StL Hipster Dad: What Happened to May?

May went by in a blaze of being too busy, growing too much, and having too much fun.

Also, I've been neglecting all of my blogging duties something terrible for about two months or so, and it stops NOW.

I'd give you all a run down of what has happened in the last two months if I could remember everything, but I can't so I won't. But some highlights:

Jules had her 9 month check-up and it went great. She weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces, which put her in the 30th percentile for weight. Not exactly awesome, but we have to remember that she has my genes, and I weighed 127 pounds when I graduated from high school ten years ago but stood at six foot three. And speaking of height, she came in at 27 1/2 inches, average height for a girl her age. Though, shortly after the check-up, I can assure you she gained a pound or two and then grew a couple inches.

Mother's Day came and went, with Jules treating Kathy to a little bit of sleeping in, followed by dinner at Granny and Poppy's that evening. That little girl sure loves her momma.

June started, and with it came a little bit of a jump in the mobility of our little girl. She doesn't crawl in the traditional sense: she more army crawls, which seems to be more efficient. Anyway, she's not so much into crawling as she's into pulling herself up and standing, something which for about a week made going to bed incredibly difficult. Turns out, since she found out she could do it, and realized it was easy to do in the crib, she wanted to do it all the time, but didn't know how to get back down without falling at first, so, that was a week of going in and helping her back down, soothing her, etc. She's over it now.

We went to the Botanical Gardens and took family pictures of ourselves and of our friends Beth and Joel and their 6 month old Garrett. We also met with Stephanie and Anthony, new friends who have a beautiful little girl named Allie. Jules had fun playing with both of them and, while I am unsure about that Garrett character and want to know just what his intention are with my daughter, I know we'll be seeing more of them soon.

Father's Day came, and Jules got me a great gift: a pair of $25 Groupons to The Book House, with the stipulation that I spend some of that on books I can read to her. And while I maintain that in fact I can read Jennifer Eagan's A Visit From the Goon Squad to her, certain themes and motifs and words within the book itself have raised the question should I read it to her, so I'll be going back soon to pick up some good children's books.

I promise, more frequent posts in the future. I wish I had a slew of pictures to share with you. And it must be my lucky day, because I actually do have such a slew!

Jules getting ready for a road trip

Easter Sunday in NE

9 Months old and that hair just sticks straight up

She Pinned Me. Again.

Jules and her friend Naomi at the Zoo

The Penguins Were, Apparently, Awesome

Mother's Day Morning, after Momma got up.

This is the wrapping paper Jules "designed" for Granny's present.

Pre-pulling herself up.

Crawling...ish.

Jules' first donut.

Cuteness Factor 10.8

Jules loves curry chicken w/Chickpeas, lentils and rice

Walking through Forest Park

Auntie Angela at Bark in the Park

Chillin' with her feet up on a stroll

Not content just looking at art, Juliette poses for a picture which is now considered a postmodern statement on the modernist interpretation of classical art.