Baby's First Cross-Country Trip

Ok, I know I've been seriously derelict in updating the blog, but I think knowing how much there was to share, I just kept procrastinating! So here we go..

Two weeks ago we flew out to D.C. for my cousin Sean's wedding in Maryland. Mr. E did so well on the plane! I have to admit that I was pretty darn nervous about being on a plane for 5-6 hours with a 6 month old, but he was quite the little doll. We even had several passengers comment to us on what a good little traveler he was. Very proud of our munchkin.

When we arrived in D.C. we headed straight to my godmother Cissy's house. She was gracious enough to host us for an evening and it was such a good time! She had some delish appetizers and wine which were definitely welcome after a day of traveling and not eating much, followed by a fantastic dinner. Little man was a little crabby at this point, but after an entire day of traveling and the time change I can't say that I would have been much different!

Very excited to be with Aunt Cissy.

The next day we spent some quality time with Cissy and then it was off to Granmommy and Pop-Pop's house (with a quick stopover at Nordstrom to pick up some shoes ;-)). I know that Granmommy was happy to see us, but she headed straight for Elijah and I don't think she let him go for several hours. I was afraid we might not be bringing the baby home with us! It was so incredibly special to see my grandparents with our baby boy. He absolutely loved them for second 1.

Great-Granmommy and Pop-Pop.

There little dog Joy-boy absolutely loved him too and they became fast friends.

Joy-Boy, I want to hug you!

BFFs

These two were so cute together.

I wasn't sure she was going to give him back to us :-)

Grandpa made a surprise visit too!

Trying to crawl!

My cousin Jaime was sweet enough to drive over with her son Alex and come visit as well. The last time I had seen them was when Alex was about Elijah's age and he's now about 12 so it had definitely been too long!

The next morning we headed off to the coast to my cousin Sean's wedding. Jason had an early morning tee-time with Sean and the boys. The wedding was at the Hyatt Regency Resort right on the Chesapeake bay and was absolutely gorgeous. Elijah was in need of a little rest so after visiting with Sean's fiancee Blair and my Aunt Bonnie for a little bit we headed over to our room. Now let me tell you that on average, Mr. Elijah is a 45 minute napper - on a good day. He is not a fan of naps. So when we got to our room I put him down and started to get ready to head down to the pool. However two and a half hours later I was still waiting for the little man to wake up!! I couldn't believe it! The traveling had apparently finally caught up with him. Jason got back to the room right about the time that Mr. man woke up so we all headed down to the pool together. It was the first time that Eli had gone in a pool and he took to it quite well despite the cold water.




Our little water baby.

That night we headed to the rehearsal dinner where we got to see many of my cousins and aunts and uncles. It was such a nice evening! So much fun to catch up! Elijah had a ball flirting with a table of girls next to us and everyone was shocked that he lasted all night!

Such handsome men!

Not in public Dada!!

Twins!

Grandpa, you're fascinating.

Daren, Elijah and Granbeth
Cousins! Elijah and my cousin Beth's son Jake

The next morning we headed down to breakfast in the restaurant and were lucky to run into my grandmother and several cousins and aunts :-) It was as if we had taken over the whole resort!

After a nap and a meeting with Elijah's first ever babysitter (!!) we headed back out to the pool to meet up with everyone and it as so nice to lounge for a little bit.

That evening when we headed down to the wedding we left Elijah with a babysitter for the first time. We were lucky enough to have the daughter of my uncle's business partner come sit with him. She made us feel completely comfortable and we went off to have a wonderful time at the wedding.

There had been some fear of rain and it was an outdoor ceremony, but although the clouds threatened, they did not attack. The ceremony was held inside a lovely gazebo and was quite touching. You could see how much Sean and Blair love eachother. After the ceremony we headed back into the hotel for cocktails and then the reception.

My cousin Beth and I.

Mom and Granbeth

The reception was absolutely beautiful! The centerpieces were absolutely gorgeous and the scent of the flowers was delicious! The perfume just hung around each table.

So gorgeous! I wish I could bottle this scent.

Gorgeous cake!!

First dance

Cutting the cake.

This is right after the bouquet toss. She pretended she was going to throw it and then walked it over to Chris's girlfriend Meredith. It was really cute.

It was an absolutely lovely evening and so nice to be able to spend so much time with all my relatives. It reminded me that we don't see them often enough and hopefully we will be able to change that.

The handsome groom and I.

Sisters
Missy and her boyfriend Matt. This was the first chance that we had all had to meet Matt and he is an absolutely wonderful guy.

Missy and I with our cousin Chris.

My parents and I.

Mom boogying down with Daren on the dance floor.

My cousin David and I.

Headed out for cigars with the boys.

My cousin Daren and I.

Some adorable pics of Elijah and Daren the morning after the wedding.

Crawling!!

Our little man has made so many changes in the past month!! Laughing, sitting and now crawling! Well maybe more of a scooch, but he can move himself across the room in a split second! These are the moments that I get so excited to see his growth and progress, but so sad that these precious moments are so fleeting.

My first Mother's Day

I can't believe how incredible blessed I am to be a mother. This Mother's Day I was felt so incredibly lucky to have this amazing little being belong to me. This child who I have known for less than 6 months, but who has my heart forever. I am forever changed for the better. I thank God every day for blessing me with such a perfect gift. I love you with all my heart Elijah.

Just a dog and her boy

Sitting straight up for the first time.

Mesquite

Ok, so I have been completely and totally remiss in updating the blog. I have no idea where the past month and a half have gone. Oh the changes we have seen! Let's start with our trip to Mesquite to visit Grandma and Grandpa. They still have not decided what they want to be called. They want Eli to call them whatever he decides to. I keep warning them that they could end up as Elmo or poopy-head, but they live on the edge. :-)

Every year Jason and Dad play in the Roadrunner Tournament - a member/guest golf tournament at Dad's club. It's a great week/weekend with lots of fun events and good family time. Mom and Dad had a great time seeing Eli, big surprise I know. He had changed so much in the few weeks since they had seen them.

The boys on the 17th green. We got to watch them from the balcony which was fun.

Excitingly for all of us, Eli had his first real giggle! (Please excuse my horrible rendition of the Bonanza theme.)

Another giggle-fest. Seriously, I would do anything for this giggle.

I love this kid.

He also sat on his own for the first time!

It was quite a trip for the little duder.

Bath time in the sink!

Grandpa makes the best pillow.

I swear! It was the dog!

My dad sure does love me.