Meeting Eli

Last week I FINALLY made it out to Washington DC to meet my darling new nephew. He was a month old by the time I got out there. I can't even express how excited I was to meet little Eli but especially to see my sister, Andrea, be a mom. She has lived in DC for three years but somehow this was the first time I had made it out there for a visit. We did lots of fun things which hopefully I'll post about later, but I just wanted to focus on Eli in this post. I only got to see Adam for about half an hour because right after I arrived he flew to Utah to take the Bar.

I got to meet Eli at the airport. He was so darling! I could hardly take my eyes off of him! It was so fun to see a little of both Adam and Andi in him.

Andi was such a great mom. Even though she was obviously new and figuring things out as she went along (as all new moms do) she was incredibly chill and didn't seem too stressed or uptight. She really amazed me. It was obvious that Eli loves her so much and that they have a really strong bond.

When I first arrived I held him for a few hours and didn't want to put him down.


We were just getting acquainted and things were going really well. He was lying on my chest when...


he peed on me! I don't know how he managed it since he was wearing a diaper. (I guess this won't be a mystery to experienced moms...)


I figure that his love for me superceeded even his own continence.



We got along even better after that bonding experience. Who could resist falling madly in love with a face like this?




This is one of his favorite ways to be held when he wants to sleep. Swaddled and on his side.


He was starting to smile a little bit while I was there although it was so hard to get pictures of him doing it because as soon as he saw the camera he would furrow his brow and look very wary.







Eli loves to stretch. He does it right after he wakes up and right after he eats. It is so predictable.


We took him out a lot while I was there. He spent more time in a stroller in the few days that I was there than the rest of his life combined. He was an amazingly good sport though. As soon as he got into his car seat or stroller he fell right to sleep and we had some difficulty waking him to change his diaper.


Gotta love the "Mute Button" binky. What an angel.


This is the view from Andi's roof. You can see all the monuments in the background and the Iwo Jima Memorial just across the street. What a great location!


As usual, I had so much fun with Andi. The fun is just multiplied when you add a darling and cuddly baby. For some strange reason I was a little worried that when she had Eli she was going to be a different person somehow, so I was extremely happy to see that she is just the same sister and friend as she has always been. She just carries a diaper bag now. =)


Thanks for letting me come visit! I can't wait to spend more time with my darling nephew. It is fun to realize that I get to be a part of his life forever.

Storage - Lots and Lots of It!

My Dad came to visit last weekend. It was so great to have him come. He hadn't seen Scooter since his last visit to Kansas City for Scooter's White Coat Ceremony almost a year ago! The last time he came we were just unpacking our boxes in our apartment. He hadn't seen the new house at all so we were anxious to get the fatherly stamp of approval. =)

My Dad has never been a great "vacationer." He likes to be busy. He is always working on some kind of project and it is difficult to get him to relax. When he planned his visit he had also planned to do a project while he was here. Shelves. Lots and lots of shelves. If there is anyone who knows how to build great indestructible shelves it is my dad. Case in point - my parents storage room. If you've seen it then you know what I mean.

This is our storage room. We knew it would never be good for any other purpose. It's in the basement, the ceilings are pretty low, and it is full of all the random utility equipment - water heater, sump pump, air conditioning, central vac, etc.

This is the before:
This is the after:
Only the combined powers of my husband and dad could have made such an amazing change happen in a day and a half of work.

Before he came we measured the room and carefully drew a blueprint of it. My dad then took the measurements and drew some plans and then calculated with unbelievable accuracy how much wood was needed and the cost. The man has a gift - we have hardly any wood left over, and the budget was extremely accurate. We had the wood at the house waiting for him so that first thing Friday morning the men could get to work.
They cut.

They measured.

They drilled.

They replaced the floor.

I just stepped in for a token photo. Just kidding, I helped too. Did you think I was going to pass up the opportunity to learn how to use more tools?
Sometime I wonder what I'm thinking when I post pictures of myself like this - no makeup, hair unbrushed, in PJs...

The shelves got taller and taller.


Look how sturdy the shelves are!

They even built me a rolling shelf for cans.


Here's the room from all the angles. These are mostly for my mom's benefit. She's immensely curious.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Pretty amazing, right?

When we finished with the shelves we decided to go to a Royals game.

The clouds were spectacular as the sun was setting.

Thanks for coming dad!

We love you dad! Sorry we wore you out! Thanks for loving our house. Thanks for your constant support and enthusiasm. We love you!

Under Construction

I haven't posted in a while. If you were sitting at my desk with me you would know why. The sound of Scooter drilling holes through my walls in the next room is just one evidence of what has been going on here lately. We are trying to update more areas of our house. We start a project, get excited about its progress and then get impatient, so we start a second project before we've finished the first. We are trying to stop this annoying habit, but we are having so much fun! Between all the home improvements, the two jobs, and trying to spend as much quality time with Scooter as possible now that his first year of med school is officially over I don't have much time for blogging. I promise that as soon as this round of home improvements is over I will post lots of pictures and be back to updating on a more regular basis. For right now I just needed to post something so the huge photo of me that Andrea put up for my birthday won't be at the top of the page anymore (My passwords must seriously be TERRIBLE because, as far as I know, she is not a very accomplished hacker...).

Happy Birthday J-Drizzle!

Mwah ha ha (evil laugh)!

I successfully hacked into Jessica's blog to pay tribute to her awesomeness on her special day.

(This is her sister Andrea, btw).

I called everyone in the family and had them tell me reasons why they love Jessica and things they love about her. Here are their responses:

Adam: "It's so easy to make her laugh. She has a hilarious laugh when you really get her going. She is so easy to talk to and so much fun."

Andrea: "Jessica is the world's best sister. She cares just as much about your problems as you do. She is so loyal. I also love how she seriously struggles at making normal faces in pictures. Her picture face is rarely how she looks in real life. But seriously, the girl is drop dead gorgeous!"

Mom: "Jessica is so thoughtful and kind. She instinctively knows what people need without even having to be told. She is a fantastic listener. She is the most incredible wife to Scooter. She can understand his work. She helps him organize his life. She is also a fabulous trip planner."

Rachelle: "I love her snotty rich girl eyebrows. Also, I'm jealous at the amazing color of her eyes. They are blue and green and hazel all at the same time. I love when she gets so excited that she claps her hands together really fast and bounces up and down."

Lauren: "I love Jessica's Mary Poppins bag (aka her purse). It's amazing how much she can fit in there and how she always has what you need in there. I am insanely jealous of her incredible tan and how her lips are always perfectly glossy."

Dad: "She is a natural born leader. She is terrific at organizing and carrying out tasks. She is musical. She loves to listen to music and play music and has a terrific musical ear. She is athletic. She desires to serve people and make everyone happy. She is someone who does not think about herself. She also recognizes the spirit."

Scooter: "Jessica always thinks about other people before herself. She is always concerned about making sure people are content. She is a wonderful cook. She is a very good nurturer. She is good at budgeting the family finances. She is extremely involved and supportive of schoolwork. I love that she's a scientist and that she loves to play tennis."

Happy Birthday Jessica!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!