Just The Two of Us

 Margot and I have had a fun week, just the two of us. While I've been going to work everyday (and Margot's been going to Monica's), the morning wake-ups, bottles, baths, play time, dinner, and bed time have all been just the two of us.

We've missed Tucker A LOT while he's been away at the NALC convention and can't wait for him to come home today!

Here's my favorite pic from this week. You can see how little M is starting to look more like a little girl, and less like a baby.

I can't get enough of those cheeks!

Myndi and Brian's Visit

Last weekend, some friends from SLU were in town so we met up downtown for a trip to the aquarium and lunch at The Hamilton. Myndi and Brian live in Forest Hills, NY with their precious little guy, Harrison.

Here we are in front of The Hamilton, with Harrison wide awake and Margot, fast asleep.

7 Months

This post is a little late, but here is Margot at 7 months old.

As you can see, eating is not a problem for our little rosebud.

She's getting closer and closer to crawling every day.  She's also got two teeth poking through, and even has a few more sounds in her vocabulary: lalala, mumumum, bababa.

The Determination is Palpable...

Goodbye Maria

Maria and Margot, March '12

Last week, we said goodbye to the best nanny on the planet. Maria is the kind of person who makes you feel calm and at ease, just by being in her presence. She was exactly what Margot (and Tucker and I) needed as I transitioned back to work full time. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to adequately express how much she's meant to us, but she was the perfect fit for the past 4 months. We're happy for her that she's moving on to bigger and better professional opportunities (with benefits!).

Maria and her family with Margot at her baptism, May '12

Margot has started going to another wonderful woman for child care that's close by and where she'll have one other child who she can play with every day. I'm sure I'll be telling stories about Monica in the months to come!

The Littlest Patient

Last Friday, Margot had tubes put in her ears. It was a quick and easy procedure, with a few moments of stress that quickly subsided.

Leading up to the surgery, my worries revolved around the idea that my 17 lb little girl was going to be given general anesthesia. When the strongest medicine she's ever been given has been tylenol and an antibiotic, this was scary. I was also fretting over the idea of not giving her her morning bottle; something she's so accustomed to. I knew it would upset and confuse her to not be able to eat first thing. There's something visceral about wanting to calm and soothe your child, especially if it's part of your daily routine.

We had matching bracelets! Hers was a little smaller than mine.

Seeing Margot awaken from the anesthesia, where her little body was like a floppy lead weight, was probably the scariest part.

She was brave and let me console her with shushes and milk and by the end of the day, she was back to her chirpy, sweet self.

Someone gave me good advice about it all. She urged me to remember that Margot is in the hands of some of the best medical professionals in the world. For most children around the world, this treatment wouldn't even be an option. So, even though it's hard to see her upset, leading up to or after the surgery, she'll be ok. In fact, she'll be better off because of the medical care she's so lucky to receive.

Plus, I got to teach my little sweetheart a lesson (and there are many, many more to come): when she goes through something that's scary and unknown, things will be ok. She may even learn that she's courageous and strong. And, she'll know that her dad and I will be by her side, reminding her of how brave she is.

Ready, Set....Not Yet

Margot is now officially 7 months old and crawling is one of the things at the forefront of her mind. A few times a day, she's able to get herself into position, though not much happens after that. She's testing the waters, seeing how it feels to consider crawling, but she hasn't made any major moves yet. We're happy to see her ease into crawling as slowly as possible...

Happy

Margot says: Happy Friday, y'all!

It has been a heck of a week. Someone told me recently that with the warmer weather often comes more crime, more accidents, etc. I think there may be some truth to this.

While Tucker was walking home from the metro on Tuesday night, (after he'd been out with a buddy; it was 11pm) he was robbed at gun point. He wasn't hurt and no damage was done except that his wallet with $25 was stolen. His Blackberry was recovered the next day.

The whole situation really shook us to the core. We were blindsided with a reminder that life is fragile, and life is precious. Things can change in an instant. It's not just the two of us anymore; we have a little life depending on us to take care of her. Life has gotten richer since Margot's arrival, and at the same time, we have much more to lose.

We could drive ourselves crazy with all "what ifs" related to Tuesday night. Instead, we're focusing on what we have. We are happy that this week is over, happy that our family is intact, and happy that we have a healthy, beautiful daughter who reminds us how fortunate we are.

Tuesday night was a reminder that practicing gratitude is what makes us happy.

West Roxbury

On my way through Boston on Monday, I got to spend a couple of hours with my sister and her kids in their new neighborhood of West Roxbury. From what I saw, the neighborhood looks like a New England postcard. Most of the houses are these giant, brightly painted Victorians with shingles and have manicured lawns. The town center has everything a family would need and is in walking distance. I got a tour of their new 'hood and saw the fixer-upper that they will soon be fixing up. While I forgot to take pics of the new house, I did snap a few photos of this kiddos...

Here is Braxton, holding my hand. I love his smile.

 Ava took her job of pushing the cart VERY seriously. Love it:)

Maybe next time I come up, some of the renovations will be done! Can't wait.

Annual Adventure

Every year, I go on a trip with my college girlfriends (+Stokie!). There are always two planners who arrange the trip for everyone else and it's a surprise to the rest of the group until a few days before we leave. The group agrees upon a date and a budget, and the rest is left up to the planners. Our budgets have been very small each year, yet we always manage to have a lot of fun and have money left over.

This year, we spent 4 days at Mt. Snow, Vermont.

From left to right: Me, Andrea, Melinda, Kara, Kelley, Sarah, Jen, Sara, Nicole. We missed Caitlin this year!

 

 There are a few rules with the trip as well: No husbands/boyfriends, no babies, no new members. Every person pays the same amount, no matter where they're travelling from. Our intention was to do this trip every year for pretty much the rest of our lives. By keeping it simple, we thought we'd have the best shot at keeping it a tradition.

 

 Kelley and Sara are our planners for next year. Maybe we'll venture out of the Northeast this time? Or maybe not. We'll have to wait and see!

Glamour Girl

These pics really don't need any commentary. I love this girl!

Margot's First Fourth

Our little firecracker.

Happy Independence Day!

Summer Storm

Last weekend, our area (and many others in the mid-Atlantic region) got badly hit by a summer storm that included high winds, lightening, and a quick and intense amount rain. Power lines have been down all over Montgomery County now for almost 6 days, leaving 250,000 people still without power. Considering the heat we've had, this weather has taken its toll on thousands of families. We consider ourselves extremely lucky because we only lost power for 4 hours last Friday night.

Here are some pics from our neighborhood, 6 days after the storm hit. There have been so many trees down that many (like the one below) have still not been cleaned up.

Notice that the tree narrowly missed a neighboring house and pulled down an entire network of lines.

Since we moved to Maryland 3 years ago, we've had more than our fair share of extreme weather in Montgomery County. I've lost track of how many times we've had issues with down trees, extreme temperatures, high winds, flooding, and excessive snow. If this isn't evidence of "climate change",

I have no idea what is.

Deltaville

 We are lucky enough to have some pretty generous friends who happen to have an idyllic cottage on the Chesapeake Bay. Last weekend, we drove down to Deltaville, VA to stay at Eric and Amy at their house there. Our friends Blake, Erika, Jenny, and Trevor, also joined us for the weekend of fun.

This was our second visit to Deltaville with this group and Margot was the only newbie to be joining us.  As you can see, she's quite the card shark and fit right in:)

 Weekends in Deltaville have so far included lots of swimming, paddling, and relaxing on the screened in porch and on the beach. The house is simple and small, yet big enough to sleep 8 (or 10) of us very comfortably. Cooking meals together has also made these weekends a lot of fun. This year, most of us ran in the Deltaville 5k on Saturday morning which made the weekend extra productive!

 Tucker revealed the real reason why I married him....because of his ability to do a handstand on a surf board. So impressive:)

This year, the infamous lightening storms hit the east coast the weekend we were in Deltaville. While I was too much of a chicken to sit out and watch the lightening, most everyone else wittnessed lightening like they'd never seen before, crossing the night sky across the ocean as far as the eye could see. On Saturday night, the neighbors provided a prelude of fireworks to the second round of the storm. Through it all, Margot slept like a log, thank goodness:)

Queensbury Visit

Margot and I flew up to my parents house for a visit in the country last week. Since this is a slow time of year at school for me, I was able to take 4 days off and relax with my family in upstate New York. My aunt Priscilla came up from Hoboken and my sister and her kids came up from Boston as well.

Hanging out with Granddaddy 

A walk to the pond with Priscilla, Granny, and Milo.

 More tummy time with Auntie Sarah, cousins Ava and Braxton, and Tessa supervised the fun.

 We went to a farmer's open house which was interesting and as always, very mind-opening. My parents have been getting their produce from the farmer's market in Glens Falls since I was a kid. I volunteered for Paul and Sandy Arnold's farm (see pics below) when I graduated from college, so it was fun to go back and see how much things had grown.

 Granny and Margot at the farm.

 One of 3 "Green Tunnels" on the farm

Through out most of the visit, we had chilly weather which was actually quite refreshing! Spending time in Queensbury is always relaxing. It's a good feeling to know we have a "home away from home" of sorts in such a beautiful and peaceful part of the world.