Dr. Matthew "Daddy" Dooley

It has been a long time since our last blog update and boy have we accomplished a lot!  Daddy or "Da da da" is now officially a doctor.  We had a wonderful graduation ceremony with family and friends.  Zadie Waltman and The Grand Poobah stood to recite the Hippocratic Oath while Dr. Matthew Dooley was sworn in.  The day was a tremendous occasion filled with joy and love. 

Sebastian was dressed for the event in a suit and tie.  He was, by far, the most well-dressed baby in the room.  He did remarkably well during the ceremony.  He did get tired of sitting but he did not even make a peep.  We left a little early to get him home for his nap so that he could be rested and ready to celebrate when everyone got home.  Like all Dooleys, Sebastian is a party animal.

In other news, Sebastian started crawling this past week!  He is now flying around the apartment, sometimes face-planting, and attacking all free electrical wires (eek!!!).  However, we have been slow about baby-proofing because we are moving on June 1st.  We found a wonderful single-family house in Medford.  While we certainly will spend time painting and sprucing up the place, we are looking forward to having our own home.  Very exciting!

Sebastian also has FIVE teeth now!  He has three on the bottom and the two on the top.  Teething the tops has been a nightmare for everyone.  Our normally happy boy has had a few really bad nights.  Hopefully, we are getting to the end of the torture.

Baby boy now has a beautiful full head of curls.  He has his 9 month doctor's visit on Thursday.  I am ball-parking his weight to be approximately 20-21 lbs.  Needless to say, we are excited to see how he checks out.

Assortment of pictures to follow...  I don't have has many pictures of graduation as I would have liked because my hands were rather full.  Hopefully, I will get more pictures up when Papa Mike sends me the pictures he took.

Sebastian with his friend Reid

Best buddy, Snoopy the dog

Coolest cat in Medford

Cool cat is a Celtics fan

Sebastian the snake-charmer

Cousin Danny likes to put things on my head

First musical lesson with Danny

Lessons with Daddy

Cutest butt in the world

Mommy and Sebby bath-time

Swings are serious business

Warm weather attire

"Pretty flowers..."

"I MUST destroy them!"

With friend, Echo

Cardboard box = hours of entertainment

First hike

Still loving the water

Our little fish

Dr. Dooley and Sebastian

Everyone is crazy about a sharp dressed man

Proud parents with the doctor!

Dr. Matthew M. Dooley & Dr. Maureen S. Hamel

Dr. Dooley, Dr. Hale & Dr. Axtmayer

The crib is here, the crib is here!

Sebastian's crib is finally here!  We couldn't be more excited... Well, Mom couldn't be more excited.  Sebastian wasn't as excited about it as I was but he did find it hysterical to sit in the crib and watch Daddy through the bars.  It was a regular heehaw fest actually.  When we tried to put him to sleep for the night, he rolled all over the mattress from front to back and back to front.  It took him a while to fall asleep with the massive expanse of space that is now his sleeping quarters. 

What a funny, funny baby we have!  Many thanks to Laurence and Joseph for the beautiful bedding and to Julian for the crib.  We have a second set of bedding from Jazz Cisneros so we are going to have to get a rotation going for crib bedding.  Oh, and thanks to Daddy for putting eveything together!

"They put me in jail!"

"But I think it is funny."

All decked out with the bumper and sheets

Night-time routine with Daddy

Big boy bottle before the first night in the crib

Spring has sprung

The weather has FINALLY turned in Boston.  While we don't begin to believe it will stay this way, it sure has been nice to reunite with the sun.  Sebastian has enjoyed being outdoors this week!  He made his first trip to the park on Friday with his new friend, Auden (see pictures below).  Auden loved the swings but Sebastian didn't seem to feel the same way.  I put Sebs into a toddler swing and gave him a baby push.  He gave me a look that was a mixture of confusion and distrust.  I decided I would put him on my lap to see if he was more comfortable on a swing while on my lap.  While on the swing, I noticed that I started to feel nauseated.  Perhaps he has inherited my tendency toward motion sickness. 

Yesterday, we went for a walk around Davis square and Sebastian visited another park in our neighborhood.  Most of the toys in the playground were for bigger kids but Sebastian seemed to enjoy sitting in the sandbox.  He felt the sand between his fingers and thought about eating it but we discouraged this behavior.  And today, Sebastian made his first trip to a diner!  All of the townie waitresses thought Sebastian was adorable as he ate Matt's paper placemat.

Unfortauntely, both Daddy and Sebastian have been feeling a little sick lately.  Sebastian's nose is running like a faucet and he is struggling to breathe through his little snorty nostrils.  Poor guy.  Fortunately, aside from being sleepy and less active, he doesn't seem too bothered by his illness.  Matt, on the other hand, has a smoker's cough and feels crappy.  I am hoping I can avoid joining the sick parade.

Matt has only two weeks left of medical school!  We can't wait until he has more free time and a much desired break.  I am looking for jobs and trying to learn more about childcare options in the area.  I am frustrated on both counts thus far.  No one wants to hire a new nurse practitioner so I am having a hard time.  There is only so much I can do in terms of networking because I just hate it but I am trying everything.  Let's hope something pans out soon!  But then again, I know I am going to be very sad to leave Sebastian.  The next few months should be interesting for our little family.

We have taken some fun pictures of Sebastian.  I think he is looking much more mature now.  It is hard to believe that this is the same baby we brought home last September!

Reading with Mama

Babylandia

"Come here, Kitty!"

Eating his banana

Sweater =  $4.99, purchased at consignment store.  Yay Mom!

Sophie, Snoopy, Sebastian and Fred

The turtle... bright, loud, awesome (according to Sebastian)

Auden and Sebastian

Admiring the grass