Al Fresco Dining

Enjoying some outdoor restauranturing -- something the boy enjoys as
he gets to see lots if trucks. This was snapped a couple weeks back --
it's a lot hotter in Seattle these days.

Here comes the ferry

Playing with rocks at Lincoln Park

Big, Hot Day

Yeeeouch, we tied a record here in Seattle with 91 degrees or something like that. Anyhoo, it was bloody hot for us Pacific Northwesterners. But Sofian kept cool through most of the day with one of his aloha shirts and his new summer-time pajamas seen in the videos below. We stopped at Izilla Toys yesterday after our haircuts as the boy just needed some new things to keep him occupied and challenged. And we got him his first wooden train set, one from Plan Toys. He's been playing with some wooden trains at Barnes and Noble and a few other retails spots, and he seemed to take to it alright. And from the videos below, I think it's going to be a hit.





We've also finally captured the boy on video taking some steps. He's getting more and more used to this whole new walking thing.

 

Yes, We're Still Alive

We've had this query from a couple of sources (largely the DeTore family), and I want to asure everyone that we're all fine and mostly healthy in Seattle. Parie's been fighting off a sinus infection and heavy-duty cough, and the antibiotics she's been taking the past couple of weeks have finally gotten her close to full-on healthiness. Sofian got a cold last weekend with a nasty cough, but he's gotten better as the week's progressed as well.

But it's really not health issues that's been keeping the blog updates at bay. We've just been flat out like a lizard drinking (that's Australian for seriously busy, mate). Parie's been working really hard on finishing up design work for the addition, communicating with a couple of possible contractors, navigating an increasingly confusing and ever-changing financing landscape, and working through the maze of applications that we need for the permitting process. The good news is that, fingers crossed, she'll be going in for an initial induction meeting for the permit early next week (one where they check to see that she's got all that she needs; then there will be one or two follow-up appointments before it's officially accepted as a permit application).

Oh, and she's also been taking care of the boy through most of the week.

I've been hard at work with my own freelance work, trying to make sure that we keep our heads above water and be able to afford a new green roof over our heads. For fun in the evenings of late, I've been taking out the drill and attempting to install new child proofing protections on drawers and cabinets, as Sofian is getting into more and more.

A blessing and a curse, the boy is tall, and is able to reach drawers and countertops that we didn't think he'd be able to reach for some time. His height was confirmed when we went into see Doc G yesterday for a well-child exam (where Sofian, happily, got only one shot). His vital statistics are as follows:

• Height: 33 inches (that's 2.75 feet), 90th percentile
  
• Weight: 24 pounds, 10 ounces (50th percentile)

As Doc G put it, he's got his mama's slimness and his papa's height (laughter ensued all around until I figured out what he meant).

Sofian has been pretty busy of late as well. He is pretty darn close to walking, and he's also close to figuring out how to do the onscreen unlock of my iPhone. That's scary.

So, we're still busy, busy, busy around the LemonDrop, but I will (once again) make a concerted effort to be more proactive in uploading updates and pics (the latter of which you'll probably get later this weekend).

But, just wanted to let you know we're alive and doing alright.