Sittin' Up, Not Spittin' Up

Simon is continuing to learn new things. He likes to give kisses (sort of!), he's rolling over more and more, and lately he's been sitting up with help from the boppy (and Mom and Dad). Below is a video of one of his training sessions.


He continues to eat his various vegetables until he goes for his 6-month check-up on July 2. Today he gobbled up his squash and kept his white bib fairly clean.

Simon also has marathon kicking sessions several times every day. He loves to lay on someone's lap and kick them in the chest. He concentrates very hard on his task, and has what we fondly refer to as his "monkey mouth" -- mainly b/c it reminds us of the apes from the Planet of the Apes movies. Here is a picture of his monkey mouth.

Simon Logs 650+ Miles

Here's a quick update on our adventures over the last week:
--Joined Kelly and Uncle David for dinner. They whipped up some tasty Two-Bean Tamale Pie among other Mexican dishes.
--ROLLED OVER! Simon has been rolling belly-to-back fairly frequently since last Wed.
--Made a trek to Morehead and stayed in the hotel with Nana B and Granddaddy.
--Spent Saturday at Cousin Henry's house for his 2nd Birthday bash.
--Journeyed to Breck County for Father's Day festivities on Sunday.
--In total, Simon logged over 650 miles in his carseat this past weekend. He slept for about 575 of those miles.

Simon continues to grow like a weed. He also is now sitting up for short stretches under supervision and can manipulate most of the toys on his exersaucer.

Kelly takes a break from cooking some killer Mexican food to play with Simon.















Simon plays ball with Nana B and Granddaddy at the hotel in Morehead.














Henry exhibits his "scary" face--which is somewhat less scary with icing on his nose.














Simon practices for the Sleep Olympics. Here, he successfully executes the One Leg Suspended Raised Left Fist Pacifier Nap. This has a pretty high difficulty rating.

Splashin' Around

Here is a short video of Simon in the pool last Sunday.

Pirates and the Pool

Simon had a busy weekend. On Friday night, he spent the evening with his friend Grace Boyer. Shanna Estes graciously babysat them while their parents went to dinner and to see Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End.

He had his first taste of green beans on Saturday. He wasn't sure about them at first, but quickly decided he wanted more.

Sunday brought Simon's first trip to a pool. He didn't seem bothered at all by the cooler water. He was splashing around by the end of the day.

Below are pics.

Grace Boyer and Simon -- picture courtesy of Brice Boyer.















Simon with the first spoonful of green beans.
















Family swim.














Simon decided to try rafting.














When it was time to get out, we lounged by the pool while Simon chewed on his beach towel.

Fun for the Whole Family

Eleven Vances or VSO's (Vance Significant Others) were in the Bird Attack Nest in Morehead on Saturday. The occasion was to celebrate the arrival of the newest member, Ada Louise Vance, who is just a few days old. This also marked the first real interaction between Simon and his cousin Henry.

It was a grand day marked by Henry's "play dirt/sidewalk chalk/ball" activities, Simon's first peas, Ada's newborn "noises," Jason's "Duke of York" performance(s), and more established Vance traditions (chips, cookies, Nana's pimento cheese) that are revived when the whole family manages to get together under one roof.

Here is a slideshow from Simon's first trip to the lumpier, eastern side of our great commonwealth.

Here's a pic to whet your appetite.

Simon and Ada.