Wild, Sporty Labor Day Weekend

I'm a tad behind in my recap posting! We had a busy week this week, thanks to a very nice visit from my Dad for the better part of it. But isn't it just the worst when living life gets in the way of writing about it? I mean, geez.

But anyway. We had a really fun Labor Day weekend that I wanted to share with you! The weekend included two firsts for E.J., both sporting event related: his first football game, and his first baseball game! It's the beginning of something great, my friends.

We kicked things off Friday night with a trip to Eric's school to watch their football team in their home opener. As you may recall, Ellie and I were regulars at the high school football games last year, so we could cheer Eric on as he stood on the sidelines as a coach. This year, Eric took a break from coaching, so we were able to all go together. We found a seat near the band (because as Ellie said in no uncertain terms: "You like football. I like band." Sorry, Eric!) and stayed until halftime. The good guys actually ended up winning, so yay! And E.J. was totally riveted...or, you know, sleeping.

At the game with Eric this year!

Or rather, at the game with TWO Erics this year!

E.J. at his first football game!

On Saturday we spent the morning at the zoo. Not much new to report there, just your usual: Florida heat, fun, lions, tigers, bears.

Eric and Ellie at the zoo

In the butterfly exhibit

He's coming right for us!

Watching the tigers ("Like Daniel, Mama!")

A monkey

The carousel: Ellie's favorite part of the zoo

We all spent the day sporting our Gators best in honor of the first Gator game of the season (only to be sorely disappointed when the game was eventually called for lightning). But hey, at least we had two of the most adorable little Gator fans you ever did see to admire all day.

Orange and blue never looked better.

Sunday we just ran some errands, which included Ellie looking oh-so-toddler-ish in the shoe aisle of Target.

Superman shirt paired with glass slippers. That's just her style.

On Monday (Labor Day itself) we went to a Jacksonville Suns game and had a great time. The kids lasted for eight innings! That must be a record. We were super impressed when Ellie made it for five innings at her first game at four months old, but E.J. is apparently quite the baseball fan to endure all that time in this heat. We ate hot dogs in the outfield, played at the playground, hung out with Southpaw, cooled off with ice cream and watched the Suns beat the Mobile BayBears to win their division. Go Suns!

First baseball game as a family of four!

Watching some baseball, all decked out in her Suns colors

Hugs for Southpaw

E.J.'s first baseball game! I think he loves it.

Handsome little guy!

Suns win!

After the game the kids were welcome to run the bases, so Ellie and Eric gave that a try. Ellie was not too sure about the whole thing until Eric jumped in and joined her, then they happily ran to first then second. After rounding second base, there was a bit of a dispute as to which way to go: Eric recommended continuing on to third base, while Ellie insisted on a return to first. Hence, Ellie got carried the rest of the way. Still, not too shabby for a first base run! (There's video here if you'd like to watch the whole thing unfold.)

Let's do this!

Nope. That's the wrong way.

Better!

Which way to go next?

This way!

We just had so much fun. I love being able to spend time like this with my family!

Sharing is Caring

I've been meaning to share this photo from a couple of weeks ago, because look at this kid. Seriously.

Ellie loves when E.J. comes into her room to "play," and on this particular morning, she decided he should play with her Elmo - a prized possession, to be sure. She offered Elmo up willingly and completely of her own accord, and my heart swelled with pride.

Of course, as is often his way, E.J. seems a bit concerned about the weight of the responsibility that comes with being entrusted with such a treasured toy. Luckily, he can do no wrong in his sister's eyes (yet, anyway), so he has nothing at all to worry about.

Longer Together Than Apart

Today marks 16 years since Eric first asked me to be his girlfriend. This is a big day for us, not only because it commemorates the official start to our relationship, but because as of today, we have officially been a part of each other's lives for longer than not. I have known (and loved) Eric for more days of my 32 years than days that I haven't. And that is pretty cool.

Sixteen years ago today, it was September 7, 1998. Eric was a high school sophomore, and I was a junior. I had just turned 16 years old, and Eric was still fifteen for a few more months. I wore crop tops to show off my naval piercing and Eric was considering frosted tips in his hair. The boy band 'N Sync was just about to hit it big (and would give us "our song" a couple months later). Suffice it to say, it was kind of a long time ago.

We had the day off from school for Labor Day, and I invited Eric to join my family at the beach. He agreed, and as we walked along the Gulf, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I played it cool (I think...) and casually said yes, but inwardly my teenage self was screaming HE JUST ASKED ME OUT HE JUST ASKED ME OUT HE JUST ASKED ME OUT WE'RE TOTALLY GETTING MARRIED OMG. Just like that, in all caps with no punctuation, because 15-year-old Eric was fiiiiine.

We dated through high school, going to proms and homecomings and football games and band competitions and graduations together. We dated in college, cheering for the Gators and dancing the night away in night clubs. We dated and got engaged in graduate school in Washington, D.C. under the glow of the illuminated monuments on the National Mall. Nine years after Eric first asked me to be with him, we exchanged vows in front of friends and family in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since then, our journey together has continued to adventures in New York City and new beginnings in Jacksonville, Florida, with the joyful addition of two beautiful children. To say we've enjoyed a charmed life together would be to put it rather lightly.

Sometimes it can be hard to believe how wonderfully it has worked out for us, considering just how young we were when we first started dating. We were just kids. How did we really end up here?

You're just not supposed to actually end up with your high school sweetheart. That just isn't what is supposed to happen. The person you date in high school is supposed to just be someone to have fun with, until they inevitably break your heart and teach you valuable lessons about life and yourself as a person and that sort of thing. That's just how it works. And really, over the course of our relationship, I suppose Eric and I did do all of those things for each other. But somehow, while we were inadvertently teaching one another whatever valuable life lessons there were to be learned, we never really parted. We were always there, learning and growing together.

Sure, we broke up at the end of high school and beginning of college. The reason why? Because you're not supposed to actually end up with your high school sweetheart. That was really it. You just don't find your soulmate at the age of fifteen. So we tried to go our separate ways and live our separate lives, but we were just drawn back together time and time again. It took quite a bit of up-and-down, back-and-forth before we settled back in together, but once we did, we didn't look back. It was onward, together, for the rest of our lives. Somehow, we had found our soulmates at the age of fifteen.

Eric came into my life at the time when I needed him most. When we met, my entire world felt like it was upside down and Eric was the one who kept me rightside up. He was a calm, logical, level-headed, reassuring presence when the rest of my life was anything but. And even with all that seriousness, all that gravity in our relationship, we just had fun together. So, so much fun. On our very first date, we went roller-skating and we laughed together until our faces hurt. And now sixteen years later, I still look at that man beside me on the couch and see that skinny kid at the roller-rink and feel that soreness in my cheeks thanks to the unwavering smile he still puts on my face.

I don't know how we got so lucky as to find each other so early in life, but I'm so glad that we did. Eric is my very best friend and I love him completely. I am so thankful that we have had so many years together, that so many of our memories are shared memories, that I have had him by my side for so much of my life. And of course, I look forward to the rest of my life with him still to come. Sixteen years...as my grandfather would say, that's a "great start." But there is still so, so much to look forward to, and the teenage girl in me is just as giddy about it now as I was sixteen years ago today.

Thanks for asking me that great question, Eric Ryan. I love you.

16 years of happy memories!

Dear E.J. - Two Months

My dear E.J.,

Here we are, commemorating another month together. In addition to being your first full month at home, this month saw a lot of changes for our family, including a move into a new rental house and Daddy's return to work. Things have been pretty chaotic at times but as the month wraps up, we are starting to settle into a little bit of a routine.

Some of the routine has been at your insistence, actually. You have found a way of very quietly steering us in the right direction and telling us what you need. For example, early on this month we were trying to get you to doze in your nest in the living room at night until we were ready to go to bed, too, at which time we would move you to a bassinet in our bedroom. However, after a couple of nights of refusing to go along with this plan (and a decent amount of worried-sounding fussing out of you), we decided to try just putting you to bed earlier in the evening. And lo and behold, that was all you wanted, and now you sleep in your bed from 8:00 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. before waking to eat, then back to bed until 7:00 or 7:30. Similarly, at times I was trying too hard to get you to sleep before putting you in your bassinet (nursing, rocking, patting, shushing), and you refused to go along with that. In frustration, I simply laid you down, and wouldn't you know it, you put yourself to sleep in minutes. All you wanted was to be left alone to do your thing and you told me so pretty politely. Since then, that is our bedtime routine. You're making it so easy on us, kiddo. Thank you!

I feel good about your ability to dictate portions of your routine because much of our day is subject to the whims of your sister, so it's nice that you do get some say. After a quick morning nap for you we're generally off to keep Ellie busy, be it at the park or with errands or playtime. For the most part you have given me the gift of an afternoon nap at the same time as Ellie (which I am eternally grateful for), and then we spend our evening similarly keeping Ellie entertained. You are generally very willing to roll with the punches and if you are sleepy, you will doze off wherever we are, enabling us to make sure your sister's needs are met. People told me that second children tend to be this way, and I do wonder if that is the case - are you so agreeable simply because you have no choice as the second child, or is it more a credit to your easy-going nature?

You really are such a good-natured little guy. You started smiling so much more this month, and each morning you greet me with the world's happiest grin. You make my day before it has even begun, buddy. Then we spend some time chatting and playing together on your changing table before Ellie wakes up, while it's just the two of us. I love that time with you.

You've really found your voice this month. You chatter and coo constantly and the sounds you make are just the best. Every time I hear that voice of yours it puts a smile on my face and I can't help but stop whatever I may be doing to talk back to you. You seem quite pleased with yourself, too, and your conversations are accompanied by the most pleasant (if not downright proud) facial expressions.

When you do get upset, last month's assessment still stands: you mostly just fuss, sounding very worried. When you do give your loudest cries, they are often short-lived and you quiet yourself down pretty quickly. It's as if you just want to make sure your complaint has been noted, but you have faith that we will take care of whatever you need as soon as possible and you're willing to be patient with us. What a sweetheart!

Your agreeable disposition also comes in handy when dealing with your sister. E.J., I'm not sure I can fully convey in words how much she adores you. Hopefully someday you will watch all the videos I take of her interacting with you and see it for yourself, because it really is a sight to be seen. We wondered how she would adjust to the addition of a sibling to our family, to no longer being my sole focus as our only child. We anticipated some jealousy and hurt feelings, but I have only seen one slight hint of jealousy, and that has come when it's time for me to feed you. But rather than her being jealous of you as the recipient of my attention and cuddles, she is jealous of me because I get to hold you and she is anxiously awaiting her turn to cuddle with you. The first words out of her mouth each morning almost always are, "Can I go see E.J.?" and as soon as she is able, she is off to find you. I spend a lot of time keeping her from waking you and/or smothering you, because I think she would climb right into your nest with you if I let her. She switches into her "E.J. voice," a high-pitched, sweet, baby-talk tone, and gushes over you and your "tiny little toes." She tells you she loves you, she missed you, and she showers you with kisses. She gives you her toys to play with and wants you to come to her room (or wherever she is headed) with her at all times. She just can't get enough, and you are endlessly patient with her and her constant, very physical attention. And even more than just tolerating her, you seem to actually enjoy her, responding to her affections with big smiles and coos of your own. I cannot get enough of the interaction between the two of you and I pray every day that it is only the beginning of a very close bond that you two will share.

As for other developments and interests, you're still working on those neck muscles and are getting better at holding your head up. You're pretty tolerant of tummy time, and you've come to really enjoy your play mat in general. After tummy time you love to lay on your back and look up at your toys. You also have just recently started showing a great fondness for being worn, falling asleep almost the very same instant that I get my carrier tied around you. You also seem to really like the bath and the feeling of water on your belly, and you love to stare up at the scoreboard above your changing table during diaper changes (this really pleases your daddy and me - we worked hard on that thing!).

You were also able to meet a few more family members this month, although it was made possible by a sad occasion (the funeral for your great-grandmother). Despite the circumstances for our visit, we are always thrilled to have the opportunity to show you off and people just marvel at what a good baby you are. The comment we hear the most by far, however, is how much you look like your daddy. Even people who have never met either of you but have only seen pictures comment on the resemblance. Most of the time, I don't notice it, because I have already come to know you as your own person, but every now and then I'll see a photo or catch an expression and think, "yes, that's his father's face." That's a good thing, though, don't worry - I think your daddy has a very handsome face!

And so begins another month for you. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us this month! The first two have been so wonderful, watching you grow and seeing how seamlessly you fit into our family. I'm excited to watch you continue to develop into the person you are meant to be, all the while getting to know you better and better. I just adore you, little man, and I am so humbled and grateful to be your mama.

I love you, buddy.

All my love,
Mama

* * * * *

Dear E.J.,

Happy two months! I wonder how many more age doublings we are going to share. Actually, since I am currently a math teacher working on building number sense in my high school students, I will go ahead and estimate that with average life expectancies, I have eight more to experience with you compared to the one you will have with your mama and me. Speaking of your mama, she is going to roll her eyes pretty good at the last line, but these letters are day-of contemporary accounts of the things we happen to say to you and these days, I spend a lot of time thinking about teaching math. This often makes me wonder how easily learning will come to you and your sister. Either way, I have decided that I am more hopeful that you realize how cool it is to understand things and that you will both enjoy trying to figure them out and, even more importantly, persist until you do. But, for now, I am amazed at just how much you are going to learn before you can even make sense of what I am writing to you, considering that two months is still young enough to literally list every single thing you can do.

Don't worry (which is actually a funny joke because your most common expression makes it seem like you are often doing just that), I am not going to list everything here. What I will say is that at this point, I would most concisely describe you as a pleasant little guy. You get upset, to be sure, but are pretty content most of the time and you are generally open to being settled down in a lot of ways. Right now, you get especially relaxed eating and riding in your car seat (either in the stroller or in the car - so long as it is moving!), but also enjoy being rocked/patted gently in someone's arms, facing outward while we bounce you and looking in mirrors or laying on your activity mat. Adding to your pleasantness is the fact that since smiling for the first time, you have started doing it a lot. You almost always have a series of them when you wake up or recognize someone in your family, which you are impressively good at already.

This month, you have also started verbalizing, which you seem to enjoy doing almost as much as I love watching you do it! You have a very expressive face (see, e.g., the worried look or smiles mentioned previously) and look ever so pleased to be moving your mouth (and whole head and arms and legs) to summon all the sounds you can find. You are one of my favorite people in the world to listen to, and you don't even come close to saying anything! I honestly can't wait to share ideas and stories with you someday (maybe over 36 holes?), but right now you are making it easy to wait. Keep up the good work, little guy. I love you very much.

All my love,
Daddy

Sibling Love

Ellie is rocking this Big Sister gig, let me tell you. I hope to get a full post up one of these days about Ellie as a big sister, but for now, suffice it to say that it is entirely possible that she likes E.J. even more than Eric and I do. The girl is smitten.

The other day, Eric took E.J. into Ellie's room with him when she was waking up from her nap and put E.J. in her crib with her, which she thought was the COOLEST THING EVER. So now it's a game and she asks for E.J. in her crib daily. If he's in good spirits, we generally oblige - with close supervision, of course, because she's likely to go all Lennie (from Of Mice and Men) on him if we're not vigilant. She spends their crib time together cooing and fussing over him, giddily studying his "tiny little toes" and generally cuddling with her "buddy." And to his credit, not only is E.J. endlessly patient with her and tolerant of her smothering love, but he actually seems to return the sentiment. He likes her and enjoys their time together, too.

And that photo above, my friends, is the best argument in favor of having two kids that I ever saw. I hit the jackpot with these two.

A Day in the Two-Kid Life

We're finally starting to settle into life as a foursome a little bit. Eric has been back at work for a couple of weeks now and I'm starting to find my groove as the stay-at-home parent to two whole kids. I've recorded what a typical day looked like for Ellie and me once or twice before, but I figured now was a pretty good time for another installment. Ellie is just shy of 2.5 years old, E.J. is about two months old, and we're starting to develop some semblance of a routine. So let's record it for the ages!

The first time my feet hit the floor on any given morning is usually around 4:30 a.m., when E.J. wakes up for his middle-of-the-night feeding (he is currently sleeping in a little co-sleeper bassinet in our bedroom). I can't complain about this, because he has been asleep since about 8:30 p.m. the night before. I'm tired, but it's my own fault because I can't seem to make myself go to bed as early as I should. This feeding is a quick one - he's awake and ready to eat, which he does for about 10 minutes then passes out again. I usually sit with him for a few extra minutes before laying him back down and returning to bed myself. I'm generally back asleep by 5:00 a.m.

Eric gets up around 6:15 a.m. for work, and leaves around 6:45 a.m. I make him wake me to say good-bye because I hate waking up and just having him gone.

E.J. wakes up between 7:00-7:30 a.m. I drag myself out of bed, vowing to go to bed early that night (spoiler alert: never happens). E.J. always wakes up happy and greets me with a huge smile, which is all I need to help snap me out of my morning fog (considering I don't drink coffee, this is a very good thing). We spend some time "talking," playing and generally interacting before, during and after his morning diaper change.

Who can be mad about getting out of bed when this is the face that greets you?

He's happy to see me, and my day has already been made, just like that.

I take E.J. out to the living room and sit on the couch to feed him. By the time he's done eating, he has usually been awake for an hour or more, and he's starting to get drowsy and ready for his morning nap. I put him in his Rock 'N Play "nest" in the living room and wrap him up tight with a swaddle blanket, then rock the nest until he dozes off. He's usually asleep between 8:30-9:00 a.m.

This is a rare unwrapped nap, but hey, you get the idea.

Once he's asleep I try to take care of some important business before Ellie wakes up - primarily, taking a shower. If E.J.'s sleep seems restless I'll also try to grab breakfast before he wakes up, but if he seems pretty dead to the world I'll often wait to eat with Ellie. If I still have some time I'll usually hop on the computer to catch up on emails or grab a few minutes of work on any ongoing projects (right now, those are primarily catching up on photo editing and blogging).

Ellie has been waking up between 9:00-9:30 a.m. these days. Part of me is bummed by this, because why did she only start sleeping in like that when I couldn't join her?! Before E.J. was born, she was up between 7:00-8:00 every morning. But, I can't complain because her late rising has been giving me the chance to have some one-on-one time with E.J. and allows me to take care of his needs (and mine) before adding her into the mix. If she were still waking up so early, it would definitely complicate my morning. I realize that things could change at any second and she could be back to early wake-ups tomorrow, but even if that happens, this has been great timing to help ease me into a morning routine with two kids.

When Ellie wakes up I go into her room and change her diaper (yes, she's still in diapers...with all the recent changes for her, potty training seemed like a terrible idea! We'll work on that this fall). We generally hang out in her room and play for a few minutes. She's usually very excited to go see E.J., so we don't stay in her room for long.

Another face that is happy to see me in the morning! These kids, man. They sure do know how to kick off a day.

Ellie saying hello to E.J., quite possibly her favorite part of the day.

Apparently the feeling is mutual, and E.J. is happy to see her, too.

Then it's time for breakfast for Ellie, which right now consists of some combination of pancakes, toast, frozen fruit yogurt drops, cereal and fruit. Assuming E.J. is still napping while she eats, I will either eat with her or take care of other stuff that needs to be done: any further "getting ready" that I need to do (hair, makeup, getting dressed), dishes or other household stuff (lately, small unpacking projects), or may hop back on the computer to finish up whatever I was doing before she woke up. I'll also try to prep anything I need for our morning outing: get the stroller loaded and ready, make sure the diaper bag is stocked, etc.

After breakfast I get Ellie dressed. By that time E.J. has generally woken up, so I get him changed and dressed too, and then we hang out while I feed him before we leave the house. We're generally ready to leave around 11:00 a.m. Hey, this is not a speedy process.

I love this stretching face he makes while waking up!

Our morning outing varies somewhat. I have yet to gather my courage to take both kids to story time or any structured activities like that, but we have done a few errands outings. Most often, we'll go for a walk to the "train park," which is about a 10-15 minute walk from our house. Sometimes Ellie will play for a while; sometimes she just wants to sit on a park bench with me. Sometimes E.J. will sleep for the entire outing, sometimes he won't, but he's generally pretty content in the stroller either way. The outing helps pass the time, gets us out of the house, gives us some exercise (well, me, at least) and I think the heat helps tire the kids out a bit! On particularly hot days, we may even stop at Panera Bread on our way home to cool off for a few minutes with a frozen lemonade. We're fancy!

Out on the town with the kiddos

Hanging out on a park bench with my best girl

Cuter than a speeding bullet, this one.

Cooling off in Panera Bread

We usually get home from our outing at about 1:00 p.m., and E.J. hangs out while I fix Ellie's lunch. I get her set up with lunch (macaroni and cheese, cottage cheese and fruit) and Thomas the Train on PBS, then I take E.J. into his room, where I've set up a fan for white noise and his little bassinet. I change, swaddle and feed him, then put him down for a nap in there. When I finish with that I go join Ellie again and grab lunch myself if there's time before Thomas is over. At 2:00 I take Ellie into her room, change her and put her down for her nap.

God-willing, both kids will be asleep at the same time for at least an hour. Last week they actually both blessed me with a couple days of two-and-a-half-hour naps AT THE SAME TIME. Miracles do happen, my friends! I generally spend this time running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to accomplish as much as possible (unpacking, cleaning, computer projects, phone calls, what have you) before one or both of them wake up.

Barring any out-of-ordinary after-school commitments, Eric will get home from work during naptime.

If by miraculous means one or both kids are still asleep by 4:30-4:45 p.m., we wake them up. Eric will generally wake/change/entertain Ellie while I wake/change/feed E.J. Then we try to go for an evening outing: usually, a walk around the neighborhood (rush hour traffic is too annoying for us to really drive anywhere). So far our favorite destinations are Friendship Fountain or "the seahorse park," which we walk to via a nice path through San Marco neighborhoods along the river. At either destination, Ellie will get out of the stroller and play for a bit while E.J. snoozes, then we'll head home.

E.J. asleep in the stroller...

...meanwhile, his sister is checking out Friendship Fountain...

...running off her energy...

...playing at the seahorse park (so named for obvious reasons)....

...and playing on the swings, superhero style!

We get home around 7:00, give or take a bit. Ellie will have dinner (usually string cheese, fruit, turkey, grilled cheese with ketchup and a vegetable if we have one readily available), sometimes while watching Sesame Street or Daniel Tiger, depending how in need of a break we are! While she eats Eric will sometimes go for a run, and then will shower and get his clothes ready for the next day.

After all that, Eric usually hangs out with E.J. until 8:00 when we change him, swaddle him and I take him into our bedroom to nurse him and put him down to sleep. E.J., at least to this point (and I'm over here knocking on ALL THE WOOD), is the kind of baby I've only heard about in fairy tales: I can nurse him then lay him down drowsy but awake, and he'll finish the "go to sleep" job himself. This is in great contrast to his sister, who required being nursed to sleep (including a "suckling" session that could last over an hour, and any attempt to detach her would be rewarded with open eyes on the face of an unhappy, awake baby). Once she was asleep I would pretty much just wait for her to unlatch herself, then would wait longer to make sure she was really dead asleep before having Eric come in to ever so carefully pick her up and transfer her to her crib. Should she wake at any point in this process, we had to start all over again. During that time I read just about every "Get Your Kid to Sleep" book ever written and people kept talking about putting your kid down "drowsy but awake" and I would just laugh, because no way does that work on any baby. Then E.J. came along and made a believer out of me. While E.J. almost always dozes off while nursing, unlike his sister, he releases his latch quickly thereafter and if I hold onto him for too long after that, he'll fidget himself fully awake. So, once he starts nodding off I lay him in his bassinet and wish him goodnight. Sometimes he stays asleep and sometimes his eyes open back up, but either way, he'll be asleep shortly after I leave the room. MIRACLE CHILD.

While I put E.J. to bed, Eric spends some time playing with Ellie, which these days generally involves reading books, playing with her "guys" (stuffed animals), Fisher Price house and barn and playing doctor with a stethoscope E.J.'s hospital doctor gave her (love that game!). Sometimes they'll play outside on her slide, or with her tee-ball or golf sets. She also does a lot of pretend play: she'll choose to be someone (for example, Anna from Frozen) and will assign the rest of us characters as well (I'm Elsa, Achilles is "reindeer," Eric is Kristoff), or she'll act out storylines she saw that day from Elmo or Daniel Tiger.

Playing outside on her slide

All dressed up as Elsa (hence, the gloves)

Sometimes E.J. is unlucky enough to be included in the game, too

Depending on how long I need to spend with E.J., Eric will get Ellie ready for/put to bed. Bedtime generally includes the reading of a story of her choice, teeth-brushing, diaper change, pajamas on. (If it is a bath night, that comes at the beginning of the process). Then we turn the lights off, turn on her fan and pray with her (The Lord's Prayer and "Be Near Me Lord Jesus"), then we put her in her crib and hold her hand while singing "You are My Sunshine." Then it's the "goodnights" and "I love yous" and out we go. She is in bed between 8:30-9:00 p.m. and usually asleep shortly thereafter.

As for us, once both kids are in bed, we eat a late dinner and generally just relax on the couch, barring any outstanding responsibilities that need to be addressed. We'll hang out and watch TV or spend some time on the computer (Eric is usually working on lesson plans during this time) and finally head to bed around 11:30 p.m. or midnight. And that's a wrap until it all starts again at 4:30 a.m.!

That FACE.

Since E.J. was born, I keep saying that I am obsessed with his face. Heck, I was even quoted as saying so (in so many words exactly) on E.J.'s birth announcement. But, I mean, LOOK AT IT:

He pretty much alternates between this heart-breaking grin and a seriously worried expression, complete with little baby forehead wrinkles. I prefer the grin, but either way, it's just too much. I can't get enough.

Announcing E.J.

This is just a brief Friday post to share E.J.'s official birth announcement with you!

Given that E.J. was born during a big blockbuster weekend, we went in a cinematic direction with the announcement this time. Eric took the picture for this bad boy and I worked on putting it together in the hospital when E.J. was sick. A little trivia: the photo was even taken while in the hospital, and is carefully cropped to hide the gauze over his PICC line and monitors on his chest. What a sweet baby, to still look so content while posing for a photo with all that other stuff going on!

E.J.'s movie poster birth announcement!

(Last name edited for internet safety)

I'm just nuts about that little boy.

Making Introductions

We went down to St. Petersburg last week for an unexpected trip for my Grandmother's funeral. It was our first long car trip with E.J./two kids and really, the car part went exceptionally well, especially on the way down there. E.J. slept the whole time, and we just kept marveling at the difference between this trip and Ellie's first. Granted, Ellie's was longer - about nine hours, from New York to Cleveland - but she screamed and cried for about eight and a half of those nine hours. Let's just say I prefer E.J.'s approach to car travel. (On this particular trip, Ellie was also incredibly good and even the dog slept quietly in the backseat instead of whining in my ear for three hours. I don't know how it happened, but I wanted to give all three of them big sloppy kisses of thanks upon arrival.)

We hadn't planned to bring E.J. to St. Petersburg until the end of September, which would have meant that some of our family members would have still had another month to wait before meeting him. However, this visit gave us the opportunity to make some introductions ahead of schedule.

We stayed with Gramz (Eric's grandmother) for this trip, so she got to meet E.J. as soon as we arrived:

E.J. laying on the charm for his great-grandma

After my grandmother's funeral on Friday, my mom took Ellie back to her house while Eric, E.J. and I continued on to the cemetery with my dad. After the ceremony at the cemetery, we stopped back at my mom's house to retrieve Ellie, and E.J. met Grandpa Gary for the first time:

He looks a bit overwhelmed.

My mom was happy for a little visit with both her grandkids too, and it looks like they feel the same!

Then, on Saturday morning, we went to visit Eric's mother for breakfast, so she got to meet E.J., too:

Toni getting her first look at her new grandson

Love!

Three generations!

Eric's brother Ronnie and our nephew Charlie also joined us, which was great fun. We were even able to get some pictures of all the cousins together. Of course, there isn't a single one with all three kids looking at the camera and/or looking pleasant, but hey. That's life with kids.

Brothers and their babies

The W. cousins

Love for the little one

Totally frame-worthy.

After that visit, we stopped at the park for a late morning play session and another visit with my dad before hitting the road back to Jacksonville. The trip back was a little more up and down, kiddo-wise, but for the most part, everyone was great. We really do have a couple of terrific kids!

Let's hit the road!