Brian and Bethany visit

Brian and Bethany came to visit this weekend. On Saturday, we went to the inner harbor and had lunch at a seafood restaurant right on the water called Rusty Scupper. Later we walked around the harbor which was actually kind of overrun with people because the New York Yankees were in town to play the Orioles. On Sunday we went to the Hampden neighborhood and ate brunch at the Golden West Cafe. Later we walked off our meal a little at the Johns Hopkins University undergraduate campus. Finally, we stumbled on to a wine and jazz festival in Mount Washington Village (a neighborhood near ours). Aiden did a great job all weekend, especially given how much running around we did. He must have been happy to be spending time with his aunt Bethany and uncle Brian. Anyway, it was great seeing those guys and we took plenty of pictures (click on a picture below to see the whole album).

You can see in the first set of photos Aiden is sporting a Chicago Bears outfit. Chris and Michelle Arbuckle sent this out. Also, Brian and Bethany brought Bears gear with them. I guess my friends and family don't want him to have any confusion on where his allegiances should lie now that we live in Baltimore Ravens country.

UPDATE: Brian and Bethany sent us the pictures that they took this weekend and they look great. You can take a look at their photos by clicking HERE.

Lauren & Brian visit Baltimore

This past weekend, we were lucky enough to have a visit from friends Lauren (some of you will remember her as a bridesmaid in our wedding) and Brian. They drove in from Morgantown, WV to meet Aiden and see a few sites in Baltimore. Friday evening we dined at Blue Agave, a sort of gourmet Mexican restaurant and tequila bar in a fashionable part of town here known as Federal Hill. On Saturday I took them to the Inner Harbor (a must-see for Baltimore newbies). Aiden was on his best behavior for both outings (meaning he slept through most of it).

They brought Aiden the cutest little warm-up suit (complete with hoodie), which we're looking forward to breaking in when we go camping with the fam in the mountains of Virginia in a couple weeks. It's one size bigger than his current age but as you can see from some of the recent photos, it may fit him by then! (We were all struck by his size on Saturday at the harbor, when we were seated for lunch next to a family with a 6 week old, looking about half the size Aiden did at that age!) Lauren also encouraged my sweet tooth by bringing maple leaf shaped gingerbread cookies (Lauren's a fantastic cook, specializing in desserts...mmmmm.....I'm remembering her batches of Christmas cookies....) in honor of the autumn season. It didn't feel much like fall yet, though, down by the water in the blazing sun last weekend. Summer continues to rage here--it was 90 degrees this afternoon! Needless to say, I'm in heaven, loving the lengthy summer season here in the mid-atlantic (it's such a short season in central Illinois). Check out the photos below (or click HERE to view the whole album. yes, there are a bunch more baby pictures in it :) You all can thank Lauren and Brian for these!

Lastly, we want to be sure to wish our sister-in-law Tracie a very happy birthday today!!! When I talked to her earlier, she had the day off from work and was on her way to go shopping....ah...life before babies :)

Baby superpost

So there was a backlash to the lack of baby pictures recently. Let me summarize the response to the last couple posts: "Enough of the blah, blah, blah...we want more baby". I just want to tell you all that the audience has spoken and I hear you loud and clear. So with that in mind, I have included some pics we took when Julie's mom came up a couple weekends ago, along with some various others. I also intend to add some photos to this post after the "Grandmarazzi" sends me her pics (she had some excellent pics on her camera). Each pic below links to a small group of photos.

UPDATE: I have added Paula's pics below at the bottom right. It has several of her feeding Aiden with a bottle. Also, she was getting him to smile at his own reflection (this was not captured on film....just thought those might need a little explaining).

Lord and Lady Baltimore

We have been enjoying the fruits of all of Tara's hard labor in the garden this summer. (I guess it's early fall now? Hard to believe in a couple weeks it'll be October, although it's starting to really cool down at nights here now.). Pictured below are Lord (red) and Lady (pink) Baltimore hibiscus (or, as my Grandma Turner calls them, "Scarlet" and "Melanie"), which are currently in full bloom. It seems like every time one thing finishes blooming, another comes to life. It's truly wonderful. Inspired, I brought home some new additions from Watson's nursery last week--a limelight hydrangea and some purple coneflowers--but I'm worried they might croak before I even get them in the ground, since I didn't realize we didn't own a shovel (never had an occasion to need one at the condo back in Champaign!).

You would think in a week I could make it out of the house to buy a shovel, but as I was telling my friend Bethany yesterday, a simple thing like that can be totally impossible for a new parent such as myself. Take this blog post, for instance. The picture's been uploaded and ready for me to make comments since the 9th (it's very un-Julie of me to wait this long!). On another note, Bethany had called with some big news that I thought deserved highlighting. For those of you who met her and Jose at our wedding--those two crazy kids just got engaged! Congratulations, guys!! Hopefully this doesn't embarrass you too much :)

Aiden is doing really well these days...grinning from ear to ear about just about everything. The little bugger just gets cuter all the time. My mom was here this weekend taking tons of pictures (she calls herself a member of his paparrazzi) and as soon as she sends us those we'll have more to share with you guys (hint, hint, Mom!).

Our Neighborhood

In honor of the Jewish holidays, I thought that I would dedicate a post to our neighborhood out here in Baltimore. We live in a neighborhood in the northwest part of the city. It is interesting because it is predominantly an orthodox Jewish area. It is a a rather unique learning experience for Julie and I. Currently it is the season of some of the biggest Jewish holidays. Last week was Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and this weekend is Yom Kippur (the day of atonement). During Rosh Hashanah, many of the folks in our neighborhood participated in the Tashlikh. This a ritual in which participates cast pockets full of bread into a moving body of water to signify casting away sin. A fellow resident tells me that in New York her synagogue throws bread into the Hudson River, but in our neighborhood it is the Western Run Creek (a little mosquito farm about half a block from our house). Anyway, I didn't take any photos of the ritual but you can read further about the Jewish Holidays (here). Also, I scanned an image of an advertisement that was left on our front porch. It is "mini mishpacha" a doll set for orthodox Jewish children. You can get a feel for the conservative dress. An especially interesting custom is that they don't work from sun down on Friday to sun down Saturday (It's Shabbat dude!--the Jewish day of rest). In fact, I am told that work includes turning light switches on and off...and some even remove the bulb from the fridge....that's dedication.

Aiden smiles for the camera

I was finally able to capture Aiden smiling on film (I have been waiting 6 whole weeks for this). Even though he has thrown a smile in here or there it has always been fleeting and tough to get on film. Incidentally, 50% of the time the smile has been followed by passing gas. Anyway, we were able to get some decent pics of him smiling in response to Julie sticking her tongue out at him. She also likes to tell him that his head is "a little bigger than a lemon, little smaller than a melon"...it gets him every time. Click on the picture below to see the whole series.

Labor Day Weekend

Julie and I decided to enjoy our long holiday weekend by taking the 15 minute drive up to the Maryland State Fair. We treated ourselves to corn dogs and "lemon shake ups" but no rides for us this time. Julie (and Aiden) got to go to their first Thoroughbred horse race. In fact, we hoped to get a start on Aiden's college fund by doing a little betting, but alas, it looks like he's headed to a public university like dad...Anyway, check out the pics below.

Aiden's first friends

We had dinner at Phil and Tara's new house earlier this week. You can see pics of us with their two adorable children Maia (3 years old) and Leo (just over 1 year) by following the link (click here). I also tried my hand at adding video to the site. Below is a video of Maia singing "I have to Crow" from Peter Pan the musical. She knows nearly all the words to every song in Peter Pan and the Lion King (among others). Anwyay, I think this kid is going to be a star someday.