The Finger Lakes

So Esme survived her first family vacation. It was not without its drama... from being without a house and having a flat tire to losing Grandma & Grandpa somewhere in Ithaca and Ethan falling down the stairs. And that was just the first day! Fortunately things took a definite turn for the better.








The house we ultimately wound up in was beautiful and just steps from Lake Keuka.



Esme was able to enjoy some quality time with her cousins,
especially Ella.



And Daddy was able to enjoy some QT (along with some bruises)
with all the kids.



Esme attended her first wine tasting. This one was a little too assertive in her opinion.


And she had a blast at the Corning Museum. Since her cousins were off trying their hands at glass blowing, Esme took a moment to work on her kiss-blowing skills.



Despite less than perfect weather, the kids couldn't stay away
from the lake.


And despite a less than perfect start, including that trip down the stairs, Ethan did manage to stay away from the ER this year!

A fun time was had by all.

Twisting by the Pool

A much longer post detailing our trip to the Finger Lakes is forthcoming. In the meantime, to kick off the summer season, here are some pictures of the girl enjoying various water sports. . .

Here's Esme going for an evening swim at her friend Phoebe's house. Shortly after this picture was taken she toppled over and into the water. This was quite a shock and tears ensued. Better here than at the big pool.




Speaking of the big pool. Upon returning from our trip we headed right over to the community pool. Esme thoroughly enjoyed herself in what I would consider one of the best equipped kiddy pools around...




Later that day we decided to inflate our little kiddy pool. It's quite small, just big enough for Esme and one very tiny friend. Good thing because, as any who has seen our yard can attest, that's about all we have the space for.

Strawberry Fields Forever

We stopped by our CSA this weekend to do a little strawberry picking... 6 quarts worth! Esme decided that despite being a summer baby, she's not one for the heat. Soon after this picture was taken we had to take refuge in the shade which offered little relief. Just the same, Esme was a much happier camper...

Pretty Sneaky, Aunt Sasha

Funny thing. As I was dressing Esme this morning I came upon something unexpected in her dresser: a Red Sox tee. How did that get there? Well, the only Red Sox fan I know is Sasha. In fact, didn't Sasha just go to a Red Sox game? Hmm...

Anyway, many thanks to Aunt Sasha for baby-sitting this Saturday. Esme had a great time. And so did Mommy and Daddy.

C'mon baby, do the locomotion. . .

Esme has achieved mobility! She's not crawling, that's so passé. No, our girl is a scooter. She propels herself with her arms as she slides along gracefully on her backside. It's something to see.



As you can see, Esme takes her scooting very seriously. And having only appropriated this skill two days ago she's just beginning to learn the finer points of using one's bum for transportation. For example, today she learned that hardwood is a much faster ride than carpet. It's the Autobahn of scooting.


The best part of locomotion as far as Esme is concerned is that it has opened new doors for her. Or perhaps, better put, it has enabled her to open new doors. This afternoon while playing in the den she discovered what's behind the closet door.





As I'm typing this, Esme is still in the process of emptying the contents of the closet. Lucky for her (and me) there was a big bag of toys within that has, for the most part, captivated her attention. Daddy's shoes and the yoga gear were summarily tossed aside.





For me it's just fun to watch as her impact on our environment grows more significant. To think it's been just months since she was a tiny thing wiggling in her bassinet. Now she's clattering about, getting into things and getting a lot more out of things, too.

Paris est un escargot. . .

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows us that we fully expect Esme to have inherited our Francophile gene. And since we both have some command of the French language we feel that this is something we can share with her. Besides, since her name is officially spelled with an accent, she's got to at least be able to sing a few rounds of "Frere Jacques."

For the most part we're just exposing her to French children's music which, we're learning, is a perfect reflection of the culture. For example, much of the music focuses on food. There's a song, "Monsieur Bibendum," that concerns a literally larger-than-life fellow who loves to eat. The song assures us that his kilos are not the result of eating at MacDonald's, but instead of indulging in the finer things, "Monsieur Bibendum ... the good life, personified" the chorus goes. And though it may seem cliché, there are dozens of songs about snails. One lists the foods infants can look forward to eating once they're bigger... croissants, croque monsieurs, and, yes, escargot. Could you imagine the bastions of chicken-finger-eating American kids being plied with the promise of breaded snails in their futures?!

There's a little rhyme that pops up on one of the collections. My rough translation: "Little green mouse, hiding in the grass. I'll catch you in my hands, then dip you in water and dip you in oil and that's how you make escargot." How sweet.

Anyway, that blows paddy cake out of the water, non?

Esme's cute little snail tee is courtesy of Elk Inks.

Just BEET it. . .

A lot of our life these days revolves around food. Each week I try to introduce something new to expand Esme's repertoire. And since she pretty much only wants to feed herself, I'm left with only those things I can chop into soft, gummable morsels she can manage with her limited dexterity. Needless to say, I was quite excited when, at the nine month mark, beets became an option. Soft. Easy to dice. An uber vegetable on the nutrition front. And a favorite of this household already. And, needless to say, the hours of fun I'd have scrubbing the beet stains out of her clothing! (Almost as much fun as digging the remains of Esme's meals out of the crevices of her high chair!) Anyway, it's always good to have a tee shirt to mark the occasion.

So the beets have received a pretty positive reception. And the overall mess not as bad as anticipated. It is great to have another food in the mix.




And because it's never fun to eat alone, Esme often likes to have a friend or two over for dinner. Just the other day she suggested we include one of her cherished ducks. She had a hunch he'd be into the beets. And you know what?
She was right.