Friday, October 31, 2008

Patrick's First Halloween!

Happy Halloween everybody! We hope you all had a great one.

Our Halloween festivities began a couple weeks ago when we went to pick out some pumpkins. We got around to carving those pumpkins this last weekend. I had planned to carve all three but after the first one was finished and we only had an hour before we had to be at a Halloween party, I gave up. Patrick had a lot of fun watching and talking to the pumpkin while I was carving. He wasn't sure what to make of the insides though. He seemed very suspicious of the cold, gooey mess. Luckily, he didn't try to eat it.

Even though Patrick has no idea what Halloween is and couldn't care less about candy and witches and Charlie Brown, we were still pretty excited since it's his first one. We (and by "we" I mean "Angie") started looking for a costume over a month ago for him to wear. We wanted to get something for him that he could lay around in since that's about all he does and wouldn't be too hot, since we weren't taking him door to door or anything. We ended up deciding on dressing him as a lobster. I have to say, he made a pretty cute lobster. And thankfully, he's either not old enough to care or is just laid back enough that he didn't mind wearing it for most of the night with the head piece and everything.

Here he is hanging out in his lobster pot:


I was looking for an easy costume and the first thing that popped into my head was "hey, if he's gonna be a lobster then I could be a chef!" That idea was good for about three minutes until I realized that that means I'd be cooking my child. But, I didn't feel like thinking of anything else so I stayed with the chef idea. Here are a few pictures of the two of us. Don't look at them too long or else you'll start thinking about how morbid it is (and no, it wasn't my idea to put the pot on the stove - you can talk to Patrick's Mom about that one):





Wednesday, October 29, 2008

People Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend...

Patrick loves playing with Funny Feet the dinosaur, a gift from my friends at work.




Sunday, October 26, 2008

Fake Sneezes are Funny

If Patrick ever sneezes while playing, you have a good five minutes of easy entertainment by fake sneezing back at him. He thinks it's hilarious and will giggle over and over at it.



Hope everybody had a great weekend!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Back to Work...Kind Of

Thursday was my first day back to work. I returned to my position in cancer research; although now I only work one day a week. I know, I know, you feel sorry for me, right? It's the best of both worlds; I get to spend most of my days with my baby but still have my hand in the nursing world. Toby was with Patrick so I had no anxiety about that part of it. Patrick must have known something new was happening because he woke up at 1:30 and then again at 4:00 for no apparent reason.

It was great to be back and see everyone. I didn't realize how much I missed the ladies I work with until we all crammed into our little office to catch up on things (our closet of an office has three desks, four people and a bookshelf full of research charts - it's a good thing we like each other!). All of the ladies I work with are working Moms with kids of varying ages. Let me just tell you I respect working Moms even more so now that I have a taste, albeit a small one, of what they go through each morning. How do single Moms do it? How did my Mom do it with four kids, and Toby's Mom with five?!?! Whew, I have so much to learn! Amy, Wendy, Sue, Latanya, Penny, Michelle, Debbie and everyone else I am forgetting, my hat is off to you. Working Moms rock!

When I got home that evening dinner was made, Patrick was happy and Toby had a couple surprises for me on the kitchen table. I am happy to be back at work and even happier that I don't have to go back again until next Thursday!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Cutest Couple


Toby has always loved kids. That quality is what first drew me to him way back when (2001) on our mission trip to Akil, Mexico. Every time I would look, there he was making the children laugh. I remember talking to him one day on the trip about the future and what we wanted our lives to become as we grew older (not yet knowing that it would be together), and I'll never forget him saying he wanted to be a good husband and father and everything else was just a vehicle to make that possible. We were married four years before having kids, waiting until the right time. Thank goodness our friends had children so we could enjoy them and get our baby fix! Toby would visit the Barkers' kids every week and each time he would come home with twenty-some pictures of Andrew and Jordan. He could not wait to update me on their latest milestones and what they said and did. And now that he has his own munchkin I don't think he could be happier (except maybe to have four more).
It's the sweetest thing to watch Patrick and Toby together. Patrick loves to watch his Daddy and Toby will do anything (and I mean anything) to make Patrick smile. Patrick even has a unique squeal when Toby is around which, to Toby's delight, sounds a bit like a veliceraptor. They already have such a strong and special bond, I can't wait to watch their relationship grow over the years to come. Toby has always been a wonderful husband and now he is the best father to our little boy. Patrick and I are so blessed. We love you chatty!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Pumpkins & Witches & The Fox, Oh My!


My husband loves me. Musicals are so far down on his list of fun things to do (actually I am not sure they are even ON his list) but yet he endures them for me. This weekend we went to see Wicked at The Fox as a gift from Toby for my birthday. I have been looking forward to seeing it since Anna bought me the CD years ago. The show was amazing and the date night was wonderful. Dare I say Toby enjoyed it a little too! I think his exact words were,"It wasn't horrible." OK, so that's not exactly a rave review, but it's better than most of his opinions regarding musicals. I think the grandiose cheesiness is what makes him cringe but that is exactly what I love about it. Anyhow, I now have more songs to add to my repertoire to sing during work (get ready Sue, Latanya and Penny!).

Saturday was gorgeous outside. We took Patrick to Berry Patch Farms to pick out pumpkins. Meme and Papa Joe joined in the fun as well. We went on a little hay ride and had fun wandering through the pumpkin patch. In the barn they sell apple cider and homemade fried apple pies. Yummy! They also have a cute playground and adorable little baby farm animals that Patrick will enjoy when he is older. For now he was content to look around and take in the beautiful scenery.







Wednesday, October 15, 2008

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18



On the morning of my birthday I went into the nursery to get Patrick out of his crib. Through the darkness I saw a light shining on the rocking chair. I squinted and adjusted my glasses as I moved closer. It was a digital picture frame with a picture of Patrick holding a "Happy Birthday Mommy" sign (the same picture in the post Toby put up on my birthday). ADORABLE! Then lying on top of Patrick was a card that said "Mommy." Wow, Patrick worked hard to impress his mother on her birthday! (Brownie points for Toby, or "cookie points," as Hadi calls them).

We spent the day relaxing at my parents' house. Abbie, Mollie and Matt came home from school to spend the day with us. Mollie is taking a glass blowing class at GSW and gave me one of the pieces she made. What talent! Abs made me cupcakes from SCRATCH that were very yummy along with a fruit torte that was out of this world!
My Mom made my favorite breakfast ever: creme brulee french toast. She always dismisses my praise, saying "it's nothing," but I know how hard she works to make our birthdays special. Papa Joe got some Patrick time since Meme had him for the Miami trip. Papa Joe's looking forward to spending a few days together with Patrick in the next couple months when I go back to work. What a life-saver!





It was a wonderful day. I could not have asked for anything more. Thanks everyone!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Welcome to Miami

I'm sure that probably 90% of blogs having anything to do with Miami are titled "Welcome to Miami" or "Bienvenido a Miami" (or as Patrick's Aunt Abbie would say it "Miamiamiamiami") but I wasn't feeling creative enough today to come up with a new or clever title. I opted for the easy out.

Anyway, we're back from Miami and mostly unpacked. We had a really great time there and wish we could have stayed longer. We arrived Thursday night and came back Saturday night so it was a pretty quick trip. Luckily, we had all day Friday before the wedding (which started at 7:30pm) to walk around town and get lunch and relax.

Our biggest unknown going into the trip was how Patrick would react to his first plane ride. He's pretty laid back most of the time so we weren't that concerned, but we just didn't know what he would do once the rumbling started and the pressure changed and his ears popped and he saw how much a bag of Animal Crackers cost ($3 by the way. Yep, three big ones for some bland tasting crackers shaped like hippos). We're happy to report that Patrick did GREAT on both the plane ride there and the plane ride back home. He actually fell asleep during take off on the way there, then woke up and ate then played and laughed during landing.

Another exciting thing that happened was that Patrick got his first ride in a limo! I can honestly say I never thought I'd have to strap a carseat in a limo for a three month old. He loved looking at all the lights on the roof of the limo and the bar (we asked if they had breast milk in the bar, but were told they didn't carry it. What kind of limo service is this?!). Here are a couple pics of Patrick's first ride in style:




The hotel was really nice and Patrick didn't have any trouble sleeping in a crib he's not used to. We spent time hanging out with Amy, Shannon and Tevis on Friday afternoon (we missed you Anne and Justin!...but we're glad Justin's feeeling better) and walked all over Coconut Grove. We got back to the hotel, napped then headed off for the wedding.

We had a really good time at the wedding. Everything was beautiful and Veronica and Chris looked like they couldn't have been happier together. Patrick was able to visit Veronica a little earlier in the day to say hello since he wouldn't be at the wedding.

Which brings me to the person that made a lot of this trip possible: Patrick's Meme. Since Patrick wasn't going to be at the wedding or reception, Meme came with us to babysit while we were partying. We really can't thank her enough. It was great to have the extra set of hands while trying to get through airport security and wheel the stroller all over Coconut Grove and everything else. She was a HUGE help and, beyond that, it was nice to just spend the weekend with her.

All in all, it was a successful trip. Patrick rode his first shuttle, airport train, escelator, elevator without very good breaks and limo. We want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to Veronica and Chris again! Thanks so much for allowing us to be a part of your day. We have to have more events like this so we can get together again!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Happy Birthday Angie!

We're back from Miami safe and sound. We'll have stories and pictures from the trip up tomorrow, but today is all about Angie because it's her 31st Birthday!

(Sorry the picture quality isn't the best. I had to take it quickly with our old camera while Angie was in the shower so it would be a surprise. And, Patrick kept trying to eat the paper.)

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Our Little Chubaroo is 3 Months Old!

Happy 3 Months Patrick!!



In honor of the occasion, we're celebrating by taking him to Miami for the weekend...ok, not really.

We depart for Miami tomorrow but not for Patrick. My friend Veronica is getting married to a great guy, Chris, this weekend! She is a wonderful person and deserves all the happiness in the world. Veronica always finds a way to get back to Atlanta for all of our showers and weddings so I am glad we can make the trip to watch her walk down the aisle. It will be Patrick's first time on an airplane! Meme is coming with us so she can watch Patrick while we are at the wedding (thanks so much Mom!). We are looking forward to our first family adventure out of Georgia.

Speaking of Georgia (UGA that is), I believe they are playing Tennessee this weekend. GO DAWGS!!! (sorry Toby, I couldn't resist) Thanks Uncle Brandon and Aunt Katie for the cute hat!

Friday, October 3, 2008

life gets better as my house gets messier

I'm content to stare at a certain face for hours at a time. I've never been without this little person by my side for more than a few hours since he's been born. Sometimes I watch him sleep (as the dishes pile in the sink and the laundry spills over the hamper) and know that these precious moments are slipping away. He's almost three months old and my heart sinks and leaps with joy at the same time. He'll never be a newborn again. He'll never fit in Toby's hand the way he once did. He'll never wear size one diapers again or recognize my face for the first time.

But there is so much to come! I'm excited every time I hear him waking up in the morning. I can't seem to get to him fast enough to see what he looks like that day. How much did he change overnight? What will he do this morning? Every moment is a new discovery for him and a joy to watch. The time to go back to work is coming soon; too soon. I won't even be going back full time and yet I'm still emotional about it. Perhaps it's because it simply signifies the end of this first short chapter of many in our lives together as a family. This time of just Mommy and Patrick for hours and hours, days filled with learning eachother and loving eachother are so special but somehow a nagging tug at my heart reminds me they won't last forever. So now I sit with spitup on my shoulder and a chubby little hand pulling my hair and know for certain there is nowhere else I'd rather be.