Some things require a professional

In my admittedly limited experience, I have learned that some tasks are perfect for DIY status (that is Do It Yourself for those of you who don't watch HGTV), while others are best left to the experts.  It may go without saying that when I say "expert," I don't mean someone who has watched two videos on YouTube, but rather a person with professional training in a given field.  This issue has been brought into focus for me of late due to Mommy deciding to play stylist and give my hair a trim.  

I look like a dweeb.  A trip to the barber with Daddy is scheduled for Saturday.  Mommy says it just needs to be evened out. Daddy says some things can't be salvaged.

 I will need to wear a hood to maintain my street cred.  Holla.

Pre-haircut, I had a really fun Sunday when my cousins came over.  Uncle Brendan and Teddy had more fun than it looks in this photo.

Scarlett and I were both rockin out in our BC sweatshirts in honor of Andre Williams being named a Heisman finalist.

 Finally- it's Bed Head Thursday and I am psyched about it.  (Note- photo was pre-haircut.  Sigh.)

Bed Head Thursday

In a new segment, I'm calling Bed Head Thursdays until something more innovative pops into my noggin, I will be featuring some snaps of what adorable looks like first thing in the morning (or after a nap).  All photos are courtesy of Mommy.  Tresses are courtesy of genes with a sense of humor.

"Horns At Morn"

"Everyone Move To The Front"

"Bet You Though This Was A Toupee"

The Answer, I Fear, Was Yes

Daddy looked to me to answer the age-old question:

"Did you toot?"

If you can't see the video in the RSS feed e-mail, head to my blog to view it there.

The good part of October

October was mostly a rough month for this baby.  I spent weeks with an upset tummy and a terrible diaper rash, which was stinky and a pain in the tush (please excuse the puns).  

Also, my mohawk fell down and now my hair is just crazy. 

However, some good things happened:

The Red Sox won the World Series!  I was so excited I wore my Pedroia shirt to bed.

My first Boston championship; hopefully just the beginning of a long list to come.

I started eating food!  Peas are green and carrots are orange.  Other than that, not much of a difference as far as I'm concerned.

Here's hoping November is a month of joy with only happiness in the diaper area.

Wild Animals on the Loose

Halloween wasn't so much spooky as it was fun and filled with baby animals.  For example, there was a baby shark, a tiger cub, and an owlet at Uncle Brendan's house, where I went with Mommy to help hand out candy. 

 Even baby sharks like to play in the Jumperoo.

Zoo baby cousins.  Tiger cub- 11 mo., owlet 5 mo., baby shark 7 mo.

 It's tiring being so cute.

Those Apples Didn't Stand a Chance

Last Sunday we hopped in the family car and picked up Grammy and Grampy for some apple picking. It was my first outdoor food gathering activity and I would say it went well.  We brought home a bag of Cortland apples and Mommy made a pie!  I got exactly zero pieces.

If you look closely, you can see a baby on this rock.  That baby is me.

The day was especially awesome as it gave me the opportunity to wear my 

designated apple-picking shirt.  

Reginald Fox killed it on the apple-picking front.  

Me?  Not so much.

I was more than happy to take a break and pose with Grammy and Grampy.  

Hey! Baby on a tractor.

What will I be when I grow up?

Professional athlete? 

Chef?

Farmer?

Conan O'Brien look alike?

Straight Out of Dickens

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... It was Stoneham Day.

As is obvious from this photo, I was enthused beyond belief.

 Mommy disappeared for a while and then showed up with powder all down her front.

 We got to take our photos with Blades, the Bruins mascot.  Teddy and Uncle Brendan were psyched.

 I kept my emotions in check as best I could.

Just in time to go home, I woke up.  Fun day with the family!

And then I was like, "glurb!"

Mommy is now trying YouTube!  Her commitment to technology is really just incredible.  Next she'll be using the microwave oven.  This video was shot by Daddy when I was telling him about my day.  The quality may be poopish (this is a filmmaking industry term) because it was filmed on his phone.

If the video is not shown, try this link.

This is what five months looks like

Being a baby is a mixed bag.  There are a lot of things that are amazing - cuddles, free food and lodging, multiple costume changes daily, and the fact that everyone you encounter is happy to see you. 

But it's not all unicorns and puppies over here.  Everyone wants a piece of me and it can get exhausting.  I can't do things that I want to like talk or crawl.  

Plus no one enjoys hanging out in wet pants.

So, what's a baby to do?  Now that I'm five months old, I've learned to let life unfold as it will.  I've adopted a zen attitude that I call "Baby Chill*."  

*That's trademarked by the way, and my mommy is a lawyer.

The Duggan Boys

Back Row:  Uncle Jimmy, Daddy, Uncle Brian.

Front Row:  Me.

Not sure about the choke hold.

Ready, Set, Ummm- Not So Fast

In babyhood, as in life, there are certain milestones that stick with you.  You always remember your first car, your first job, your first kiss (hopefully they don't come in that order).  Here at my house, the family has been looking forward to that rite of passage that has been historically known as Ye First Nite In Thine Cribbe.  

Now, we've experienced a few false starts on that front.  The first time Mommy decided to give it a go was when I was ten weeks old.  She was so silly.  Because she moved the nightlight into my room she couldn't see when she got up to come and feed me in the night.  So she ran into the post at the end of her bed with her elbow.  Then she dropped the bottle of milk and it spilled on the floor.  She made it into the hallway but forgot Daddy had put the dog gate up in my bedroom doorway so that Boston wouldn't eat my toys.  That she hit with her shin and her toes.  She yelled a lot of words that I don't know yet (but that I filed away for future use).  So ended the first crib attempt.  The second was about a month later, but Mommy decided my room was too hot.

Sunday night we decided to try again.  Mommy admitted that maybe it was more for her that she was keeping me in her and Daddy's room.  Daddy applauded her wise decision.  They took this photo of me at 8:00 p.m.

Cute!  Happy family.  I dozed off.  I woke up again and just lay there.  Daddy played me some music. I got hungry.  Daddy fed me.  I couldn't get comfortable and so I cried.  Daddy fed me again and played some different music.  I cried some more.  Then I cried louder.  At 10:30 Mommy put me back in my bassinet.  I slept pretty well for the rest of the night.  Mommy did not say, "I told you so," to Daddy.  But she thought it.

My room is awesome.  Wouldn't you want to sleep there?

Cousins

My name is Tuck and I am a baby.  I have two cousins who are babies too- Teddy (8 months) and Scarlett (2 months).  This is what they look like:

Daddy calls Teddy Guy Smiley because he is pretty much always happy.  We go to daycare together two days a week and he has a reputation as a good athlete, enthusiastic dancer, and solid mathematician.

Scarlett is even smaller than me.  She is really funny- always telling jokes.  However, don't let her cute face fool you, she is extremely competitive.  Her favorite planet is Jupiter.

We all got together last weekend and the parents tried to arrange us for a photo.  I had been sleeping (I am, after all, a baby) and was awaked by Teddy bopping me on the head.  Not my favorite way to wake up to say the least.  We're cool though.  You can see a video of the experience by clicking here.

Little Big Man

Last Thursday I turned four months old! 

At my four month doctor's appointment some good things and some terrible things occurred.  

The good:

I have climbed to the 4th percentile in weight (holla!) hitting the scale at 11 lbs 2.6 oz.  

The terrible: 

I got FIVE shots.  In my legs.  There was blood.  There were tears (baby).  More tears (Mommy).  Did I mention the blood?  Mommy went into the hall and Daddy held me while Dr. Josh stuck me with needles.  I like the guy, but he needs to cool it with the sharp things.  (NOTE:  I chose not to share a photo of my legs with the band aids, as it may have been too much for some readers.)

The interesting:

My head is in the 73rd percentile.  I guess that means I have a big brain.

Sir Francis Drake Has Nothing On Me

I have joined the ranks of the fabled gentleman explorers of yesteryear.  Names that bring to mind an incredible sense of discovery- Magellan, Cortes, DaGama, Lewis & Clark.  (I am 1/16 Native American so you will notice no Columbus on this list.)

I have discovered...

 Wait for it...

 My tongue.

It was right there in my mouth.  Who knew?

So much fun.

Seriously guys?

I am not even sure what to say here.  My parents are really weird.

I mean, they are nice people and everything, but did anyone check their credentials before handing me over to them?  Their sense of humor in particular is troubling to say the least.

We've Got Apps!

It has been a busy couple of weeks for me, but apparently more so for Mommy as she has not had time to type up any of my posts!  She promises that she will get a few out in a row to catch up.  

In unsurprising late-to-the-game news, Mommy has discovered another app on her iPhone that folks have been using  since the stone age.  It's called Directr and she has made some pretty rad movies with it.  Here are links to a few:  I Am Grateful; Our Baby is Awesome; and Strolling.  Guess which one made Daddy claim the room was dusty?

Last weekend I went swimming for the first time, met some geese, and dressed up like a frog.

Mommy and I met Aunt Noreen and Teddy at the wading pool down the street.  I put my feet in the water and it was super fun.  I know I look like a lame duck in this picture next to Teddy, but hey- I am a baby, and I don't smile on command.

Speaking of photos where I don't look psyched, here is my introduction to water fowl at Bates Farm where Mommy and Daddy got ice cream and I got bupkis.

Did you think you were looking at an actual frog?  Ha!  It's just me after a bath.