Miscellaneous Summer Fun
We’ve had so much fun together this past month. Here are some of the highlights:
- Outings together all over the city, by foot and by T
We go all over together—food shopping, errands, all different playgrounds. We went to the East Boston beach again, dim sum a couple times, the JP sprinklers, the sprinklers right by our house, the Christian Science fountain, the Harvard Square sand/water playground, and lots of playground concerts and art events for the summer. I’ve loved having August off with my baby—every single day is a great vacation day for us. We’ve also gone to the B.Good barbeque/party, to Isis baby Frankie’s second birthday party in Canton, to the Storymobile in the Tadpole playground downtown, and to a couple more softball games, as well as on specifically bike-riding outings (Marcus has one of the pedal-less Striders). There has been lots of babywearing, and lots of Marcus wearing his babies too.
- Going to open barn day at our CSA farm in central Mass
We really liked picking raspberries, picnicking at the CSA potluck, and hearing about the pigs, sheep, chickens, and turkeys. We also stopped for ice cream out there, which was nice, and had a great day despite one of the farmers (a mom of a toddler herself) who seemed to be vehemently anti-nursing (she kept saying things like, “Oh, that poor pig! Like she needs a ten-week-old piglet dragging at her nipples!” and Robert whispered to me, “Hm, I guess we know whose two-year-old here is not still nursing.”) and despite her younger half-sister, who at five, did not appreciate Marcus tagging after her and saying “Girl! Girl! Here, girl!”
- Playing at Mommy’s birthday party with friends.
Sarah and Sean gave Marcus a really fun vet kit, complete with a dog in a dog carrier, which he loves dragging all over the house, and Ben and Ruthie gave him/me the Muji New York in a bag set of wood skyscraper blocks that he loves trying to stack up very high (sadly, nothing stacks on top of the Statue of Liberty). Marcus had two little friends over, one girl essentially his age and one six months younger. At one point they all three sat on our bench eating. Marcus was particularly taken with the younger one, whom he dubbed, affectionately, “Baby.” He’d lay on the bean bag chair and pat it next to him, pleading, “Hey, baby! Baby mine! Come, baby? Baby?” Sadly, eighteen-month-old baby did not like the feel of the bean bag chair and didn’t want to go up next to him. Marcus felt that his life would not be complete unless he were holding her, so he would try to tackle her when she walked across the room, and lift her up if she were standing still. She seemed mildly put out at all of this, but she did seem to like him, though, calling him “Marktus, Marktus,” and even asking about him the following week.
And, some July and early August movies for you:
On the merry-go-round at the Kemp Playground in Harvard Square, with a friend, saying, "Again!"
Feeding the birds in the Chinatown park.
Eating with a friend at our place.
Playing "lion tamer" with Mommy (Marcus is the lion).
Using a rolling pin for the first time, chanting "Roll, roll!"
Riding his bike for the first time ever. He's still got a lot of time to get used to it, but he really loves it even though he's far from really riding on his own at the moment.
With a giant book, asking Robert to sit down and read it with him.
At a playground at Breakheart Reservation.
At the sprinklers in the park closest to our house, one hot summer day.