A Friday Afternoon Concert

Katrina, who attended a violin camp last week in town, ended the week on a crescendo with her first concert in an orchestra. Aunt Aimee was so excited to see it and was particularly fond of the young cello section. Katrina played beautifully (and looked beautiful, too) and had a spot right up front in the violin section. Congratulations on a lovely concert!

Katrina just under the conductor's arm stage right.

Nickolas's Girlfriend

Over the weekend, Nickolas went to his girlfriend Findlay's birthday party. All of his friends from the neighborhood playground were there including Tyger. Nickolas and Findlay have a special bond -- perhaps he likes younger girls like his daddy.

Stewardesses: A Special Part of Our Nation's History

What an honor it was for Aimee to accompany sister Linda and kids to the Air and Space Museum. Linda was a flight attendant for Pan Am a few years ago and told us so much about the business, the layout of the cockpits, and the traditional standards back in the day of flight attendants. It was a trip (no pun intended) - quite fun and educational.

Welcome to Pan Am.


The cockpit layout.


Standards: polished nails, 135 pounds max, height: 5'2" to 5'7", neat hair, ages 21-26; ...

Our Nation's Capitol

Nickolas's cousins Katrina and Eric have been in town for a fun-filled week. They saw the Capitol, White House (East AND West Wing), Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, Holocaust Museum, Spy Museum, the National Cathedral, Arlington Cemetery, Supreme Court, National Zoo, and all of the monuments. They also rode the subway (Metro) which was quite fun. Nickolas had a great time playing with his big cousins and hopes they can come again soon.

On the subway.

At the Supreme Court.

At the Capitol.

At the Grotto on the Senate Side.

At the West Wing of the White House (thank you Mark!).

White House Press Room.

At the National Cathedral.

The National Zoo

Nickolas went to the National Zoo with his cousin Katrina at a special evening event with BBQ, sundaes, and pink lemonade. Nickolas was so excited to see the pandas, he threw the lid of his sippy cup towards their little home. The pandas were fat and happy feasting on their bamboo dinner. We were quite lucky to see both Mei Xian and Tian Tian. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/



Eating icecream sundaes with Katrina.


Riding a wee bear statue.


Nickolas with the giant panda on his left.


Nickolas, Katrina, and Aimee by the panda.

Pediatrician Appointment: Mr. 40 percent!

Nickolas had his 15-month check-up today although he's closer to 16 months now. He's growing nicely and thriving. We just need to work on his word count since about all he says is mamamamama and dadadadada and the occasional "hi".

He now weights 21 lbs 7 oz (13th percentile), measures at 31 1/4 in (40th) and his head is 19 in (70th). Four months ago at twelve months he weighed: 18 lbs 13 oz (4th!), height: 29 in (20th), and head: 18 1/2 (70th) so he's gone up nicely in weight in height. Dan keeps calling Nickolas Mr. 40 % since he's so tall. His height is also exactly one-half the height of his mommy.

http://weechitlin.blogspot.com/2008/02/1-year-check-up.html

Nickolas relaxing before his big check-up this morning.

What a Difference Four Months Makes

Nickolas and Greta went to Sears again for a photo shoot. This time proved more challenging -- Nickolas would not stand for the camera and Greta kept crawling away. It was a big occasion for Greta since her session was for her one-year portrait (Happy Birthday Greta!). I primarily wanted to capture Nickolas an a particular outfit given to us by a friend that came from a fancy 5th Avenue store in New York. The pictures taken, of course, don't give the outfit justice; however, this shot was funny since it was identical to one Nickolas took for his one-year. It's amazing how much he's changed in four months.

Father's Day Surprise

Nickolas had an exciting week -- he spent three afternoons testing out a new daycare setting at Miss Bennie's home with seven other children. Dan and Aimee dropped Nickolas off for his first three-hour try on Wednesday. When Aimee went to pick Nickolas up, he smiled, but then ran right past his mommy towards something new and exciting in another room. In the three afternoons there, he did not shed a tear and seemed to have a happy and fun time. The other children range in age between 6 months and 30 months, so at 16 months, Nickolas fit right in. He passed out in the car exhausted after the first afternoon and came home the other two days very busy and eager to play with his toys - almost in a new way unlike before. Next week, he'll start with full days. Should be quite an adventure for the wee one. Luckily, he really seems to be enjoying it.

On Friday, when Aimee picked him up, in Nickolas's hand was this (pictured below). He made it today with his very own hand prints for his daddy on Father's Day. Happy Father's day, Dan!

Make Way For Nickolas

Nickolas does not have much interest in television. We have some nice DVDs for him, but he usually has other things to do and explore versus sitting in front a bunch of moving pictures. Can't blame him, really, and it's likely much more of a healthy existence.

However, we stumbled upon one program he actually shows an interest in. It was so surprising to us, we had to take a picture (shown below with his teddy bear). Last Sunday, our air conditioning when out on a 98 degree day for a few hours. Luckily we had it cranked so it stayed cool enough inside; however, we wanted to be sure Nickolas stayed cool. The only way we could ensure he wouldn't be exerting any unnecessary energy was to put on his favorite little program called "Make Way for Noddy". Noddy is a little wooden boy who lives in Toyland with various other characters. The animation is very cute with aerial shots of Toyland as Noddy drives around. There's always a lesson learned in Toyland. It appears as though Nickolas knows good British TV - the show originated there. http://pbskids.org/noddy/

Race Weekend

Yes, this is Nickolas's blog, however, Aimee can't help but share the fun time she had with her brothers at the Milwaukee Mile 200 (formally known as the Miller 200). Each year, it's the first race after the Indianapolis 500 and has all of the same star drivers. Aimee likes Indy cars - can you tell?

Brian, David, and Aimee

Toys

Nickolas had a fun time playing with the old toys Grandma Julie pulled out from when Aimee and her brothers were wee ones. We also found an old picture of Aimee when she was a similar age with one particular toy. Nickolas's favorite was the retro basketball hoop that Uncle Brian -- even back then making scoreboards and graphics -- put his special touch on back in the early 80s noting the teams "U.S.S.R." and "U.S.A".

Zoo Animals

Godmother Amy took Nickolas to the Milwaukee County Zoo during a special viewing with extended hours. Nickolas saw a Siberian tiger very up-close - the tiger just happened to be walking our way without us initially realizing what creature's habitat was through the Plexiglas. He also saw grizzly bears, monkeys, apes, giraffes, flamingos, peacocks, fish and various reptiles, as well as elephants. On a side note, Godmother Amy and Aimee worked at the zoo during the summer of 1996 in various food stations and popcorn wagons, so it was a bit of a blast from the past - and fun to be a visitor, for once.

Good Time in Wisconsin

Nickolas visited his grandparents in Wisconsin last weekend. He was quite entertaining to everyone who stopped by. Grandma Julie and Grandpa Jim took great care of Nickolas while Aimee visited with friends, went to an Indy car race with the boys, and slept in (a little). We didn't catch any Brewers games, but enjoyed the winning streak while we were there. We had so much fun - thank you Grandma and Grandpa for such a great and enjoyable time.

It's nice to meet you Penny Lane (Uncle David and Liz's puppy).

Peek-a-boo with Great-Grandma Felicia and Grandma Julie.

Lots to explore at Great-Grandpa Russ's home.

Going to Wisconsin tuckers me out, but it sure is fun!

Grandpa, the trash basket belongs on your head, not the floor. And, thanks for getting me riled up each night before bed -- it was fun!