Holden continues to eat and eat!  I’ve discovered that feeding him constantly is made bearable by having company with whom to spend time.  Last week we had our first mini playdate with my friend Debbie and her beautiful children, Eva & Chester.  Here is my impossibly gorgeous friend Debbie with 8-month old Chester:

And 4-year old Eva admiring Holden:

Later in the week, I visited the second-hand children’s store in town and purchased a baby swing.  We decided early on that we would buy toys on an as-needed basis.  Plus, we didn’t want to get in the habit of having a toy substitute for being held or talked to.  Nevertheless, I quickly discovered that the only way to eat a meal or use the bathroom without a lot of complaining from Holden was to stick him in his swing.  He LOVES it!  It has a mirror attached to it, and he just cracks up looking at himself as he swings away.  Only $25 bought me peace and quiet, 15 minutes at a time.  I may even take the swing downstairs while I use the treadmill.  Here he is enjoying his swing for the first time:

We had an action-packed weekend as well.  Oma, Uncle Joe, & cousin Colby came to visit.  We went blueberry picking and visited the animals at Sam Mazza’s, followed by a trip to our very own garden for some harvesting.

Colby picks blueberries:

and feeds the animals:

Holden was oblivious–he ate and slept most of the time we were out:

On Sunday, wetook Holden on his very first hike.  We went to Mt. Philo State Park, the same place we went sledding all winter.  I’ve decided it’s easier to hike without snow on the ground and when you’re no longer pregnant!  We hiked up the road because Holden and I were not ready for anything terribly challenging.  That said, it felt so good to finally get a little exercise in.  

Papa carried Holden in our new backpack:

We reached the top:

and took our first family self-portrait:

This coming week is full of errands and feedings.  And I’m FINALLY starting on that manuscript.  Writing a paper is hard to do when you are holding an infant, but I suppose I’ll get better at it.  One paragraph down….countless paragraphs to go….