Heatwave!

Whew! I don't know how the weather is where you are, but it's been capital HOTTT here in RI. Every single store in a 20 mile radius sold out of air conditioners, ice cream, ice cubes, ice skates, ice sculptures, freon and penguins on the same day! Well, maybe I exaggerate a little, but you get the idea. Thankfully, we seem to have made it through intact, if a few pounds of sweat lighter. As you can see below, Aden & Co. took every opportunity to beat the heat and look slick doing it...

Whole lotta shakin'

It's been crazy busy here in Adenland. All kinds of hijinks are afoot. But that doesn't mean that we don't have time to stop and take pictures now and again. Oh no. To quote one of those classic geek flicks: "Let me explain... no. There is too much. Let me sum up."

01) Prepping for a big day out.
02) Nugget in his "happy place."
03) Visiting "Uncle Pringles" (it's a long story, you probably shouldn't ask).
04) Uncle Bill begins the first of many drum lessons.
05) Luka explains his truck.
06) Little swimming pools are awesome.
07) Aden makes a new friend.
08) Big pools are mind-blowingly awesome!
09) Chopsticks are fun (see drum lessons, above).
10) All drinks are improved by straws.
11) Baby's first sushi! (a complete success, we're happy to report)

Takin' it to the street

It's been a tough, hectic, crazy couple of weeks here at Withers HQ, for those of you not already in the know. Life... it gets rough sometimes. But around here, we've found a simple solution that we're not afraid to use at the drop of a hat: street party.

"Where is this mythical street?" you may ask, "And who parties there?" Well, we can't tell you. It's top secret. But we can show you. Here are a few scenes from some recent street party action (and a couple from some BBQ action). This is how we keep it real down here in Providence.

Hotter than a Cape Codder

Well, o.k., Cape Codder's aren't really hot, per se, but no-one said that this blog thing was supposed to make sense.

This weekend, Aden got another taste of the beach life, as we went up to visit Great Grandma Fleck, and saw Grandma Marjorie, who was visiting as well. Needless to say, good times were had by all, and Aden charmed the proverbial pants off everyone he came in contact with. The highlight was definitely our trip to the beach on Saturday - even though it wasn't exactly summer weather, we couldn't keep the little dude out of the water! All he wanted to do was wade in the surf. We're pretty psyched to take him swimming for real when the real warm weather hits...

Of course, we know what you're here for - more rock, less talk. So on with the pictures!

Kay-ray-zee baby action

All kinds of action's going on around here, as befits the season. Aden was just issued his U.S. certificate of foreign birth - now we just have to get his U.S. passport, and the kid will be set!

Grandma Marjorie is visiting this weekend, and helping out with morning baby duty, which has been great for Melissa and I. And as always, Grandma Marjorie came bearing gifts and clothes, which is great for Aden!

In development news, he's... well, developing. Aden has learned how to say Grammy Barbara's name, and it's his favorite word... except when we're trying to get him to say it to her over the phone. He figured out how to climb up on things previously out of reach by using smaller, movable things, as steps. So yes, we are in trouble.

But now YOU'RE in trouble too, because we're going to overload you with ten (count 'em, TEN!) photos of serious cute-inosity. Look upon these and tremble in fear (and cuteness).

Dancin' in the streets

Today's update is actually from Melissa:

Spring really has sprung… and there is no better evidence than the action yesterday afternoon on Carrington Ave. Carrington is more than home to Aden’s back-up-parents Bill and Tori. It is also the dead-end street where a bunch of families hang out to let the dogs play, let the chillins roam, and the grown-ups drink a few pints of Steve’s home brew (go Steve!).

With the warmer weather upon us it was time to “take it to the streets” and get back to the awesome tradition of sitting on the stoop. The kids had a blast (notice the picture of Josie where her ability to fly into action is captured on film... er... digitally). Aden wasn’t starving, freezing or sick and managed to have a fine time playing his favorite game, or what we call “free range chicken.” He will not be cooped up! Baby Matthew (aka the boy in the pictures below who's not Aden or Julian) keeps us all on our toes. He is his own man and quite capable of amazing feats of independence.

I just can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon. During our visit, Tori remarked that Aden has only been home for six months. I usually concede that time flies, but in this case, it just feels like he’s been with us (and part of the Carrington crew) forever. Happy spring everyone!

Ah, Spring - a time for renewal and whatnots...

Dear Blogosphere -
It's been so long, it's hard to know where to begin. Aden's been growing like a weed (he leapt from not even showing up on U.S. growth charts to hitting the third percentile), plowing through paperwork (last bit to handle: his U.S. birth certificate), running like crazy and babbling up a storm. Easter turned out to be a great holiday - we spent it at Grandpa & Grandma Bob & Leslie's, and Aden ate his first cabbage pierogi... and his second... and his third. To our immense pride, he loved them! He's quite the cosmopolitan little dude. He also cleaned up at the egg hunt, finding the most eggs (though I'm pretty sure that Leslie pre-loaded his basket with a few), and got the best gifts (namely, a tricked out racecar that plays "You Can't Touch This" by M.C. Hammer).

Last weekend, we went out to the Small House on the Cape (thanks Ann, Rachel, Mary & Small House crew!), where Aden had yet another great time! Aden got to spend some quality bonding time with his pal Julian, and took his first walk on the beach. Of course, it was pretty cold, so he didn't go in the water, but the resulting pictures are pretty fantastic. If we could have just photoshopped a helmet onto his winter bunting, the photos could pass for Aden's first steps on the moon.

Now that's it's getting nice out, and that we're past the painful days of flu & teething (that was a tough combination), we're hoping to take more pictures and keep the blog in better shape. Keep your eyes open people, because there are bound to be more adventures posted soon. But here's what you really came for: the pix!