One Lucky Mommy

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."  -Elizabeth Stone

What a very special first Mother's Day I had.  Dave and Jack outdid themselves!  I am one lucky mommy.  My Mother's Day actually started out on Saturday night but it was a surprise to me.  Earlier in the week I had suggested to Dave that we have our friend Will come babysit Jack (once he was asleep) so we could go to a movie (The Avengers, uggghhh...Dave's choice, obviously!).  Dave lined up Will and we were set for date night!  

On Thursday, Dave told me that Will wanted to bring dinner...he likes to cook so I didn't think anything of this.  Dave was feeding Jack dinner and ended up with prunes all over him so he went to change.  When he came back into the den he looked so nice!  He was wearing a dress shirt and blazer...I was very underdressed for the movies in my shorts and t-shirt!  He pulled a card out of his blazer  which read "I'm so sorry to do this, but I have to start your Mother's Day admitting that I lied.  We're not going to the movies."  What a sneaky daddy!  Without knowing where we were headed, I quickly changed and finished getting our little guy ready for bed.  Will arrived, without dinner (imagine that!), and we headed out for our special date night.  Dave drove in and out of parking lots, took intentional wrong turns, and wouldn't let on where we were headed.  We ended up in Kinston at The Chef and The Farmer, a restaurant I have been wanting to try!  

Our dinner was amazing!  If you live in Eastern NC you must try this restaurant!  We had the most fun sans Jackers (although we missed him dearly) and stayed at dinner for 2 hours!  Dave, the carnivore, enjoyed a HUGE ribeye steak and I had a flavorful vegetarian spoonbread and greens.  We shared butter bean hummus to start and a zucchini crumble for dessert...everything was delicious.  We can't wait for another reason to head over to Kinston for dinner!

Dave let me have a leisurely morning in bed on Sunday.  He got up early with Jack and had guy time while I slept in.  When I got up Starbucks coffee and pastries were waiting for me.  We ate breakfast and then got dressed for church.  Before we left for church I opened sweet Mother's Day cards from Dave, Jack, and our parents and then opened my present from my boys...a new charm for my Pandora bracelet.  

Sunday afternoon brought a family walk, a movie I have been wanting to see, "We Bought A Zoo", delicious Chef and the Farmer left overs, and snuggle time with my two favorite guys.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

Earlier in the week, I got Mother's Day deliveries from Grandma and Grandpa and Lollie and Pops.  They sent beautiful flowers for me to enjoy.  What thoughtful grandparents Jack has!  

I am so blessed to be a mommy to Jack.  The past eight months have been the most amazing months of my life.  He has brought me so much joy and taught me so much about myself.  I simply can't imagine my life without him.  Since becoming a mommy, I have gained even more respect for my mom and am so thankful for the wonderful example she gave me.  I hope to live up to her standard...she has always given 110%.  If I can be half of the mom she is, I will be doing great.  We love you, Lollie!

My favorite time of day

My most favorite time of day is actually at night.  About 10:30 each night, when all is quite in our home and Dave is tucked in bed, I tiptoe into Jack's nursery for 15 minutes of pure bliss.  There is no squirming, there is no wiggling, there is no babbling.  There is stillness, there is peace, there is quite, there is love.  

You see, each night about 10:30, I "dream feed" Jack.  He is off in dreamland, and without disturbing him, I scoop him up, snuggle down in our cozy glider, and feed him.  He doesn't wake up, he really doesn't move much at all.  He just eats, in peaceful slumber.  

During this feeding, I get to have precious one-on-one time with my sweet baby boy.  I savor every minute as I am quickly learning this time is fleeting.  My baby who just a few short months ago fit in my arms is now stretched across my body with his little legs hanging over the side of the glider.  My baby who just a few short months ago weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces now weighs nearly 16 pounds.  Time is quickly slipping away so I will gladly forgo a few minutes of my sleep to drink in his sleep.

The hall light peaks in his nursery and in it's glow I take in his tiny features - his perfect baby nose, his beautiful long eyelashes, his Daddy's mouth, his chubby baby hands - all "fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14.  I feel the rise and fall of his chest and hear the soft hum of his breathing.  Those sweet hands wrap tightly around my pinky, graze my cheeks, and tickle my side.  His perfect "babyness" is breathtaking.  

Most nights I end up with tears in my eyes over how blessed I am to be this little baby's mother...how lucky I am to have a healthy child that I am able to hold in my arms...how wonderful it feels to be loved and needed so much that he cries when I leave his sight and that oftentimes I am the only one that can comfort him.  I am overwhelmed with joy, awestruck with love, and blessed beyond my wildest dreams.  

Goodnight. 

Splish Splash

Water, water, everywhere!  On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-6:00 for the month of May, Jack is in "Water Babies" swimming lessons!  I swear it is the cutest thing I have ever seen.  Of course, since he is 7 months old I am in the pool with him and we are having a blast.  

At 7 months old, his lessons are really about getting him used to being in water rather than teaching him any skills.  There are 7 other babies (Jack is the youngest and the oldest is 2) and their parents in our class including our friends G and Jaiman.

We usually start each class blowing bubbles...this is really just me trying to keep Jack from drinking the water!  He sure isn't scared to put his face in!  They fill the pool up with ball pit balls and the kiddos have fun chasing them, watching them float, and playing with them in the water.  We have also practiced floating on our backs, kicking our feet, getting dunked in the water, and jumping off the side of pool.  

I have been so impressed and pleasantly surprised at how well Jack has done and how much he seems to like the water.  He loves to splash, is learning to hold his breath, and doesn't seem bothered when water is in his eyes...we will have such a fun summer and will enjoy being able to stay cool in the pool! 

On The Go

We have been on the go the past few weeks.  April 20-22 we were in Charlotte for Dave's state OB/GYN conference.  This weekend get away was Jack's first hotel trip!  Thank goodness the conference was held at the Embassy Suites so our first hotel experience was positive since we had lots of space, a refrigerator, and a microwave in the room.  

On our way to Charlotte we stopped in Chapel Hill for breakfast with childhood friends of Dave's who were down from Connecticut visiting other childhood friends.  We enjoyed a quick visit with The Petroski's and Lloyd's and loved being able to introduce Jack to them.  We picked up breakfast to go and walked to a nearby picnic area so the older kiddos could run around and play.  We will all be together again this summer when we travel up north to NJ...I can't wait for more play time!

We got to Charlotte at 12:30 just in time for Dave's conference to start.  While Jack and I waited to check in the room, we enjoyed lunch (peas and carrots) in the hotel lobby.  Once we were able to get in our room, we set Jack's pack-n-play up in the "living room" area so he could have his own space for sleeping.  This was wonderful because our little guy goes to bed at 7:30 so when he went down I was able to have the bedroom area to myself (until Dave got in) with the lights on without disturbing Jack.

This was the first time we have been away from home since Jack has been eating solid foods.  I am making all of his food (so far!) so packing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days was a lot!!  Having the refrigerator and microwave in the hotel room made feeding him so much easier...it also made me request Embassy Suites hotels for all of our future travel with children!

On Saturday, while Dave was busy with conference things Jack and I had a fun lunch date with my college roommate, her husband, and their son, Caleb.  Jack and Caleb had fun playing together and were so well behaved!  It was neat to watch them interact and entertain each other while the grown-ups visited.    

After lunch and a nap, Jack had his first swimming pool experience!  He loves his bath but I wasn't sure how he would react to being in that much water.  He seemed to love it!  We stayed in the pool for about 30 minutes.  He splashed and kicked and enjoyed his float.  We start swimming lessons in May so I can't wait to take him back to the pool at home.  

Our first hotel trip was a success but by Sunday I was ready to be home and back to our own things!  Traveling with a baby is hard work!  

April 27-29 we were in Charlottesville, VA for Dave's five year Medical School reunion.  Dave has been very involved with the reunion weekend because he was class president all four years.  We were so excited for this weekend and the opportunity to spend time with friends and meet all the med school babies that have been born!  

We were planning on staying in a hotel but after our weekend in Charlotte we called our friends, The Vergales', and asked if we could stay with them...home comforts are so nice with a baby!  They were sweet and took us in for the weekend!  

Friday night we went to the welcome reception and then visited with friends at Jeff and Brooke's house.  It was great to catch up with people that we haven't seen since our wedding!  Staying with Jeff and Brooke meant that I could visit with everyone too...if we had been at the hotel, Jack and I would have been tucked in at 7:30...this way, I could tuck him in and still enjoy adult conversation!  

 On Saturday a big group met for lunch at Blue Mountain Brewery.  Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating and it rained.  If we had had nice weather, it would have been the perfect place to sit outside and have all the kiddos play with the Blue Ridge Mountains as the backdrop.  Even though we were seated inside we had a great time reconnecting with old friends and all the wee ones were great!

Saturday night was the reunion cookout followed by a night out on the town.  Jeff and Brooke lined up a babysitter for the three babies staying at their house so all parents could have an evening off.  We put Jack to bed before we left and had fun at a rooftop bar on The Downtown Mall.  

We were up and at 'em Sunday morning so we could get home and organized for the week.  

May 4-6 we were in Raleigh for a mini college reunion with my college roommates.  Megan and Tom came from DC and we all stayed with Sarah and Jared.  We didn't get to Raleigh until 6:30 Friday night so we quickly got the room ready for Mr. Jack to go to bed.  Once he was down, we ordered pizza and had a fun night of catching up and playing games. 

After a great breakfast spread Saturday morning, the guys headed off for a day of testosterone.  They went to a par three golf course in town, followed by bar-b-que for lunch, and finished up their afternoon at the shooting range.  On the 18th hole of the golf course Tom shot a hole-in-one!  Dave said it was one of the most amazing things he has ever watched!  It sure made for a memorable day!

While the guys were out playing, Sarah, Megan, Jack, and I enjoyed a little window shopping and girl time.  We walked around some of my favorite places in Raleigh and picked up lunch from one of my favorite restaurants.  We made it back to the house for nap time and started a movie while Jack rested.  

At 5:00 I took our little guy to the Sanders' for the evening.  They were so sweet to keep him so we could go out to dinner.  I used to babysit Sara Sanders and now she is babysitting for me...it has come full circle!  

We met another college friend and his wife at Busy Bee Cafe for dinner.  The food was good and the conversation was great.  It was a fun night out on the town!  

Again we were up and at 'em on Sunday morning so that we could make it to our new members class at church by 11:00.  We hated to rush off from such a fun weekend with great friends.  We can't wait to do it again!