New England

I almost forgot! Tyler went on his very first plane trip on May 4, 2006. We flew up to Boston for my friend Julie's wedding. Her wedding wasn't until Saturday, so we rented a minivan (we're hooked on getting one now!) and drove to Connecticut to visit Mike's brother and his family. Our sister-in-law is due on May 28th, I think, but she could go any day now!

Anyway, Tyler has spoiled us yet again. He was an angel on the plane, didn't cry or fuss one bit! Mike and I were both a little unsure of how he would handle the pressure changes, but I made sure he was either drinking from a bottle or using a pacifier when we took off and landed. He slept almost the entire flight, to and from Boston!

All my friends finally got to meet him, too. They were so excited, and so was I. Although, it seemed like I now had a completely different life compared to the last time we were all together, it was so wonderful to be with them again. Mike was great, he took charge of Tyler for a majority of the weekend so that I could visit with my friends.

It IS kind of strange being back with my girls. I'm a mom now, and though hanging out and meeting for drinks the night before the wedding would have been a blast, I really preferred to stay with Mike and Tyler. Maybe it's just a phase, since Tyler is so new in our lives. I feel like I need to relish every moment of his babyhood that I can, because EVERYONE tells me that it goes by so fast...and when I look at pictures of him from when we first brought him home, I really believe that time whizzes by. Which brings me around to thinking about my friends again. I get so nostalgic when I think about how long we've all known each other (going on 11 years!) All 6 of us girls have kept in close touch with each other all this time...I just feel so lucky and blessed that I have such great friends in my life. And even though my entire life has changed since I last saw them, it didn't feel that way when we were all together again. I like to imagine the six of us 30 or 40 years from now laughing and talking over drinks, still as close as ever.

May 16, 2006 - My new niece's birthday!

My sister had her baby on her due date! Little Hannah was born at 8:25 pm on Tuesday, May 16. She was 7 lbs 3 oz and 20 inches long! Hannah-Banana is the cutest little girl, so sweet and perfect! My sister went home Thursday morning and is doing really well. Hannah breastfeeds really well and sleeps most of the time, for now :)

Here are some pictures of her in the hospital:
















And here is Hannah and her mommy:















And more of Hannah and Tyler together:

My First Mother's Day - May 14, 2006

It was great! I love being a mom! I love that I can celebrate such a wonderful day! Mike made me the cutest mug, with Tyler's little hand and feet-prints on them. I love it, I brought it to work and use it all the time! I had received a bunch of "Mother's Day" email forwards, mostly about how motherhood changes your life (in good ways!). I had read them in the past, before I even began to think about kids, and it's just amazing how differently I was affected by them this time! Most of them brought tears to my eyes...I finally understood what it was all about! Here is the forward that I liked the most:

Before I was a Mom, I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom, I cleaned my house each day.

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on.

Pooped on. Spit on. Chewed on. Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

On Saturday, May 13, 2006, Tyler acheived a major milestone. He purposely grabbed a toy! He was actually sitting in his bouncer, and I happened to walk by and see him reach out with his right hand and grab hold of the toy that hangs down from the bouncer toy bar! You could see the concentration in his face...it was so exciting! He did it again several times, so we bought him some small rattles and baby keys that he could more easily get his hands around. Now he grabs hold of anything he can :)

Yesterday, my sister called me to tell me she started feeling regular contractions. Well, regular in the sense that they were occurring often, but not at consistent intervals. Then, this morning, my mom called to tell me that my sister had gone to the hospital at 3:30 am because her contractions were closer together and she was feeling a lot of pain. And, get this...today is her due date! Who has their baby on their due date? 8% of women, I think?? So exciting! I will update as soon as I hear anything :)

Future Hokie!