Benigno Erasmo David

Looks like motion sickness got passed on in the genes.  Lawrence and I took Benig on a canoeing trip around the Charles River a couple of weekends ago.

Benig started the trip crying, so we fed him a bottle immediately thinking he was crying because he was hungry.

He then had moments where he even smiled.

But unfortunately, for most of the trip, he looked like this.

We couldn’t tell if he was unhappy about experiencing something new/scary/unexpected, the heat/humidity, the brightness of the surrounding from the sun’s reflection on the Charles, or if he was actually seasick.  We have no picture to document it but it turns out he has motion sickness; as soon as we were back on land, he stopped crying and wiped vomit from his mouth onto my shirt.  Poor little guy.

Benig enjoyed his first camping trip!  We decided to take him to Grape Island, one of the Boston Harbor Islands in Boston Harbor.  In retrospect, we realize that camping on an ISLAND was particularly risky- there was no way out if he flipped out.  But like good first time parents, we went without thinking, and like most other times, we didn’t pay the price since he enjoyed himself so much.

Highlights include playing (with the) frisbee on the rocky beach,

napping after having a smore (as evidenced by the streak of chocolate above his lip),

enjoying the campfire on the beach,

doing some tummy time at the campsite,

and even having the time to play the ukelele.

Who knew Benig would like camping so much?

Nanay, Tatay, and Benig are contemplating the possible (and further not-so-well-thought-out) adventures that have opened up with this startling revelation!

Benig loves the beach.  We went to the beach four times in the month of June!  He’s happy as a clam in the sand!  (And is too young to understand that his parents are too scatterbrained to buy real beach gear, like umbrellas and mats.)

Benig attended his first fireworks show in Somerville, at the celebration the city holds in a park just behind our house the weekend before the 4th of July.

At first Benig was nervous about what was to come.

But when the fireworks started, Benig enjoyed the sights and sounds for a while…

… until he realized that his fears were founded.  The sounds were too much, and he cried…

… and cried some more.

He cried until the very end.  We stopped taking pictures because we had to calm him down.

Lessons learned by Nanay and Tatay:

1) No fireworks for a while

2) Be persistent with taking pictures.  I have no good picture with which to end this blogpost.

… and loving it.

Benig met an older woman, 20 month old Cleo, at Lola Peppy’s retirement party at the UN.  He couldn’t keep his mouth closed.

I was so proud to be able to walk across the stage carrying Benig during my graduation from HGSE for my Ed.M.  I’ve never seen my little boy more handsome than in his barong.

Just as Lawrence’s poop made the front page of the Boston Globe, Benig left his poop on the front page of Lawrence’s shirt.  Benig was lying on top of Lawrence, and when I went to pick him up to feed him, there in Benig’s place was a Benig-sized turd.  I’ve never heard Lawrence scream louder and be more grossed out than he was at that moment.  Ironic.  Though we didn’t capture the moment with a camera, mostly due to all the screaming, I recall Benig’s face looking something like this (and I also may or may not have been giving him a kiss as well).

… and loving the ferry!

We took Benig to the beach at Hull (Nantasket) for his first summer beach adventure! He took to the sand right away…

… and even tried to eat some of it, though Daddy stopped him in time from taking a big gulp.

He enjoyed jumping in the water…

… playing with seaweed…

… and pondering the vastness of the Atlantic.

All of the excitement pooped him out…

… but not enough to miss a meal…

… or a jumping session.

Overall, Benig had a wonderful first beach experience and (we think) is looking forward to future opportunities to sit in (and maybe eat) sand.