5 Months!

Yesterday, Sapphie turned 5 months old. Can you believe it? The time is really flying by. What news do we have? Well, the biggest event we had this month was probably my Hooding Ceremony. Yes, I'm officially a Doctor of Philosophy. The ceremony was pretty boring overall, and it was hot. But I'm glad we went, and I am proud of myself. The coolest part was at the end, everybody stood and applauded for the PhD's. It's no small feat, and the degree comes with a lot of respect. Sapphie was very well-behaved of course, and we had a really special gathering after the ceremony with some great food, drinks, and company.
I also celebrated my first Mother's Day, starting in Northampton and ending in Shelburne at the Bearded Frog. It was a wonderful day!! Kevin got me some very luxurious L'Occitane hand cream to keep in my diaper bag.
Sapphie has been very busy. She has been rolling over, stretching, growing, and eating a lot! We just started her on rice cereal (on her birthday), and she loved it! We'll stick to that for now, and maybe add some more foods next month. She weighs 16 pounds and is growing out of all her cute clothes. See for yourself in the slideshow below! And here are a few of my favorites:

We had our first girls night out
Sapphie loves Isaac
Snoozing with Daddy
Playing on her blanket with the dogs

And here are a bunch more!

Coffia

I love coffee. Do you? The smell of freshly ground beans, the anticipation of that first sip, the very thought of it makes me feel instantly at peace with the world. Since I'm nursing, my daily caffeine fix usually comes from a small cup of tea. On the weekends, however, and once a week (my baby-free Fridays), I splurge and make myself a 1/2-caff cup of freshly brewed coffee. In the Wall family, we call it "coffia". The word means more than just a hot drink; it means relaxation, bonding, reflection, and good conversation. Brenda was always my regular coffia date, and I've yet to replace her! I hope we can have some coffia soon. Have you had your coffia this week? If not, call a friend and make a date! Or head down to Church Street solo and enjoy some coffia and some excellent people watching.

A beautiful soy-milk latte made for me at Uncommon Grounds

Mr. Mischief

No, Cabot has not graduated from his crate yet and no, I don't think he will anytime soon.

Here he is thinking about jumping off our 2nd story deck. He doesn't know I'm watching him.

And here he his chewing on the railing of the deck. Luckily that is the old railing and we were in the process of removing it.

Good ol' boy...

Weekend in Northampton

This weekend, we had a wonderful visit with Ree and Grandpa Dick in Northampton. The weekend started with our late arrival, followed by some cocktails and a European (9pm!) dinner. Grandpa grilled up some swordfish, and Ree made her famous coleslaw. Yummy! Saturday morning, we got ready at a leisurely pace and then went to breakfast at the Strawbale Café in Westhampton. It’s the cutest little café, on a farm, with the yummiest homemade breakfast. They also sell their own maple syrup and homemade soaps. I had a healthy Eggs Benedict with spinach and no hollandaise (yes, I’m still off dairy). Kevin had an egg sandwich with a side of corned beef hash. Grandpa had blueberry pancakes, and Ree got her usual baked eggs. We were so stuffed by the time we left, we were ready for a nap!

Saturday afternoon, we went to watch Natalie play soccer. She has grown so much I hardly recognized her! Even though she’s 10 years old, I will always picture her as the adorable 2-year old she was when I met her. Well, the chubby cheeks are gone and she’s all legs! A great runner too, it was fun to watch her play. Before we knew it, the game was over and they had won! The rest of the Aquadro family came over for dinner that night, and we had an Italian feast. Stuffed pork tenderloin, white sweet potatoes, applesauce, and lots of veggies…then, cannolis for dessert!! Of course I had to pass because of the cream, but Kevin ate extra for me :)

Sunday was my first Mother’s Day! It was full of excitement, starting with Ree banging on our bedroom door at 8am.“The turkey’s are going wild out here!” she yelled. We ran out into the living room to watch the show. I video-taped it! You must check it out. Sorry for the sideways shots, I didn’t realize what I was doing. Then, about an hour later, Sapphie rolled over! Kevin was in the bathroom so when he came out, I put her on her belly and she did it again, and again and again!! It was so exciting. We were clapping and shouting and she had no idea what all the fuss was about.

We ended the trip with an awesome lunch at the Gleason’s to celebrate Aileen’s birthday. Everybody was there, and we had grilled steak and all sorts of salads and sides. The Gleason’s have such a beautiful home; although Danny says he still has lots of work to do. We talked bees, had ice cream cake and cupcakes, and enjoyed watching the clothes blow in the wind. On Sapphie’s cue for naptime, Kevin and I headed back to Vermont. On the way out, we scored some Danali honey!! Thank you Ree and Grandpa Dick for a wonderful weekend xoxo

Some pictures from our visit

Turkey video with Ree and Sapphie

Photo dump

It's been too long! I'm sorry for the stale blog, but this month has really been very busy. It's springtime!!!
Sapphie is huge and just keeps getting bigger. Major events this month: she rolled over (once), she started sucking her thumb regularly (and likes to do it intermittently while nursing), and she is grabbing things like crazy! She holds her bottle and her nuk, and is very proactive about putting them in her mouth.
Her talking is getting more frequent and she's added new sounds to her repertoire. Last night, I dreamed that she said her first word! It was "snowboard". As you know we had a great weekend in Newport for Easter, and have just come back from another wonderful trip to Massachusetts. Please enjoy all of the photos! xoxo