Olivia meets the Massachusetts Family (Cousins Jarred, Courtney, Aunt Wanda, Uncle Paul, Cousins Cheryle and Justin)
Did I mention they're crazy?
With Cousin Rich and Aunt Carole.
Before the bath went terribly wrong.
And after in her hospital gown.
First real swing in Salem.
At the Guarinos getting some love from Dave Guarino with his son Owen close by.
With Heidi Guarino and her youngest son, Jake.
The Pikes and the Davises posing.
The girls, Lauren, Robin, Lisa, Anne Boffa, Olivia and special male guest Alex.
With Cousin Gracie at the Robbins home also in Salem.
You know you wanted to see the whales.
Ready for her first boat ride and whale watching trip.
Baby O and her O Face.
Goldenrod, York Beach, Maine with Mommy, Auntie Beth and Gracie.
At Fun-O-Rama with Daddy and Gracie.
Family photo on Nubble Light grounds, Cape Neddick, York Beach, Maine.
Almost worthy of a Postcard with Daddy, Gracie, Mommy and Auntie Beth.
The family on Yawkey Way outside Fenway.
The littlest Red Sox at Fan at Fenway for the first time.
Another month has slipped by and there are so many stories to tell. Olivia's sixth month was a busy one.
Here are the highlights: She went on her first airplane ride on Aug. 29 to Boston with Mommy and Daddy. She did so well on the plane that when we all stood to get off the couple behind us said, "We had no idea there was a baby on the plane!" Words that make a parent proud.
While in Boston, Olivia met so many people. She met second and third cousins, great aunts and uncles and lots of Mommy and Daddy's friends. She was a little social butterfly, happily engaging all who approached her and believe me that was a ton of people.
Olivia mostly enjoys being around other children no matter how old. She loved meeting Mommy's cousins' kids, Justin, Courtney and Jarred and really dug spending so much time with Aunt Wanda and Uncle Paul. And they got a kick out of playing with her, too. She also spent time with Grampy's brother great Uncle Ned, Aunt Carole and cousin Richard Michael Atkinson (the second of the Richards) and his wife Joanne. She also met Nana's sister Aunt Tessie for a brief visit (unfortunately, Aunt Tessie wasn't feeling well) in Woburn at her home and met cousin Sarah there, too. And for the second time she saw cousin Susan (Sarah's Mom) who visited Florida when Olivia was only a few weeks old.
When visiting the Guarinos family in Salem, Olivia went on her first real swing at lovely park called Forest River Park in Salem. Baby O enjoyed being outside as usual and hanging out with Dave, Heidi and their boys Owen and Jake and friend Bigs. We also spent an afternoon with Mommy's high school and college friends Robin and Greg Pike and their fantastic kids Lauren and Alex who were giddy to meet Olivia. Olivia was all smiles for them, too.
You get the picture that this was a busy trip.
Unfortunately, while in Massachusetts she experienced her first trip to the emergency room, too. While taking her first sink bath she somehow managed to kick or hit the hot water on and it was boiling. Literally. I won't relive it here. Suffice to say it was awful. She had a small area with second-degree burns. I'm happy to report, the marks are continuing to fade and we're hopeful she won't be left with a scar on her chest. She was only briefly in pain and went on with her vacation like nothing happened. It took Mommy a little longer to recover but alas she has the best she could.
Now back to the fun stuff. We went on a whale watch which was a first for each of the Davises. We went with Auntie Beth, cousin Gracie and Mommy's friend' Anne Boffa. Olivia slept through most of the three-hour or so trip but she looked darn cute in the sailor dress Florida friend Michele gave her. The rest of us were amazed by the amount of humpback whales we saw about 20 miles off the coast of Boston. There were more than a dozen and they were socializing amongst themselves which is something the naturalist on board said is quite unusual. Meanwhile, dolphins swam around them. It was amazing to see.
One lovely cool day, we drove up to York Beach, Maine with Beth and Gracie and took it by storm. It was the first time in nearly two decades Beth and I had been there together. Our families vacationed there several times together when we were growing up so it was such a treat to take our daughters there together. We hit all our favorite spots: the Goldenrod (ate delicious waffles and watched saltwater taffy being made), we played skee ball and Ms. Pac Man at Fun-O-Rama, sat by the beach watching the surf while feeding Olivia and then headed to the gorgeous Nubble Light, the picturesque lighthouse that encapsulates New England for Beth and I.
And last but not least for our trip, longtime friend Anne Boffa took us to Fenway. It was my first trip back in over 15 years and Olivia and David's first trip. It was somewhere I always wanted to take David so it was even sweeter taking him along with our daughter. Instead of dipping into the 50s or 40s like it was supposed to that night, it remained in the low 70s. Absolutely beautiful weather for a ballgame. The Red Sox shut out the Baltimore Orioles 10-0. It was a perfect night.
In other six-month news, Olivia has become a near expert crawler. She is also quite proficient at standing, pulling herself up on everything she can get her hands on. It's made parenting quite challenging for David and I. She already had her first bump from falling. Ahhh the perils of childhood. Her third tooth has also emerged and thankfully without causing much - if any -discomfort. She now has two on the bottom and one up top. And Olivia has mastered clapping. We're proudly clapping right along with her.
