California!

We're here!

Please forgive my silence while we settle in to our new home... and catch up with dear friends.

So far, I think she likes it...

More soon...

xo

8 Months (plus a few days)

Dear Didzette,

In this past month, you have grown leaps and bounds... You are officially a real BABY! You know, the kind that crawls, and stands up while holding on to chairs and table legs, and has fat, pudgy thigh rolls, and giggles and chatters on and on. You don't sit still for a minute. Now that you're mobile, there is no stopping you. You've learned how to crawl up the stairs, and now it's one of your favorite activities. The first time you did it, the look of determination on your face was unbelievable, as though you were climbing up Mt. Everest - now you do it with such ease. It's really amazing to watch you try something once, and then do it over and over again like it's no big deal. Your daddy came back after being in Belgium for a few weeks and couldn't believe how much you've changed.

We've finished all our packing and organizing (again) and are on our way to California! We've taken a little pit-stop in Chicago to see your great-grandmother before we head west, and I'm so glad it worked out to visit her. She's just overjoyed to meet you and it's been so special to see four generations of women together in one room. You're a little timid around her, but she's happy to see you crawl around and play nearby.

Once we get to California, dear buggy, I promise things will calm down. We'll settle down, show your daddy around, take long walks by the beach, visit with all my dear friends, and enjoy that sweet California sunshine. You're gonna love it.

Thank you for being so wonderful and patient and easily adaptable as we take you from house to house and city to city, in and out of airplanes and cars... You're so great. We love you so much.

Now let's go to California! Yay!

xo,
Mama


(Here's a couple more photos from our time with my dear Grandmother....)

Weekend Bits

An art fair, a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, a beach picnic, some long walks in the sunshine. That about sums up our weekend. It was wonderful...

 Today, however, will be better than all of that combined, because our darling Didz is finally coming home to us. It's been a long few weeks, and the bug and I are so excited for this reunion. We'll have a little belated Father's Day celebration and then get organized to head out west later this week! It's been a long time coming, but we're on our way...

Welcome home, Papa! See you soon, California!

Weekend Bits

Just a single shot from the weekend:

I haven't been taking my camera around with me lately - relying instead on the convenience of iphone photos that can be easily snapped and sent to Didz immediately so he could be in on our day to day happenings.... like lunch at Wahlburgers (where a soundtrack of Marky Mark kept the bug bouncing and bopping in her high chair while we ate)... or our afternoon walk down to the beach... or those moments we miss papa so much we might just burst.

This week, with my dad out of town on business, Babs and I plan on having all kinds of fun with the bugette before our little family takes off to LA in a couple weeks. There's a few recipes I've been wanting to try (I've got a major itch to bake something - it's been SO long!), and a few shops I'd like to pop by, and a few bottles of wine I'd like to drink:) All that, while chasing after Ina, should keep us plenty busy.

Have a great week!

Lately

While Didz is away in Belgium, I've been trying to document my days with Ina so he wouldn't miss out on a single moment... Here's a few glimpses of our days lately:

1. To ensure we don't get too sad without him, there's been a lot of tickles:

2. I've been teaching our daughter to act like a cat:

3. And finally, she's turning into a real person - STANDING UP! Woah:

We miss you, Papa! Come home soon! 

Weekend Bits

Ina experienced her first heatwave over the weekend, and it was a HOT one... so we did our best to stay cool. Our new favorite activity involves a bowl of cold water, some ice cubes, a spoon and a rubber ducky on the front porch. It entertained her for an unbelievably long time... until she took the entire bowl and dumped it all over herself.

And since it was too hot and too draining to cook, we ate dinner out every night on rooftop patios with sunset views and the city of Boston in the distance...

This morning we woke up to cool breezes and overcast skies. It rained overnight and broke the heat, so I'm looking forward to slightly more manageable temperatures this week.

Have a happy Monday! We miss you, Didz!