Stats

We took Matthew to his 6 month check today. He is now closer to 7 months, but since we had to go late to his 4 month check, it's just the way things go as far as scheduling with vaccinations and insurance. Here are the latest stats:

Weight: 19 pounds 9 ounces - just under the 70th percentile
Height: 28 inches - 80th percentile
Head Circumference: 45 1/2 centimeters - 80th percentile

So, he is slowly dropping down in the rankings. He is starting to thin out now that he is moving around more. He wants to be into everything. Time to baby proof the house! Poor guy had 3 shots in his leg today. He took it like a champ. The next check is at 9 months and he will have a break from shots unless the flu vaccine is available.

Rock Park

We made a last minute decision to head to Rock Park in Maryland for another hike. This time we took the White Trail loop. It was set to be 2 hours, but we did it in an hour and a half.

I quickly got Matthew ready for the outing. We had to leave to take Grace to the airport. She is headed out to Utah to go with the Proulxs to California for vacation.

First stop: the King and Queen Seat. Mary and Mark brought Trixie along and she loved it!

The Steens. I carried Matthew the entire hike. I am proud to say that I even nursed him WHILE hiking. Now that is what I call multitasking. I love my Ergo!

Mark and Trixie checking out the view.

Matthew, Mary and me. He was such a good boy. He just loves being outside.

Strawberry Picking

We headed down to Shaw Orchards on the border of PA and MD to pick strawberries. They charge $5 to take the tractor out to the fields (for anyone who can walk) and then they allow you to put that $5 towards what you pick. The strawberries were $1.50 a pound and if we were to fill the box pictured below we would have picked 10 pounds and have $15 worth of strawberries. This was our goal. It was near 90 degrees today and we did this at 2 p.m. Lesson learned - pick in the morning, they open at 8 a.m. Mary wore Matthew in the Ergo and he only handled a few minutes of picking before getting fussy. We were the only ones out, so I took him and fed him under some shade. I decided we had better stick to the shade since it was so hot outside. I kept him entertained for a bit and then Mary took a turn. Once he was at his limit and Mary had a sufficient headache from the sun, we decided it was time to go back. Our strawberries weighed in at just under 9 pounds. We ALMOST got our money's worth and we kept our sanity at the same time. I'd say that is a successful trip!

The fruits of our labors.

Mary and Matthew waiting to take the tractor out to the strawberry fields.

The crew heading out.

Mary doing her job in the heat of the sun.

Matthew and me hanging out in what little shade we could find under some apple trees.

Pool Time

Matthew had his first experience at the pool today. We have a pool in our complex and it opened on Saturday. Last summer the water was freezing. It didn't seem so cold today. I'm not sure if they are heating the pool a bit this year or if it was warmer because it's been so hot here lately.
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First dip.

Checking out the ledge.

Just before getting in.

Baby and daddy enjoying the pool.