Thanksgiving In Hoboken

This year, we travelled to Hoboken to celebrate Thanksgiving with my Aunt Priscilla. It was the 5 of us plus Priscilla's pal Anne who became Margot's new buddy.

We brought our own Butterball turkey to dinner.

We were determined to take our Christmas card photo on Thanksgiving so I could order it and cross it off my list. Thanks to Priscilla and Anne who took about a million shots, we got "the" pic. Here's one of he out-takes...Margot looks non-plussed while Wilkins looks like he's had too much turkey:)

 We by-passed the Black Friday madness and went to Brooklyn on Friday for lunch and a stroll around Park Slope. It was bitter cold, but so much fun to be out on an adventure! Margot worked in a nap in the stroller, thank goodness.

Margot loved riding the train. All she kept saying was "another train?" over and over, hoping we were going on another train. She seemed a little spooked at first, and then couldn't get enough of it all.

On Saturday, we drove up to Piermont, NY to visit the Balascios in their new digs! Stokie and Dan surprised us which was awesome. It was so much fun to catch up and have everyone all together.

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The 4 hour drive north was just the right amount for us to feel like we were getting away, without being too far of a ride for the kids. We got our fill of NYC pizza and bagels and loved being with family and friends.

Thanks for having us Priscilla!

A Few Words From The McDonald Kids...

our little tiger

whole world

Month Two

Wilkins is quite the little guy. He is an amazing eater and sleeper, and some say that his eyes give you the feeling that he's an "old soul". I can agree with that one...

 We're still getting to know our little guy, but what we can tell you is that he's a pretty easy going guy who just loves to eat, and be held! He started smiling and laughing around 5 weeks which was pretty neat!

 The first thing people comment on when they meet our little fellow is how big he is; he's currently in 6 month sizes, though continuing to grow quickly!

 He attended his first wedding reception a few weeks ago. He looked quite dapper for the event!

Representing Tennessee - GO VOLS!

Showing a little smile with his new pup.

Well, the boy's not too skinny! 

At 9 weeks, he's 15lbs 9oz. I don't know how this happened...

Margot-Time

With her baby brother cramping her style, we've tried to make time with Margot a priority, whenever we can. Her obsession with Good Night Moon led me to purchase tickets for us all to go and see the play inspired by the book at Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park, a favorite place of ours.

We kept her up past her bedtime, and counted our blessings that there were no melt-downs. To say Margot's mind was BLOWN when she saw her favorite book come to life would be an under statement. It was fun to watch her take in the show as if it was all real. She talked to the characters through out the production, periodically saying "be right back?" when the characters left the stage. She also clapped emphatically whenever she was given the chance. Thankfully, Wilkins just did his baby-thing and hung in there with us for the hour performance.

We've also been finding ways for Margot to "help" around the house. Here she helped daddy rake up the thousands of leaves that fell on our yard. What would we do without her?

She's also putting her shoes by the door when she comes home...

 reading owners' manuals for us, as needed...

and whipping up some meals with me in the kitchen.

Time with daddy at the park is what she demands for compensation.

This transition to having a sibling hasn't been easy for Margot and she's had her moments of acting out (i.e. licking the diaper pail for attention). 

Yet, we're honing our patience and showing Margot that we all have to work together. Teaching Margot that she has a role to help out and love her brother in this little circus we call "family" seems to be a good place to start!

Father And Son

This has been a very busy fall for Tucker, work-wise. The arrival of Wilkins came at the same time as the government shut-down (or "lock-out", depending on how you spin it). It was a disheartening time to be in Washington, especially as we think about the world we're bringing our little guy into. Still, Tucker's fighting the good fight for the members of AFGE, one issue at a time! 

I brought Wilkins in for a visit to Tucker's office to meet his co-workers. Wilkins approved of his daddy's digs so much that he christened the office with its first nap.

Here are Tucker and Wilkins out for a birthday dinner at the Takoma Bistro. 

Wilkins loved the Coq Au Vin. 

Tucker makes the balance of work and fatherhood look easy.  Though work is always stressful (in a good way?),  he is one of those dads who sets aside time every morning and evening to make Margot and Wilkins feel they're at the center of his world; a feeling I hope they carry with them all the time. 

We often talk about the "what ifs" with our careers in terms of taking on new challenges and climbing the metaphoric "ladder". We always come back to how thankful we are that we can spend as much time as we do together as a family. Having time with each other as our first priority really makes decisions easier.

In this season of gratitude, I'm so thankful for such an amazing husband and partner. I know Wilkins and Margot are thankful, too!

Halloween & Catch Up!

With the rainy weather descending on us here in MD (paired with Wilkins new skill of napping in his crib) the blog is finally being updated. It has been an incredible fall, perfect for being home with my newborn little guy! With all the pics I've captured, I might as well go back to where I left off....Halloween!

Margot's choice to be a mouse this year came from her obsession love of Good Night Moon. She has the book memorized and loves to flip to the pages with the mouse on it and loudly declare "MOUSE!" So, logically, the only option for her little brother was to be her cheese. 

He's gonna love us for this one some day...

 Our neighborhood is full of young kids, many a few years older than Margot, and a growing group of little ones around Margot and Wilkins' ages. Our neighbors have a pre-trick-or-treating party every year which we all attended and had fun with.

 Margot loved wearing her costume, probably because she got so many encouraging squeals from our friends in the 'hood. The best part was how she insisted on wearing the hood "up" at all times; the opposite of what I was expecting for an almost  two year old.

In the end, our little mouse couldn't keep herself awake past 7pm. 

Baby girl STILL loves her sleep. It takes a lot of energy to be this cute!

Wilkins - One Month

It's hard to believe that yesterday marked one month since our little guy's arrival. Time is flying by!

His favorite pastimes include eating, sleeping, snuggling and GROWING. He's already up to 12.5 lbs and is quite the arm-full already. 

His favorite spot.

His little paw:)

Wilkins Patrick McDonald

Our little man arrived on Friday, September 27th at 9:40am, weighing 9lbs 6oz and measuring 22 inches long. We are so in love and so glad he's here!

 

The week leading up to Wilkins' arrival was truly wonderful. Tucker's mom Judy flew in from Texas on Thursday, 9/19, and spent lots of time playing with Margot and taking good care of us. I had my last day at school on my due date, Friday, 9/20, and the following week, Margot stayed home from daycare, while Tucker worked from home.

We tried our best to soak up the last minutes of only-childhood with Margot, too. As Judy said, it was one of the most precious weeks  we'll remember as the pace of things slowed down and we anticipated the changes and joy ahead. 

Judy and Margot

Tucker and Margot

Tucker and Margot on the new swing.

Margot at Nordstrom showing off her new Hello Kitty shoes from Sassy.

Our last supper before we headed to the hospital.

Contrary to my best hopes, Wilkins didn't want to come into the world without a little prodding. There were many times where I thought I was going into labor, only to have the contractions peter out. So, we went with our back up plan and Tucker and I headed into the hospital on Wednesday night, 5 days past my due date, for the induction.

Before we left for the hospital, Margot wasn't feeling so happy...

Judy, Tucker, and Margot

 A happier moment since Margot has a snack.

Here we go again!

 It took longer than expected to get things going, but by Thursday night, I was finally making progress and our sweet boy was born at 9:40 am on Friday September 27th.

We were just a tiny bit shocked when the nurse announced his weight of 9 lbs 6 oz and 22 inches long; no, we did not see this coming. Doctors had estimated his weight to be somewhere in the 8lb range, but even then, I was a bit skeptical, thinking there was no way such a big baby could come from me.

  Naively, I thought there were just some people who made big babies (ie: tall moms and dads) and that I was just not one of them! I guess at 41 weeks pregnant, all bets are off anyway.

Margot and Wilkins meeting for the first time at the hospital.

Judy, Wilkins, and Margot with her new baby.

 I was so happy to see Margot and missed her like crazy while I was in the hospital. 


We were anxious to get home and checked out of the hospital on Saturday afternoon.

 Wilkins, doing his going home dance.

And as for his name? Wilkins Patrick was a name we'd had our hearts set on for a while. Wilkins is Tucker's step-dad's last name (Lewis Langley Wilkins, Jr.), and Patrick was the first of the Hollands (my maiden name) to come to the US from Ireland, in 1849. We think it has a nice ring to it.

Wilkins and Judy.

Wilkins, Judy, and Margot

First selfie with Wilkins. Get ready little guy!

People say he favors me...maybe? I guess we'll wait and see.

We snapped a few family pics while Judy was here.

Margot, Judy, Tucker, Wilkins.

As always, more to come soon!