Grammy's Visit

Grammy Fraley made her first trip out to Los Angeles in the beginning of April. We were a little nervous that Coco would not connect with Grammy since she had not seen her since Christmas and there was not a lot of one-on-one time. Coco can be a bit standoffish with people she does not see on a daily basis. Grammy also broke her foot and had a cast and we were all a bit concerned that she would get scared by the cast and cane.

Our fears were unfounded. The trip was a huge success! Coco and Grammy were connected at the hip.

The photo on the left is Coco Grammy and Nene playing in Coco's room.  I love the way they are both staring at her so intently.

The massive roses in our front yard were in full bloom.   I caught Grammy and Coco taking a sniff.   This was the morning of Easter Sunday.

awww...

We headed down to Venice Beach to catch some rays.  In the pic in the near right, Mom was reenacting a photo from the 70's where Grampy was walking on the curb with all of his grandkids in Provincetown.  She managed to navigate the curb even with her boot on!! 

Luckily for us, Coco loves the beach!

Disneyland!

We made our first trip to Disneyland with Coco in March with Kira and her family. Kira was around 33 weeks pregnant with Kiki at the time, so technically it was Kiki's first trip too!

We weren't sure wether Coco was going to like the rides. She often likes the idea of a ride, but when it gets time to actually execute the ride, she gets scared. She loves watching the pony rides at the Studio City Farmers Market, but she adamantly does not want to go on them. We started off with the train ride (photo left), which is always a big hit. We then hit the Alice and Wonderland adventure which was a bit spooky and resulted in a very unhappy Coco. So we just watched for the rest of the day. The next day was a big success with the Teacups, boat ride and Merry-Go-Round (although we did not actually sit on the horses).




Love this pic. Not sure what Victor is telling Coco, but she is riveted. I think this is right before we went on the teacups.










Coco chasing Kira's son Liam. He is soo good with Coco!









Group shot just before we left with the Sanders family (Kira, Jeremiah, Ellie and Liam)









Wiped out!!

Two Years!!!

Wow...our little girl is two! Coco had her two year checkup at the doctor and she measured a full 36 inches (90th percentile) and 31.7 pounds (88th percentile). We got a "what to expect" note from the doctor which said that she may know more than 50 words and start putting two words together. I am pretty sure her vocabulary is in the several hundreds and she regularly puts together full sentences. It is hysterical sometimes to hear what comes out of her mouth!

We made the mistake of not getting rid of her bottle earlier. She really only uses it when she goes to sleep at this point, but that has not been a very smooth transition. She is very adventurous when it comes to food. She will try pretty much everything. She LOVES tomatoes and any derivative thereof. She can tolerate spicier foods than here Papi.

It has been six weeks now since we moved to LA and it feels like we have been here for much much longer than that. We find ourselves complaining about the cold when it hits 60 degrees and warning people to be careful on the roads on the rare occasion when it rains - true Angelenos. Coco is loving California living. We are outdoors all the time. There is a great little park on the corner where Coco goes at least once a day. It is so much fun exploring the City with her and seeing it through her eyes. Coco and Papi often go on "adventures"




This was from a trip to Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades to see the horses. We got ambitious and went for a hike up the hill to see if there were some good views. We probably wouldn't have selected UGGs and a tutu had we known we were going to go hiking.






Here we are chilling on the beach in Santa Monica. It is always almost completely deserted at 8:30 am on the weekend. I guess it is only the crazy New Yorkers who think it is warm enough to be out there.








Coco had a great little birthday party at the Treehouse Social Club on Melrose. She had about 40 guests and a guest visit from a Princess. MarKo was a little disappointed by the Princesses look and wished he had his hair curler with him to give her a makeover. As it turns out, all of Coco's guests were boys except Kira's sweet daughter Ellie, but they all seemed to enjoy the princess.



Guess who dressed Coco on her birthday?? Her Godmother Jen bought her this adorable pink shirt with a "2" in rhinestones. Victor picked out the pants. Coco's Jewish Godfather Jeffrey made it clear that he did not approve of her outfit. We save the couture for only the really big milestones, lest she get jaded.








Granny Self and Grandma Fraley REALLY got into the princess theme!!

Holidays 2011

When we were planning out our move to LA, we decided that we definitely wanted to spend one last holiday in Rye to be close to all the family. We decked out the house with two Christmas trees and wrapped the yard with about 20 strands of white lights.

The holidays started off the saturday after Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa's gathering with the grandkids in Enfield, CT to decorate their trees. Each year, they give each of their 6 grandkids a silver ornament to hang on their individual trees. By the time they are 18, they will have a tree full of silver ornaments. The tradition was supposed to stop at 18, but Morgan, their oldest granddaughter who is quickly approaching 18, is negotiating an extension of the age limit. We will see next year if she is successful. Here, Coco is holding the bell from last year.



One of the pics from our holiday card. I was asked many many times if I thought Coco understood what was going on for the holidays. She definitely appreciated the lights, and she would drag me over to the tree to talk through all the different ornaments. She can also identify Santa. She doesn't get too excited around opening presents and she gets overwhelmed if we open more than a couple at a time. We were so busy Christmas morning that we never got around to opening the presents! We ended up doing it on the 26th. That is probably the last time we will have a xmas morning that doesn't involve Coco waking us up at 3am to opening presents.



Thank goodness for the "unbreakable" bulbs from Home Depot! A must for any household with a toddler. Coco did manage to break a few though...

We had a super warm weekend right after thanksgiving. Coco picked these bulbs off the tree that we had outside. We have a real one outside to satisfy Chris' desire for true Norman Rockwell waspiness and the fake one is inside because Victor does not like the pine needles getting all over house. Marriage is all about compromise!






Granny Self stayed with us for the week and helped us get ready for the holidays. Just like last year, we served two meals. For brunch we had Uncle Bill, Colleen, and cousins Jen, Frank, Emma, Foye, Heidi and Ian over. Chris was in charge of brunch and Granny prepared dinner. The dinner guest were Mom, Uncle Bill, Colleen, Mike and his girlfriend Vi, and our friends Michael and Eric came up from the City with Nene's BFF Casey.
Here Granny is helping Coco open one of her gifts.





Coco opening one of her gifts with Daddy and Poppy.

Article in Parenting Magazine

At the end of the summer, we were approached by a writer from Parenting Magazine who lives in Scarsdale. She had seen our wedding announcement and article in Scarsdale10583.com. She mentioned that she was writing an article on the "New Normal" and asked if we would be willing to be featured. We had a lot of fun with the process. Coco was a superstar for the photo shoot. It was getting pretty close to her naptime, but yet she was in a great mood. Apparently, Parenting has a subscription base of 2 million nationwide.

http://www.parenting.com/article/new-normal-stay-home-dads-gay-parents-and-more?page=0,1

Halloween in WeHo

The whole family went to LA on October 22nd 1) so that Chris could attend an industry conference, 2) to scope out housing and schools for our UPCOMING MOVE!, and 3) to attend our first trimester screening for Coco's little sister! I guess we don't have that much going on these days. We were going to be there until November 1, so Victor made sure that Coco had ample choices for Halloween costumes. We actually carried out three different outfits, and Coco got to wear them all at various points during the day.




The first look of the day was the Cheerleader (**surprise, surprise** given Victor's history of Cheerleading during his UVA days). Much to Victor's chagrin, this was probably her least favorite outfit of the day. She pranced around West Hollywood in the park in her Cheerleader outfit during the morning.








The next outfit was Goldilocks. It had three little bears in the pockets...very cute.







Goldilocks walking back from the park on Robertson. Coco loved running around in the Parking lot to the right at the John Varvatos store.

We both agree that her favorite outfit was Supergirl! Here Victor is helping her with her takeoff as she flies accross the living room.

We were staying just two blocks south of Santa Monica Boulevard, where the Halloween street fair was taking place. We strolled up there right after dark. We expected to find a parade, like there is in the village in NYC, but it is really more of a street fair, with just hoardes of people walking around in their outfits and a bunch of stages with various acts. There was music coming out of the Abbey. Poppy was feeling it a little more than Coco was. We were all in bed and asleep by 8:30 pm, so we probably did not get the full West Hollywood Halloween experience.

Almost 3 Feet Tall??? How Did That Happen?

We went to the doctor last week for a checkup and Coco had a great report. I realize I say this everytime we come back from the doctor, but we are so grateful that she has been blessed with good health. Coco seems to be continuing on her track of being taller than her Poppy one day. Here are her stats:



28.6 pounds 90th Percentile
34.6 inches 95th Percentile

Head 85th Percentile


What??? 34.6 inches??? That is almost three feet! How did that happen?? It is pretty clear to see how fast she is growing when we were going through her drawers last week to put aside those close that don't fit her. Victor went away to LA for three days last week and swears that she grew while he was away.




Ok...I know...this is not the most ladylike pose. We will work on that in time. But that face is priceless if I do say so myself. The Luiso family gave her that bathing suit which is absolutely hysterical. It goes perfectly with her skin tone. Coco went from being ok with the beach last summer, to not really liking it when we were in St. Lucia last May, to really loving digging in the sand towards the end of the Fire Island season, much to the dismay of anyone trying to get the sand out of her hair.









Who knew that having a daughter would revive Victor's inner cheerleader??? As many of you may know, Victor was the co-Captain of the University of Virginia cheerleading team when he was there in the early 90's. Coco LOVES being thrown around. Usually when you put her down she shouts MORE!! I keep encouraging Victor to come up with a workout that parents can do with their kids. She is almost 30 pounds afterall!









Grandpa made a MAJOR breakthrough with Coco in early September! When he was staying with us during Memorial Day, Coco was particularly clingy and would not give Grandpa the time of day. She was a little warmer to Grandma in May, but just a little bit. This time they were BFFs. Coco walked over to Grandpa and handed him her "baby". A clear signal that he was ok.

Coco's hair is so much fun. It is curly and makes these great ringlets. This is one of my favorite of Coco's expressions.

Coco looks like such a little girl in this photo compared to last summer where she was just barely able to sit up on her own. This summer she was running, talking, playing, digging in the sand, meeting new friends, etc.

We had an "end of summer" dinner at our house a couple of weeks ago with some of our close friends. We asked them what was the highlight of their summer was and almost all of them said, "watching Coco grow up".

Letter to the Editor - Rye Record

We were very touched to see this letter to the Editor in the Rye Record. We did not realize this, but the Gazebo where we got Married on the Town Green in Rye was a memorial to the victims of 9/11. The woman who co-created the memorial wrote in to say how happy she was to see the gazebo used for our wedding ceremony. Here is the letter.

Congratulations!

Dear Editor,

As president of Rye September 11th 2001 Memorial, Inc. and co-creator of the September 11th Gazebo on the Village Green, I want to express my happiness at reading that our gazebo was the site of a wedding ceremony for Chris Fraley and Victor Self. While I do not personally know the newlyweds, I speak for my entire committee of family and friends who lost a loved one almost ten years ago when I say this is the most beautiful affirmation that life does indeed carry on. Our dear Sean, who was killed on September 11th 2001, and whose name is inscribed on a plaque at our gazebo, would be so touched to know this memorial is also serving as a place of happiness and celebration, and not one of only sadness and grief.So, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the new couple, Mr. Fraley and Mr. Self, and wish them a long, happy, and healthy life together. And I thank them for choosing the gazebo as the place to officially begin their married life.

Sincerely,Holly O’Neill-Melville

Coco at 18 months

Coco turned 18 months on August 4th! This has been such a fun age to be a part of. Her personality is really starting to show. She has a great sense of humor and loves to play hide and seek.


We are very fortunate that Coco has a pretty good appetite. She loves tomatos, she will take one the size of an orange and eat the whole thing like an apple, right down to the stem. She also loves asparagus and eats them like they are a piece of licorice. She would eat pizza every day if we let her and she has developed a very strong preference for "shummies" (gummy bears)...could that be genetic??


We are very fortunate with her sleeping habits. Going down to bed at night is rarely a problem. In fact, she usually tells us that she is ready for bed. We know that this can change as she gets older, but we are enjoying it while it lasts. She might get up once during the night, but generally she is a very sound sleeper.


Coco is incredibly active. Yesterday Poppy took her to breakfast in Cherry Grove. She walked all the way from our house at Bay and Pine in the Pines to the center of town in Cherry Grove. I kept trying to pick her up, thinking that she would be tired and she would squirm and say "Walk!". The walk had to be well over a mile. After breakfast she got up and started running around again and walked most of the way back home. Her back is one solid muscle. The other day during a playdate at a friends house, she slipped and fell into the pool. Before she was underwater, she grabbed onto the side of the pool and held herself up, bicepts bulging, much to the amazement of everyone watching.


She is a little chatterbox! It is amazing how much she understands. It seems like every week she is coming up with something new. I got very excited when she started putting two words together. The other day, she was up very early so Poppy took her to see the sunrise on the beach. She pointed in a easterly direction and said "Sun coming!!"



This pic looks like a mix between an Intensati pose and lip-synching at a rock concert. The contrast with the girly bows is classic.










In downtown Rye on the way from our wedding ceremony on the town green to Frankie and Johnnies, where the reception was. Coco was a perfect angel at the event. It was incredibly hot and humid, but she held up well in her big puffy white dress.

She is a big fan of music making. There was a mini bongo drum at the house in the Pines, as well as a mini xylophone, which have both been big hits.

Joe Conforti and Doug Jakubowski gave Coco this crocodile which is one of her favorite toys. She named it "croc" and loves to walk it down the boardwalks in Fire Island. She used it so much that the head fell off. Victor went and bought another one, which is actually a hedgehog, but it was enough to satisfy her.

This is one of my favorite faces of Coco's. She gets into a laughing fit and lets out the funniest expression.

Article in Scarsdale10583.com

http://www.scarsdale10583.com/201108081844/people/proud-dads-among-first-to-marry-in-westchester.html

Wedding Announcement in Rye Record

Wedding announcement in Rye Record

http://www.ryerecord.com/Morsels%20on%20Rye.htm

Shout out to Coco!

Senator Oppenhiemer gives Coco a shout out!

http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/oppenheimer-celebrates-marriage-equality

Blurb in Myrye.com

We were very honored to have state Senator Suzi Oppenheimer attend our wedding. She fought tirelessly for the Marriage Equality Bill including co-sponsoring the original bill.

http://www.myrye.com/my_weblog/2011/07/gay-couple-in-rye-ties-knot-oppenheimer-applauds-attends.html#tp

The Daily Rye Article

Article in the Daily Rye

http://www.thedailyrye.com/neighbors/gay-couple-first-be-married-rye

Patch.com covered the actual wedding too...

http://rye.patch.com/articles/making-history-rye-couple-weds-on-first-day-of-same-sex-marriages-in-new-york#c

Coco the Covergirl

The Gay City News had us on the cover of their Wedding Supplement and a nice article inside.

http://www.gaycitynews.com/articles/2011/07/22/gay_city_news/features/doc4e28d544ab6cf323258478.txt

Westchester Journal News Article

Another nice article in the Westchester Journal News. Thank you Seth for the nice photo!

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110723/NEWS02/107230342/For-Rye-couple-gay-marriage-law-brings-another-do-

Article in Rye Patch

We were recently interviewed for our re: our upcoming LEGAL marriage ceremony.

http://rye.patch.com/articles/immediate-impact-of-marriage-equality-act-expected-in-westchester

Memorial Day Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit us in Fire Island for Memorial Day weekend. It was one of the first beach weekends for us with great weather. As with most people that she doesn't see on a daily basis, it took a little while for Coco to warm up to Grandma and Grandpa, but she was holding court in no time.



One of the routines at the beach is Coco's and Nene's early morning long walk on the beach. We usually stop by the Winterling/Peck residence and Eric and Casey (Nene's "cousin" from the same breeder) join us. Nene loves to chase that miniature tennis ball in her mouth.





Beach walk #2 of the day with Grandma.







Coco holding court on the beach with Grandma and Grandpa. Mr. Michael and Mr. John in the background.





Sitting on our back patio after lunch. This was one of Coco's last opportunities to grab Daddy's hair!! Victor cut his dreads off the following week.

"If you're happy and you know it..." is a big hit with Coco. It is sure to get her giggling. Grandma is clearly on the "shout hooray!" stanza.

Coco at 16 months

Coco was 16 months last Friday! She had her check up last week and got her latest stats. She is 32 inches tall and 26 pounds, 2 ounces and is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. We are soo blessed that she has had almost perfect health (just the sniffles and an occassional rash)

She is turning into a little chatterbox and has a growing vocabulary of probably 30-40 words. It is amazing how much she understands. If we ask her, "Coco, can you bring me by glasses?" she will usually pick them up and bring them over. If we ask her, "what sound does a duck make?" she will start quacking. One of the cutest things she does is say her own name. When we say, "Coco, what is your name?" She will say something that sounds like gogo.

Coco definitely likes her independence even at this age (yikes! ...foreshadowing???). She much prefers to feed herself, even though she makes a mess. Right before it is time to go to bed, she usually has one last burst of energy where she starts running around in circles. Thank goodness she is great at bedtime (**knocking on wood**) and usually goes right to bed without any fuss. She has a very active social life with playdates almost every day.



Coco's hair is getting long enough now that we can start doing cute things with it. Here she is all dressed up for Poppy's birthday dinner.






She looks sooo cute with her hair slicked back after her evening bath.













Coco chillin in her favorite chair with one of her birthday present dresses on.












Coco loves books, but the pop up ones usually don't last very long because she loves to rip the pieces out.