Happy Thanksgiving!

Zachary has finally experienced the last of his first major holidays... what a year! It's hard to believe that in just a few days, he'll be ONE YEAR OLD! We have so much to be thankful for this year, with the critter at the top of the list, of course!! The weekend was action-packed, which is usual for our roadtrips to good 'ole Jersey... we divided our time between Mom-Mom's and Grandma & Poppie's houses. It was so nice to just chill with family and enjoy one another after such a sad and difficult week. Not to mention all of the incredible meals we had in just a couple of days... I probably gained a pound or two back, but it was all well worth it!!

We spent a night at Mom-Mom's and a night at Grandma and Poppie's... here are some of the really cool pictures we took to help us remember the good times!

At Mom-Mom's...

At Grandma & Poppie's...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

My precious Kitty

This evening, November 25, 2008, at approximately 6:10 pm, my precious Kitty passed away. He was my most faithful and loving companion for more than 16 years... together, we've lived in 4 states and 5 different homes... because of him, I never actually lived alone. It's amazing when I reflect and think about everything we've been through together. I am so grateful to have had as much time as we've had... 16 years is a long time!

His passing was quiet and peaceful... we were at the vet when it happened. I picked him up from the hospital early Monday afternoon and had him home with us overnight. He seemed so much happier and definitely more relaxed once we got him home and comfortable. That was the best decision I could've made... bring him home so we could all spend time together, rest comfortably, and say good-bye (and "until we meet again"). It's interesting... his mother, Kitsu (my dear friend Megan's cat) passed away not too long ago herself... maybe they're together again.

Kitty was just the best pet anyone could ask for... he was loving (to me, anyway), adorable, cuddly and playful; he talked to me (and sometimes even yelled/barked at me) and he even hugged me in the past several years when I would pick him up and take him outside (he'd wrap his paws around my neck and bury his face in my neck and shoulder - I guess he didn't like the outdoors in his old age). I always used to say he was a dog trapped in a cat's body - he played fetch with Q-tips (believe it or not!), his way of telling us it's time to feed him sometimes sounded more like a bark than a meow, and of course, as most of you know, he was about the size of a small dog (I always said he was "big boned")! It's going to be so difficult the times I come home to an empty house... that hasn't happened in almost 2 decades. I miss him soooo very much, but will always look back and smile when I think about him and the time we had together. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised at how deeply it hurts right now... I've been thinking he's getting up there in age and wondering if his time to leave us was near. Now that it's actually happened, it's like there is a little empty place inside me and it just aches. I guess I shouldn't be surprised... after all, he was a member of our family!

Look how adorable he was when I first brought him home to my college townhouse in NJ in 1992...

Zachary loved Kitty, too! (I've mentioned that in previous blog entries.) They were Bro's as I've often referred to them. Zachary's second recognizable word after "Da Da" was "Dit-tee." He would point to him or speed crawl after him saying, "Dittee"... and when he would catch up to Kitty, he'd pucker up, gently lay his lips on Kitty's fur and plant a kissy on him, MWAH sound-effect and all! I wish Zachary was going to remember Kitty, but I know that won't be the case... I have tons of pictures of them together, so I'll always share with Zachary how precious his very first pet was and how much I could tell they loved one another.

I'll never forget how special you were, Bandit "Kitty" Ashmen Goodman... rest in peace, buddy!

Zachary surpasses Kitty...

So, I've been waiting to be able to announce that Zachary's weight finally surpassed Kitty's... I was going to consider that a milestone to celebrate. Unfortunately, this weekend we learned that it actually has already happened, and it's not exactly worthy of celebration. You see, Kitty, my loyal and loving companion for the past 16+ years is very, very sick. His weight is down to about 15 pounds (a weight he hasn't seen in probably more than 10 years) and he is in the hospital.

On Saturday morning, I just didn't have a good feeling about how he was acting... very slow moving around and no appetite at all (and for those of you who know Kitty, you know that no appetite is unheard of). I called his Vet Saturday morning and shared his symptoms and they advised me to bring him to the animal emergency room immediately. Well, he was admitted to the hospital and has been there ever since. We've gone to visit, even tried to get him to eat tuna (which he NEVER refuses) and no luck. They will run more bloodwork around 5am Monday morning to see if there is any improvement from all of the different treatments they are administering to try and improve his liver function, but it's looking a bit grave at this point. Please keep him in your thoughts... all I want for my precious Kitty is a peaceful, painless remainder of his life, however long that may be.

Cutie Petutie!

I just had to share this picture of our little cutie petutie! It's one of my favorites lately... I keep it in my planner at work and everytime I look at it (which is probably every hour on the hour!) I see his smiling face looking out at me. It just melts my heart and reminds me what I have waiting at the other end of my commute home!

My first bank account!

Today, Mommy and Daddy took me to the bank (old-school branch style vs. banking online) so I could open my very first savings account in my OWN name! I got so excited, I actually had to take a nap while we were waiting for the nice lady to help us. Anyway, I woke up just in time for her to hand me my receipt from my very first deposit... how exciting!!

Happy Birthday Hailey!

Zachary would like to wish his favorite female first cousin, Hailey, a very HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY!! We all hope you have a wonderful birthday, sweetheart!

Zachary meets Great Aunt Cheryl!!

(I am waiting to get pictures from cameras other than my own to write this post... more to come about another great NJ roadtrip! LOTS to talk about... Zach meeting Great Aunt Cheryl for the first time, Chuck winning his regional tournament and now heading to Nationals, watching CJ's soccer game, and lots of birthday celebrations!)

11 Months Old... the countdown to 1 is on!

It is just daunting to me that in 4 short weeks, our little critter will be ONE YEAR OLD! Where does the time go? I remember the state of mind I was in this time last year... tired, nervous, excited, nervous, tired, excited, and downright exhausted! Len and I were both a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of being responsible for a little, vulnerable life that, together, we created. We were still finishing up the nursery, washing new baby clothes, writing thank you notes for all of the wonderful gifts we received to prepare us for a new baby, putting together all kinds of stuff (well, that was all Len and others I must admit... what would I do without him?? - a stroller, the glider, car seat installations, a swing, a crib, etc.), learning all about infant care by reading and going to classes... all while we were both working. It amazes me how it all came together, though.

Now that we find ourselves a year later, I can't imagine our life without Zachary! All of the anticipation and preparation didn't begin to prepare me for this overwhelming love and adoration that consumes every ounce of my being... all because we have this amazing little creature that Len and I hug and kiss every chance we get. I'm the luckiest person on the face of the earth!!

Speaking of hugs and kisses, I must say, Zachary is such a loving little boy! I think that is what is most evident to me over this past month. He is so expressive - with the looks on his face, the laughter and excitement in his voice and the tons of hugs, kisses and cuddling he gives us. What a gift it is to have Zachary speedily crawl or cruise in my direction only to throw his arms around me and plant a big, wet, open-mouth kiss wherever he happens to land when I scoop him up... sometimes my shoulder, sometimes my head, sometimes my cheek, sometimes my lips, sometimes my arm... whatever is closest and fastest for him to reach. It doesn't really matter to me where... it always melts my heart!

Zachary is really getting around these days... he's mastered cruising and is working on the courage to walk on his own. He'll walk while holding on to anything, including just one of my fingers. When he does that, I can tell he's not always using me for balance; rather, I think it's just a safety net for him. Soon, I'm sure he'll muster up the courage to purposefully let go and walk all by himself... he's sooo close!

Zach loves following Kitty around and giving him a kiss, too! It's just so adorable... he'll lean over and barely touch his lips to Kitty's fur, kiss him, then sit back and see how he reacts. Zachary is obsessed with kissing Kitty lately... but I have to say, I don't think Kitty loves it as much as me. What I will say, though, is that Kitty is amazingly tolerant of Zachary these days - perhaps he's realized that if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em.

It's all about love for me these days... my heart is completely and totally spilling over and I am so grateful for the beautiful gift of my family!

Our Baby Boy is Baptized!

On Sunday, November 2nd, Zachary Leonard was baptized at the First Presbyterian Church, witnessed by a large group of our wonderful family and friends! It was a beautiful fall morning... so many traveled to Bel Air to join our celebration and we were so grateful and blessed to have such loving people surround our little family on such a special day. No pun intended, but our little cherub was an absolute angel throughout the baptismal ceremony and the entire church service. Afterward in the receiving line, so many folks from our congregation complemented us on what an adorable and well-behaved little boy we have! We were just so proud!!

Zachary is such a lucky little boy to have such an amazing Godmother, too... my sister, Lynne. We were just so pleased and grateful when she agreed to play such an important part in our son's life. We know Zachary will always be in loving, guiding hands with his Godmother!

Immediately following the service, we all proceeded to the Mountain Branch Golf Club for Sunday brunch. It was just so delightful and laid back, especially since they were able to seat our large party in the private room off of the main dining room. (Score one for the kids, as they were able to spread out and play while the grown-ups enjoyed some good food and great company!)

After brunch, we invited everyone back to our place for dessert - cake, cookies, and apple crisp - yummy! Since many traveled in from New Jersey and Pennsylvania not everyone was able to join us, so there was lots of food and drink to go around.

It was very enjoyable and relaxing to be able to unwind and just chill with the family after such a busy day... we even dressed Zachary in his "Happy Feet" Halloween costume so everyone could see the critter all decked out in person.

Zachary finished off the day with a ton of excitement... he took a couple of steps on his own, and he managed to do it in front of all of us (we even caught it on camera!)- what a great way to close out a beautiful day!