Swimmin' and Smilin'

Yesterday, we tried swimming for the first time!  It didn't last long, but it's looking promising. We got all lubed up with sunblock and took a dip for all of two minutes, but no crying.  He just sort of had this look of "where am I, what am I doing here?"  Vinny's lips began shivering, so we got out quickly before any meltdown could ensue.  The water was unusually refreshing for this time of year, so the air felt especially chilly afterwards.  after a short break for warm sunshine, we tried it again, this time lasting a few more minutes.  Still no crying.  He looked so adorable all wrapped up in a big beach blanket.  That was a lesson in itself-next time, skip the cute baby towels and go right for the big beach blankets!  Those swim dipes don't hold water, so drip they do!  Whoa, did we have some soaking wet towels!  Thank you Joni for letting us take a dip in your pool.  Can't wait to do it all over again!

Here he is all tuckered out after "playing" in the pool.  Normally, Vincent prefers to get rocked or bounced to sleep (and who wouldn't quite frankly?), but after a few minutes kicking on the floor, he was lights out, hard!

Look how tall he is getting!  I can not believe how fast he is growing and changing.

Vincent first flashed a smile my way Memorial Day weekend.  It was brief, but unmistakable all the same.  But lately, he is becoming more and more animated.  We can make him smile by tickling his cheeks, lips, and nose.  And sometimes, we get lucky and catch him smiling randomly.

Finally, I just had to post this shot, just because.

OH WAIT!!!  How could I forget to tell you all????  Vincent is sleeping through the night!!!  He falls asleep anywhere between 7 and 8 and wakes up between 5 and 6.  I thought it was a fluke earlier this week, but 3 nights out of 4 in one week?  We might be on a roll!  And what's even better is that he is not as crabby when he wakes up.  In fact, he is at his happiest in the morning.

We are really looking forward to this weekend.  We leave for CT Friday morning at the crack of dawn.  I am praying Vincent's ears don't hurt.  Anthony will celebrate his first Father's Day Sunday, and I am especially excited for that.  Even better, Vincent will get to be with his Daddy, Grampa, Boppo, and Godfather all together on Father's Day.  How special.

Skype!

You might think this is a picture of how well Vince is holding his head up these days (and he is!) but, no.  Look carefully...this is Vincent Skype-ing with his Babci, Papa, and Uncle Tommy this morning!  What fun!  We generally dial them up on the computer every Sunday and sometimes on Tuesdays when Uncle Walter and Cioci Vicki are over for supper, too.  It is so great for us to be able to see them when we talk rather than just hear them on the phone.  But what's even better is they can see Vincent kicking, smiling, squirming, playing, sleeping, and cooing in real time.  I am so grateful for this new technology because we are so far away.  This really makes up for us not being able to be there in person.  Vincent really seems to enjoy it, too.  He notices the faces on the screen and responds to their voices-ESPECIALLY my Gram's!  He was pretty fussy this morning when we dialed her up, but as soon as he saw her face and heard her talking to him, he settled down.  What a special relationship Vince is forging with his Great-Grandparents.  Not many can say that.

Here he is earlier this week talking to Gramma.  He had just fallen asleep, but that doesn't stop Gramma from loving every minute of watching him!

We've also been on-line with Auntie Missy, Uncle Greg, and cousins Ben and Sammy, Auntie Gail and Uncle Mike, Auntie Nancy, and cousin Donny.  I love being able to put the camera right on Vince, that way I don't have to worry about making sure my hair is brushed!  But if you are on your computer and have a web cam, get yourself hooked up with skype and keep it logged on so we can dial you up!  We don't care if you haven't done your hair!

Can We Play, Too?

The dogs are beginning to show a little more interest in the baby these days, Murphy more so than Lucy.  Lucy checks him out briefly, but that's about all.  Murphy on the other hand has begun to give Vince lots of big, wet, slobbery kisses.  Vince doesn't seem to be bothered by them either.  Murphy thinks it's her playtime, too when I put Vince on the quilt to play.  You can see she dropped her duck on his mat to join in on the fun.  I can't wait for Vince to get a little bigger to start playing with her.  Every dog needs a boy and Murphy has waited a long time for hers!