Six months and still swingin'

Our little (well not so little) boy is six months old. It seems like he is doing something new every day. New syllables--"da da" and "ba ba," new foods-- avocado and bananas, new discoveries--how to bang on his high chair tray, throw things off his high chair tray again and again, and how to poke himself in the eye (hopefully this was a learning experience and will not be repeated by Charlie). Charlie was 21.1 lbs at his 6 month appointment and 27 3/4 inches long. The pediatrician said that he has moved from linebacker to lineman and advised us to check the weight limitations on our car seat (Charlie was a little offended). He had more shots, but handled it pretty well and got three very exciting bandaids to show for his pain: Elmo, Blues Clues, and Hello Kitty (again, a little offended).

It's sad to see the summer end as it marks the close of the first and a very special stage of our son's life. But, it's exciting too, to realize that nearly every day brings something new for us to love about him.

Mama's little boy

Hmmm, perhaps Charlie is outgrowing his infant seat?

We were at Eastman House for a picnic and Charlie started to look sleepy. We put him in his infant seat thinking he would maybe drop off for a nap. Pretty soon we saw his head pop out the top of the seat and his hands using the roof to climb out to freedom.

Can't get enough of those toes...

Hangin' with my buddy Abel

Apparently Charlie finds his Dad's lower back pain amusing. I think our little boy's days in the Baby Bjorn are numbered. Weighing in at over 20 lbs., this kid should be on a big wheel!

Charlie Visits our Nation's Capital

Jen had to go down to D.C. for a grant review, so Charlie and Bob came down mid-week to spend some time strolling around the capitol. We visited all the monuments so that Char could pay his respects to the founding fathers of our great nation. He liked the World War II Memorial the best because of all the cool fountains. Mom and Dad had to do an impromptu diaper change near the White House, not sure if that was a political commentary on Charlie's part...

Hittin' the Hotel Pool

Charlie is a pro at swimming now and loves to "swim" with his legs and arms all going at once. We had fun at the hotel pool in DC and had to laugh when some other people there asked us how old Charlie was and said they had been guessing his age. When we told them he was (nearly) 5 months, they looked really surprised and said one had guessed 7 months and one 10 months! Charlie's girth is quite deceiving...

"It's ok mom, the doctor said I could have solids..."

Charlie's encounter with Mozart...the dog!

A weekend wedding and Charlie's new Aunt!

Learning to Laugh

Almost 5 months old!

Charlie at the Pig Show!

Charlie's cousins, Emily and Jayne Bannister, competed in the pig show at the Orleans County 4H Fair. Charlie decided to don his overalls and check it out. He actually loved it! He was passed around from Aunt Jan, to Uncle Stu, to Great Grandma, to Cousin Victoria... but never took his eyes off of the action. Congrats to Jayne and Emily on their impressive performances; those pigs are not very cooperative!

Charlie's Dedication

Friends and family were with us to celebrate Charlie's dedication last weekend. It was a very special service and it meant a lot to us that all of you came to stand beside Charlie on this day! He was pretty tuckered out after all the picnic festivities and decided to skip out on the water balloon toss to take a nap. Thanks for the cake Grandma!

Charlies 1st swim

Fourth of July

Charlie had a pretty exciting Fourth of July. He got to meet his Great Grandma and lots of cousins and Aunts and Uncles on Grandma Susan's side of the family. And...he rolled over for the first time--on July 3rd, he rolled from belly to back and on July 4th, from back to front! His dad kept trying to get him to do it once we got home (since Dad wasn't there for the first roll in Malone) and Charlie was not interested. Then, when he finally did roll over, his parents were clapping and whooping so loud that it scared him and made him cry!

Summer days...

Outgrowing the dishpan...

Wow, you're almost as crazy as my Mom...

Charlie felt so privileged to meet Jess at last! Although he was a little dismayed to find out that Jess loves shopping maybe even more than mom, he was relieved to get to stay home and do yard work with Dad while the two girls went from store to store. Later, we all went to the drive in (with Aunt Kat and Tom too) and, we were happy to find out, this is a really good way to "go to the movies" with an infant. He slept peacefully in his car seat during the movie and totally loved the popcorn (not really Grandma).

You actually wore this Dad?

OK, so some of the outfits Bob wore when he was a baby weren't as cool. Charlie was amused by this lemon yellow leisure suit, but made it clear that he wouldn't leave the house in it. Baby bell bottoms, are you serious?

Bonding with Dad

Grandma Adams sent some of Bob's clothes from when he was a little boy. Charlie really likes this super cool track jacket. It says "Good Boy" on the front, which is usually appropriate. Bob is the best at getting Charlie to laugh. It seems the rougher he gets with Charlie, the more he likes it!

Honoring a Great Man

On Saturday, June 3 we attended Grandpa Koepp's Memorial Service at Evergreen Cemetary in New Lebanon, NY. Kenneth Gilbert Koepp died at age 82 on December 27, 2005. As his fellow veterans testified at his funeral, Grandpa Koepp embodied the merits of a true soldier--courage, honor, and sacrifice.

His grandson Aaron Koepp told a story at the Memorial Service that nicely illustrated how Grandpa will be remembered by his six grandkids. One day, when Aaron was young and living with his grandparents, he told his grandpa that Dave (Bob's brother) had skipped school to go fishing and Aaron wanted to go too. Grandpa told Aaron to sit down and he left the room. He came back with a piece of paper on which he had written an excuse for Aaron to get out of school so that he could also go fishing. He handed Aaron the note and said sternly, "Just don't tell Nana!"

Some day we'll tell Charles Kenneth about his Great Grandfather and namesake--how special Grandpa was to so many. Bob and I will always remember the continuous line of people who steadily streamed in and out of the funeral home over the course of three hours, how he had touched each one of them in some way. We'll also remember the stoic sound of the bugler while two soldiers folded up the American flag and laid it on Nana's lap. We only wish that Charlie could have sat on his Great Grandpa's lap and listened to his stories -- how Grandpa's eyes would have twinkled then!

Cousin Brenda

Uncle Dave

Cousin Dan, Mateo and Aidan

Charlie and Aunt Judy
Aunt Toodie snuggles with Charlie

Nana and Grandma play with Charlie
Aunt Esther holds Charlie
Cousin Aaron and Nannette