Lamb chops and “Yes”

Julia tried lamb chops for the time tonight and they were a big hit.  She is also getting the hang of the word “yes” (or more frequently the nod ‘yes’) and uses it correctly most of the time.  So tonight we managed to get a video of both of these.

Charlottesville Weekend

We spent the past few days in Charlottesville, VA visiting Andrew’s parents.  It was a great weekend starting with a visit to Julia’s cardiologist on Friday morning.  He told us that her MRI came back completely normal – wonderful news.   So now she’ll just be screened every six months or so.  After the appointment we headed down to Charlottesville and had a fun-filled weekend for everyone. 

Saturday morning I made it to the farmer’s market which is fabulous.  There are all kinds of vendors from vegetables and plants to cheese and pastries as well as jams, jellies, jewelry, clothing and lots more.  I could have spent a couple of hours (and lots of money) there! But I controlled myself and only bought some local strawberries and english peas, both of which are favorites of Julia, as well as an eggless key lime pie – YUM.

Saturday afternoon it was time for Julia’s fun.  We went to see

She really liked the show and did great through the whole thing.  At one point Ernie came over and gave her a high five and she was ready to follow him up onto the stage!  Here’s a picture of her waiting for the show to start (yes, she’s had her hair trimmed – just the bangs!).

Then on Sunday Julia got to spend the day (and night) with the grandparents and Andrew and I had some time to ourselves.  We spent a blissful hour browsing the bookstore and I came out with a VERY long reading list.  Then we went to the movies and out for a fun fondue dinner.  It was really nice to have time to chat and recharge a bit.  We came back home this morning and Julia napped for almost three hours in the car – I think she had a fun trip too! 

Accessorizing

Julia decided today that she needed a little dressing up! Or at least her hair did… I was responsible for the ponytail, but the headband was all her!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

It has been a long few months.  This Wednesday night I have my last classes of the semester and as of 10pm next Sunday my semester will be complete and I will only have six weeks of classes between myself and my masters degree.  While this degree is something that I have chosen to do and am still glad to have undertaken, this semester has been a lot more than I have bargained for… to say I cannot wait for mid-July is a HUGE understatement.  (Comment from Andrew: Her husband agrees 100%!)

I am looking forward to just being able to enjoy time with Andrew and Julia.  To spending a weekend outside the library or home office.  To being able to rock Julia for the last hour of her nap and not stress about what I need to be doing for class.  To being able to pick up any book I feel like reading and not feel guilty that its not whatever textbook or journal article I need to finish.  To taking a trip to Charlottesville to visit Andrew’s parents and a trip to RI to visit my family.  To having time to spend in our garden and enjoy the sunshine and go to the farmers markets and try new recipes again…

Anyway, back to the reality of now…  Julia and I are both trying to get over a cold (hers is compounded by teething); We are all hoping to get more than a couple of hours of sleep tonight; I am finishing up my last couple of papers, assignments, and studying for my final exam next Sunday; I go to the doctor tomorrow for another follow-up to the DVT and hopefully will be able to determine when we will do the last procedure I need – to remove the vena cava filter that was inserted; Julia goes into the hospital on Wednesday for an MRI of her heart – there’s nothing wrong we’re just following all precautions and hopefully getting a good baseline image for the cardiologists to use.  It’s a routine procedure but I’m of course nervous about the anesthesia and not looking forward to the fast she has to follow for the eight hours before… but then there’s Kindermusic class with Julia on Thursday, and a get together with one of our playgroups on Friday, and our neighborhood Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday…  There’s definitely light at the end of the tunnel! 

Really???? Only 14 months old?

There have been a few things over the past week or so that have made Andrew and I realize how much Julia is going to keep us on our toes.  Things like:

* Sliding down the stairs on her stomach as fast as possible… thankfully feet first!

* Using the remote to turn the tv on… and knowing that she has to press the buttons for both the tv and cable.

* Following my directions to go pick up her toy that she had left on the floor and bring it to me… without me pointing at all.

* Answering “circle” when I asked her at dinner tonight what shape the cover she was holding in her hands was.

* Answering Steve from Blue’s Clues (her favorite show along with Sesame Street) by saying “that way” and pointing when he asked which way Blue went.

* Kicking a ball all the way across the backyard like a soccer ball… guess I need to start figuring out what I need to do to be a coach!

* Taking only one nap a day…. this one is going to take some adjusting!

Welcome home, Uncle Jeff!

Andrew’s brother Jeff has been away serving in the military for the past year.  He finally made it back from Iraq to Maine on Friday!  Julia and Andrew took a picture to welcome him back and hopefully we will get to see him and Aunt Helki soon!

Up-do

I managed to get Julia’s hair into her first ponytail today!  It’s the Pebbles look :)

She is also enjoying a new toy we picked up at IKEA – it’s a modern rocking horse.  She doesn’t look thrilled but she was actually having a good time.