Toys rule!

As promised, here are a few more birthday party shots of Robby showing off some of his new toys.

Veronika and Jermaine got Robby this great Green Toys Sand Play Set. Here's Robby modeling the rake.

I've admired Green Toys as a toy company for a long time. They have a strong commitment to the environment, their toys are all BPA-free and made in the USA to boot!

Check out their site for more info.

Another cool toy that Robby got from our friends Seth, Sara, and baby Grady was a four-wheeled Kawasaki ride-on thing. (I'm sure it has a more proper name than that. He totally digs it and I think he looks pretty damn cute riding it.

Because a little boy can't have enough ride-on cars, Grandma and Grandpa got him this cool Push Around Buggy by Step 2.

Robby loves going for rides in this and has this goofy perma-grin on his face the whole time while holding super tight to the steering wheel.

Mean mommy took some of Robby's new toys and put them away for a little while so we can focus on a few new things at a time, and then appreciate the rest later. I used the savings bond philosophy. It sucks to get a gift that you can't use right away, but you'll appreciate it even more later. Thanks to all who made Robby's birthday special and awesome.

Yummy cake

I’ve been so bad, and haven’t posted in ages.

Robby’s first birthday was celebrated in a major way on Sunday, July 5th, 2009. We had a Luau party at our house and over 50 of our closest friends and relatives were there to celebrate with us. Poor Robby had just woken from a long nap and was ushered downstairs in a Hawaiian print shirt to find his home invaded. He was a great sport through the whole party. Here’s Robby enjoying his cake.

I’ll post more very soon, I promise!

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Robby's hair has grown from straight, shiny black wisps to an adult-sized curly coif over this past year. I remember when Robby was a newborn how Jude used to comb his hair every day to make it straight and perfect, shiny and smooth. Over time it started to curl a little, and despite Jude's straightening efforts, we could not fight the curl.

My dad (who sported an afro back in the day) has this crazy hair that grows out instead of down. Robby's hair is behaving in a similar way, which is why we took him to my Uncle Jim's barber shop. It's called Star Barber Shop and it's right behind the new Rite Aid on Route 9 and 146. Uncle Jim made Robby feel relaxed and comfortable for his first cut. Robby cracked a few early smiles, but was ultra serious during the cutting process. Uncle Jim made fast work of the coif, and the end result is fantastic as you can see from the pictures below.

Robby tell Uncle Jim "just a little off the top"

Robby digs his new 'do'. (and standing on the barber shop chair)

Putting the 'date' in playdate

Robby spent an afternoon recently with a beautiful baby girl named Syriana. Like Jude and I, her parents are of mixed race. Robby and Syriana had very similar features; big brown eyes, full lips, somewhat flattened noses, and curly afro hair.

Robby can be kind of a bruiser, so Syriana was timid at first as Robby thrashed through her toys with delight. She warmed up after a while and the two of them settled on a toy piano with room for two sets of tiny hands.

The picture on the top left was taken when both of them were still in playful bliss. Soon after, Robby started acting strange and made some weird noises that made Syriana roll her eyes in disbelief. He sure took the love out of loveseat.

Overall it was really cute to see the two kids together. Robby's finally starting to pay attention to other babies and actually have fun playing. I'm looking forward to another playdate with some other friends this weekend.

In other news, Robby is getting his coif trimmed for the first time tomorrow! I'll be sure to post some pictures.

Some good eatin'

A recent delicious takeout dinner from Augie’s Restaurant in Ballston Spa somehow ended up on Robby’s forehead. Augie’s has a way of taking food and making it so yummy, that you just want to put your face right in it. Robby did, and this is what it looked like...

He loved that eggplant dish so much he just kept eating it and evidently smearing it all over his face. Maybe he wanted to save some for later. Too bad grandma had to go and ruin the plan by wiping his face off.

Fun at the hotel pool

For our recent anniversary, Jude and I spent the night at the Courtyard Marriott in Saratoga. What a nice hotel! Everything was spotlessly clean and the decor was lovely. We checked in early so we could take Robby to the pool which was small but perfect for us. Robby was a little timid and unsure at first, but after a few minutes, he was relaxed as can be. We took the lifeguard floaty thing which was a perfect size for the little guy. After our fun swimming adventure, we dropped off Robby at my parents house so Jude and I could have a night to ourselves.

The coolest thing about our night at the hotel was that I actually won it from the World Awareness Children’s Museum in Glens Falls. They had a Sweetheart Raffle around Valentine’s Day and I entered and won this hotel stay and a host of other great prizes! This museum does some amazing work in the local community and the world. Check out their site to learn more about them.

I love that a museum of this nature exists in our community to help our children learn more about different cultures. You can even order reprints on their website of artwork from kids around the world. Robby has this print in his bedroom that I love. It’s a beautiful illustration drawn by a 10 year old in Africa depicting a street scene. I wonder what Robby’s ‘Malta Street Scene’ picture would look like. Hopefully by the time he’s ten it will look better than it does now!

Bang on the drum all day

There are very few commands I can tell Robby that he actually listens to. Two that work are "Robby, go play the piano" and "Robby, go play the drum". He will rarely play either instrument if not asked, but as soon as you mention it, he will glady comply.


His gentle baby touch for now isn't doing these instruments any harm, but I can only imagine Robby at age four going to town on the drum and banging the hell out of the piano.

Don't tell Robby, but for his first birthday next month, I decided to get him some instruments of his own. Remo drums makes a cool line of products for kids that aren't too "kiddy", but are still kid-friendly if you know what I mean. I purchased this floor tom which looks awesome and I think he's going to love it. I'll share pics of Robby and his new drum later. Knowing Robby, he won't play his own drum because he's so spoiled by mommy's djembe. I may have to trade him for his floor tom.