Out and About

After six weeks of part-time summer camp at the Clayton Family Center, Rhys has been school-free for the first time in almost a year. I was worried about how to keep all of us happy and sane but thankfully this family-friendly town is chock full of activities. This week we filled our time with trips to Tower Grove park to play in the water, feed the ducks, and listen to classical music. We also visited a great toddler play area in the DeMun neighborhood of Clayton, and had lunch out at Kaldi's (super great coffee/lunch spot), and baked cookies at home. We also went to the local library twice - once for a puppet show of the Tortoise and the Hare and the other to get Elmo videos (yes, I admit it).
We ran into two of Rhys' school friends while out - and he was over the moon excited to see his "friends". This is one social little boy - who needs playdates. I am working on it, Rhys, I am working on it.

Grandpa Malec's Midwest Baby Tour

Zjo Zjo started his Midwest Grand-baby tour in Steamy St Lou last Wednesday. We sure know how to entertain our visitors. He was able to witness a full-blown tantrum or two, participate in long drives in the car so as to not waken said sleep-deprived tantrum thrower, and even visited the Central West End to go to the Children's Hospital (where there was a strong baseball theme throughout the Radiology clinic - kind of odd but I guess that is St Louis for you).

We also went to dinner on "The Hill" and tried out a wine bar in the DeMun area of Clayton. Can Minneapolis top that? :)

Hippy Baby

Claudia gave us a bit of a scare at her four-month check-up. We went to our new pediatrician for the first time and he found that she had a sign of hip dysplasia. Caught early, it isn't a big deal but does require the wearing of a brace for a number of months. Thankfully, we found out after a visit to the St Louis Children's Hospital that she is as right as rain.

Photography by Zhou Zhou....

Minneapolis Mama and Papa

Claudia and I flew to Minneapolis to meet Dax about a week ago. It was great to see Christopher and Jeanine as parents and to meet our nephew/cousin. Rhys will get to be part of the action come August -- it may be good for him to be outnumbered by the little people! Thanks C and J for a great weekend.

We are back

Sorry for the long snooze...technical problems. More to come about Minneapolis, Baby Cousin Dax, St Louis, biting, tennis, hip x-rays, humidity, and more!

Big readers

Spending time with Caroline...Don't be fooled -- this is one of the few instances where Rhys was calmly spending time with her.

I Love It!

Rhys screamed..."I Love It, Mommy" -- as he played at a splash park with Caroline on Saturday. Joy radiated from his small frame...and, as Sheila noted just recently in her blog, this simple, pure happiness is a foil to the 2-year-old testiness.

Rhys loved having Caroline stay with us for two nights. His love can be a bit too physical -- but overall he and Caroline play well together. We loved having our dear friends stay with us and showing them around town. A big hit was the City Garden downtown on the Fourth (see above). Come visit!

Nanny and her girl

This past week we have been fortunate to have had two set of guests -- the first was "Nanny" who came for three days to lend her decorating touches to our condo. We had a great time touring Clayton, going to dinner in U City, eating local bagels and trying out a self-serve yogurt shop, and spending a fun morning at the St Louis Zoo. 

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More to come about our visit from the Emrichs...Happy Fourth of July 2010.

Hot summer day in St Louis

Ah - sleeping in the stroller (a borrowed one which we have since returned and now have a Phil and Teds double).