Self-feeding

Piper's first time weilding her own spoon. Notice the spoon is in her right hand and her left hand is doing the feeding. Cue messy kitchen, messier baby.

Christmas in July

All right, all right, I know I've been away WAY too long from this poor blog. Six months to be exact. Today, Sweet P is 11 -- ELEVEN!?!?! -- months old. Hard to believe, no?

So, like I said, I've been away too long. Many times I've thought, "Hey, I should update that blog..." and then I haven't. So, today, I offer you a present in the form of one of those corny Christmas letters my siblings and I love to hate. Without further ado, Christmas (letter) in July:

Dearest Friends and Family,

I write to you from New York City on the sixteenth day of 90-plus degree weather in this month of July. Our last correspondence seems so long ago. Since we've been in touch, much has happened in the world of the Mercier family.

February brought with cold and snow. A pair of snow days for Mason let Mommy re-live the fun that they could be. During Mason's mid-winter break, we made a trip to the Bronx Zoo, Piper's first, and visited the another old-reliable spot, the Dinosaur Museum. Ice-skating season continued at school and the end of the month brought Mason's stint as Star of the Week in PreK. Piper and I were regulars at school that week. We schlepped in with his "collection" of puzzles one day and his favorite food, mac n' cheese (with broccoli, natch!) another day.

In March, we made like tourists and took the kids to visit the Statue of Liberty. It was lots of fun, though Mason was more impressed by the wide-open space at her feet than the Statue itself. He and Dad-O played "pretend" baseball in the shadow. We didn't make it off the island in time to go to Ellis Island, and have vowed to go again -- this time with tickets to the crown in hand. March also found Piper and I jetting off to Colorado sans boys to visit my Grandpa Seeley. He passed away on March 15, but we were there for his final few days. I had a visit I'll never forget during that time and Piper learned to wave -- at the Colorado Spring Hospital, through the glass of the ICU doors. She wasn't able to go in and see him, but the first time they locked eyes, he sat up in bed and waved to her. She waved back. It was a tough trip, but so important to be there to say my goodbyes and to be with family after he had passed. He is in a much better place. Piper and I returned from that trip at month's end to spend another school break with Mason. Spring break meant another Bronx Zoo trip, an outing at The Met -- where Piper almost got us booted because she was laughing and squealing too loud -- and heading out to Coney Island for the aquarium and amusement park with some good friends. Easter came and went. There was much candy and many eggs to hunt in Central Park.

April brought more sad news from Colorado. My Grandma Woodman died on April 16 and so I packed up both kids and headed home again with my second "eu-google-ly" in as many months in hand. Again, it was so tough, but as a family we got through the weekend, shared some tears and most important, some laughs. In kid news, Piper went from scooting to downward-dog poses to crawling. She developed a super-speedy move for whenever the gate blocking her in the living room was opened. Mason cruised through the end of skating season and into beach season.

In May, I joined Mason on one of those beach trips, to Orchard Beach in the Bronx. It was so much fun to see him and all his classmates splashing in the water. It was a big month in karate class, too. At the dojo's annual gala, Mason was given a special award for his development in karate. He was so proud when they called his name to receive the plaque. As he told everyone who would listen, "Everyone got a trophy, but not everyone got a plaque." We celebrated with dinner at IHOP. He ate mac n' cheese and a pancake and now thinks this is the greatest place on earth. Piper went from crawling to pulling herself up and tried to do away with the gate problem by ripping it from its hinge a few times. We closed out the month with our first family trip to the beach -- this time the Rockaways -- and celebrating Dad-O's birthday.

June brought the end of the school year. There were Spring Concerts to attend and field days to take in. In mid-June, we joined our friends for a day trip to the country and went to their daughter's school function at her school farm. Seriously. And seriously fun ... even when you consider the six hours we spent in the car that day. Nothing beats some farm-fresh cooking and some fresh country air. Mason and Rob made a whirlwind trip to Colorado to enjoy the birthday festivities of our nephews. It was less than 24 hours that they were away, but even a microburst couldn't prevent them from attending. From what I hear, it was quite the shin-dig, complete with a bouncy firetruck slide and appearances by Spider Man and Sponge Bob. We continued our tourist run with a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. Mason said NYC looked like it was made of legos from up there. It did. Piper thought she was Marilyn Monroe when she stood on top of an AC on the 102nd floor and let her dress blow in the air. She wasn't, but she was much prettier.

July has been all about Camp Mom. That's what I'm calling the summer. I am working freelance from home and spending every waking moment with the kiddos. Piper is jabbering up a storm and cruising all over the place. She is even -- ever so tentatively -- standing on her own. We gave up on the old gate and got a new, more expensive one in its place. She has yet to take it off the wall. We are at the pool at least three times a week for swimming lessons. Mason is fearless and nearly swimming on his own. We have been to the Bronx Zoo (again) where Mason and his friend, Kellyn, rode a camel. We have been to the Prospect Park Zoo, where they milked (fake) cows. We have been to the Queens Zoo, where we took in some really exotic animals, like elk and antelope! We have been to Jersey to visit friends. We have flown kites on Governor's Island. We went to Orchard Beach and had a great day. Found out Piper loves to crawl in the surf, and that it's a big pain to get home from there! Mason's graduated to a Yellow Belt in karate. He tells everyone he's almost a Master.

All in all, we're blessed. It was a tough spring, but the kiddos have given us plenty to smile at. As Grammy says, our hearts are beginning to be happy again.

From our family to yours, a very happy August. Hoping for a little more time to blog in this "new year."

Love from The Merciers

The Big Four

Mason's fourth birthday has come and gone. Hard to believe he's already that old -- and believe me, four sounds SO much older to me than three!

We had quite the week of birthday celebrations, beginning with a chocolate explosion at preschool. Mason shares a birthday with Alexandra, one of his classmates, so her mother and I teamed up to bring chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (me) and chocolate Klondike Bars with chocolate coating -- which we fed to the kids at afternoon snack and then sent them on their merry, sugar-filled way home. Sorry other mommies and daddies!

There was an impromptu dance party preceding the snack (see!) so maybe that helped?!?




After school, Dad-O and I whisked Mason away to Radio City for our second-annual birthday viewing of the Christmas Spectacular. Mason was well-prepared before the show started with his 3D glasses. After fulfilling his request for an "Old" McDonald's birthday dinner before returning home to open a pile of presents!







The birthday fun continued on Saturday with his ballpark-themed party. We had lots of fun with all his friends and their families. There was a bunk-bed to climb on, many toys to play with and a pinata to bash ... all before devouring a Dallas Cowboys cake and ice cream.

Breaking out the baby monitor

Last night was Piper's first in her own room -- and by own room, I mean of course the one she shares with Mason.

She looked so tiny in her big ol' crib, but she was getting way too big for her little ol' bassinet!



Mason, as you can see, was pleased to have a roommate!

Piper's Baptism

We had Piper baptized today at our church, St. Catherine of Genoa, here in NYC. We started attending church there when we moved into the neighborhood before Mason was born and since then it's become more of our home. Rob was baptized there, too, when he joined the church, so it seemed only fitting to have Piper baptized there.

Her baptismal gown was a gift from Grammy T, and will be returned to her for future grandbabies.







Kevin and Melissa were her godparents, and Kellyn, who tells everyone that she has a baby sister is now telling everyone that Piper is her godsister. It's too cute! We're so lucky to have friends like them among our New York family!



Rob's sister, Auntie Nay, was able to come for the ceremony, too.



Here's a slideshow of some of the moments from the big day. Afterwards, we had some friends over for brunch, which was great fun for me -- as we finally have a space large enough to entertain in!

Piper at 2 months

Here's our growing girl and her bear...



Showing off her Barbie band-aids after her trip to the doctor and first round of vaccinations...



And just a cute shot of her sticking out her tongue, because she's found that she has one and uses it for more than just showing Mommy how hungry she is!



We went to the doctor today and she checked in at 23.5 inches long and 11 pounds, 5 ounces. For those keeping track of the numbers, she's in the 90th percentile for height and 60th for weight. Either way, she's growing well! Remember last month's prediction of blue eyes? Well...this month the doctor says "dark" eyes. Different doctor, though, so I guess we'll keep waiting and see what develops over the next few months.

In general Piper news, like I said, she's found her tongue and likes to play with it by sticking it out. It's pretty hilarious when she sticks it out while trying to "talk." I'll try to come up with a video of that sometime soon. She also loves her bouncy seat and seemingly has figured out that by batting the monkey, she can make it sing to her. The baby gym is also a popular attraction and every time Mommy and Grammy are chatting on the phone (which is A LOT) she wants to join in, though always looks a little confused to hear the voice, but not see my mouth moving when I put the phone to her ears!

Piper at 1 month

In my pre-blogging days, I sent out e-mail blasts to "Mason's list" on each of his "monthly" birthdays. Once he hit one year, we graduated to the blog ... so here we are. I'll try to post all Piper's pertinent info here each month so all interested parties can follow her growing progress!

Here she is with her special teddy bear that Mason built for her with the help of some Great Aunties back on our trip to Colorado. Great Aunt Patty took the cap home with her and had it embroidered with her name and a little rose (Piper Rose, get it?!) and sent it once she was born. So, expect the teddy to be a mainstay in these pics so we can see how she overtakes it in size, eventually!



At her one-month checkup, she was 9 pounds, 15.7 ounces. Had she not left a present in her diaper just before hopping on the scales, she would have tipped it at 10 pounds to be sure! Everything checked out a-OK. The doctor was happy with her growth and predicted a blue-eyed baby. Time will tell...

Welcome to the real world

Today was a big day for Mason -- and all of us really -- as he had his first day of preschool! He's attending Central Park East II on the Upper East Side, where we're oh-so-glad to have landed a spot. Turns out even public Pre-K spots (at good schools!) are difficult to come by in this city!

So, bright and early we headed off this morning -- the whole family -- to his first day. Mason was rockin' his new New York Yankees' backpack, which is almost as big as he is. He got a little lift from Dad-O on the way there.



Piper rocked her apple shirt/skirt combo, if only because it seemed fitting for a first-day-of-school sort of thing!


When we arrived at the school, we found Mason's class lined up in the big school yard and waited (nervously, for Mommy) for the big moment when we'd head inside to the classroom. We also managed to squeeze in a family picture.



We headed upstairs to his classroom and helped him find his name on his cubby and unload his backpack, then it was time to say goodbye. Mason handled it the best of all of us, I think. He looked at me and said "See ya later, Mom!" I practically had to beg for a hug and a kiss ... then leave before I started tearing up! Rob gave him one big squeeze and then we reluctantly headed out and hit up the new-parent breakfast down the hall.

Three hours later, Piper and I were back to pick him up and take him out for a special lunch at McDonald's. The first thing he said to me was "I loved school, Mommy! Thanks for telling me about it!"

Oh, kid, if you only knew. I'll have to remind him of that in a few years and often after that, to be sure!

The Proud Graduate

Saturday was a big day for the Mason man. As you can see, he graduated the latest round of swimming lessons.



This round, we took them at Riverbank State Park, where we've been schlepping every Saturday morning since early January. There were some days where it was particularly frigid, but it was worth the effort.

Here's Mommy and Mason on our last day of class.



The little guy in action:






And, of course, videos. Maybe I'll get creative with them later and make one highlight film, but for now enjoy this trifecta!

Picture Perfect

Here's Mason's official 3-year-old photo shoot. He was quite the little charmer and seemed to love the attention showered on him by the ladies at Kiddie Kandids.

The Big Three

We celebrated Mason's official birthday yesterday with a day full of family fun. Both Dad-O and I were lucky enough to have the day off so we could devote the whole day to doting on the birthday boy.



We started off with a very nutritious birthday breakfast of donuts and followed that up with opening more presents. Mason had plenty of time to play with all of them: he and Dad-O built a Lego tower taller than Mason, Mason had a ball with his new Diego Mobile Rescue Unit and then we all headed into the lobby so he could go wild with his remote-control car from Grammy and Papa.



After recharging at naptime, we headed downtown for the much-anticipated Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Mason posed for some quick pictures before we set out to find our seats.



The show did not disappoint. Afterwards, Mason said his favorite part was the arrival of the three wisemen, presumably because they were accompanied by real-live donkeys and camels (seriously, I work right across the street from the place. I want to know where they hide those animals when they're not on stage!). Of course, later, he was overheard telling his Uncle Kirty that it was the Rockettes who really stole the show. My how fast he's growing up...

After the show, we grabbed some cupcakes at Magnolia and headed uptown for one last surprise: Pizza, soda and games at Chuck E. Cheese. Mason always points it out when we pass it by, but we rarely go there. It's a special treat. Dad-O, with Mason on his shoulder walked by the door initially, only to turn around and go back, and plop Mason in front of the door -- where we were treated to a big ol' birthday smile. He was so excited.



We closed the place down and headed home, only to find our door all decorated by Mason's daycare buddies. It was so cute -- two collages, plus a card from each of his friends and a portrait of the birthday boy. Mason remarked: "This is beautiful work!"



It was that, and a pretty awesome end to his third-birthday extravaganza. We all had a great day...and will have to work real hard to top it next year!

Mason's Wild Third Birthday Party

We spent the better part of Saturday with a big ol' group of friends -- both ours and Mason's -- celebrating Mason's third birthday with a Diego-themed bash.

We were lucky enough, again, to borrow Melissa's place for the shin-dig and everyone had a great time. The kids wore animal masks instead of party hats. There was plenty of food and random fun. They colored. They danced. They fought over the big ol' bowl of Pirate's Booty, which I've learned must be a children's-party staple.

Here's the big moment when Mason blew out his cake:



All of the photos from the day can be found here.

It will be hard to top the fun of the party, but Dad-O, Mason and I are gearing up for a trip to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular come Wednesday -- his actual birthday -- not to mention more presents to open.

We'll check back in after that adventure!

Moving on up

After witnessing a little early morning acrobatics on Sunday where Mason climbed into, then out of his crib we came to the conclusion it was time to convert -- to a toddler bed.

Trips to three kiddie stores ensued as we searched high-and-low for some cool big-boy duds (bye, bye teddy bears, hello fire-engine dogs) to deck out the bed.

After much fanfare, here's what the little man looked like Monday night when we tucked him into his new-and-improved big-boy bed:



And here's what he looked like when I went in to wake him up Tuesday morning:



Mind you, all the pillows, blankets and stuffed animals I lovingly placed on the floor to break any possible fall had all be placed in the bed sometime during the night by him. Despite leaving himself very little room, he managed to sleep through the night without sustaining any bodily harm.

Finally, just for giggles, here's what he looked like mere minutes ago, when he was standing upside down -- his words, not mine -- while we were playing trains.

Pedal, Pedal, Pedaling

Mason got this tricycle for Christmas from Grammy and Papa (and the cool helmet from Auntie Jen, but she won't admit it!) and until this week, we'd been pushing him up and down the block with the handy dandy push bar. Well, no more. The kiddo can cruise under his own power now and here's the proof.


And some more:

Now I know my A-B-Cs!

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

For a while Mason has needed a haircut. However, because Mason's Mom likes his curly hair, it took a while to get to the point where his inability to see overtook his shaggy-haired look. But the time had come. He was starting to look like a hippie:


You can tell Macey's hair is getting long when you wash it and you can create extreme hairstyles. Our favorite is the Sanjaya (for all you American Idol fans), also known as the USC.
I've got to say Mason sure does handle getting his haircut better now than he did in the past. Before, we needed to make sure we cut quick, because after he knew what we were doing he'd freak out. Now, he takes it in stride and just watches the video we have playing for him, this time it was Curious George. He even looked at the locks of hair falling and kept cool (and it is, was a lot of locks).
Well now there has been a transformation, our our little surfer boy has changed to a debonair, dapper little guy. But his hair grows fast and it's only a matter of time before we start debating when haircut number six comes. If Mom has her way, it won't be for awhile or at least until his hair is close to his eye level.