First Trip to the Zoo

We took Hunter to the National Zoo in D.C. this weekend. Unfortunately, we picked an extremely hot and humid day to do so and many of the animals were hiding in their dens in an attempt to cool off. Despite the heat it was still nice to walk around and see the different animals.

They also have a Kid's Farm where children can pet the cows, goats, pigs, etc. Hunter LOVES his toy cows so much, but he wasn't quite prepared for the size of a real cow. As we approached and asked if he wanted to pet her, he vigorously shook his head "NO"!

We plan to go back in the fall when the weather is a bit more forgiving and can hopefully catch a glimpse at more of the animals then.

An Eastern Shore Tragedy...

Although Hunter enjoyed crab cakes the week prior, he clearly rejected the lump crab meat we offered him while picking our first steamed crabs of summer. Naturally, his mommy was appalled!

Things I Can't Get Enough Of...

Hunter does so many adorable things that just melt my heart. Yet, as he continues to grow and change, so do his behaviors. I wanted to take a moment to capture a few of the things I can't get enough of right now at his current age!

I LOVE THE WAY HE:

- leans forward for kisses

- says ma-ma to me and looks for me when we ask "where's mommy?", but also uses ma-ma as his mantra for everything else he encounters throughout his day

- hesitantly curls his hand to wave "bye-bye" because it is a new skill and he is still a bit uncertain

- drops his head to the side and onto his shoulder when he wants to look coy and adorable

- bounces up and down while waving his arm in the air as a greeting for those he recognizes (and some he doesn't)

- squawks while he crawls frantically around the house chasing Jack the Cat

- pauses to shake his head when we say "no-no", but then does what we are forbidding anyway

- belly laughs at the simplest things which then gets everyone else in the room laughing with him

- looks around with a big bright smile on his face when he does something he is proud of to make sure someone else saw it, too

- drops his head on our shoulder when he is exhausted and snuggles in

- squeals while motoring away as fast as he can, when we declare "I'm gonna get Hunter!"

- knows the names of most of his toys, and can locate them if you ask him to

- gets excited when we play hide and seek or peek-a-boo

- very seriously studies something new before passing judgement on whether he likes it or not

- gives us the biggest smile of the day when he first wakes up in the morning

- bounces up and down when he hears music because he loves to dance (just like mommy)

- works his way all around the crib, in every position imaginable, when he sleeps at night

- talks to and cuddles with his giraffe and teddy before bed, and again as he is slowly waking up in the morning

- is developing such a big personality. He makes faces and does things to try to entertain us and then he laughs at himself as well. He's just so darn cute I want to gobble him up!

Proud Daddy!

Hunter could not have made his daddy happier today as he dribbled the soccer ball across the floor!

Somebody has World Cup Fever!!

Corn on the Cob...Yummy!

Hunter ate his first ear of corn today. It was really pretty funny. He seemed to like it but didn't want to pick it up at first, so he brought his mouth down to his tray to take bites. Eventually he got brave enough to touch it. We decided to take it away when he started wielding it in the air like a light saber!

Wave to the Camera

This is short, but I thought it was too cute not to post...

Stair Climber

Hunter has been climbing stairs since he was 9 months old! Generally we are unable to catch it on video, as we follow him up the stairs closely to make sure he doesn't fall. (Thank goodness for baby gates!)

Today the stars aligned and we were able to capture it for you!

Beachin' It!

We took a trip to Ocean City this weekend and Hunter proved that he is definitely a beach baby like his mama! He absolutely loved the sand and ocean...though not so much the taste of them! He didn't even get upset when a big wave knocked him over, though he was understandably surprised. Of course, we are still working to get the sand out of all his little crevices! Mom-mom had taken us to Assateague, so we even had an exciting visit from the local ponies who walked across our blanket in search of food.

Ryan and I had a great time playing with Hunter, and felt a bit like kids ourselves, as we splashed in the surf and tried to build structures in the sand for him to knock down. Most of all, we really loved watching Hunter experience one more thing completed brand-new to him. Couldn't think of a better way to spend our joint Birthday and 1st Father's Day!

And, of course, a 3 hour return drive home means getting creative with the entertainment...

Future NBA Star?

Probably not...but he seems to enjoy playing anyway!

SO BIG!!

Hunter has been doing this since he was 9 months old, but we were unable to catch it on video until now!