fam'ly portraits

Yesterday the sun was shining and Jeff had the morning off--so we set out to Golden Gate Park for Round 1 of family portraits, courtesy of the tripod. We managed to get a few super cute shots before little Mr. Sunshine melted down:Edit: Thanks for saying such sweet things!! Headband here and Graham's sweater here. Jeff is jealous no one had much to say about his outfit. ;)

travel wish list: charleston

I've always wanted to visit Charleston, SC, but spying the city guide in Cookie magazine has driven me to the point of obsession. Gorgeous homes, southern gentility, amazing food, sunny weather, and even a beach. I am there. Once we move closer to half of our family, we might have more wiggle room in our travel budget. (That's 4+ flights/year to MN we won't be taking!) Plus, I'm sure we'll be looking for a warm + affordable escape come January.

begin again.

Oh my, this is a big one.

So much has transpired in the last week. It's so bittersweet. While we've been weighing options since well before baby G was born, God has finally led us to some concrete decisions. We knew we wanted to make some changes, but were dragging our heels, just wanting to focus on bringing Graham safely and smoothly into the world. Now having adjusted to the idea of parenthood, here we go again--beginning again. Taking the plunge into a big fat unknown:

We gave 30 days notice to our landlord. We are leaving here at the end of June. Leaving the city. Kissing urban living and the schlepping of 4-5 loads per week to the laundromat. In fact, we are leaving California. Moving back across the country to good old Minnesota. Man, I hope we won't regret this. We booked a big Budget truck for Jeff and a one-way flight for me+G. And in the mean time, there are sooo many boxes to pack.

I mailed off my letter of resignation. It was weird, but not as hard as I thought it would be, considering how long I've been away on maternity leave. I don't think I could have asked for a better, more rewarding nursing job. I already miss my little patients and coworkers. But for right now I am planning to stay home as long as {we can afford} possible with Graham...because being the mama, tickling tiny toes and trolling for smiles is all the job satisfaction I need for now. Maybe this fall I'll apply for a MN license and begin the job hunt again once G is sleeping through the night and transitioning to solids. But 'til then...I am enjoying every minute.

So right now Jeff is feverishly job hunting. We've been pricing out housing, but don't have a definite place lined up yet. It's such a scary time to drop everything and start fresh--with the economy and job market in such a state. But we're trying to be smart about it all. For example {this is lame!}, we're planning to stay with my parents for a few weeks while we make the transition and until we can get all of our ducks in a row. Somehow I don't think that my mom will mind having a grandbaby around for an extended stay.

There's so much to leave behind, yet so much to look forward to. But I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be to leave this gorgeous city. It's officially summer here--that means the forecast is foggy, damp, and 50 degrees every day. We haven't seen the sun for a week and that's making the packing+planning just a little easier. Am ready for some sunnier days ahead, or whatever the road may bring.

and then the smile.

This sweet little face will be tattooed to my heart forever. Bald little head and all. Somewhere in the madness that was last week {packing for the trip, getting ready for the parties, and just plain keeping up with this boy} he smiled. Yes, his first true smile. Those curious blue eyes just lit up and his lips curled into this unmistakable, purposeful expression.

I don't think my heart has ever burst with so much unexpected joy in my entire life.

And that's when I knew it was all worthwhile: the acid reflux and shrinking jeans of pregnancy, the exhaustion of labor, the stretch marks and squishy belly that followed, and the insane sleep deprivation and frustration in our early days together...

I never knew I had so much to give. And that there could be so much more in return. Seriously, this little man is pure bliss. An unimaginable gift.

Although, I have to admit, he has been fussier in the last month--and it's sometimes tough. But I know it's just a phase that he'll hopefully be outgrowing soon. I am thankful for those healthy lungs and praying for a little more patience for the times he is completely inconsolable, crying his face off. We've been going for walks on the coast in the evenings. The baby front pack and sling are my saviors. He falls peacefully asleep almost instantly and gives me quiet time to breathe a little fresh air, listen to the waves, and just reflect. And that warm, sleepy little head curls into my chest and melts my heart all over again.

kellie's shower

On Sunday 2 of my girlfriends and I threw a baby shower for our lifelong friend Kellie. {She's about to pop any day--so glad her babe waited for us to throw the shower before making its debut!} It's tricky to shop and throw showers when the gender is a surprise...but we were up for the creative challenge! We whipped up a diaper cake with paper coordinating with the invites, hung a clothesline of either/or baby layette and even found an awesome tissue paper flower banner to pull it all together.

We lined up small potted flowers in the kitchen window. They doubled as decorations and favors for everyone to take home when the shower was over! To drink--cute bottles of Izze soda. Sarah made some amazing artichoke dip, almond bars, and a heavenly trifle. So yummy!
The hostesses--Sarah, me, and Kayt with cute prego Kellie! She will make the best mama!

jenny's shower

Last Friday, I got to help throw a bridal shower luncheon for my sil Jenny. Keeping things simple, we stuck with a yellow + gold theme with an around the clock twist. Each guest was assigned a different time of day and brought gifts that Jenny might use at that time.Invites: were very basic, straight out of my printer and tucked into curry-colored A2 envelopes Paper Source, jazzed up with yellow+gold paper liners. I enclosed a time tag with gold satin ribbon {not shown}.
Decorations: A little hard to see in the picture, but I whipped up a fabric banner and added gold stickers that read "Happily Ever After." We wrapped potted yellow daisies with extra yellow+gold paper from envelope liners and yellow satin ribbon. To reiterate the around-the-clock theme, a pretty wooden clock served both as the centerpiece and a door prize.Entertainment: We pinned a mini daisy clothespin to each guest's shirt...And told them they weren't allowed to cross legs or ankles for the entire shower. If you spied someone with legs crossed, you could steal her clothespin! The lady with the most clothespins at the end of the shower won the clock centerpiece. It was highly entertaining...It's so easy to cross your legs without even realizing it! We also tucked a little card at each guest's place setting where they could offer up some advice for the bride-to-be. After everyone jotted down a few pearls of wisdom, some of Jenny's favorites were read aloud.
Food: Giant croissants stuffed with delicious chicken salad, fresh fruit, sweet lemon bars sprinkled with powdered sugar, and the most amazing lemon-layer ice cream dessert!Favors: We sent each lovely lady home with a square of yellow pineapple scented soap, wrapped in coordinating paper and satin ribbon.

taking flight

We are back in action. Little Graham took his first flight back to the Midwest for an action-packed adventure over Memorial Day weekend. He did about as well as could be expected when you are 6 weeks old and flying across the country. He fussed just enough to draw cold glares from an entire aircraft of passengers and for me to feel like the worst, most embarrassed parent in the history of the world. Why did we think it was a good idea to fly late in the evening with a layover? Live and learn. But in between crying bouts, he had a blast playing baby airplane {on the airplane} with daddy. And for all of the cold glares, there were just as many adoring stares at the cute brand new baby in tote. Truly, the kid did well with all of the ups and downs. He's earned his wings.
First on the agenda was meeting more aunties and uncles! Mr. G was passed and passed and passed. Kinda like hot potato, we joked, but this time whenever the baby rumbled in his dipe, the person holding him had to change him! ;)We spent Friday night + Saturday visiting friends:Saturday at my little brother Mikey's graduation:
Sunday my whole entire family was reunited. That's us plus 5 bros, {almost) 2 s-i-ls, and one adorable nephew. That makes for one pretty rare and exciting occasion these days...My mom was one happy lady:Graham was also blessed to meet all 4 of my grandparents!We are home now. Catching up on sleep (if that's possible), sorting laundry, digging through a pile of mail, and searching for our new groove...

happy day moms!

1 month!

Look who's {already} 1 month old today!? And what a whirlwind Graham's little life has been so far. These last few weeks have been action-packed with adjusting to life as 3; squeezing in a little sleep every now and then and marveling over how much laundry one little man can create. And on top of that, we've been spending some hard-core family time with our many visitors and have even gone on quite a few outings! I've barely been able to keep up with all of the pictures and experiences, let alone have time to blog it all. We're finally settling in to a bit of a routine and it feels wonderful to be piecing my life back together. Best of all, I am feeling 100% again, although my old jeans will disagree...I know that looking good again will take some patience!

Needless to say, we are hopelessly in love with this boy. I can't believe how much he's filled out already. He's definitely added some chunk to those cheeks--now he's working on some arm+leg rolls. And I swear those feet have grown an inch! He's a great sleeper. But it's so fun to see him spending more time alert+awake. He's a fan of his mobile, staring at faces, and looking oh-so-adorable. We're just enjoying every minute. Like every parent says, I sometimes wish I could bottle him up and keep him this tiny and precious forever. But at the same time, I know we'll cherish the adventures in each stage as they come. Right now I am getting sooo antsy for him to learn to smile back!

week 1.

Today Graham celebrated his 1 week birthday! It's crazy to think he's already been here for a full week. Then again, not...We've been awake for most of it! But the sleep deprivation is so worth it--this way we won't miss much of his precious babyhood. And already, we can't even imagine life without him. It's been the most amazing week of snuggling, and staring, and just getting to know this little man. Our camera can hardly keep up. We've had a house full of flowers and tasty meals from our church friends, and we can hardly wait for the grandpas+grandmas, aunts+uncles and cousin to travel here to meet him in the next few weeks.

Already, he's growing like a weed. He had his first visit to the pediatrician on Tuesday...It was the sweetest thing, hearing the nurse call his name from the waiting room. He's officially a real little person! Already, he's regained his birth weight and more. I thought I noticed a little extra chunk in those cheeks. {Definitely has his daddy's appetite.} And speaking of milestones--yesterday he lost his little umbilical cord and gained a belly button. That's the best news ever, because now we can play dress-up much more easily! How exciting to finally whip out that Spring Chicken onesie I've been dreaming to see him wear. :)

To celebrate week 1 coming to a close, we whipped up the heat in our apartment and attempted a few bare babe photos. Let me tell you, we knew the risks involved in leaving a newborn completely exposed, but I was still surprised at how many clean blankets we burned through. Still--worth it. My heart is melting over the pic with daddy {bottom}. He is the spitting image of Jeff, don't you think!?