Spring Break 2010

It's official we have survived the worst winter NJ has seen in any of our lifetimes (not to mention a very rainy start to the spring). Something close to 75 inches of snow and what has felt like an equal amount of rain. So when we came out of the freeze we decided to get out of the house! Our little man had a few play dates - one with a new friend from music class Marisa and one with Olivia and Caroline - the beautiful twin daughters of friends of Lindsey and Dan!




Then just as it started to get cold again we escaped on Harris's first official Spring Break... Spring Break is a big deal - for years (actually only since we graduated from college) Marteena (Harris's Aunt Marteena) and I have dedicate one week each spring to the celebration of the warmer weather. In the recent years Uncle Josh and "Dad" have joined the fun - this year Harris got to join in on Spring Break 2010; which was only made even more special because Uncle Alex and Aunt Megan joined in!

We had a great week at Grammy and Pop's place on Siesta Key.



Mornings were spent relaxing and waiting for the sun to get warm enough to hit the beach. Harris wasted no time and found lots of things to do in the condo... including figuring out how to open the coffee table - or as we now call it the baby apartment.





and using the laundry basket as a kayak... (quite different then the kayak Dad took out to see the scary alligators... but you will have to visit Uncle Alex's website to get a look at those -
http://www.stateofdesign.net/worldtour/-sarasota/)



Then in the afternoons we hit the beach and the pool. The little man still loves the sand; he loves the water even more. The ocean was way to cold for a swim, but we spent time digging in the sand, got our feet wet in the freezing water and then went back to the condo where Harris took full advantage of the heated pool - he even put his face in the water!



While away Harris turned 10 months - can't wait to see what this month will bring!

Action

Uncle Dan and Harris break it down...


Dad offered Harris a ball if he would just try to crawl a little closer... Harris had a better idea!



Mmmm Mmmm Good!

Sleeping and Rolling Over

This weekend Harris had his first sleepover - at Grammy and Pop's. It was a trial... not the little man, but for mom and we both passed with flying colors. I came way below the family's average bet that I would call 300 times and Harris was a star. He visited with his great aunts, napped, laughed, slept through the night, played, and learned this "fun" screaming game from his Pop. Here is how the game goes... Harris screeches at the top of his lungs smiles and then looks at whoever he is "playing" with, waiting for them to repeat the sound. Three days later the game still brings him much delight!

Then after weeks of PT and urging from Mommy, Daddy, Martina, Grammy, Pop, Grandee, Grampa, Hayley, Dan, and just about anyone else who spends extended time with him... Harris started rolling from his stomach to his back - for real this time. It's not just the push up and throw himself over that he did when he was much smaller, instead it is an actual role. It's purposeful, he tucks his arm (something that has been amazingly challenging for him), and roles - one way at least, maybe next week he will go the other.

Snowdays

Despite the fact that last night after Harris went to bed we diligently cleaned our cars and our spots so that we could go to work in the morning, the roads were to bad to get to work this morning - so we had another chance to play in the snow.

The Blizzard of 2010 (well one of them)

Today Harris experienced his first official snow day. Mom and Dad were home, the snow was falling and we spent the day keeping warm, playing with every musical instrument we could find, looking out the windows and making food (as is a snow day tradition I learned from my mother, only instead of baking today I was steaming up what felt like pounds of baby food).


Then around 5:30 Dad took Harris to the door and opened it up to show him the snow. He peered his little head out and looked around, intently he examined the trees and the ground, leaning over Dad's arm to get a better view and then he tried to dive in the snow! Luckily Dad had a good grip. So we got Harris dressed and out we ventured Harris, Mom, Dad and Jeb - oh what fun we had!




Around the corner Uncle Dan was busy building Harris his very own igloo... we hope tomorrow the sidewalks are cleared enough that we can go play!

Siesta Key

This past week it snowed in NJ. But we didn't mind - we were off to see Grammy and Pop's new place in Siesta Key, FL.

On Wednesday February 3rd, at an unbelievable hour in the morning, Harris alongside of Mom and Dad boarded a plane to Tampa. Harris did great on the plane; his favorite part of the journey was definitely the monorail that speeds you from the gates to where Grammy and Pop were waiting in the Tampa airport.

Even before we arrived, Grammy warned... it is chilly, pack some long sleeves. We didn't care because compared to the tundra we had left, the 60-70 degree weather was just perfect for us.

The long weekend was filled with adventure.

Harris explored Grammy and Pop's place...he played;


further developed his new found love of electronics, trying out each remote in the place; spent lots of time lounging in the king size bed;


visited on the beach, watching the water hit the shore and putting his little man feet in the sand;


went to his first aquarium - the favorite fish were of course the red ones;
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went out to dinner; ate a banana pancake (what could be better); and on the one very warm afternoon the little man even got to try out the pool.


While away Harris said Dada, multiple times! The first time Adam had slept in and he walked into the living room and Harris looked at him with complete joy and said Dada. What a truly wonderful family vacation!

Remarkable

The weeks fly by so quickly, I can not even believe it is almost February, at 8 months Harris is remarkable! He is full of energy and happiness, not laughter of course because it still takes a full com medic festival to have him actually laugh, that or Jeb - our beloved dog - stealing one of his toys.

Harris is full into his PT and doing much better each week. His arms are getting looser and looser and he is reaching higher and farther then he was just days ago! The rolling is still not great - and he much prefers to lean in his neck and head so that he doesn't have to bring his hands all the way to his mouth when he wants to chew things but slow and steady progress is what we are hoping for and that is what we are getting! Barbara his PT continues to remark on how bright he is and how that actually gets in the way of his physical development, as Dad the computer genius said he has work arounds - ways of getting around the problem without actually fixing it.

Some of Harris's new found delights: cheerios and electronics.

- Cheerios - boys does he love them. He spends lots of time trying to get them into his little hand and then his little hand to his mouth (all good practice), but then he doesn't know to let go, so instead Mom or Martina swoop in with the cheerio and cheer on his efforts.

- Electronics - Despite not watching TV Harris has this unmatched fascination with the remote controls. The buttons the little lights that blink when you press them - he stares in awe. (Is he Daddy's boy or what!?!). The only thing better then the remote is the baby monitor, which in the morning when he comes into bed with mom and dad provides minutes of distraction as he watches the lights dance from the music still playing in his room.