Padre Teaser

Truman off to his part-time gig dealing blackjack in Vegas. But seriously, some of you may remember the saga of this infant visor that we found in South Padre last year (two years ago, actually. Follow the link and read through last year's post for the whole story). We're off next weekend for our annual trip to the coast, so stay tuned for more pics!

Greetings from the Garden State

We spent five days visiting my family in New Jersey last month! It was great to see everyone, but especially to meet baby Eli (brother of Phoebe, son of Elizabeth and Jason), who was baptized while we were there.



Eli, at two months (give or take).




We stayed with Grand Judy and Pop George. Truman loved visiting with them and getting to play with the Fisher Price toys from our childhood (Grand Judy knew what she was doing when she put those in storage so many years ago!).



With Aunt Elizabeth and Eli on our first day.



Munro! He and his mom Sue came in from NYC to see us. (Munro's about to celebrate turning three, by the way.)



Playing outside on Grand Judy and Pop George's deck. The weather was beautiful!



At Eli's baptism, where Paul and I were "sworn in" as godparents. (We had the easy job!)



On the way to the baptism after-party. Aunt Ellen and Gia, who watched T in the church, must have worn him out! Truman looked especially spiffy in his fall-themed cardigan and black lace-ups.



Playing with Phoebe on our last day.



Goodbye, NJ! So sad to leave, as always. (Apologies to the entire Reilly clan, who managed to escape our camera! Special thanks to Aunt Ellen, who gave Truman one of his new favorites: a baby Elmo book. The obsession continues....)



And thanks to Jason, who took some great photos for us, especially of Truman alone (you'll have to wait for the holiday card!).

First Haircut!

So we bit the bullet and took Truman to Cool Cuts 4 Kids on Saturday. We just couldn't bear the mullet any longer, and we wanted him to look spiffy for out upcoming trip to NJ.



We lucked out by getting Irene. She's obviously dealt with a lot of first haircutees. Even the fire engine seat couldn't fool Truman. Something big was about to happen, and he probably wasn't going to like it.



Trying to make a run for it.



Watching a Bob the Builder video, which he's never seen before. He didn't seem to like it. (We actually suggested Shrek the Third because he had caught a few minutes of this once and seemed mesmerized, but the Cool Cuts people clearly thought we didn't know what we were talking about and said, "No, that's too old for him. Let's try Bob the Builder.")



Things start going downhill, so we bring out the pacifier. (Things actually got worse, but Paul thought it best not to photograph that part.)



Dapper, but not happy.


Survivors of the first haircut.



A recap: Before......



.... and after.


Not a big difference, but a good one.

G & G

Pics from our recent visit with Grandmommy and Granddad. We had a good time with them, as usual.



Playing outside. (Check out our new bench in the background!)



Truman is always watching Granddad to see what he'll do next. It's pretty funny.


Truman directs the photographer.

Viruses and Visitors

We had both last weekend. (The visitors did not bring the virus, however.) Poor Truman was sidelined with a mysterious illness, which made him pretty miserable. He managed to rebound for some fun with Uncle Harvey and Aunt Linda, who came into town for a couple of days.


Uncle Harvey, T, and Aunt Linda.



By Sunday afternoon, Truman was showing signs of his old self (the one who likes to investigate all small spaces).



Trying on his frog slippers from Rachel and Kenny. We've had these for a while but they're just now fitting his feet.

Making of, Part II

After the photo shoot, things returned to normal, and Truman enjoyed hanging out with Grandmommy and Granddad. Thanks to them for the visit and the photos. (We forgot to take photos of them with Truman. Again. We stink.)


Truman exploring the neighborhood in his PJs.



Enjoying a ride on a neighbor's lawn sphinx.



Dancing with Mom.



Anticipating a tickle from Granddad.



My favorite.

The Making of Truman's Big Photo Shoot

We headed to Dallas on Saturday to have Truman photographed for his big debut in a datebook published for charity. (I mistakenly thought it was a 12-month calendar, with him as one of the featured children. Typical mom assumption!) Anyway, Truman was a trooper despite a rather long, hot day. Here are a few behind-the-scenes shots, courtesy of Paul, who was up in a second-floor bedroom overlooking the patio.


The photographer wanted to shoot him outside. Here, Truman decides that he doesn't want to pose near the flowers. (Note: I'm behind Truman, probably swatting a mosquito on my face. We're wearing matching colors for the family portrait taken before this series.)



James, the photographer, and his assistant Jason. James pulled out all the stops with Truman, who was a tough sell. Stuffed frog? Pink frilly feather? Truman was having none of it. (You can see me pinching the sleeve of Truman's shirt so that he doesn't run down the stairs to his right, which is all he really wanted to do.)


On the run after the reluctant subject.



Hopefully one of these bench shots worked. Most of them probably ended up like this one, with a skeptical Truman staring down the photographer.