cruising: back-pack style

Trevor is now at the age where he can ride in a backpack. He enjoys the scenery from above and likes the backpack as much as he does the stroller. After a bit, the ride on Daddy's back lulled him to sleep.

lil gardner

Trevor has been my assistant landscaper during the day. He mostly sits on the blanket and watches, but here he is inspecting the mulch for quality control.

little dutch boy

As you may know, I am mostly Dutch, which makes Trevor a little Dutch boy. We went to Michigan last week to celebrate Tulip Time. Trevor had fun eating, I mean smelling, the Tulips. We also watched the parade on Wednesday, saw the Dutch dancers on a couple nights, and dressed Trevor in a Dutch costume.

cinco de mayo

Ok, we're doing a blog about cinco de mayo a couple weeks late. But doesn't he look festive? Silly Grandpa (Tom) put on the sombrero and sunglasses while an unsuspecting Trevor was napping. All he needs are some nachos and a margarita....que bueno!

packing up

"Should he stay or should he go? If he stays there will be trouble, if he goes it will be double...." This has been the week of packing, and (much to his chagrin) Trevor has had to entertain himself.

The weather has been so beautiful this week that I've had a hard time being motivated to pack - so we had to sneak out for a walk with Dad, which Trevor always enjoys.

uncle bud

While we were in Michigan, Trevor and I went to watch my brother Adam, aka "Uncle Bud," play LaCrosse. Trevor was transfixed by the action for the first hour; by the second hour, he needed some activity. Gary (a family friend pictured with Opa and Trevor) encouraged Trevor to "hit people with sticks" as they do in the violent sport of LaCrosse. It doesn't fit with our philosophy of peace, but I suppose boys will be boys. Case in point: Trevor got in a tossle with the neighbor boy (6 weeks older) over a magic wand and the boys were indeed hitting each other with the magic stick.

wedded bliss

Todd's sister, Tara, married David Alberth on April 8. Trevor attended the event in style and was decked out in his sweater vest, khakis and velcro tie. He declined to invite a guest but did express interest in a local girl, Brooke, who happens to be the pastor's daughter.

naughty opa

Opa and Oma came for a visit and Opa is already demonstrating how he is going to spoil Trevor. He tried to tempt Trev with some Diet Coke (my and my dad's crack). In fact, my dad used to put Coke in my bottle, and, upon seeing him after work, I would hold it out to him saying "Cocos...Cocos." I thought this other photo of Opa and Trevor together was also really nice. Sometime, we'll have to have Oma and Trevor on the blog - but she'll have to confiscate him for a photo op from the self declared, "baby hog."

oops

So, I was feeding Trevor his breakfast of oatmeal and applesauce when Penny insisted that she absolutely must go outside pronto. I put Trevor's bowl of food out of reach... or so I thought! Needless to say, Trev's new nickname is "destructo commando." The close-up picture says it all, "who me?"

pirate

Arrrrr..... I'm a wee little pirate cutting a tooth!

bathtime

Trevor is still a big fan of bathtime, and I'm not sure which aspect he likes more: being naked or splashing me! He is working on the skill of sitting-up independently and uses bathtime and the bathtub ledge to practice. One of his favorite parts of taking a bath is cleaning his toes because it reminds him of his feet which he likes to kick - hence, the water everywhere :)

happy baby pose

Trevor is becoming quite the yoga master and regularly demonstrates his flexibility by grabbing his toes and rocking back and forth.

upside down

One of Trevor's favorite activities is hanging upside down. He squeals with delight and opens his mouth wide and cranks his head back in a very strange position. If he could, he would hang like a bat all day long.

cotton eyed joe

We simply love Trevor in this plaid shirt and jean set. There is a matching sweater but it was drool-soaked within 5 minutes - such is the life of a teething lad.

carrots

Rice cereal is good... but carrots are FANTASTIC! We recently made the transition to solid foods, and Trevor couldn't be happier. When feeding him rice cereal, he circles round and round in his exer-saucer making us chase him round with the spoon. However, for carrots, he'll stay perfectly still with his mouth open and ready.
Needless to say, the bib is not optional.

painting Trevor

After Trevor's (or our) dedication, Trevor and I headed to Michigan with my parents to try and escape Todd's sickness and his double pink eye - poor guy was REALLY sick. Trevor did end up with a cold but luckily not the virus Todd had or pink eye. While in Michigan, I painted a portrait of Trevor. It was a strange experience painting someone you see everyday and trying to capture their essence (it was akin to a self portrait). I really enjoyed the opportunity to paint again; watching Trevor during the day does not afford much uninterrupted time - so it was a real treat.

parent dedication

Trevor was dedicated (or I suppose, according to doctrine, that we were dedicated to raising Trevor in the faith) on Sunday, January 29 at Madison Park Christian Church. He wore a sweater knit by Grandma Judy, which received many compliments. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Linda drove down from Michigan to celebrate.

the littlest cruiser

We lost our camera on the cruise, but now have a new one - so we are back in the blogging business :) At 4 months, Trevor was certainly the littlest cruiser (especially since the minimum age is 6 months!) This picture was taken by Aunt Heidi and shows a typical scene on the ship: Grandpa Tom walking around with Trevor to keep him occupied and not fussy. He was happy as long as he was on the move and constantly looking at new scenery, especially the mirrors on the elevator.

two babies

For Christmas, Trevor, Todd, Penny, and I went to Pennsylvania to visit Todd's family (whew...14 hours each way in the car with a baby!) Judy enjoyed her role as a grandma and held Trevor whenever possible; Rick carried around and bonded with Penny, the other "baby." Needless to say, both our "babies" had a good trip. This week we're leaving on a cruise with the Bocks. Trevor is quite the world traveler at 3.5 months :)

joy to the world

A jolly young man, Trevor declared, "let there be joy to the world" as he sat dressed in his Christmas outfit beneath the tree. He in turn was filled with glee.

mama's boy

Here is a pic of Trevor and I getting ready for a Christmas party. As much as I miss "my old life" it is nice to be with Tre so much and to develop a strong maternal bond with him - the other stuff will come later.

rub-a-dub-dub

Rub-a-dub-dub, Trevor's in the tub. Bathtime with Tre is one of my favorite daily routines. He loves to kick his legs and splash water everywhere. We put the plastic tub over the kitchen sink, and he has taken quite the liking to Amy's Sacksteder's black & white print that is on the wall over the sink - he crooks his head to look at it during bathtime. What can I say? He gets his artistic taste from his mom :)

trevy the snowman

Trevy the snowman is a happy, jolly little man who will be celebrating three months on Friday, December 16!

exer-saucer

Trevor isn't quite old enough for the exer-saucer (in terms of head/neck support), but he's enjoying it backwards with his weight propped up against the higher backend of the chair. He loves to play with the gadgets and spin around using his feet. Here he is saying good-bye to Dad and showing his early morning glee (Trevor does not like sleeping in as much as I do!).

working out

Todd and I call Trevor's learning time with his floor mat activity center "working out" because he gets so physically involved. He enjoys watching a flashing Baby Einstein star and kicking his feet in time with the music. He also likes putting the lady bug (pictured here) in his mouth, especially the knotted legs. This of course leads to torrents of drool, which in the realm of baby fluids, I prefer to spit-up and other unmentionables.

friends

On Friday night, Trevor got together with his friend Evelyn (5 months). They had a great time conversing and holding hands. Evie even cried in empathy when Tre was fussy from his immunization shots. Neither one wanted to drift off to sleep for fear they might miss something.

gobble, gobble

Trevor and I ventured to Michigan via Amtrak to visit my family for an extended 1.5 week stay. It was a nice diversion from the everyday routine, and I appreciated the extra hands/help. Todd joined us for the Thanksgiving holiday. Although he did not eat the free range, organic turkey that I had (mmm...), Tre did manage to fill out quite nicely over the trip. He now has a bonafide second chin and dimples where you would normally see knuckles. He is pictured here with Aunt Erin before her wisdom teeth extraction/nightmare.

what's so funny?

Apparently, Trevor has some inside joke. He keeps laughing all of the time. I never knew rattles could be so exciting. Maybe it's just our faces. . .

little sultan

Lately, Trevor has been insisting that we carry him around everywhere. Of course, we understand the need to be held and the excitement of looking at new things/places; yet, he does seem like an impatient little sultan whom we placate by providing continual transportation. We just need a little turban hat.

regarding penny

Penny has been acutely aware of Trevor since his arrival - responding to him with a mixture of curiousity and jealousy. Tre is just starting to regard Penny and to make eye contact with her googly eyes. Neither of them have really mastered the art of looking you straight in the eyes - Trevor's eyes still cross at times (though we are confident this will work itself out; if not, he has a grandpa in the right field!) and we have accepted that Penny's eyes will never be quite right.