A dip in the pool

We know we just posted yesterday but Nicholas took a dip in the pool and we just had to share:

also we put the alphabet mat back out in his nursery.

Here is Nicholas, kicking away in the pool.

Rice Cereal

Our big milestone of the week is that Nicholas tried rice cereal for the first time. He ate it like a pro!



"Hey, why are you taking a picture of me?"


"Oooh, here it comes. Let me grab that bowl and pull it closer."


"There it is!"




"Mmmmm.... yummy."



We also discovered a new beach nearby.

It was at the bottom of a hill, which was fine until it was time to walk back up!

We also went on a hike near the Chaguaramas golf course. Nicholas sat in his baby backpack carrier for the first time.

Here are some random pics from home. In this one Nicholas is imitating us by trying to put his hands behind his head

Either Nicholas' head is big or whoever manufactured this outfit got a little mixed up with proportion sizes. The outfit fits just fine, but the hat is way too small! On another note, we tried using the stroller without the rear facing carrier. Nicholas did well but we decided we could still use the carrier for another month or two.

Nicholas also tried out his bumbo chair, which he loves. Soon he'll be sitting on his own!

Nicholas loves to be sung to.

5 months old

We are having a lot of fun watching Nicholas grow and learn. We haven't started him on the rice cereal yet but we did take 5 month pictures, as well as pictures of him in his new bouncer. We predict that he will be crawling soon, as soon as he figures out what to do with his arms. Last week was a quiet weekend. We discovered a new mall that is quite large out by the airport. Sunday we went to brunch a the Hyatt to celebrate our 3 year anniversary a few days late.




this is a lizard that was in our neighbor's yard

Nicholas hanging out with Daddy at brunch

Nicholas and Mommy at brunch

typical stroller look

napping on Mommy's chest--close up

there we are

We always put Nicholas down to sleep on his back like we are supposed to, but now that he has figured out how to roll over he has decided he likes to sleep on his stomach, so this is how I find him in the morning. This coming from the baby who screamed bloody murder during tummy time for the first 4 months of his life.

Nicholas really enjoys playing with the toys on his new bouncer. We're just waiting for him to figure out that it bounces, too.

He's getting so tall! We can't believe he's 5 months old already!

This is a video of Nicholas's first attempts at crawling. We think he'll get it soon.

We wish we could always follow the rule "never wake a sleeping baby", but Monday through Friday, work calls. Nicholas has been sleeping through the night until sometime between 4 and 6, and then after his morning feeding he goes back to sleep, which is wonderful. Unfortunately we have to wake him up at 7 which is when we leave to take Christy to work. He's a good sport about it, and takes a morning nap later.

This last one is of Nicholas drinking water from a cup at brunch. David offered him part of his smoothy, and he wanted it, so we had to give him something he could actually have. He drank from a glass like a pro!

Nicholas and lead up to Carnival!!!

Port of Spain has been a buzz with anticipation, and now it's finally Carnival. There have been fetes, or parties, all over the city for the last few weeks. Last night, Carnival opened with Jouevre, which starts at 4 a.m. We could hear the music from our house. Everyone goes out on the streets and slings paint at each other. We decided to head to the beach this morning to avoid the Carnival madness, and we saw many post- partiers covered in paint just hanging out on the side of the road. Today is practice Carnival, although the beaches were pretty crowded so I guess we weren't the only ones with the idea to get out of town. Tomorrow is the real deal (we will be staying quietly at home with our little one... maybe next year we'll "play" with one of the bands, which entails getting a very skimpy but elaborate costume and walking the parade route with one of the calypso bands.)

Below are some pictures and videos of our last week or so:



we went to a new beach this time, called Las Cuervas, a few miles down the road past Maracas Bay.

Nicholas getting his toes wet in the ocean

this guy had really long dreads

we liked this beach because there was a lot of shade

that looks like a nice place to stay

out swimming with Maren and her houseguest Ann

Nicholas had his first pool experience yesterday. We went over to an apartment complex where a number of our colleagues live and used their pool.

yes that's the ocean in the background

we were worried about the sun so we didn't go until about 4:30 and the wind had picked up and it was actually pretty chilly, so next time we'll have to go a little earlier in the afternoon.

these are in reverse order but this is Nicholas after we fed him breast milk from a spoon and cup. A warm up for starting baby cereal when he turns 5 monthes old on Wednesday.

he ate from the spoon with no problems. I guess he'd watched us for long enough he knew exactly what to do. Also check out the video at the bottom of the blog.

we saw an Aveo in Port of Spain!

here's the cup picture

Saturday night we went out to a sushi and wine restaurant called More Vino, and sat on the balcony. Driving by on the main road was a Carib truck, getting ready for Carnival. (Carib is a local beer).

Capers are everywhere.

Carnival huts on the Savannah across from the embassy

the sites of Port of Spain

Nicholas in "fussy face" mode. Nichlas is usually really good, but he has his moments, as David documented for Christy when she was at work one day, after repeated efforts to sooth him.

Nicholas enjoying his mobile in his crib. He also has an Ohio State Buckeyes mobile (thanks John B.!) over his changing table which he also loves.

Nicholas eating from a spoon and drinking from a cup. Just breastmilk for now to practice, but we'll be starting baby cereal soon!

Nicholas loves to be sung to.... here is David's rendition of "You are my Sunshine"