Pilaging and Plundering

Hey everybody!
I'm sorry for not posting in quite some time. Jess has been hard at work finishing up her last class, so she's been hogging the computer. That's ok, I've been hogging Shea in return. But, it's all over. She's completed her course and I can get the computer back...and there was much rejoicing! Yeah! Yeah! She presented her lesson plan and research Thursday, so all she needs to do is get a teaching job and her first semester will qualify as her student teaching session. Then, she officially gets her degree and the big bucks roll in!

In other news, Shea has begun to test the waters of mobility. He's been rolling, scooting, and pulling himself around for some time now, often cruising around the coffee table and sofa, but in the past 2-3 weeks, he's been actually crawling. Like his Dada, he's just not satisfied with that form of locomotion, so he's trying out his sea legs and has begun walking. No independent steps just yet, but when we hold his hands, he starts running...usually after the cat. So, it's quite an interesting time around here. We've got locks on some of the cabinets, padding around the coffee table, and we're going to get a gate this weekend. Oh, the joys of making sure your child doesn't kill himself. Enjoy some pictures of his forays about the house.

Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate life for me!

Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
That's what I get for opening the liquor cabinet!!!

Yeah, I stole this magnet off the fridge. What you gonna do about it?
I'll tell you what you gonna do about it...

Nothin', that's what! Forgit 'bout it!
I had to throw in a cute one of us after a walk in a local park.

Family Portraits

Hey everybody!
A few weeks ago, we got our pictures taken. We succumbed to the unavoidable force that is the Sear's Portrait Studio and sat down for a spell. Here's what became of that adventure. Shea was an amazing baby (as always) and only cried when the photographer tried to get cutsie and force him to lie on his back and grab his feet. Personally, I think that pose is overrated. Besides, I doubt he wants his future employer to see him in such a position. Hope you like them. Obviously, we've got electronic copies, so if anyone wants a copy of one or more of these, let us know.

Have a good weekend! We've already spoiled you with 2 posts, but perhaps a third will follow as soon as I get that video edited.
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

Loving Cousins

Hey everybody!
Sorry for the delay. It's been hard to find time to blog, as we've been busy harvesting from the garden and working on a gate for the garden. There's just not enough time in the day for everything we want to do! This weekend, we drove down to PA to see my family and so that Shea could actually interact with his cousins rather than just sleep, eat, and poop as he did his first visit when he was 3 weeks old. It was great seeing the kids interact and get along even if the pictures posted reflect a different story!

I'm working on a video for the blog. I just gotta find the Dropkick Murphy's song from the Departed movie or something from the Lord of the Dance as background. Stay tuned!!!

We hope everyone is doing well.
Lots of love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

The weekend started out okay. Mommom even gave me a ball!

It all turned sour when Paige caught me biting her favorite turtle.

Things turned hostile and violence ensued. That's okay though, I foofed on her later.

My first sitdown with Maverick. He seemed kinda bored, but I found a way to amuse myself.

Look at his outfit! Who dressed this guy? Come on!!! What, does his mom not like him?

I mean, look at the guy! Camo with a blue printed T-shirt? Who does this? At least my bib matches my onesie!

Just kidding Mav! We love you! The series of pics just screamed satire!

The Most Wonderful Sound You'll Ever Hear

Hello everybody,
Some very wise person once called a child's laughter as the most wonderful sound you'll ever hear. We couldn't agree more. Here are two clips of Shea proving that person correct. In the first one, Jess was attacking Shea's belly from on high (he loves anticipating tickling, whether from us or stuffed animals). He carried on like this for nearly 10 minutes until both his and our bellies and faces hurt from laughing. The next one was a quick babble that we were able to capture. He first started babbling this weekend and actually says "Da-Da" when I walk into the room. We're working on perfecting "Ma-Ma." If these clips don't put life into perspective, I don't know what can!

More clips are soon to follow, as I learn how to use the movie-editing software. For now, enjoy what we get to enjoy every day!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea


If you listen closely, he cat-calls during the middle of this clip. That's my boy!


Shea really loves his daddy!

Speaking in Tongues ;-}

Hi Everyone,

Happy Summer Everyone! Sorry for taking so long between posts. Doug, Shea and I have had a rash of colds, eye and ear infections, etc. the past few weeks so we've been a little out of it.

Shea seems to be doing new things every time we turn around. In the past 3 weeks, he's rolled over completely (forwards and backwards), learned to sit up by himself, had a tooth pop out (finally!) and the big one: he's babbling constantly, and it's starting to actually sound like something!

He's started saying 'dada' a lot in the past day or two. And he usually says it when he's looking at Doug, so I think he's making the connection there. I could swear he said 'kitty cat' this morning, although it was pretty garbled.

In other news, Doug's going on the Friendship up to Boothbay Harbor, ME this coming week. I'm going to join him Thursday for a mini-vacation, which means Shea gets to have some unadulterated Grandma time with my mom for a few days...who will wear out whom first ;)

I think that's all for now. Hope all is well with all of you. And we'll really try to post more often :D

Love,
Jess, Doug & Shea

And now for what you really check the blog for...Shea pics!


I've got a huge hat on my noggin', don't I? It's all good. I can work the trucker look!


What do you think of my Farah Fawcet pose? Wow, this hat actually fits him!

I'm a sexy babeh! Future Burt Reynolds, maybe?

Reflections of Shea

Hey guys!
Two posts in one day!!! I gotta make up for lost time. Here are some pics of Shea. He's doing well. He's now enjoying eating solid foods as we diversify his diet a bit. His rash is getting better now that we've switched to environmentally-friendly disposable diapers (we think the vinyl liners were keeping too much moisture in), but our guilt of filling up landfills is forcing us to explore new options. Either way, Shea's health comes first. At least we have one option that seems to be working.
Enjoy the weekend!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

No worries, Mama, I can feed myself. If only I could figure out how to sit upright!

What a great smile this kid has!

Who is that devilishly handsome man?

What? I like to look at myself! I'm not vain, I'm just cute!!!

Jealous Mistresses...

Hey everybody!
It's been a while since our last post. All three of us have been battling colds of varying degrees. We're all better just in time for allergy season! At least we've got plenty of tissues...

Other than fighting off viruses, we've been working to get everything ready for the upcoming summer season. I built a few garden boxes along the side of the house and added another 10 lbs of grass seed to the back yard. We got another driveway full of dirt to fill them up and bought some veggies to plant in them last week. We got a smorgasbord of veggies that we'll hopefully be able to enjoy soon. Yes, even I will partake of our harvest - I do eat my veggies now, thanks to Jess.

In other news, we've decided to add a little spice to our lives: we added a jealous mistress to our family. In other words, we bought a boat. We bought a share of a sailboat (23' Sea Sprite) with some close friends (Friendship's 1st mate and another Friendship volunteer) and own a 1/3 share of the boat, it's gear, and a private mooring in Salem harbor. It's the only way to get into the sailing world around here. It's an interesting subculture to say the least. It's kinda weird being able to somewhat fit in with the yachty blue-bloods around here.

The term "jealous mistress" is all too fitting for a boat, as recently she has demanded a lot of money and attention and I feel guilty spending time working on her rather than playing with Shea and being with Jess. But, she's worth it. We'll all have a lot of fun sailing on her. I'm a bit nervous though, as I know how to maneuver and sail a 150' vessel a hell of a lot better than this 23' one! Wish us luck!
Love,
Doug, Jess, and Shea

This is her! Her name is Sekhmet (Egyptian for cat). Ain't she a beauty? She's got great lines, smooth curves, and she rides well. What more can you ask for in a jealous mistress?

A view down below. I cleaned her inside and out last week. She's got cushions and enough space up forward to sleep 2, but we keep her stocked with extra sails and clothes in case it gets too cold out on the water.

Sitting pretty on her mooring with her nose out to sea. Notice how nice the teak looks? I spent 3 hours cleaning and oiling her. That, and touching up the bootstripe (red stripe at the waterline) and repainting the hull really makes her look good!