Parson Me Update

If you remember, we finally took the plunge and got ourselves the West Elm Parsons Desk that we had been lusting over for months.

Well, over the weekend, we decided to dress up the wall that Ed faces when working.  Ta Da!

We LOVE how finished this little office nook now feels with the addition of some wall art.  So what did we hang you ask?  Well, our babies of course!

For Ed's birthday, I commissioned a sketch of Lucy from our good friend Alison Hunt.  He LOVED it so I knew the perfect spot for it would be above the desk.  With the addition of the "I Love My Dog" wooden sign I snagged from Home Goods, Lucy looks pretty awesome on the wall.

Keeping Lucy company is our month by month photo log of our little James.  We decided to hang this one fairly low since we will have to add photos on a monthly basis.

The third element is the Anniversary gift that I gave Ed - the timeline of our life together.

This little desk area has really been a huge asset to the overall space - Ed sits here on a daily basis to work and it is a great spot to store all those office supply must-haves.  We have a feeling that James will make use of the space in years to come, and now there are some great wall hangings to gaze at.  :)

Some Monday Fun

Since James started daycare, he has been introduced to some new toys.  One of them being the always fun, ever popular Exersaucer.

We, sadly, do not have an Exersaucer, but we do have a Jumperoo.  We decided that it was time to pack up the baby swing and put together the big boy Jumperoo so that he could play at home like he does as school.  The Jumperoo is a little bigger than the Exersaucer - his little feet don't quite touch the floor, but with the Bumbo underneath to act as a booster, he does just fine.

They grow up so fast. :)

Tanjoubi Omedetou!

Thank God for Google or else I would not have been able to say Happy Birthday in Japanese.  Why am I saying Happy Birthday in Japanese?  Well, earlier this week, our friend Chris Newland celebrated his birthday and let us share it with him at Sakura - an awesome Japanese Steakhouse out here in Fair Lakes.

We were joined by the whole neighborhood crowd and had a fantastic time.  We managed to squeeze 14 chairs around the hibachi table and were entertained by our chef who cooked us a delicious meal. The kids were in awe of the skills of the chef and even James got into all the action!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids LOVED the part when the chef tossed food into the air at them and they had to catch it in their mouths. James' favorite part was when he got to gnaw on Sophie...as usual!

I have mentioned before how lucky we are live next to such wonderful people.  We had a great time and can't wait until our next outing with our new friends.  And I think next year, Chris, you are going to have to share your cake with our little guy.  Happy Birthday!!

 

Over the River and Through the Woods...

... to Grandmother's house we went this weekend. Although it was more like over a few rivers and through  construction on the New Jersey Turnpike.  We headed up to Grandma Mangiaracina's this weekend for a few reasons - partly because we had a wedding to attend on Long Island and mostly because James was finally going to meet some of his Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.

We dropped Lucy off with Grandma and Grandpa Q. on Friday night and hit the road. The drive up was slightly brutal, but we managed to make it to Long Island in one piece. 

James was a trooper ~ he slept the entire car ride, had a bottle upon arrive, doled out some smiles and then hit the hay until the next morning.  First thing on the agenda: visit Gennaro Jewelers to have my engagement ring and wedding band re-sized.  I have not been able to wear them since about month 3 of my pregnancy so it is pretty awesome to get them back on my 1/2-size bigger fingers.

After our errand, it was time to head home and party like it was 1999 with the family.  James, thankfully, was in a good mood and let everyone hold him and kiss on him.  Don't get me wrong, there were a few fussy moments, but all in all everyone got to see our sweet little boy with smiles on his face.  Cousin Renee fell in love immediately. So much so that she would not give him up!! 

It was a great day, followed by a great evening.  We there to attend the wedding of Ed's good friend Patty.  The wedding was at the Garden City Hotel and it was black tie optional so it was a chance for Ed and I to shed our spit-up covered clothes and get all dolled up.  Aunt Adriana, Uncle John and Uncle Joe were on hand to baby sit and what a great job they did. We put James down before we left and he continued to sleep well into the night.  When we woke up, Aunt Adriana fed him, changed him, played with him and put him down again with no real drama.  What a pro!!

The wedding was lovely but unfortunately we were so tired from the drive and the day that we bowed out a little early. The bride looked gorgeous, the food was awesome and the band rocked so I'd say it was a huge success.

 

Wedding highlight ~ Bill Pinkey, one of the original singers from The Drifters, was there and put on a small concert for the guests.  Who are The Drifters, you ask?  Well they sing things like "Under the Boardwalk", and "Up on the Roof".  Apparently, he is a friend of the guy who owns that band that was hired to do the wedding. And the guy who owns the band is a close personal friend of the groom. And that is probably more information than you care to know, but needless to say, it was cool. 

So there you have it.  Lots of fun crammed into a short amount of time. We headed home first thing Sunday morning and once again, James managed to snooze the entire ride.  We feel very lucky that we have a kid who can adapt to our go-getter lifestyle.  :)  Later that day we enjoyed a birthday dinner with some neighbors at a Japanese Steakhouse ~ but more on that later. 

James' Monthly Photo Project: Four Months Old

So here we are again.  It is July 1st which means that another month has gone by and James is another month older.  4 MONTHS!!!

So much has happened and changed in these 4 months and we are happy to report that our little James is thriving!!!  Some milestones to report:

• James started daycare 2 weeks ago and is loving it!!  He is a big hit with all the teachers and fellow students and just loves all the fun activities.  It was tough to see him go, but we are really happy that he has adjusted so well.
• The drool faucet has officially turned ON which means teeth are just around the corner.  Not only is there a constant flow of drool coming out of his mouth, he is always sucking on his hands or my hands or whatever object is in his sight.
• And to that point, he now is able to grab something with both hands and bring it to his mouth with success.  Can you say stellar hand/eye coordination?!!  

But the biggest milestone that was hit this month and that made our hearts melt was when he laughed out loud for the first time.  I was making some silly "babababa" noise and he just thought it was hilarious and let out his first (of now many) giggle.  We both were there to witness it and it was the most AMAZING sound we'd ever heard.  

We know that lots of great new milestones are around the corner, but in the mean time, we are enjoying every moment of now.  :)

Happy 4 month birthday little man!!

Dinner Time

The other night, we all ate dinner as a family for the first time.  James has this amazing knack for knowing exactly when it's dinner time and he chooses that time to become extra fussy.  On this particular night, when the dinner bell rang, we plopped him in his Bumbo and put him on the table so he could keep us company while we enjoyed our meal.  To our excitement, he remained calm ~ even happy!!

Soon enough he will be in his high chair eating pureed fruits and veggies, but until then he just watched us while eating on his Sophie.

There is something to be said about eating dinner without having an infant on your lap. You savor every bite!

Happy Birthday Lucy Part 2

Hi everyone ~ Lucy here.  I know that my Mommy told you all that my birthday was last week, but I wanted to let you know that I got some really great presents from Mommy, Daddy and Baby James.  And really, why shouldn't I get great presents.  I put up with a lot around here, especially since that kid came around.  Don't get me wrong, I love my baby brother. But I miss sleeping at night without hearing that loud cry. And I used to love when Mommy and Daddy would come home from wherever they were and take me for a long walk.  Now they just put me in the back yard and yell out "Go Pee Pee!".  Hello ~ a girl needs some time to do her business AND I've already smelled everything there is to smell back there!!

But anyway, my birthday was great and I got some great stuff - including 3 new toys, some new chicken treats and even my very own birthday cake!!

 

 

I loved my toys the best ~ especially my Lamby.  It has the BEST squeaker that I of course broke within the first 10 minutes of play.  You gotta love me!!

Then, when I thought the fun was over, Nate and Conner (the cute little boys from down the block), came over and brought me MORE presents!!!  They are such good boys! :)  What did I get?  Well, not only did they bring me an awesome dinosaur toy, but they also brought party hats and a card with a drawing of me in it!!! I was so excited!!  The card is on the refrigerator.  And I made Mommy work really hard to get my party hat on. :)  I love my birthday!!!

THANK YOU NATE AND CONNER AND MOMMY AND DADDY AND JAMES!!!!