Starting to say goodbye

I love this city and I love our home. Our little condo in DC has been the perfect first home for us. I've absolutely loved living right in the middle of everything, walking distance to the US Capitol and the National Mall; restaurants and parks right out our back door; and the Nationals, the baseball stadium, our own home team. And I will be so sad to leave our home. It was the first place we lived together, it was where we got engaged, where we came home to after our wedding, where we brought Ethan home after the hospital. It's where Ethan took his first steps, where he said his first words. This home kept us safe and warm for almost four years, through a historical snowstorm, a derecho, a super storm, hurricanes, and even an earthquake. The thought of leaving this behind is daunting, but at the same time I know all of those things are memories. They aren't attached to our condo in DC, they are things that I will carry with me no matter where we live. I can close my eyes and be back at the Washington Monument on that cool October night, leaning against the cold stone, kissing Matt, telling him, "Yes, yes, yes!" Or drinking a beer at a game, cheering on the Nats as they win their way to the playoffs. Just because we're leaving DC, doesn't mean we're leaving our history behind, it just means we're moving on to the next chapter. There will be more houses and more memories, but through it all we will have each other, and our "home" will truly be where our hearts are, which will always be together.

Whirlwind

What a whirlwind the last few days have been!  On Friday hubby completely surprised me with a night away at the 1840's Carrollton Inn Bed and Breakfast in Baltimore.  He secretly organized the whole thing with my sister who babysat Ethan for us and he made dinner reservations at this fancy steakhouse.  There were even candles and roses waiting for us at the suite when we got there.  It was awesome and so perfect to get away just the two of us.

Then on Monday we hired a babysitter for the first time and went to Birch and Barley for A Hop Eclipse Now, which was this amazingly delicious six course meal with hoppy Dogfish Head beer pairings.

Yum yum yum! :) Unfortunately, Ethan didn't sleep at daycare that day, so he was pretty grumpy for the babysitter.  That being said, I know having a babysitter was harder on me (and maybe the babysitter, lol) than it was on Ethan, which is comforting.

Now all the fun is over and it's just a matter of a few days before Matt leaves for two months of training.  It's going to be so hard to be without him for that long, but I'm excited that by him going to training it's the beginning of us leaving the area and starting the next chapter of our military life.  I can't wait to see what the Air Force has in store for us. :)

Always changing

I know it seems obvious to say that babies are always growing and changing, but it really is amazing to watch how much my baby boy really does grow every day. This week in particular was a big week for us. Not only did Ethan roll for the first time this week, he's also getting awesome at scooching across the floor. The days of having an immobile child are happily fading. :) So I put him in his crib on his back, walked away for two minutes and came back to find him like this - so smiley and proud of himself!

 

We also just upgraded from using the Bumbo to using a real high chair. I originally thought the Bumbo would work for us much longer, but Ethan's adorably chunky little thighs are just too big for him to sit comfortable in the Bumbo anymore, so now we have a Joovy Nook. I did a ton of research and so far am really happy with the high chair we chose. It's great for small spaces because it folds up so well and it is also easy for me to put him in the chair by myself because the tray doesn't detach, it just swings to the side, so yay!

 

With all this change going on, I'm just trying to remember to stop and appreciate every little moment with my six month old baby boy because I have a feeling before I know it I'm going to blink my eyes and have a one year old baby boy who isn't a baby anymore.

She's All In

"It's such a compelling trait for a woman to find in a man, that cavalier manner; that passion to leave his mark; that battle against being ordinary. When I look at Grandma, I get a sense she couldn't quite feel Grandpa's drive or relate to it, but she loved it. She was all in. I don't even know whether she actually understood the things my grandpa cared about - the mechanism of the key, for heaven's sake, the physics behind a pulley, the economic role of the corncob pipe in twentieth-century America - but she found the man endlessly interesting. She was sort of like Dorothy in Jerry Maguire: I'll stand back and support you, even when I can't read your heart. And when you come home at the end of the day, I'll happily be your soft place to fall."

How to Love an American Man, Kristine Gasbarre