Side Trip down Memory Lane

Okay, so this little story in Jack's blog today doesn't really have much to do with Jack, but it does have to do with me and Lyle and without us we wouldn't have Jack, so I guess there is a connection...

This weekend we went to Sarah's house in Waynesboro and on Sunday night we spent a very fun evening watching home videos from when Ben and Lauren were very little. The video was made in the fall of 2004, right after Ben was born and Lauren was just about the happiest, smiliest toddler you've ever seen.

There are two pieces of background info that will help this story make a little more sense. First, some of you might not know that Lyle never actually got to meet my mom face-to-face. She passed away before he and I started dating, and although it breaks my heart that he's only gotten to know her through the stories we all tell, there's obviously nothing we can do to turn back time. Second, when I first met Lyle I had a huge (actually a HUGE) crush on him. During the 2004-05 school year when I worked as the intern at the BSU at Virginia Tech, my mom heard me talk about Lyle quite a bit. I was definitely "smitten" and just about everyone in the world knew it!

My parents and I spent Thanksgiving of 2004 at Sarah and Nathan's house (then in North Carolina). Nathan got out the video camera and started rolling it just as we all were sitting down for the big dinner. My mom asked us all to go around and say one thing we were each thankful for. I remember thinking at the time how cheesy this was to get on tape. So we started going around the table...Sarah was thankful for Benjamin since he had just arrived two months before. Mom said she was thankful that year just "to be here." When it was my turn, I said I was thankful for all my nieces and nephews and that I was thankful to be back living in Blacksburg.

Mom interjected and said "Oh, come on, Anne...that means 'Lyle!'" and she did the finger quotes sign in the air just to emphasize. In the video, all of us around the table laughed while I blushed, because, of course, she was right.

The laughter in the video mingled with the laughter in Sarah's living room as we watched this scene...and here it is five years later. This little incident was probably less than four minutes long on tape, but in that short time it brought so many feelings to the surface. It brought joy because I love that my mom can still make us laugh, here in 2009. It brought sadness because of the irony of her statement of gratefulness to be with us when we know now that was her last Thanksgiving here on earth. And it brought a bittersweet feeling of thankfulness for me that Lyle could witness in watching her - however briefly - some of the best characteristics of my mom that we all miss...namely, her sense of humor and her ability to always "call a spade a spade."

Watching this video was probably the highlight of my weekend. It brought my mom close to us if only for a few minutes. It was like a belated Mother's Day gift from my mom to me.

12 Weeks and Counting!

Today Jack is officially 12 weeks old. Can he really be 3 months old already? That sounds so strange...I feel like having him here is all still very new and we're just getting used to being parents, but when I look at him I can hardly believe that he ever fit inside my tummy! He is so much bigger and looks so much older than when he first arrived.

Speaking of bigger...we learned at the doctor's today that he weighs 19 lbs, 10 oz! I knew that the car carrier seemed to be getting heavy. Turns out it wasn't just my imagination!

Sad to say, Jack did not celebrate this milestone in a very fun way. He had to get two shots this afternoon, and he has not been a very happy camper since then. It's been a long evening...

Mother's Day in VA

I can't believe it's already been a full week since Jack and I returned from Virginia. We left the Thursday before Mother's Day and returned home a week later. Lyle came back earlier than we did to go back to work on Tuesday, which left me and Jack to fly home by ourselves! I was way more nervous about it than Jack was. He was perfectly well-behaved on both flights...the pressure changes didn't seem to bother him and the people around us were all pleasantly surprised by the lack of crying. I was so relieved both times to touch the ground, though! I was about a nervous wreck.

Here are some pics of our time in Virginia...we got to see lots of family and friends. Mother's Day was particularly a treat because we went to Mitty's house in Winchester. The weather was perfect that day, and it was so good to catch up with everyone.


The only bad part of the day was the trip home, where we got stuck in traffic on the interstate and poor Jack was inconsolable for about 45 minutes. I felt like such a horrible mother (which you shouldn't feel like on your first Mother's Day!!) but there was nothing we could do. We were stuck between exits in stand-still construction traffic. It was a bit of a nightmare, but the day was still very good overall.

We had lots of good time at Aunt Amy's house. We played a LOT of Guitar Hero there!


Here comes trouble...It was so crazy watching David toddle around the house and knowing that he's the size Jack will be a year from now! Boy, will we be busy chasing after him!!

Here are the two cousins together. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Jack when Mary played peek-a-boo with him. Jack took a particular liking to his Big Cousin Mary. When he's a little bigger he'll have more fun playing with David. For now, David still frightens him a bit!

Thanks to everyone we got to see and visit with! We had a great time!

Sleeping through the Night!

For the past two nights, Jack has gone to bed at 10 p.m. and we haven't heard a peep from him until 5:30 a.m.!! It may well be temporary, but he seems to have turned some kind of corner as far as sleeping goes.

Here's the ironic part that all mothers can probably relate to...

Note that I said we didn't hear a peep from him. It was, in fact, because we didn't hear a peep from him that in turn caused his mommy to wake up at oh, let's see...1:00, 3:00, 4:00, 4:30, and once more at 5:00 before he decided to wake up and eat half an hour later.

So while I'm excited that at least Jack is sleeping through the night, I think I'm actually getting less sleep than before, what with all the hopping up and down I'm doing now! Other experienced mommies can chime in here...does anyone know when my body clock will stop going off every two hours with the irrepressible urge to check and make sure he is still breathing?!

"Take Jack to Work" Day

On Thursday, Jack and I made our second trip to the CFA Headquarters. We got to have lunch and visit with co-workers and friends that I have sorely missed these past two months. Jack was passed around the table to everyone while I had a few minutes to eat. I think just about everyone got a chance to hold him, except for Marc who said he doesn't hold babies while their heads are still "floppy." That cracked us all up.

Thankfully, Jack was a good boy and didn't make any messes on anyone's nice clothing! I was crossing my fingers for that the entire time... I've been living in t-shirts and sweatpants the past couple months, so it doesn't phase me when messes are made at home, but it's a different story when there are other people's dress shirts and suits on the line!

These pics were taken on my first visit to CFA at the beginning of April. I was having so much fun I forgot to take any pictures on this past visit.

I've also missed the lunches at work. Leftovers at home are not nearly as exciting. Thursdays are "banana pudding day" at Chick-fil-A, so I did get to enjoy that while I was there. I also enjoyed some of Chick-fil-A's famous sweet tea...and it was gooooooood.

Boy, am I spoiled!! Anyway, we had a great time visiting somewhere that means so much to me.