Mail Bag

Our mail and packages are delivered to the lobby of our building, so Andrew and I go down each afternoon and retrieve whatever goodies have come our way. It's a highlight of our day because the little guy gets to flirt with ladies who work at the front desk, and I get...well, I get to get the mail. Which is pretty exciting, now that I have an eBay account.

But with Andrew occupying one arm, it can get a bit tricky to make it back to the apartment with mail, packages, and baby all still in hand. So, I carry a bag. Thus far, it's been whatever old grocery sack is stuffed under the kitchen sink. But I'm tired of setting off on what is sometimes our only outing of the day, transluscent plastic bag flapping in the wind, doggone it. And I have a sewing machine, doggone it. So I made a mail bag{...doggone it?}!

Ta-da!

Much better than a Safeway sack. We're off for its inaugural run!

Need a Laugh?

These do the trick for me!

Song and Dance Routine

He's got some lungs, doesn't he? :)

Ah, the Moments!

From time to time, Andrew will look me in the eyes intently, piercingly, staring me through and through. Not really smiling, but perfectly content. And he'll hold my gaze for what seems like an eternity...a blissful eternity. It's like he's saying,

I see you.

I know you.

You are my mother.

And those are the moments when I can begin to grasp the overwhelming AWESOMENESS of motherhood.

I love you, my son.

Popcorn Picnic Party

This is what cityfolk do when there's a beautiful evening to be had outdoors, but no front porch or backyard with which to have it.

They take a bag (or two!) of popcorn... and a little vino...

and a baby. You know, for the entertainment.

They head to their building's courtyard. And they have a popcorn picnic party!


Actually, probably no one else does this. But we did it. And it was FUN!

Walker Envy

Andrew got a *taste* of his cousin Lily's walker in Birmingham...

{To Andrew, all the world's a buffet.}

And wouldn't rest until his daddy got him one of his own!

He's so pleased!

Andrew at 4 Months

Here we are at the 4-month mark, and I can tell Andrew is transitioning from itty-bitty baby to not-quite-so-itty-bitty baby. Things are starting to happen, and I can just feel that we're on the verge of major moving and shaking!

For example, on his 4-month birthday, Andrew rolled over for the first time! I was unloading groceries in the kitchen while Andrew played on his back on a blanket in the den. Then I peeked over the counter and saw him like this--what a surprise! He obviously put a lot of effort into the big roll, since he squinched the blanket all up!

Now that he's a big boy, his father is seeing to it that Andrew is fully indoctrinated as a Caps fan. They're loving the NHL playoffs.

Andrew is also laughing lots more these days. He's a ticklish little thing and giggles the whole time while I take off his pajamas in the morning. Excessive numbers of kisses also get him. So you can imagine that we hear lots of laughter! This is the face he makes when he's getting kisses. It's to die for.

And this is Andrew's favorite new position. He rolls up onto that side every time I put him down. Including on the changing table--eek!
We went for the 4-month checkup yesterday. The little guy weighs 14 pounds, 2 ounces, and is 25 inches long. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th for height--long and lean! But, boy, is he sturdy! He's got a core that would make a Pilates-er swoon.

Andrew asked that I show you his vaccination battle wounds. Poor little thing--it was rough!

Andrew really has become my little buddy! We go everywhere together. And he's such a good escort that he makes a regular ol' trip to the pharmacy, or even H&R Block, lots of fun! We are so happy to have you, little guy!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig!

We're back from an Easter visit to Birmingham. Lots of fun to blog about, but laundry and dishes and unpacking abound! I'll blog again as soon as I can get things in some semblance of order. In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, here's a picture of the little guy, courtesy of Uncle Kent!

How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?

I'll take him!

Man versus Giraffe

Andrew has fallen head over heels for Sophie la Girafe. He is quite protective of her.

He says it was love at first bite.

Happy Birthday, My Love!

Happy birthday to the most amazing man!

I knew from the moment I met you that you were something special.

And how right I was! You are a perfect husband and father.

You are so wise, and are completely faithful to God and to your family. You inspire me!

You are unbelievably hard-working, and cheerful to boot.
Andrew and I are so thankful for you and love you so very much!

Life with you has been an exciting adventure! I can't wait to see what the future brings!

May your coming year be full of happiness, my dearest Jacob Andrew! I love you!

A Dream Come True

As long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to be a mother.

I always loved playing dollies, holding them and feeding them and rocking them to sleep in my tiny dolly crib. And it was well-known with the girls next door that, when playing house, I had perpetual dibs on the mama role. (They didn't mind being the teenager or the cat, as long as they got to be teacher when we played school.)

In the fourth grade, when my class was supposed to dress up for the career we wanted to have, I tried to go simply as a mama. My Mama, giving deference to the fact that we were supposed to dress for a “career,” helped me tweak my outfit a bit to be a working mother, and off I went in a skirt and one of her blazers, with a baby doll on my hip. But we both knew that the baby doll was way more important to me than the blazer.

As my family grew cousin by cousin, I got some real life baby experience and figured out that not only did I want to be a mother but I wanted to be a mother to a big brood. When I read Cheaper by the Dozen in the seventh grade, I decided that twelve was a wonderful number to put on my desire to have a big family, and immediately drew up a list of eleven children’s names, with one blank reserved on the boy side for my future husband’s choosing. Generous little soul, wasn’t I?

When Jacob and I had become serious and were having those big life topic discussions, I revealed to him my Cheaper by the Dozen thoughts about family size, theretofore laughed at by most everyone, and he smiled and said, "Why stop at twelve?" I knew then for sure that this was the man God meant for me to marry.

On April 7, 2008, we found out we were expecting Andrew. How my heart soared to know I had become a mother to a tiny little being! And how very hard it was to keep this most joyous thing a secret until we'd been in for his first photo shoot!

What a terrific year it has been since learning Andrew was on his way to us! We may not ever get as far as twelve, but we have our firstborn and how very, very thankful we are for him!

Cherry Blossoms

The cherry blossoms have bloomed, so the throngs hit the Mall and the Tidal Basin this weekend and we were right there with them!

I was determined to get a good springtime family picture, but, boy, is it hard to coordinate 3 smiles! My sweet hubby was so very patient and obliging as we took picture after picture. He even brought his tripod, so we didn't have to ask a million strangers to snap for us!

This really is a beautiful time of the year in DC. Happy Spring!

Star Encounters

We've had a star-studded week! One star to Jacob's liking and one to mine!

Jacob got to see Mark Levin, or The Great One, as Jacob calls him, borrowing the moniker given to him by Sean Hannity (www.marklevinshow.com). The tremendously excited Jacob and family joined roughly 7000 (!) loyal Mark Levin radio show listeners at his booksigning for Liberty and Tyranny in Northern Virginia last Saturday morning. We arrived at 9:20 for the 11 am event, thinking that way we'd beat the crowd. Ha! We were around spot 650. The word was people were in line at 5:30 am. Thankfully, Barnes & Noble passed out wristbands to the early birds, so we were at least able to stroll the mall and not wait in the rainy cold!

This also allowed me to take a stalkerazzi photo through the bookshelves. Mr. Levin's the one in the cap.

By the way, wouldn't it feel weird to be a celebrity and have people take photos of you through bookshelves? I think so.

Andrew was, I believe, the littlest fan in attendance.

And so well-behaved, even though it was a bit of a trying day for him! Jacob got his book signed around 3:30 in the afternoon and was happy to wait every minute of it to meet The Great One and introduce Andrew to him. Fun day!


As for my star encounter, I've always been a sucker for pageants and so was elated to find out that Miss America, Katie Stam, would be appearing in the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade going right through Penn Quarter this weekend.

We staked out a pretty good vantage point on Constitution Avenue Saturday morning and enjoyed the parade of antique cars, horses, tap dancers, clowns, and marching bands galore.


We spotted Alabama's Cherry Blossom princess (right below the State flag).

And then finally, "There she was...Miss Ameeeeeeeeerica!"Can you see the pageant wave in progress? So fun!