SPD

All Good Things...

...must come to an end. Ruth's last day!

Sebastien tried to entice her to stay by showing her how his feet are magnetically attracted to his high chair tray (so is his food!)

And then he tried to keep her here by putting on his cutest baby face (and his cutest baby sweater).

But to no avail. But at least there were goodbye cuddles to be had. Sigh.

Look Ma, No Hands!

Sebastien tries out his standing skills. You'd think he'd remember his previous run-in with the structural instability of that thing. There's something to be said for nice soft carpet.

Lots of Excitement, Lots of Pictures

So much going on, it's easy to get a little trigger happy.

There was eating to be done...

And playing tug-of-war with Scotty...

And chewing on Ruth's hand...

And all that excitement makes Sebbie a tired (and maybe just a tad crabby) boy.

Boreal Baby

Another beautiful day for a walk, and as far as Sebastien was concerned, far too fine a day to be confined in his stroller.

Good thing we keep a carrier in the stroller.

Of course, even better than a carrier is someone's lap!

Cereal Killer

Yay, the big day has come, Sebastien got his first (and second) taste of cereal today, and so far is a big fan.

Sebastien is also a fan of smushing Rob's face...

...and of a bedtime snuggle with Ruth.

But we're not so sure he's a big fan of the crabapple blossoms. Or maybe he makes the Yoda face when he's really excited...

May Showers

Rainy days mean indoor play. Which is okay when you have your Papa is willing to act as a jungle gym.

And is especially okay when you have company! Ruth came all the way from Victoria to breathe fire into Sebastien. You can see it glowing in his eyes!

Sittin' Pretty

Sebbie is sittin' pretty in a new (to him) contraption. Actually, it's more like he's sitting tiny. Stay tuned for pictures of Sebbie in this chair with cereal smeared all over him - we're hoping he'll just absorb the nutrients through his skin.

He may be a bit small for the high chair, but seems to fit in the jolly jumper just fine. One of these days, he may even do more than just twirl around in it.

Looking Down on the Baby

Literally, that is.

It's been a long time since the top of Sebastien's head has been seen on SPD. Cute, isn't it?

And Speaking of the Kitchen Sink...

Babies. Sometimes you have no choice but to hose 'em down.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Is what Sebastien is putting in his mouth these days.

And yes, that is his shoe.

Teething Pains: Part II

Now that Sebbie's gums are sore, he has become extraordinarily fond of his soother. He likes them so much, he prefers to have two on hand at all times.

Now if he could just find a way to have two in his mouth, life would really be good.

Teething Pains: Part I

Wow, this weird spongy dog that came out of a book is great to chew on....

Oops. Maybe not.

Self-Serve Toy Station

Sebastien learns that if he uses his Papa as a stepping stool, he can get to the toy bucket by himself. Sure beats learning to crawl....

Buddies

Maaritta and Sebastien went for a walk today, but they don't fit in the same stroller, so they had to settle for gazing wistfully at each other through their respective tinted windows.

Sebastien pretended he wasn't looking at her, but we weren't fooled.

But then there was lounge time on the grass, and they got to catch up.

Adventure Baby

The theme of Sebastien's first baby shower (before he was even here) was Adventure Baby.

When you're five months old, playing on a red blanket outside is an adventure.

A rare moment of stillness. Maybe all that adventuring tired him out.

Five Months

Well. It's a sweet thing, watching this little guy rocket through life. Sebastien celebrated his five month birthday by showing us he can roll not only to the left, but to the right too, AND he cut his first tooth! But we are commemorating the day with a few photos of how cute he looks in his blue sweater with flowers on it.

Rainy Day

Fine, if you won't give me solid food, I'll just eat this ball. If only I could open my mouth wide enough....

Somtimes you lie on the playmat, and sometimes the playmat lies on you. This is what happens when 16lbs of baby uses 1 lb of playmat as a support...

Ah, the bear-in-the-bunny-suit. We kind of forgot about him for a while. Still a favourite though.

Pulling Strings

Well, the Jolly Jumper doesn't really work in any of our doorframes yet (we're working on it). In the meantime, Papa practices his puppeteering skills.

Don't be fooled - tired and sleepy are very different things in babyland.

Mother's Day

Apparently Thunder Bay was the warm spot in Ontario today. We didn't know that at the time, but we went for a walk anyway to Trowbridge Falls, to see how the Chariot performs in aquatic mode.

And not a bad place for some family photos either.

Mmmm, Breakfast

No visit to Thunder Bay is complete without breakfast at the Hoito. Sebastien is becoming a bit of a regular there.

International Baby

Today we hauled a bucket of paperwork to the border to prove that yes, Sebastien was Sebastien and yes, we could take him out of the country, and yes his hardworkin' Papa said that was fine, and all the border guy asked us was, "So, you folks have the day off?"

We had fun anyway, stomping around Grand Marais.

And of course, having lunch.

Which was a welcome respite from the chaos of this dwelling. It's pretty easy to make a mess in a one bedroom apartment.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung in Thunder Bay. Today it was warm enough to change Sebastien's diaper outside.

For the sake of decorum, we're only showing the "after" shot.

The cutest little coy look ever (prior to his outdoor diaper change).

And a happy baby - back in indoor land.

Family Time

Ooh, so exciting, more company. Sebastien's Uncle Matthias has come to town.

And there was much joyful kicking.

Loungin'

Sebastien recounts the days adventures for his Papa, and shows off his nice long fingers.

Fun and Games

Prior to commencing play, Sebastien performs a deep, reverent bow to his toy.

For the record, it's quite difficult blowing bubbles and taking pictures at the same time.

Lying on the playmat and grabbing toys has gotten to be pretty old news. Time to eat the playmat and put an end to this tiresome game.

The Cascades

No, we're not talking about Sebastien's capacity for soaking a diaper...but the destination of our walk today.

Sebastien tried riding on his Mama's back in yet another of our multitude of carriers.

And finished the walk in Papa's arms (the most old-fashioned of baby carriers!)

Seasonal Madness

We're not mad, but we took Sebbie to the Madhouse for lunch today. This is the place his parents met (in one version of the story), so it's only fair Sebastien spends some time there.

We always quite liked the Madhouse for the food and decent service, but we discovered one more reason to like it:

They control the seasons! The switch must be malfunctioning though - it says summer, but Sebastien is still wearing his red fleece jacket everywhere he goes.

Safety First

This is probably not the proper way to sit in the Bumbo....

The Finer Things

Sebastien takes a closer look at those funny glasses he sees on the table every now and then.

And practices using them. Maybe we'll just skip that whole sippy-cup phase.

Suggestion Box

We think the coffeshop needs to get bigger chairs. They used to hold both the boys quite comfortably.

Move over!

Fine then, I'll just arch my way out of this chair.

The razzzzzberry champion.

Three's Company

And so is four, especially when the company comes bearing dinner for the whole gang!

In exchange, we let Louise hold the baby for as long as she wanted. Generous, huh?