Friends & Family

Dear Liza,

So many people wanted to see you while we were at home. Mary, Kathleen, and their families drove down from PA to meet you for the very first time. Uncle Brian and Aunt Erin drove over two days in a row to hang out with you. You loved all the attention. It was fun for Mama & Daddy to share you with the special people in our lives. You were a party girl and stayed up later than usual. And when the party got louder after we put you to bed, you were a champ and slept through it all.

Love, Mama

Little Girls

Dear Liza,

One of Mama's closest friends and her family live just up the road from Grandpa & Nana. Mama has spent so much time with them that they feel like her family too. Arinn and her girls taught me so much about being a mama, long before I ever knew I'd have a little girl someday too. It was really special for me to see you playing with Anna and Jane. And even though you weren't too excited about having your picture taken that afternoon, I'm so glad we have these. We even got to meet baby Lucy who had just been born the week before!

Love, Mama 

At the Gym

Liza had her first experience playing at Jump Up today. Pure glee is the only way I can describe her reaction. I've never seen her smile for such an extended period of time.
She loved it (and so did I)!

Dear Liza,
Today Mama did something that was hard for her.
We went to Jump Up...even though I knew there'd be kids there whose mamas aren't as germophobic as I'm used to, and even though I was pretty positive that they rarely disinfect the place (at least to my standards), and even though I was sure we'd have to take off our shoes and walk around barefoot. But, I took you anyway because I know that places like this are part of what's fun about being a kid. And, at the top of my wish list for your life is "fun".

It was all true. I wasn't fond of the smell. There were little pieces of dirt all over the carpet (which, miraculously, you chose not to eat!). The equipment was worn and visibly dirty, and there were a couple of older kids who were drawn to you and all your baby cuteness. One girl in particular couldn't seem to help herself and gave you an excited squeeze. Twice.

You climbed & you smiled. You crawled & you smiled. You squealed & you smiled. You loved the attention of those bigger kids, and
You. Smiled.
For seemingly the entire 30 minutes.
Thank you, Bitsy.
It was pure JOY watching you, and I'm so glad I didn't let my fears get in the way of your fun.
Love, Mama

Teeny Tiny Park Pics

It was a gorgeous day, so we took play group to the park. Trying to get a picture of a bunch of babies is like living an episode of The Three Stooges. So silly!

Party Girl

Liza enJOYed her first 4th in style with a festive bib (Thanks, Rick & Sharman!) and a cute madras dress (Thanks, Charlotte!)

Mama got a break since there were lots of willing arms to hold her :-)

Arinn & Liza

What a treat to have you visit us today!  It was fun to finally get to share my girl with you.

Dear Karen,

I am grateful for your culinary skills, nursing expertise, and most of all, your friendship!  Thank you for coming to visit.  It totally made my day!  

Baby Shower by Mail - Part 7

Another fun package arrived today!  The Chocolatini drink mix is something special for mama to enJOY after Baby H arrives (although there is a non-alcoholic recipe on the back which I just might try this weekend).  Inside the Oh Baby! box is a generous gift card from both Erin and Tiara to cover the cost of a pack-n-play.  The girly stickers will most definitely find their way into our girl's scrapbook.

One of my favorite things about these packages are the handwritten (and sometimes handmade!) cards that are enclosed.  Although my craftiness is a running joke with Tiara, she always makes the effort to create a card for me.  T, I'm impressed that you even inked the edges :-)  The sweet note ended with "less than a month till you're actually holding JOY!!"  We truly can't believe it and are so looking forward to sharing her with you.  

Thank you Erin & Tiara!

Baby Shower by Mail - Part 6

Except...this one wasn't by mail. This gift was hand delivered during a yummy breakfast in VA before we headed home from our Christmas travels. What fun to actually open a baby gift in the presence of my friend, Ayren! As you can see I've already been enJOYing the cookie-scented candle, and there are a few chocolates missing from the truffle box. I haven't tried the Kiehl's Grapefruit soap, but it smells heavenly. Ayren assures me that the travel diapering kit is a must-have. I'm sure it'll get lots of use! The outfit is adorable, especially the ruffly ankles, wrists, and neck. Although Baby H can't use Mama's new soap, I know the washcloths will come in handy at bath time.

Thanks Ayren, Paul, Mardi, and Max! After too many years apart, it was such a treat to spend some time with you the other day.

Just a Glimpse

...my birthday...Christmas...our baby shower...
family...friends
...and coming home again...
abundant JOY

click the collage to enlarge

Baby Shower by Mail - Part 5

I found this gift on the front porch as I was leaving for the grocery store yesterday. There was no way I could leave it unopened the whole way there and home again! With not much room to spare between the steering wheel and my belly, I tore into the polka-dotted paper showering the Jeep with pastel glitter. Inside I found these cute little footed sleepers and a sweet note from Cookie. When I got home, I draped the sleepers over a kitchen chair and set the card up for Lee to see. The sight of those little footsies dangling there makes me smile every time I pass them, so I've left them there. Why not enJOY their cuteness for a few more days before putting them away in her room? I didn't clean the glitter up in the Jeep, either. It's just so sparkly and fun. Lee took the Jeep to work today. Wonder if he's enJOYing the shimmer too ;-)

Thank you Cookie, Danny, Abby, and Emmy!

Baby Shower by Mail - Part 4

Box #4 arrived all the way from Hawaii! The wrapped package that I'm holding contained children's books...three sweet animal tales from the islands. There was a bag for mama with a tub of Alba Botanica body cream and a hibiscus flower rubber stamp...two favorites of mine!

Baby H also received a couple of footed sleepers. The fleecy white one has ears on the hood and paw prints on the feet...too cute! I can't wait to snuggle her in them.

Misty & David, thank you so much for your thoughtful words and delightful gifts!!

Baby Shower By Mail - Part 3

The mailman brought more fun to our doorstep today! Inside the box were some sweet outfits for our girl, a pretty toile(!) pacifier ribbon, and a monogrammed insulated cup for mama's favorite hot beverages.

Thank you Michelle, Keith, and Allyson!

Tomato Vodka Sauce

Grilled chicken, bacon, and portobello mushrooms in a creamy tomato sauce over whole wheat pasta served with homemade bread for sopping up the extras...thanks to Arinn for the delicious recipe!

Baby Shower by Mail - Part 2

Lee found a big box on our porch this afternoon. It was filled with packages wrapped in paisleys and polka dots...my favorite patterns! LouLou enclosed a picture of me consoling a crying

Baby H. Anna insists that her name is Alicia...we'll see ;-)

Inside were useful gifts for baby along with gourmet tea and dark chocolate especially for mama.

Thank you Arinn, Ben, Anna, and Jane!

Baby Shower by Mail

I certainly am the luckiest mama-to-be with the most wonderful friends a girl could ever wish for! Since we're all spread out across the U.S. now and the logistics of getting us all together for a baby shower were nearly impossible, my favorite group of mommies have planned the next best thing. They've divided up the remaining few months and are showering us with boxes of goodies every couple weeks until Baby H arrives. The first package was delivered yesterday afternoon. I opened the box and left it on the table until Lee got home so we could open the presents together.

So! Much! Fun!

Thank you Karen & Pete!

Arinn's Visit

After being neighbors for four years and seeing each other nearly everyday, living in different states for the past few months has been strange. We spent the weekend together and got to do some of our favorite things.

Yesterday we made a double batch of homemade spaghetti sauce & meatballs. Now both our freezers are well-stocked. Here we are enJOYing the fruits of our labors last night for dinner. Scrumptious! We spent an hour on the beach this morning. The weather was glorious!
This afternoon we met Katie for lunch and yummy chocolate milkshakes.

Thanks for spending the weekend with me, A!!

Lunch with the Girls

After four years of seeing my group of friends on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis, most of us packed up, said goodbye, and moved to new places. Lucky for me, Karen made the drive up here today so we could catch up, and I could finally meet Kaylie.

Thanks, K, it was so much fun to hang out for a few hours!

Though I've been neglecting my blog lately,

the JOYS keep on coming.

*dinner with friends*

*August Rush*

*long afternoon naps*

*milkshakes*

*homemade English Muffin bread*

*the distant rumble of thunder*

*letters in my mailbox*

*banana chocolate chip bread*

A Breakfast Surprise

On a morning when nothing in the kitchen struck my fancy, Anna shared two of her homemade maple muffins with me. Thanks, Lou Lou! They were 'licious!