Last week, we took a little tour of the Northwest. My friend Whitney came out to Berkeley from Madison, WI so that we could all drive up to Emma's wedding in Eugene, OR. Oh, you know- no big deal.
Are we insane?
YES. But, we honestly didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Eliza had made the Santa Barbara trip without a hitch. How awful could it be to sit in a carseat for just a couple of more hours? AWFUL. Poor thing screamed all the way up to Oregon. Also, Sam had pulled an all-nighter at work so that he could make the trip, and I was up every hour (on the hour) with Eliza the night before. So neither one of us was in any sort of state to drive 7 hours. 7 hours, HA! It took us almost 11 hours to get to Eugene. And, poor Whitney had to drive the entire way with a screaming baby and two delirious, sleep-deprived parents.
Oh, and that wasn't the end of it. Throw in a couple of speeding tickets (Ahem, Sam Gray), a nasty cold for mama and baby, and a delightful tour of every meth town in the Northwest--thanks to Eliza's cleverly planned freak-outs.
Poor, poor Whitney.
And, poor Eliza! It was hard to see her so miserable. And on top of everything, she is also teething. So, she was basically one slobbery, snotty mess. But, she's a tough girl- we still saw plenty of smiles through that river of snot.
Besides all of these setbacks, we actually had a great time! We got to see Emma married off and partied at her family's beautiful home in Eugene. It was a gorgeous reception. On the way home, Eliza made it up to us by cleverly planning her freakouts in some pretty awesome places. Thanks to her timing, we discovered a huge wild blackberry patch on the side of the road, had the freshest fish and chips in a tiny harbor town on the coast, and saw some beautiful views. We also drove most of the coastline, hiked Fern Canyon, and explored the tidepools in Trinidad. We even had a rather spontaneous detour, and spent the night at a friend's ranch in Middletown. A perfect tour of the Northwest.
It just goes to show that having a baby changes your life in many ways. But, it doesn't mean you have to give up the things you love. Once upon a time, I hiked up and down the English countryside with Whitney, spent the last three years adventuring with Sam- and suddenly I find myself standing on the side of the road in foggy, green Oregon stuffing my face with wild blackberries beside Whitney, Sam, and our new, little travel buddy- Miss E.
One of the best parts about Eliza arriving in Spring, were the Summer visitors! We have had so much fun the past few months hosting family and friends, all excited to meet Eliza and explore the Bay Area.
Two of my good friends, came out a couple of weeks ago. I'm a little bummed that I literally only took maybe 10 photos the entire time they were here. But, we had so much fun! These girls were crazy patient. I am very impressed with how much we got to do and see, all while carting around a newborn. Between the three of us, we had a great system- someone grabs the baby, someone pops open the stroller, someone grabs the bags and pays the meter- and we're off! The Dream Team.
We went all over San Francisco and Berkeley, and apparently the only time I pulled out my camera was the morning that we went to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. You just can't beat California produce, especially when you grab it from a basket under a tent at a farmers market overlooking the Bay. It was one of my favorite things that we did together. We snacked all morning on concord grapes, ripe raspberries, fancy chocolates and donuts, rustic batard and creamy cheese. I washed it all down with freshly pressed cherry-apple juice. Eliza loves grocery stores and farmers markets. There are so many colors and shapes, and people to smile at.
I'm so glad that the girls could come and stay with us- we miss you!
Also, this post is making me nostalgic for this farmers market...
She is three months old! This girl is wild. She literally never stops moving. She kicks and wiggles all day long, with those big, wide eyes always alert and attentive. She is so crazy, I have to help her fall asleep by softly closing her eyes shut to calm her little mind down. She just doesn't want to miss out on the party. She is still so, so tiny for her age- but so perfect and petite. The doctor warned me that I have a "very physical child" with a laugh, and told me I had better start baby-proofing now. This girl is going to be a handful! I'd like to think I have a little mover and a shaker- maybe a little dancer?
We were all laughing when the family leaned over her crib the other night to say goodbye before they hit the road, Eliza was seriously wiggling around in her sleep. She never stops moving, and she hates being restrained. Putting her in the car seat or the stroller makes mama feel like I am strapping her to a torture device. I managed to take these photos of her in the seat in the two minutes that she allowed me, before she started arching her back like a crazy animal.
Ugh, we love her so much. It's fun to see her get older and watch her little personality come forward. She is such a tiny ball of fire.
Eliza at three months:
-gave her first, sweet laughs
-has a tight grip
-learning how to use her hands
-starting to discover how to bat and hold toys
-just barely learning how to put things in her mouth
-constant drool down the front of her shirt
-gnaws on your finger like a carrot stick
-never stops moving. even in her sleep.
-kickie pants
-can sit up in her Bumbo chair
-always wants to stand up
-loves attention, even from strangers
-pretty close to rolling over
-weighing in at 10 lb 2 oz- so tiny!
-loves reading books
-balding circle around her head
-still doesn't like napping- this girl likes to party
-laughs when you blow raspberries on her belly
-big, cheeser smiles
-loves being outside more than anything
-mmm, kinda high maintenaince. but, we still love her.
Pretty much every picture taken on this day was an action shot. These boys are crazy. They are always bouncing off the walls- it's so much fun. I love that I inherited so many brothers. In case you didn't know, Sam is is the oldest of six boys. Only the two youngest were able to make this trip, but there was more than enough crazy to go around. It's been so quiet since they left- Eliza misses her uncles. To be honest, I kind of thought I was going to have a boy first. (When I was pregnant, I kept having dreams of little boys hatching out of eggs. Weird, I know.) I sort of had this image of an older brother to take care of the others. But, I think Eliza will be well taken care of. These two were fighting over who got to hold her the entire trip.
We took the family all over Berkeley, explored San Francisco, drove through the wine country, went to an A's game, visited where Bob and Nancy raised the older boys, and even made it down to Carmel and Point Lobos. Hiking through Point Lobos with these boys turns in to "who can chuck rocks off the cliff the farthest," and "let's all jump in the ocean." We all got pretty into the rock chucking, but only the boys were brave enough to take on those freezing, cold waves. (Notice that they are running away from the water in every picture.)
Bob and Nancy sure know how to make some good lookin' boys, eh? The secret ingredients are endless quesadillas and frozen pizzas. "Rox. Can I make a quesadilla?"
The Grays came to stay with us! They left early this morning, and Eliza was seriously mad about it. I'm not kidding- she woke up pretty angry that I was the only one she had to play with all day. And, who can blame her?
She was in heaven this past week. Two doting grandparents, and two uncles competing for attention. And this girl loves attention. I was afraid she might be overstimulated by everyone and everything, but she was all smiles. And, if she ever got even the tiniest bit fussy- there were several hands just waiting for their turn to hold her.
We had such a good time. These pictures were taken on a little day trip we took up to Healdsburg, where Sam served his mission. We had hotdogs and hamburgers at The Wurst, and homemade ice cream from the Creamery.
The Grays are always so much fun. The week was filled with brother bonding feats of strength, Bob jokes, Nancy's good cooking, and late-night Gray political debates. So many good laughs for one week. You know, the kind that can really fill up a home. Not a coincidence that Eliza also gave her very first laugh. With most of the family leaning over her in the car, she started giggling like crazy when we played with her feet. It was the prettiest, little laugh. Like music.
Bob and Nancy have raised some pretty amazing boys. I am so grateful that Eliza has such loving grandparents and uncles. I know she could feel it this week. She misses you already!
I am making a goal to start sorting through our gazillion photos. It is out of control. We fill and dump our memory card without ever actually organizing any of it. And, we don't back them up. So, basically I live every day in fear that our computer will explode and all of my memories will die.
I don't really know where to start, honestly. Writing on our blog has helped me to keep up somewhat in the past, but we really fell behind when we lived in New York. I'm really happy that Flickr got rid of Flickr Pro, or whatever they called it. They now allow an entire TB of storage for free. I've just decided to start by sorting through our mess of photos and uploading them to our Flickr account. But, there are so many photos and they are all over the place! I would totally love any advice on the subject.
Anyway, scrolling through old photos has made me so happy. These photos were from Halloween weekend last year, and never made it on the blog. Back when Penny and Eliza were still buns in the oven and we all lived just a subway ride away from each other, we went apple picking with our friends in upstate New York. Sometimes, I really miss the East Coast. It's just so... East Coast.
This was the most perfect day with friends.
Also, I had to include this pretty great series of groups shots taken by Alpha. Miss you guys!
This last weekend we headed south for a much needed vacation. Eliza prepped for the trip by going completely bonkers for three days straight, so that we would be good and ready to take a break. Love this girl. Actually, she was such a rock star on this trip. It's funny that she is sleeping in every picture we took with the SLR, when she is so smiley and awake in all of our instagrams. I wish I had taken more photos, but we were having far too much fun!
We basically tried to cram as many stops as we could into this weekend. We started in Newport Beach to see the Crosby's- where Eliza got to meet her future BYU roommate, Miss Penny. Then, we stopped in Aliso Viejo to see Sam's cousin and her sweet girls.
Finally, we spent the rest of the weekend in Santa Barbara with the Williams. It was the best weekend ever. We played on the beach, ate the best tacos and seafood, attempted to crash the Postal Service concert, spent a day walking the pier, and partied at The Sandman Inn. It was so great to spend time with good friends. The best friends are old friends- when we get together it's like we never skipped a beat. Minus the fact that Jo Jo is two years older, Sam and I have a babe, and Andrea is super pregnant. Little Josie was in love with "Baby Eliza." She is going to be a super big sister.
Southern California is a dream. I can't get over how beautiful it is, or why you would ever choose to live anywhere else. (Until we were stuck in LA traffic for five hours!) The trip was far too short, and we are already missing the beach. I'm glad we got a little taste of summer- and an excuse to use those tiny baby bathing suits. Beach babes are the best.
Way too many laughs and good times to count. This trip helped us realize that we can do this. You know, be a parent and still be adventurous. Eliza handled it all so well, and we totally survived without a scratch. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. We can't wait to take her on more adventures!
Little Miss E is two months old. Well, she was two months a couple of weeks ago when I first started writing this post. It's kind of funny how long it takes me to do something like this. I use whatever little stretches of time she gives me! She's a bit bossy!
It's hard to believe she has grown, but it's obvious that she's bigger. These days she absolutely kills us with those smiles. Once she figured out how to smile, and saw how excited we were to smile back- she never stopped. I can't get over those huge, open-mouthed gummy smiles! Her whole face lights up.
She is also starting to get a little chatty. A friend of ours let us borrow one of those play mats with the toys that dangle from an overhanging bar. We put her under that thing and she will chat it up with the little toys for a good 20 minutes. I try to get things done while she's occupied, but mostly I end up peeking in at her and trying take videos with my phone.
Sam and I laugh because it seems like almost every day when we finally wrangle her into her crib and she is out for the night, we throw our bodies onto the couch to veg- only to realize that we are both just scrolling through pictures of her on our phones. Parents.
Eliza at two months old:
-a smile that kills
-learning to giggle
-loves to chat
-the sweetest coos
-still hates tummy time
-but, can hold her head up like a boss
-mover and a shaker
-scoots her way to the bottom of her crib every night
-loves going on walks with mama
-sometimes lets us snuggle during her "morning glow"
-always looking around
-sleeps a 6 hour stretch at night
-grabs and paws at things
-a tiny thumbsucker
-loves being outside
-gets bored at home
-still battling those tummy problems
-holds out for days, then has massive blow outs
-starting to gain some chub
-has one little roll on her thighs
-ok with bath time
-hates putting clothes on
-could bounce on the yoga ball all day
-growing, growing
-sucks on her little fists- very loudly
-stares at her feet
