Summer Recap

This summer was one to remember. We didn't make it up north or to the beach, but we did a lot of other special things I'd like to remember.

Our summer started in mid-May when I became a SAHM and Joe started his internship. He worked hard all summer, loved his job, and can now say that he has an offer and will be starting full time in March! In some ways, I feel like I worked harder than I ever have this summer (taking care of a baby 24/7 is no joke), but in other ways I feel like I didn't work at all since I loved what I was doing. Spending every day just hanging out with my baby boy was so special.

Joe had the car at work this summer so Tripp and I were left to walk everywhere. And that's what we did! We averaged 4-5 miles a day, which made me feel better about not getting to go to the gym. We went to the park where Tripp had his first ride on a swing. We set up a blanket and watched kids playing on the playground. We walked to Kerrytown and the farmers's market a lot. We sometimes attended the storytime/playgroup at the downtown library, and we ran errands to the post office, bank, grocery store, etc. Getting out of the house at least once a day was crucial for this mama's sanity :)

In June, Joe's mom and Aunt came to visit us for a couple days and in August we went to MD to see them. Tripp had his first plane ride and did great both ways. He slept, ate grapes and Cheerios, played with toys, and spent lots of time flirting with the lady across the aisle from us. At Gigi's house he got to swim in the pool everyday which he loved. He also got to see Annapolis and meet our friends Marc and Cher. We also took a weekend trip to Grand Rapids in July. We stayed with our friends Matt and Kelly and visited the Frederik Meijer sculpture garden and had wonderful food at Marie Catrib's and Reserve. Tripp and I stayed one extra day so that we could visit with my high school friends and his future girlfriend Riley.

Tripp hit lots of milestones this summer. I should have been better about writing these down as they happened, but oh well. He began the summer by learning to sit up unassisted (at about 6.5 months). It wasn't long before he was scooting backwards and then "crawling" forwards. His crawl was unique when he started at about 7.5 months and looked more like a swimming motion. He "crawled" without using his legs, until about 9 months when he started to crawl for real. He loves pulling up on everything, can walk holding onto furniture or our hands and has figured out how to climb a few stairs. At about 8 months he finally started sleeping through the night and consistently taking two naps a day. Tripp's main form of communication is growling, but he can also say "mama". He knows how to give kisses (open mouth ones) and waves goodbye. It's been so much fun this summer watching him develop.