picking peaches with Ema at the Chelan orchard, getting to know new family members, and hanging out on the ferry boat to Bainbridge Island. If you'd like to see more pictures, let me know and I will send you the link to our Snapfish album!

Avi's First Photo Shoot

In honor of his upcoming 6 month birthday (which we will spend flying to Seattle!), we had Avi's portraits taken. We were thrilled with the results of our little smiley guy's pictures. He was a real trooper at the shoot, especially because the photographer was running behind schedule and we ran into nap time, so Avi was really very sleepy and even a little cranky. As soon as we were done, he fell asleep in his stroller so that Abba, Ema and Savta could grab a bite to eat. Enjoy!

Avi Learns to Sit and Crawl

At 5 1/2 months, Avi is now sitting on his own for good lengths of time (sometimes with one hand on the floor to support himself, sometimes with "no hands"), and crawling a few mini-steps to reach his favorite toys. The first time he actually took two crawl-steps, Jeremy was the one to see it, as I was in the other room having a meeting with a client. He was trying to get to his favorite jumbo-sized edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We're so proud! We even had to lower his mattress in the crib, because we found him peeking over the top of the rail and pulling himself up on the bumpers! Our little baby is becoming a big boy so quickly...

Avi Goes Down the Shore

This weekend Avi made his first trip to the Atlantic Ocean, where he hung out at his Great Aunt Susan and Great Uncle Ron's beach house in Ventnor, NJ (near Atlantic City). He loved hanging out with all his cousins (Rebecca, Steve, Debra, and potential cousin Jason), Doda Elisheva, and Saba Raba and Evelyn, and he approved of the family's favorite candy and chocolate shop--Jagielkys. Luckily, he seemed to love the beach, and smiled when I dipped his feet into the water. He can't wait till he gets to see the Pacific Ocean in a few weeks!