September 17, 2011: First Rice Cereal

 Well, at least Mom was excited!  Everett wasn't (and still isn't) a huge fan of rice cereal.  I am writing this on his six-month birthday, and he is still not a huge fan of eating.  He is still trying to learn the concept of open mouth, insert food, move to back of mouth, and swallow.  As of 10-16-11, he has had rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, peas, and bananas, in that order.  So far, peas are the closest thing to a "favorite" that has eaten.  That's OK.  Poor Selwyn had to be the guinea pig for Mom's patience building, but Everett is reaping the benefits.  At his 6-month appointment on 10-13-11, he weighed in at 18 lbs., 14oz., and is 27.25 inches long, so there is nothing to worry about with growth!

September 17, 2011: Random Photo Shoot with Everett

                                                    He could not be any cuter.  Seriously.

 By 5 months old, Everett can do "push-ups," and he enjoys playing with toys on his belly.  He can move side to side a little bit to snag toys just out of reach.  He is such a happy baby, and he smiles at everyone he sees.

                                                       Those push-ups are EXHAUSTING.

                                                              Happy to rest on his back.

September 16, 2011: Everett is 5 Months Old!

 It was difficult to snag too many pictures in which Everett was not grabbing or eating my home made sign...

September 11, 2011: Ice Cream at Beal's on Veranda Street

 Sorry Lib's, but Beal's has you beat by a landslide on tastiness factor.  YUM.  It was kind of a chilly day, and we thought it might be our last ice cream of the season (turns out Beal's is hard to stay away from...).  Selwyn had something with a vanilla base and chocolate pieces.  I can't remember what Dad had, and I had pumpkin pie.  Delicious!  Subsequently, we learned that "Indian pudding" is the best thing on the entire planet.

September 10, 2011: Swinging in the Garage and Miscellany

 In our quest to identify things we can do this winter, we decided to clean out the garage to make a small play space for Selwyn that will be less chilly than outside.  Perhaps he can even ride his bike and play a bit of baseball.  Part of the plan is to hang swings from the thick center beam for Selwyn and Everett.  To test the idea, Scott threw the baby swing chain over a beam, and I stuck Everett in the swing.  It was a hit!  Later that day, Grampa Mac came and installed three sets of hooks for any combination of "big kid" and baby swings that we want to hang.  Thanks, Grampa Mac!

                                                                Everett loves the swing!

                                                     A couple shots with Daddy just for fun.

                An early Jumperoo shot before Everett really knew what to do with his feet and toes.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: Everett's First Day in Tiny Treasures and Selwyn's First Day in Busy Bees

 I made the executive decision to send Everett to "school" for four days before I planned to go back to work so that I could be sure he adjusted fine with having me just around the corner (he wouldn't take a bottle at home) and so I could get a bunch of things done on the "to do" list (like clean the garage, which I did).  It was a GREAT decision.  Everett took a bottle just fine about 4 hours into his first day.  Above are the boys before "school."  Selwyn has his bee shirt on to match his new class's name, and Everett wore a romper with a school bus on it. 

Below, Selwyn jumped right in to the activity going on in his new classroom (cutting play dough).  I don't have any pictures of Everett in his new classroom on that first day because it was an emotional drop-off for me.  My little sidekick and I had been together for nearly 5 months, and that drop-off was tough.  Fortunately, I felt fine pretty quickly, probably because I had such a long "to do" list to tackle, and Everett had a great first day. 

September 5, 2011: Everett's First Time Apple Picking at Thompson's in New Gloucester

 We have a tradition of picking apples at Thompson's in New Gloucester as a family at least once a year.  This year was Everett's first time.  The great thing was that it had been pouring rain, but then it let up as we enjoyed a donut, so we had the entire orchard all to ourselves and a front-row parking spot! Score!

                                     Selwyn, of course, enjoyed his sugary pumpkin donut.

                       Everett hung out in his seat until it was time to venture into the orchard.

 You can see evidence of the rain in the wet tire tracks.  Yes, Selwyn got soaking wet.

                         First bites for both boys.  Everett thought it was pretty fun to hold an apple.

             Mom's view over Evertt's head in the Baby Bjorn.  Everett also wanted to eat the apple tree leaves.

                                                                    Mom with her boys.

                                                        Here was the REALLY wet part...

September 4, 2011: Random Photo Shoot with Everett

                                                            Good God, is this baby cute...