Newsboy

Tripp likes to be stylish, so I got a newsboy cap for him.  He wanted to model it immediately, even though he was in his drawers.  He still looked good!

A wise purchase, indeed

As I said earlier, I went on a mission to get Tripp a stationary entertainer, and it's turned out to be a hit!  Here's handsome enjoying play time!

"Hey, Mom!  This is neat!"

As you can see, Tripp is still a master at eyebrow manipulation!

"Oh, hello there, Mr. Lion!"

"Mom, did you know there's a lion here?!"

Tripp is a MAJOR flirt!

Isn't learning fun, Tripp?

"Lots of it!"

Intense concentration a la Tripp...

Apparently, the purple ring is fascinating!

Isn't Tripp growing up too fast?  My sweet boy!  I love you!

Bounce, baby!

Since Tripp is growing in leaps and bounds, I wanted to give him an appropriate entertainer.  I've been looking at entertainers and jumpers for a couple of weeks, eagerly anticipating watching Tripp play in his for the first time!  Unfortunately, stores around here have pretty much zero good stock of this kind, so I had to hit a few places before I finally found an acceptable toy.

Here's the first picture of Tripp, trying out his fun new toy!  The reason Tripp looks like this is because he has apparently just pooed...and pooed...and pooed.  The entertainer turned out okay, but Tripp's onesie and pants were quite the disaster!

Okay!  Now that Tripp's had a bath and is sporting his new Drew Brees jersey (a gift from "uncle" Ahmed!), he's much more inclined to explore!

He's spotted the teether portion!

And apparently, it's quite fascinating!

I think this is his, "Thank you, Mom!" grin.

I'm so happy you like it, Tripp!

I hope you have many more hours of enjoyment!

I don't even know how I managed to capture this adorable photo.  Great timing!

Tripp's a genius...he has figured out exactly what the teether is for!

"Hmmm...this tastes different than my other yellow thing."

Tripp kept chewing away, so he must like it!

I wish I could get Tripp something new and awesome every day, just to see him explore!

Tripp, you are simply amazing!  I can't wait to play with you even more!

The most beautiful baby in the world

I've had quite a while to think about it, and I've decided that Tripp should get the award for the most beautiful baby.  This is totally not a biased decision; I pride myself on being fair!

I'm sorry to all you other parents out there who thought maybe your kid had a chance...nope, he/she didn't.  Here's the irrefutable evidence...

"Hey, there!  Ain't I handsome?"

This smile makes him look like a big boy!

Even throwing out the smiles while he's chewing on stuff!

Yummy!!

If only his mouth were just a little bigger!  Then he could see what blue and red taste like, too!

Be still, my heart!  What a flirt!

This is Tripp's "ooooooh!" expression.  He makes this face EVERY SINGLE TIME he says "oooooh!"  His eyebrows also go higher with increasing volume.

Debonair, wouldn't  you say?

What a little blessing we have!  Who knew we'd have the most beautiful child in the world?!

Nanny dog

Punk, as expected, is a wonderful nanny dog, who would probably never let Tripp fly away with Peter Pan (if she does, she's fired).  Scarlett, if you think trying to get two kids to look at the camera at the same time is hard, try it with a kid and a dog that hates cameras!

Even though they didn't take many good pictures together, here's two of my babies...the real one and a furry one! (Jinn is the brief blur of black in the background.)

Punk truly believes Tripp is petting her, and she is really loving it!  Every time Zack would move his hand, Punk would try to snuggle back up to Tripp.

Oh, did I mention Tripp's been looking at his feet a lot lately?  He hasn't figured out how to get them to his mouth yet, but they can provide a bit of entertainment, especially when he's wiggling his toes.

Ha!  Got you both!

Short-lived, wasn't it?

This is a horrible picture of Tripp, but I love Punk's expression.  "Back up off my baby, fool."

Hey, Tripp, I'm over here!  Gosh, Punk is so stoic!  At her age, I guess she's more of Tripp's puppy Grandma.

And the picture I'm sure will cause some shock with a few people...Punk sealing it with a kiss dead on the lips!  Oddly enough, Daddy didn't freak out.  He actually laughed!

Yes, thank you, my babies are quite beautiful!

What daddies are for

If you didn't know, neither one of my child-care schemes fell into place all that neatly, but as it turns out, Daddy's quite the caregiver.  This is fantastic news, since Zack can watch Tripp while I'm working.  Positives:  Daddy and Tripp get lots of one-on-one time; Tripp's at home where he belongs; child-care costs are zero!  Negatives: I would really, really, REALLY love to be the parent that gets to hang out with this kid all day!

The great thing is, Zack is bonding with Tripp every day.  It's amazing to come home and see my two men cuddled up together, and it's a great feeling when they're so happy to see me again!

And why did God give daddies to little boys?  To teach them how to be big, strong men, of course!  Zack's already started on Tripp's training.  Here he is, teaching my almost-four-month-old how to walk!

Tripp's so strong!  He will stand up just holding on to one of my fingers now.  This nosy child is definitely mine...he already wants to know everything about everything!  I sense trouble down the road with his inquisitive nature.

And when you get tired of standing, Daddy's always there with a lap waiting.  It's not as comfortable as Momma's, of course, but that's just because it's not as soft.

This picture is hilarious.  They have identical expressions!

Yes, Daddy, I think Tripp loves you, too.

Just melts your heart, doesn't it?

Tripp is actually taking steps here!  I'm cheering for him, which is why Tripp rewarded me with this big, handsome smile!

Bravo, Tripp!  You'll be mobile in no time!