Adventures in Pittsburgh

Ben and I had a wonderful visit in Pittsburgh visiting family and friends. I feel so honored to be among the first to meet Hayden and spend time with Mike and Risa as they transitioned into parenthood. We were able to spend a bit of time seeing some child-friendly sights of Pittsburgh and even got to spend a few days in Philly and Delaware (to visit Jill's family including our new friend Lev).

Ben changed a lot in the three weeks we were away. He has mastered going up (if not down) stairs. He learned the signs for baby, giraffe, and fish. He started calling me "mom!!!" He now does some hand motions when I sing fingerplays such as the Itsy-Bitsy Spider and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. He also walked about five or six steps in a row yesterday at the airport and walked from our dining nook (aka playroom) to the kitchen table this afternoon. He tried pickled ginger and loved it. Ben saw a real Macaroni Penguin, a baby tiger, two baby elephants, and a Kodiak bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. He also developed a few fears including a slight hesitation about stuffed animals and noisy plastic toys.

Here are some random pictures and videos from the trip.

Ben at the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh--playing with pegs.

Crawling over the transparent floor with Madie (Risa's neighbor).

Ben and Madie playing with sifters and birdseed at the museum.

Ben playing with a ball

Eva and Ben

Granddad and grandsons

Hayden at 2 1/2 weeks and 10 pounds (go Risa!)

The highlight of Ben's trip