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Holden and I just returned from an impromptu visit to Baltimore where we surprised my father for his retirement celebration.  It was wonderful to see my family but I am happy to be back home.  We were fortunate to fit in a couple of visits with friends while we were in town, although circumstances prevented us from seeing everyone we had hoped to see.  Next time will be different, I promise!

Here is Holden with his proud grandparents:

And Holden with his almost-retired granddad, on the way to the airport:

We surprised Holden’s great Aunt Annie as well, who gave Holden lots of love and squeezes!

Holden got to meet my “oldest” friend Deborah who I have known for nearly 25 years.  Deborah and I first started really spending time together at summer band camp when we were in sixth grade, and we’ve been pals ever since.  Holden just loved Deborah’s young spirit:

Deborah is the best cuddler!

We also stopped in and saw my pals Steve and Heather and their two kids, Anna and Olivia.  I actually go way back with Heather because our dads have been pals since grade school—-and now *we* are pals.  When I think about this in the context of my life with Holden, I wonder whether Holden will develop and retain strong relationships with some of my friend’s children.  It would be so cool if these relationships persisted into adulthood!

Anna and Olivia played dress-up:

While Holden modeled some super sassy Minnie Mouse ears:

As usual, Holden was well-behaved during the trip—he is really a pleasure to travel with.  I’m trying to get in as many trips as I can while he still flies for free.  One of the downsides to the trip is that my sinus problems began flaring up again.  I’ve been keeping myself heavily medicated since we got back home which has been making life more bearable.  Another thing that is making life good is that I’ve decided enough is enough with this ascetic-esque lifestyle; I’ve begun to indulge in a few activities that bring some joy and peace to my life.  Last night I picked Rob up from work and dropped him and Holden off at home so I could enjoy coffee with two girlfriends.  This has been one of the only times I have gotten out of the house to do something without Holden (grocery shopping and doctor’s appts really don’t count).  In fact, I think that this was probably the second time I have gone out with a girlfriend or two since H was born.  Yikes.  It was overdue.  And even though I was only gone for an hour and a half, it was really rejuvenating!  Today I met up with a girlfriend and her toddler for some yoga.  We went to Eastern View for ashtanga yoga—our babies got to play together in a separate area for the small fee of $5.  I would pretty much do anything for a childless hour in the middle of the day, including having my very out-of-shape body struggle through a very intense yoga practice.  But boy, was it worth it!!!  I feel great and Holden had such a fun time socializing with the other babies!  I decided to make it a weekly outing so that I have something fun to look forward to each Thursday.  I also signed Holden and myself up for infant massage classes that are free because the instructor is working on her certification.  Double w00t!  So I feel pretty energized with all of these new things in our lives.

Other things that are afoot—I’m officially an approved breastmilk donor as my blood work is finally complete.  I started a stash of milk for donation several weeks ago, and I’m a little over a third of the way to my goal of 100 oz. for a donation.  I’d like to donate more than 100 oz., but I just don’t have it in me to pump that much.  Speaking of pumping, there was an interesting article in The New Yorker recently about the advent of pumping in lieu of feeding the baby directly from the breast.  I’d like to comment more on this article, but sleep calls….maybe I’ll post more about this next week.  

Random Holden-related tidbits—-Holden remains fascinated with his shadow:

And Holden is getting a second tooth (alas, there’s no picture of this event).  I say “event” because the eruption of this tooth seems to be causing more discomfort than when the first tooth made its appearance.  But I do think we’re past the worst of it, for now.  Tomorrow night we head to Maine for a quick weekend visit….more details (and of course, pictures) to follow.

Friday night we headed to central Vermont to have pizza and beer with our pals Brian and Debbie and their two adorable children, Eva and Chester.  For some reason, Holden decided to scream in the car for the whole hour drive down there.  But once we got there, he was enamored with Eva and fascinated by Chester and his newfound mobility.

He held hands with Eva:

And because Eva is a well-practiced big sister, she was great with Holden.  She “read” him stories and played with him, even making sure to give him age-appropriate toys.  Eva is only 4 and half years old, so I must say I am mighty impressed with her consideration of others.  

Here are the kids all together:

 

This picture amazes me because Holden is six months old and Chester is 13 months old, but Holden is BIGGER!  He isn’t quite as tall as Chester, but he is way fatter.  Eva would lovingly comment that Holden has a big head, to which her mother would quickly interject and say that Eva is going through an “honest” stage.  Later in the evening, Rob overheard Eva say that “having a big head means that you will have a big smile.”  Too funny.

Chester tried to give Holden kisses:

We’ve been pals with this family for several years.  Rob used to work with Brian and they were carpool buddies for at least a year.  I remember meeting them when Debbie was just 5 months pregnant with Eva, so it is really incredible to see how beautifully their family has blossomed.  

Last year we visited them the day after Christmas to see Chester—he was just a few weeks old!

These pictures were taken during an impromptu visit in the fall of 2006.  Eva was still an only child!

I remember having a meal out on that deck and hearing Eva say one of her very first words:  trees!  She said this while gazing up at the canopy of leaves above our heads.

“Born to Breastfeed!”

I look forward to lots of future playdates, birthday parties, picnics, and hiking trips with these little guys.  They are too precious for words.

We managed to have a decent New Year’s Eve celebration at home despite our foiled plans.  It was probably better for me to be at home where I could take care of this stupid cold that keeps lingering.  The beginning of the night was a little annoying because one of our neighbors stole our parking space.  We were lucky and were able to steal another spot behind our building; we left a very direct note to the owner of the offending car to let them know we will have them towed if they park there again.  The car was gone a few hours later luckily.  Just another continuation of the same drama that unfolds daily with our neighbors (sigh).  On a positive note, we had the crock pot macaroni and broccoli bake all to ourselves, and munched on other goodies while re-watching our favorite episodes of The Wire.  Holden got to enjoy avocado for the first time and big surprise, it was a hit!  I was half expecting him to hate it out of overexposure to it in utero; avocado was one of the “must have” foods for me during the second and third trimesters.  Some days I would eat 2 avocados for lunch while peering into the microscope (looking back on it, I must have looked like a crazy person, but I digress).  The most unexpected part of New Year’s Eve was the fact that I actually made it to midnight without succumbing to sleep.  Rob and I enjoyed a glass of champagne and watched the midnight fireworks out our living room window.  Not a bad way to usher in the new year.

Although yesterday had a few bumps, New Year’s Day was perfect.  We spent it with our friends Scott and Sue and their little girl, Ella.  We indulged in chili and cornbread…yum!  And the babies got to play together.  Holden and Ella are actually the same size; both are pretty big for six months!  It was relaxing and wonderful to spend a lazy New Year’s Day with good pals and I hope that it signifies the types of interactions we will continue to have throughout 2009.  Comfort, laughter, and warmth are all welcome entities right now as the past few months have been challenging for me on a personal level with the job search, etc.  I remain hopeful that if anything, we have friendships and community to help buoy our spirits through the tougher moments.  

On an unrelated note,  Holden’s toothless grin will soon be a thing of the past.  His first tooth started poking through on New Year’s Day.  Another reminder that our little guy is becoming less little with each passing day:

Holden and Ella hanging out together (everything goes in the mouth):

Avocado nom:

Foot nom:

First bath of 2009:

All clean!