We are so blessed!

Today was a very special day for our little family... Len and I were welcomed into our new church congregation and officially became members during this morning's service at First Presbyterian Church of Bel Air. Mom-Mom, Grandma and Poppie all came down for the occasion to help us celebrate! It was a beautiful day... sunny and warm, and Len & I surrounded by our family and all of the love that comes with it! Here are some of the pictures we took to remember this special day in our lives...

We also took full advantage of Zachary's cheerful mood, the sunny sky and the flowers blooming in our front garden to capture these adorable shots...

We all truly enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of laughing and playing... so much so, some of us rested our eyes for a bit of it, too!

Then and Now... 5 Months Later

That was then...

This is now!






Today, Zachary turned 5 months old!! Where does the time go?!? As I looked back at the pictures from when he was born, I had to really think hard to recall the pain and discomfort from the big day... instead, all I can really remember feeling is the ultimate JOY to finally hold this little kicking bundle from my belly in my arms and feel the warmth of his body against my skin. I still experience that elation today... Zachary is just soooo precious to us, and the love I feel for this little creature amazingly grows with every gaze into his beautiful eyes (if that is even possible).

Zachary is such a cuddler, which we just love so much... laying on our bed together is such a favorite time for us as he somehow seems to quietly scooch (without us really noticing) right up to one of us, close enough to feel the warmth of our bodies and touch of our arms wrapped around him. We also love to read books - especially during cuddle time - and Zachary is very engaged these days with the stories. He examines each page very carefully, looking from left to right at all of the pictures, and loves to be the one to turn the pages all by himself (sometimes even before we're done reading the words in front of us)!

Over the past few weeks, he has really seemed to develop a greater sense of control over so much of his physical motion... his movements seem to be with such purpose and less random. With a little bit of support, his most recent trick is sitting up. Believe it or not, our child that protested bending at the waist so much actually enjoys sitting and observing all the action around him! He usually tips over like a weeble (remember those?) after a bit, then just giggles... as long as he can reach and grab his toes, he can't be bothered with trying to get back up. Also, the little boy that really seemed to despise belly time has done a complete 180... every night we put him down to sleep on his back, and inevitably he will flip over to his belly (usually with his cute little fanny straight up in the air) to snooze for the night. It is just the most adorable thing to see. Every now and then, though, he'll get stuck up against the edge of his crib, but he doesn't hesitate to yell out for Mommy or Daddy to come and move him back to the middle. He'll even try to flip over when he falls asleep in his swing, or if he's laying on the floor on his blankey, he'll turn over to sleep on his belly. He'll also turn over to his back when tiring of playing on his stomach... rolling over is easy stuff for him now... we're so proud!
Zachary is also extremely vocal! Whether it's singing along with Mommy or the stereo, or holding what sounds like a perfectly rational conversation with Daddy, he seems to just love the sound of his own voice. It's just so cute to hear the inflection and tone in his voice... he really mimics us when we're talking. Throughout every interaction, he's always smiling, too... especially when he makes his favorite sound - raspberries with his tonge out and lips wet (which often gives us a little shower!). He continues to be such a happy little guy! And by the way, he's quite the dancer, too! Those little legs are always kicking - whether it's while being held high in the air, standing on your lap (or any surface for that matter), laying on his back, or sitting in the swing - his legs are in constant motion. Len calls him the little fish when he holds him high in the air in a horizontal position... it looks like he's swimming like a fish. Hopefully, after he's six months old and starts his swimming lessons he'll still like that motion... it'll be perfect for the pool!

Happy 5-month Birthday, little critter... we love you more than anything!!

Pictures from Cousin Julie...

As promised, here are more pictures from Julie's camera that captured our afternoon together (see the previous post dated April 20th). Julie, Andrew and Connor all made it back to Japan safely... what a hysterical story on Julie's blog (see the link to the right - "The Eichs") detailing their experience on the plane!!! It sounded like a Seinfeld episode! Anyway, thanks Julie for sending the pictures - we really loved seeing you guys!

It must run in the family!

If any of you have clicked the link on our site to see the Eich's blog (Len's cousin Julie), you would've noticed that Connor (their son) is considered to be the lady's man... he's quite the charmer with his little lady friends in Japan! Well, Zachary had a big day at school this past Wednesday... he got his first kiss from one of his classmates, Cassie! She recently started, and the two of them have the exact same birthday (born less than 3 hours apart). Miss Shauna said it was just so cute... they were playing on the mat together, and next thing you know, Zachary had a big wet spot on his cheek... Cassie had leaned over and planted one on him, and he just squealed and giggled in delight! I wish I could've seen it, as she said it was just adorable!

Another big event at daycare that I actually did get to see was Zachary holding his own bottle... I arrived to pick him up on Friday and found him having a bottle. Miss Shauna let go to see if he would hold it himself, and he did! It was only for a few seconds each time she let go, but so cute to watch! He's growing up so fast!

We've had such beautiful weather the past several days, so Daddy and Zachary ventured out on a walk one evening waiting for me to get home from work. This is what I pulled up to see... my two favorite men looking so cute and enjoying a nice spring evening together! It was just so wonderful to end my day with that vision!! (Of course I had to take a picture...)

Tubby Time!

Tubby time for us is always such a fun time! Zach is really loving the splashing and usually soaks both Len and I... we love it, too! It also makes for awesome Kodak moments! Here are some of Zachary's recent bathtime photos...

Zachary's favorite tub toy these days is Raul the Ribbit Frog. When you squeeze his belly, he ribbits, which just cracks Zach up!

Zach takes every chance he can to check out his toes and grab them!
Also, now that Zachary is really growing a head of hair, Len felt he was totally ready for the Mohawk shot... he's been waiting for the perfect time to mold the soapy wet masterpiece!
           

And of course, who can resist the cuddly after-bath shot wrapped snugly tight in the soft towel?!?

A Special Family Gathering

We've been looking forward to this weekend for several weeks now, after we learned that Len's cousin Julie and her family (husband Andrew and son Connor) would be coming to Bel Air for a visit while home from Japan! They refer to the USA as the United States of Awesomeness, which we think is just so funny... hearing of the cultural differences first hand as Julie and I sat on the floor talking and playing with our little bundles of joy was so incredibly interesting! It's so hard to imagine that just 2 1/2 years ago, we were celebrating our weddings with one another (we got married only weeks apart from each other), and now we find ourselves introducing our baby sons (who are only about 3 weeks apart in age, Zach being the older of the two). Zachary and Connor's Great-Grandfather joined us for the afternoon as well as Julie's father and we all had such a wonderful time catching up watching our amazing little creatures interact. We celebrated Grandpa's and Julie's birthdays which are coming up this week... any excuse for cake is just fine by me (which certainly doesn't help me shed the baby weight)!

It's family times like this that I just absolutely treasure, and wish I could bottle up and save forever! Grandpa just called to let us know he made it home safe, and shared what a wonderful time he had today... just imagine what it would be like sitting in the chair and cradling your TWO great-grandchildren together for the first time... what a precious moment! Connor is so amazing, and quite a trooper for all of the traveling he's been doing over the past month. I am just sooo happy we had the chance to all hang out - - I can't wait for their next trip, when I hope we can spend even more time together!

Once again, I'm reminded that all the planning in the world will not guarantee smooth sailing. We were making out so wonderfully - the house was clean, the food was ready, the drinks were cold, the cake was decorated, the presents were wrapped, the video camera battery was charged, the digital camera battery was charged... what could I possibly be missing?!? Well, right when we started snapping the photos we'll treasure forever as we posed our adorable angels, I took two pictures and guess what? I got the following message on the camera -MEMORY CARD FULL!! Go figure! Julie promised to send me some of the shots I missed, while I rushed to pull out a new card (yes, I actually had one on hand - I am a planner!) and load it into the camera. I managed to get some of the shots, but it was a quick session as Connor was anxious to head back to Annapolis for some much needed down-time (did I mention what a trooper he's been with his world travels?)!!

Here are some of the shots I managed to get... I'll add more to this entry when Julie is able to find some downtime herself and download from her camera.

I have one quick question for anyone out there... if Len and Julie are first cousins, what are Zachary and Connor to one another? I was thinking that Zachary is Julie's second cousin, so what would that make the babies... third cousins? What is the "once-removed" reference, also?? Any insight folks have is most welcomed! : )

Zachary loves school!

Zachary really seems to be doing so well at daycare everyday! Over the past two weeks, he's done so much - - completed his first art project (foot painting - he came home with one green and one purple foot!), gone for walks in the nice (but intermittent) warm weather, sat in the big boy Bumbo chair (see the picture above), read books, and so much more! He also REALLY loves the bouncy seat there... he kicks his legs so hard with such excitement every time they put him in it! (Note - Zachary is in his pj's in this picture from Len's camera phone because he required a wardrobe change after an especially messy diaper incident! hee hee)

The only thing is we can't seem to reach an ideal threshold with his sleeping... I guess there's so much to see and do, he just won't take reasonable naps. Instead, he typically doses for only 30 minutes or so at a time, unless we get lucky and he stays down for over an hour. It doesn't really seem to be bothering him very much (he's just such a happy little boy)... instead, it's such a bummer for Mommy and Daddy because he falls asleep so soon after getting home in the evening, we can't play with him as much as we'd like.

One piece of news we received this week which really bummed us out is the Center Director, Julie, is leaving. Her last day is next Friday, and boy are we really going to miss her! She truly helped us with the transition of leaving our little man with someone else everyday, and absolutely strengthened our confidence that Zachary would be just fine. She is so passionate about her job and you can just see how much she cares for every child there. She took these close-up pictures of Zachary for us one afternoon and was so kind to take the time to send them... she really has a talent with her very cool, zooty camera!

Guess who's 4-months old?

Today, Zachary is 4 months old! We went to the doctor for his scheduled well-visit and he was just soooo good! Honestly, I was excited to see his progress, yet dreading the vaccine routine. Last round he was so upset (I actually cried with him), but this time he shocked us all (including the doc). He received a total of 5 vaccines - 1 liquid and 4 shots. It wasn't until the 3rd needle that Zachary started to cry, and it only lasted for less than a minute. At that point, he went back to flirting with Dr. Cox and playing with Floppy (his stuffed dog). Phew! I was so not looking forward to seeing him suffer, and he was SUCH A CHAMP! Here are his official 4-month stats:

Height - 25 inches (50th percentile)

Weight - 12 lbs, 13 oz (25th percentile)

He's got his chunky-monkey strong legs, but remains our little peanut at the same time!

The doctor was very impressed with his progress - strength, alertness, interaction, and progress against other typical milestones. He's truly a gem, and a healthy one at that! We are so blessed!

Here is one of Zachary's latest adorable tricks... he just loves reaching down and grabbing his toes. Next thing you know, he'll be pulling them into his mouth (like everything else)!The swing also remains one of his favorite activities... he's such a happy little critter!

We have news!

Well, with great excitement we have some wonderful news!...

Now did you think I was going to say I am pregnant again? Hee Hee... it is April Fool's Day! No, but anyway, it was exactly one year ago today that Len and I found out we were expecting. Yes, it was April 1st! Funny, huh?!? Anyway, the picture above is the very first photo taken of our now almost 4 month old son. I think he was so adorable even back then!

Maybe this time next year we'll have that kind of news, but for now, we're truly enjoying focusing all of our love and attention on Zachary... he's just about the best thing that has ever happened to us!

Happy April Fool's Day!