june / 9 months old!

9 months old!

This month, Hunter turned 9 months old!  He is becoming such a big boy.  At his 9-month check up with the pediatrician, Hunter measured 31 inches long and weighed 23 lbs. 4.5 oz.  This puts him solidly in the 100th percentile for height and the 94th percentile for weight.

For the sake of comparison, when Harper was 9 months old, she weighed 19 lbs. 14 oz. and measured 28.5 inches long, putting her in the 75th percentile for both height and weight.  While Harper is now very tall for her age, she had a late surge, whereas Hunter is long and lean like his Daddy right out of the gate.  

Where's Hunter?!

This month was exciting for our little man, as he finally started crawling--just like his sister did at his age!  Also like Harper, his style is to army crawl, dragging his little belly as he goes; nonetheless, he is FAST!  He loves to be able to move independently, chasing after balls, toys, and mostly his big sister.  Not being able to walk doesn't slow this kid down at all.


With the weather hot hot hot, we have been enjoying summer activities like swimming in the pool, or even just splashing in the kiddie pool in our back yard or Mimi's yard.  For his first time in the kiddie pool, the cold water took Hunter by surprise, and he refused to sit back down again.  Subsequent pool time has allowed him to relax and enjoy splashing and playing.  Harper is such a bathing beauty, loving to transfer water in her various watering cans, and also hopping out of the pool to water the grass or flowers--despite her Mommy's urging to "keep the water in the pool."  We are lucky because our friend, Lucie, who lives upstairs--just the sweetest and most loving young lady who also watches the Hs on Wednesday afternoons for a couple of hours after Mimi leaves--joins us in the pool sometimes too!  

Aqua Man

Bathing beauty

I think we might need a bigger pool...

Harper and Dora, catching some Zzzs

As part of the aftermath of Harper's accident, the doctors emphasized the importance of keeping her scar protected from the sun so we continue to keep a bandaid on it during the day so that it's not exposed.  Her scar is looking much better, but it is definitely pink and noticeable.  However, we are feeling confident that it will fade in time, and in the meantime, Harper is having fun exploring all the different types of band aids out there: first Dora, then Barbie, and who knows what will be next!

Earlier this month, we also took advantage of the nice weather and went strawberry picking at nearby Verill Farm in Concord.  Harper probably ate more than we got into our bucket, but we had so much fun.  The strawberries were probably the most delicious I have ever tasted too.  It was a brutally hot day so, after finally filling our bucket, we headed over to Walden Pond to cool off.  The kids loved the sandy beach and calm water.  Hunter also loved the sand--unfortunately a little too much love there, as he decided he simply had to shove handfuls of sand into his mouth.  And all before nap time!  What an amazing and classically New England kind of morning.

Strawberry fields forever

I spy a little strawberry picker

Taste testing is important

Almost full!

Best summer treat ever

What happens when there is no fruit
at the farmer's market: yum.

We have also been taking advantage of the farmer's market in our town on Thursday afternoons, and we try to stop by after I finish work and pick up the kids at school.  Unfortunately, on our most recent trip, we missed ALL THE FRUIT IN THE WHOLE PLACE!  How is that even possible?  We consoled ourselves with some mango sorbet from the ice cream shop in our town center.  After all, mango is a fruit too.

When the temperatures hover a little too high for visits to the park and other outdoor adventures, we seek refuge indoors.  With these busy kids, there is never a shortage of things to do.  Harper has been spending a lot of time painting with her watercolors, and she continues to favor the color black.  She is also looooves playing with her collection of dolls, whose names are: Baby, Baby, Little Baby, Dolly, and Lion Baby.  Very logical.  Dolly is the only one with hair that can be brushed, and Harper is obsessed with putting it in her version of ponytails or braids.  Her affinity for hairstyling also extends to her own hair and mine.  I try my best not to yelp as she pulls and brushes.

Finally, some help with the laundry!

Hunter's interests, of course, are far less focused at this point in time.  He loves throwing the ball, and I'm convinced he will be an athlete like his father.  He is just such a physical little guy.  He is also a huge fan of playing peekaboo; his sweet giggle makes my heart soar.  When I'm lucky, he sometimes even "helps" me fold the laundry.  When we run out of things to do at home, sometimes we seek refuge in the air-conditioned, child-containing shopping carted bliss of Target.  Our routine is simple but effective: get our cart, stop at the Starbucks counter, and then grab our groceries.  Harper can now recognize the Target bulls-eye icon a mile away: proud parenting moments abound.

In our happy place.
Note the red cart--can you guess where we are?

Speaking of TRULY proud parenting moments, this month has been major for our sweet little Harper as well: she is officially potty-training!  We purchased her very first set of "big girl underpants" on one of the aforementioned Target trips; she went with a Hello Kitty theme.  She has been working hard on using the potty both at home and at school.  When she successfully uses the potty, she gets to choose a jellybean as a reward.  Lately, she's been all about blue jellybeans.  Whatever it takes!  Potty training really is exhausting business for all parties involved, but we are just SO proud of Harper's progress so far.  What's even better, she is so proud of herself!

Diapers, begone!  Proud girl.

So far, we are huge fans of the summer.  Next stop: July!  Watch out for the Wilsons.