For the holiday we went to our friend Rachel’s parents’ house for a swim in the pool and a BBQ. It was the first time that Ada got to swim with Daddy in a big pool. It was a bit cool for her taste at first but soon she was kicking and blowing bubbles like a champ. And we just can’t get enough of her sweet little swimmy suit. Next year she’ll be too big for it, so we will take every chance we get to wear it.

But we’re not there yet.

Daddy and Ada on a walk to the waterfront. Can you see the Empire State Building in the background?

Ada wants to tell you all about her new flash cards.

Blind pulls are the BEST!

Wants to drink from the watercups all by herself.

Yum… plum.

Feet on the dashboard: it’s how she rolls.

She has no shortage of friends, this gal. There’s no way to know whether we or any of our friends will stay local for years to come, but it is fun to think about whether she’ll be one day going to high school with the same little boys and girls she plays with now.

Last weekend we took a trip to see Jaymie, Geb and nearly-one-year-old Sam. (We visited them a month or so ago and took photos in their backyard pool.) This time we took a walk to a neighborhood park and Ada got to play on a baby swing for the first time.

And last week Mama and Ada took an exciting overnight trip to the Jersey Shore to stay with our friend/doula Mollie and her 4-year old daughter, Lala. Ada just loves playing with the bigger kids. They make her laugh like no one else can!

In any case, our trip to the beach was a success: no meltdowns, no sunburn, a bit of play time in the sand, a quick trip into the Atlantic and a lovely walk along the beach. Trips to the beach aren’t exactly relaxing anymore (what with baby wrangling to keep her in the shade and constant surveillance against sand in tiny mouths and eyes), but it was a beautiful day. We found out after we got back that there have been recent hammerhead shark sightings at the beach we visited, but none to be seen while we were there.

Waiting [mostly] patiently to get going to the beach! Having a friend in the backseat made the trip so much nicer for Ada.

She says N-O to hats.

Playing at the beach: way more fun than playing at home, in much cuter outfits.

The evening we got back there was also a play date with Miller, Owen, 2-month old Miles and their respective Mommies. It’s so much fun to get together now that the little ones can sit up, play and interact. Of course, it’s more work to ensure that no one konks a friend over the head with a wooden block, but it’s totally worth the vigilance. (Are we seeing a theme this week?)

Friends’ toys are so much more interesting than our own. It’s true at any age.

Big girl blocks!

Incidentally, mamahood is also far better when done with pals by your side. (Left to right: Owen, Miles, Ada and Miller.)

Put in this binky all by herself. Check out that lower lip!

Ready, set…

Wanna see her in action?

This video is a bit longer than usual, and please pardon the wonky compression on this one. We’re doing a bit of detective work to figure out why the quality is so poor. (BUT seeing her do her tentative crawl is cute enough to make the full 3 minutes AND the technical foibles worthwhile.)

So excited to sit on her own!

Yep, she’s living the life.

Exclusive urban topless rooftop brunches.

You know, brunching. It’s a NYC thing.

She helped herself to Seth & Carly’s top-shelf water bar.

Kicking around in her new pad.

Specifically, a new play mat that helps her get traction on the floor and softens any accidental head bumps.

Sporting some fly baby shades in the park.

Kicking back with her posse.

Sporting a new sippy cup.

Bounce, bounce, bounce… holla!

And she’s on the move like it’s her J-O-B.

Yeah, I can almost crawl. Ain’t it cool?

We look back at photos from just a few months ago, and we think, “Wow, is that our Ada? She was so tiny!”

“Seriously, guys?” she says, “That was me?”

There’s something about a six-month benchmark that feels significant, like the next stage of her life has already arrived. The first six months of life with our teeny newborn and sweet infant have been such a joy, and now we’re feeling like Ada is a full-fledged baby. Here’s a bit of the latest…

Chewing on our toes: we don’t call her swami for nothing.

Discovering new toys. In particular, we spend our days loving up the blind pulls.

(Bonus: she’s also helping Mama and Daddy discover all the places and things that will need to be baby-proofed. Oy vey!)

Watching the Olympics with mama, then deciding that the iPhone is far more interesting.

Flirting with independent mobility…

(but no crawing yet!)

Cruising in her stroller for early-morning walks to the latte shop.

Specifically asks for a pain au chocolat every time, but never gets one. Not cool, Mama.

New sounds! In addition to her repertoire of spitting and blowing raspberries, we’ve now got some high-pitched, very loud baby monkey squeals (yet to be captured on recording, sorry!) and a particular fondness for gargling.