Sweet Boy

Just when I think Maceo has crossed the line from baby to boy, I am reminded that 18 month is hardly a boy. I adore these photos. Thanks Craig.

Just Plain Cute

Maceo on his 18 month birthday!

Keeping Cool at the Playground

Maceo met up with his buddy Asher this afternoon to play in the sprinklers at the local playground. The unexpected surprise was getting to ride the Department of Parks and Recreation safari vehicle! I swear he had a bathing suit on but all of the best moments seem to occur when he is just stomping around in his pampers. As you can see, Maceo seems to be a natural behind the wheel!

More Water Fun

Memorial Day Weekend

We headed up to New Hampshire over the long weekend to spend some time with Grandpa BaBob and Grandma Judy. Despite the promising forecast, the weather was super steamy and intensely buggy. As a result, there was not as much time by the water as we planned. But as you can see from the photos, Maceo remains thoroughly entertained by water. And cold water at that. He experienced his first - albeit inadvertent - baptismal submersion after a little tumble, but recovered quickly and didn't loose any of this enthusiasm.

The Wildlife

Look at this mama lemur and her twin babies - amazing!


Maceo doing his best lion imitation.





Lazy lion.


The big beautiful peacock that greeted us when we first arrived.

Merry Go Round

Just in case it is not obvious, these two were trying their best to impersonate a roaring lion. These days, Maceo's favorite "aen-e-mal" (also known as "animal") is the lion so that was his immediate choice of companion. Who was having more fun? You decide for yourself...

A Wild Ride

Yesterday was Craig's birthday and we had a great afternoon and evening.

The fun started at the zoo with a bunch of "rides" as well as lots of animals. Maceo was determined to ride the cars, and only after buying my ride tokens (and I might add a spendy ride at $3) did I discover that nobody over 100 lbs. was allowed in the cars. That clearly ruled me out as the passenger in Maceo's car. Thankfully, the cars did have serious lap-belts, so I buckled Maceo in, confirmed with the operator that he would stop the ride and let me rescue him if he started to cry, and stepped outside the gates. I had no idea what Maceo's reaction would be. He looked a bit tentative as I walked away from him, but as soon as the cars started whirling around it was clear he didn't need me. As you can see from the photos, he had a blast and seemed to be quite impressed with the speed (note the sucked-in cheeks indicating major speed) and even got brave enough at the end to go for the classic, "look ma, no hands!" pose.

Hooking Up with Old Friends

During our stealth trip to NYC, we were lucky enough to coordinate with my dear college friend Lynnise and her family. Her son Cole was celebrating his 1st birthday so we were able to head to Brooklyn and join in the birthday celebration. Craig was beyond thrilled to discover that they lived just blocks away from the scene of Dave Chappelle's Block party! A fews days after the party we hooked up Lynnise, Khemenec and Cole at again at the Brooklyn Children's museum.

Mr. Independent

Maceo is defeintely entering the stage of independence. As his walking has moved beyond "tentative Frankenstein" to legitimate cruising, he loves to strike off on his own. Perhaps the funniest thing is that with each step he mutters, grunts and chats to himself - as if making sounds outloud creates a cadence that helps him put one foot in front of the other. So each step is peppered with undecipherable sounds with some actual real words sprinkled in. Here are some shots of him in the Forest Hills Cemetery. The ones with the metal pole make me think of him working construction on the highway.

Father & Son

Two peas in a pod.

Wow - there was GROUND under all that snow!

Maceo recently discovered that we have a backyard that you can actually walk in! When the winter began he hadn't learned how to walk yet, so the thaw has offered a brand new and exhilarating experience. In one shot you can see him noticing his reflection in a puddle.