Spring Has Sprung...Already?

In the back of my mind, I've been assuming that our "real" winter, complete with cold temps and snow, was right around the corner. I've been checking the weather forecast daily, hoping to see images of snowflakes listed somewhere in the days ahead. As someone who loves a good winter, this has been a disappointing one, to say the least.

Then, earlier this week, it dawned on me that it really was time to let go of any hope for a true winter when I noticed tulip and daffodil bulbs coming up. I had accepted the fact that crocuses were coming up in JANUARY but there was something so shocking about seeing the tulips and hyacinths. I know I should probably be thankful, but this weather is just weird! Oh well...here comes spring!

Squawking Ventriloquist

Margot has been making sounds of all sorts lately. She's come up with quite a variety of sounds that she uses to declare her presence in a room. Her favorite is squeaking while she smiles at Tucker and me. It pretty much makes our hearts melt!

Look what I found on sale at the grocery store!

They were having a special on cute babies in aisle 7. I couldn't resist.

George and Margot

Amy and George came over for another visit today. It was so good to see them and catch up. Amy's starting a new job in the journalism department at Georgetown University(woo hoo!) all while balancing the demands of being a new mom. She's an inspiration!

George and Margot actually noticed one another during this visit. Though, looking at these pictures, we may need to keep a closer eye on these two. (Tucker, put the rifle away sweetie. They're infants.)

Mon Bijou

Tucker gave me a very special necklace this week. He may or may not have had some help in picking it out. One of the pendants says "MARGOT" and the other has her bithday, 12.16.11. It's lovely, and I'm so excited to wear it.

Two Month Appointment

Margot had the infamous "Two Month Appointment" this week. "Two Month Appointment" is synonymous for four vaccinations and lots of crying. Our girl was a trooper though and did just fine. She was very calm in the doctor's office right up until she got her shots. She cried for a bit, and then just napped a little while longer than usual in the afternoon.

Here she is...almost 11 pounds!

Getting inspected by the nurse.

Tucker and I happen to think that there's no pink, frilly dress that can make her look more cute than she does just like this, au naturelle.

Once we got home, we camped out on the couch and snuggled all afternoon.

Buddies

Allison and Margot hung out again this week. This time, these two had things to say to one another. Unfortunately, Laurel and I haven't had time to become fluent in baby-ese so Margot and Allison had a secret conversation.

Margot was once again so excited to be playing with Allison that she couldn't help but raise her arms over her head!

Home

Mornings are my favorite time of day, especially when I'm at my parents house. We move a little slower, stay in our PJs, and we always drink the best coffee. This past Sunday morning was one of those mornings.

My sister took some pics of Margot and me waking up, though for some reason Margot looks a lot more refreshed than her mom.

Ava and Grandaddy had breakfast together at the kid's table.

While I fed Margot, my mom fed me!

Margot and Granny

Tucker and Braxton. Little B is not so little anymore!

Later on, my good friend Sarah who lives in Brattleboro, VT came over for a visit. She left her hubby Nick and son Will home to spend a day with the girls. Margot instantly lit up when Sarah held her.

My other friend Sara (I have many Sara(h)s in my life!), her husband Luc and their son Calvin also came over from Saratoga Springs for a visit. Sara's expecting #2 any day now. Can't wait to meet their newest addition! They're keeping it a surprise - woo hoo!

We had lunch at the Rock Hill Bake House (thanks Sara and Lucas!)and it was incredible. I could eat there breakfast, lunch, and dinner and always be happy. My oatmeal cookie was the size of a hockey puck; always a tell-tale sign of a good bakery.

After lunch, we headed back home and were greeted by Andy, my parents' new puppy. This little guy is so sweet, playful and is the softest little dog I have ever met. Welcome to the family Andy!

Bill and Ava, off to bed!

On Monday, we had to say goodbye to my sister and her family. We quickly took this pic as we hugged them goodbye. Note that sweet little Calvin got in on the action too! Love that little guy.

On Monday afternoon, we had a surprise visit from our friends David and Karina and their adorable son, Kieran. Tucker and I hadn't seen them in so long so it was great to catch up. David and Karina moved here from Wales about 10 years ago and have spent Thanksgivings with our family on and off over the years.

We headed home on Tuesday, but not before making a quick stop in East Greenbush to introduce Margot to her "Auntie" Jen!

After all this excitement, we had a tired baby on our hands.

It was a great visit and we can't wait to come back!

Old Friends

We arrived in Queensbury (or QBY as I like to say) on Saturday afternoon after about a 7 hour trip. My sister, her husband and their 2 kids arrived from Boston about 30 minutes after us. My parents' quiet, clean house was quickly turned upside down with all the excitement in the air, (not to mention the 3 dogs). Thankfully, their old farmhouse (built in 1805ish) is big enough to hold us all comfortably. Thanks to last year's renovations and my parents' deep well of patience, this house is a perfect spot for us all to converge.

Saturday night, our oldest family friends, the Canavans, came over for dinner. The original 4 (Dave, Louie, Annie and Mike) have grown to 10 with the additions of spouses (Catie and Matt) and kids (David, Annie, Jack, and Luke). While we missed Mike, Catie and the twins (who live in Idaho now) and Annie's husband Matt (who was home with their newest addition Luke,) Dave, Louie, Annie, and sweet little Jack came over.

My mom and Louie

Jack and Annie (Sr)

As soon as Dave walked in the door, he asked to hold Margot; always a sign of a loving man. Here they are, checking each other out.

We celebrated my dad's birthday, too. Thank goodness Braxton, Jack, and Ava were on hand to help blow out the candles. We reminisced about birthdays passed and couldn't believe it had been 18 years since my dad's surprise 50th, one of the many birthdays where we'd all celebrated together. It made me feel old!

Our families have known one another for as long as I can remember. The story goes that my dad and Louie grew up together in the same neighborhood in Schenectedy, NY. They were part of a close-knit group of families who seemed to do everything together, including moving on to Niskayuna, and then building vacation houses and retiring near one another years later. After my dad and Louie had gone their separate ways after high school, they ran into one another at the bank in Glens Falls, NY, about an hour north of where they grew up. They realized they were living close to one another and decided to get together with their respective spouses, (no kids in the picture yet). Little did they know that this chance meeting would lead to (going on) 40 years of friendship and families evolving together. I'm so happy that Margot is now part of our family circle!

Road Trip

Baby Margot had her first official road trip. We drove up to Queensbury for the long weekend to see my family and make the most of some much needed time away. There was something wonderful about bringing our girl to my childhood home to meet her cousins and family friends for the first time. It was a weekend we'll never forget.

We roused our sugar plum at about 6:15am, fed her, packed the car and were on the road by about 7:15am. As you can see here, Margot's excitement was palpable.

We felt like the Canvas Bag Brigade as we loaded things into the car. Thanks to the Canavans, Margot has her very own LLBean tote!

In anticipation of the many idle hours in the car, packing some snacks seemed like a good idea. Plus, I always like having an excuse to make banana bread! Using my grandmother's extra-large bread tin, I threw this together on Friday while Margot slept.

I used pecans from Tucker's mom's backyard (thanks Sassy!) , a little greek yogurt, some oil, a combination of mashed and chopped banans, plus chocolate chips and more pecans on top, as well as all the other standard ingredients. I may have found a winner!

In the end, Margot was a great little traveler. I don't know if it's her age/stage or her sweet disposition that made it easy, but we had no major crying fits, no issues with feeding, and instead, a whole lot of smiles and sleeping!

Margot's wondering "are we there yet?"

Rainy Day

Yesterday, we had a feisty little girl on our hands. She didn't want to sleep and was more interested in looking around, waving her arms and legs, and letting her little voice be heard.

Today was a different story. All she wanted to do was eat and sleep. When she finally woke up, here's the little look she gave me.

Tennessee wanted to get in on the snoozing too.

Margot is 2 months old!

Our little lamb is two months old today. It's amazing to see how much she's grown in just a month. Check out those cheeks and those leggies! I could eat her up.

Here she was, just one month ago!

We thought she was settling into a nice sleeping routine (which included a 7 hour stretch) but this week turned that assumption upside down. Oh well...

At two months, she's...
- very curious, turning her head side to side and following mommy around the room with her gaze.
- sucking her fingers, especially when she's winding down for a nap.
- outgrown her newborn clothes and is wearing 3 month sizes.
- kicking her legs and waving her arms constantly.
- bobbing her head around when she's on her belly and when she's being held upright. She's got a strong little neck!

My Cupid

This morning, I woke up to this sweet little face next to me. Tucker had an early meeting so he brought her into our room a little earlier than usual.

I snapped a pic of Margot in her Valentine's day PJs. Thank you Cousin Lucy!

A few hours later, she was off to dream land again which meant I had time to bake. I found this amazing recipe for chocolate cake by Ina Garten that I've been excited to try. I worked quickly while little M slept and she woke up just as these came out of the oven.

I put Margot in the Ergo baby while I made the frosting. Mmmm!

Dinner (sushi thanks to Tucker)...

and cake was a perfect ending to the day!

WIll you be my Valentine?