christening our son

Father Mike poured the water on Declyn's head and the first time it happened he sort of yelped/cried, but almost immediately (I think) he thought it was bath time and was OK with him 'washing' his hair.

 

Our little family.

One of his favorite spots -- peering over the shoulder.  

My side of the family: sister-in-law, brother, two nephews, grandma and parents.

...and Mike's side (minus his brother, sister-in-law, and niece).

Declyn with his beautiful godparents -- Aunt Meagan and Uncle Drew.  I can't wait to see the spiritual guidance that these two provide.  :)

Aunt Alyssa and Aunt Meagan -- staples in our lives.  I think time is morphing us more and more into looking like sisters.  

Us with his godparents.  

After the baptism we went to celebrate at an Irish pub we had rented out a room in.  We changed him into a more party-appropriate attire before heading there and I had to post this adorable shot that Mike captured.  Does he not look like such a little boy??

Polo body suit here.

Pre-vest -- please note the bow tie.

Godmother and godson.  

Meg came over to dress him -- how mobster does he look?  Mike completed the image with a cross he bought for him to wear on his special day.

i belong with you

Not his first visit to the pool, but definitely his first toe dip in the pool.

Tonight's date night consisted of a Lumineers concert at Merriweather.  We got actual seats for the first time ever and what was neat about them was at one point the band came off the stage and performed right behind us (so lawn seat patrons could see better).  I love date nights, but I love this man more.

I have to give a special shout out to one of my good friends who recently got engaged - Rachele!  Her fiancé popped the question in Boston (one of our favorite towns) and of course she said YES!  Now all five of us (roomies from college) are either engaged or married... wahoo!

he's baaaaack

It takes some serious eating to get these kind of rolls.  And my son has been able to do it.

Aunt Meg did a little photo shoot of the two (out of the three) cousins.  What you can't hear is James saying, "Tickle, tickle, tickle."

Cece and James taking a dip in the pool.  They're practicing his swimming moves.

Declyn's newest found love -- his owl activity gym.  Granted he has been laying around on it for awhile now, but he just recently started to actually bat at the toys and grab onto the ring on the lion.

Have you ever seen a self fish hook?  Well now you have.

James drove us around on his tractor at Frying Pan Park.  Such my brother's son -- he spent most of his time with his head turned sideways and his body halfway off, watching the wheels turn.  And I know it looks bad, but I promise you that my son's head was well supported while he slept.

After working up an appetite seeing the animals, we decided to treat ourselves to some IceBerry.  Yum.  Declyn was pissed he couldn't have any.

happy 90th to a special lady

Scranton, PA bound for my grandmother's 90th birthday and this is what I caught in the rearview mirror ... nappy nap time for my two boys.

"Hey, Mom, are we there yet?"

Similar onesie. 

All dressed up and ready for a little partay.

I may or may not have spilt a little Mike's Light on his blanket at the hotel after-party, so Daddy took him back to our room and laid him in our bed... where he may or may not have spent the entire night cuddled with us.

Another great-grandmother meeting another great-grandchild of hers.  Such special memories we have for the few hours that we got to spend with her (not to mention many pictures and videos).

On our way home we had to pull over for Declyn to eat.  My dad snapped this cute little family pictorial. Can you guess what the main focus of his shot was?  Getting the moon in.

do it myself - dresser

Cali likes to take watch as her brother (?) owner (?) ... not sure which appropriate title goes there ... plays on his mat.

Love these sly smiles.  I'm starting to get better at catching them on film.

My latest DIY project -- making over our dresser and two nightstands so that we have a unified look in our bedroom.  I was looking for a quick fix and my friend Michelle suggested (and let me borrow hers) Annie Sloan chalkboard paint (I used graphite).  She uses her paint brushes, paint, and clear wax.  This stuff is ah-mazing (but not the cheapest-- paint runs around $38/can and brushes around $50).

Before: craigslist dresser for $40

After: love.  (and knobs from Anthropologie) 

hot days, cold water

When he makes these serious faces I can't help but be reminded that he is his father's child.  But then he'll turn, look at me, and start laughing for no reason ... and it is confirmed that he is also mine.

Just a lady and her two great-grandchildren, almost three months apart.  How much better can life get? Fingers crossed I, too, get to one day see my grandkid's kids.

After a good sesh on the boobs it was lights out for this little one.  I put him on Brent's glider to put myself back together and couldn't help but document the fact that he was longer then the ottoman.

Who needs to go to the pool when your brother fills up one in his backyard?  Please note Declyn (3.5 months) compared to his cousin Brent (2 weeks) and his other cousin (2 years).  Hmm....

i'm here for the party

Call me delirious, but I thought him camouflaging in with my dress was the funniest thing at the moment.  And look at those double chins and double rolls in his thighs... too much to take in at once.

We have a wedding coming up of two good friends who love to have a good time.  How cute is the last line -- "Suit and tie not required.  Dancing is mandatory."  You best believe I will be doing plenty of that.

three months

Deer in .... I mean, me in Declyn's face (and him clearly confused) while hubs tries to get our three month shot.  Just looking from my two month post to this post, I can't believe how much he has changed.  I know he does it daily, but it's surreal to take a moment and actually look back at him as a fresh babe and the changes he has made to this day.

Having your child recognize (and acknowledge / reward with smiles) is one of the greatest feelings in the world.  As of now, there's nothing more precious then when I or Mike talk to him and he smiles, coos or sometimes even laughs at us.  His current favorite thing to laugh and talk at is the ceiling fan while he's laying on the couch.  I'm not sure what sort of relationship those two have going on, but if it makes him happy, I'm all for it!

At three months we can't live without...

1. a wubbanub to keep him calm (if you can't already tell, this one will stay at the top for awhile... although his fist is coming in a close second)

2. our whale bath tub 

3. a pack 'n play to sleep in (note: while we're making the transition from pack 'n play to crib, I have started to use the crib sheets on the pnp, hoping he will recognize the scent and become better adapted with his crib)

4. the sheep sleep sound for night time (don't laugh, but I just realized that there is a "big" sheep that attaches to the crib... whoops!)

5. a sleeping bag by Aden + Anais -- hello freedom of the arms!

6. my nephew's book - Ten Little Ladybugs (he loves the colors)

7. this crazy but extremely eye-catching peacock 

8. our newest friend -- octoplush

9. tummy time and sensory development combo - zoo activity gym 

parker paige

A few reactions to the news that his cousin, Parker, had arrived!

My mom and I brought our dogs to the dog park.  Due to the heat wave we're currently experiencing, they ran their laps and then found some shelter under the trees.  (Go ahead and judge but they were more then happy to have some open yard time despite the weather). 

Top Left: all three of them were sharing a bowl at one point, but by the time my camera focused only Fen and Cal were left.

Top Right: Molly dug herself a nice little cool spot to lay in.

Four days past her due date, my niece made her world debut!  Coming in at 9 lbs, 1 oz and 20.5 inches, Parker Paige is here!  Joe and Jamie are over the moon and this little butterball has already gotten so much love.  I told my sister-in-law, after seeing her all dolled up post-delivery, I need to take note for the next kiddos.  Pictures are much prettier when Mama has a little make-up on, not so much when sweaty Mama is trying to mat down her hair while trying to focus on the camera.

saturday mornings

The couch and our bed are two of his favorite spots to take a nap.  I sent Mike this picture with the caption, 'Look familiar?'  Him and I are one in the same when it comes to sleeping and waking up.

Most of the time I am at a loss of words to describe this one.

Good Morning, sunshine!

Spending a little quality time with her girls.  It's so sweet to see these ladies get to know him.  One thing is for sure - they'll always have his back.

Squeezing in some cuddle time with Cali before heading to the pool.

New bathing suit and rash guard.  Someone's stoked.

manly men

Caden and Declyn had another play date.  Kristen thought it'd be a good idea for them to hang out on the mat.  You can see how well it went ... for both of them.

Both babes passed out on our walk, so mommies got to do a little shopping.