Countdown...

As I transition back to my first full month back at work I can't help but be reminded at what great friends and family I have.  So many people reached out to make sure our little family transitioned as best as could be expected.  We survived and are currently enjoying the countdown to summer break (29 days!!!!).  I can't wait to wake up and have Porter to myself each and every day for the whole summer!  I know my parents will miss him, though.  My going back to work was a joyous occasion for them as they have loved spending time with the little man.  Grammy is probably the only person on the planet that looks forward to Monday mornings, where I hate them and frown as I walk out the door, knowing I have a whole work week ahead of me.

A dear friend of mine, Katharine, sent this message to me on the morning we both headed back to work and left our babies behind.  I thought I would share...

Hope you're holding up ok. I wanted to share a thought that was shared with me by a wise, older friend on Friday. That was a rough day for me, when the weight of this transition of returning to work was really hitting me. But I found this comforting. She said that our children (and us as parents) will go through many transitions. These transitions are an inevitable part of growing up and maturing. One of the first ones our babes are faced with is us going back to work and leaving them in somebody else's care. What's important to remember is that it's not so much the transitions that matter but the quality of the caretakers who guide our children through these transitions - us, our husbands, our families and other trusted people. Our babies are in loving hands and they will be just fine - this week and far beyond. Somehow it helps me to think of this as a necessary rite of passage for Ivy rather than me abandoning her. Good luck tomorrow!

Porter has an amazing and lucky experience to be spending two full days a week with each my parents. They will each remember it with nothing but love and bonding and I'm so glad to have given this time to them.

Here we are when I got home from work on Monday--we both survived!! Yay!

Onto other news--some of you out-of-staters have requested final pictures of the nursery, as I promised that I would send eons ago.  The room came out wonderfully and I love all the detail that went into making it perfect.  There are hints of family and friends in the decor and I am so happy with how it turned out.

I'm showcasing this one in particular because I made it and am rather proud of myself!  My friend Marti is quite the crafter and I join her at her house every few months to participate in a girls craft night.  This 'P' was made with nails and string and I absolutely love how it looks in his room.  Marti is a creative genius and I always look forward to new projects to come home with.  In fact, if you would like to learn some pretty cool stuff, check out her website : Crafty Mom and Handy Dad! 

Onto more crafty news- lookie what I made all by myself! I saw this on Pinterest, loved it and made it.  I feel pretty good about it! So domesticated...

I'll end with some of my favorite pics from the month!

Happy Surprise Birthday Grandpa!!!

Last weekend we took our first plane trip to Houston to surprise Grandpa for his 70th birthday.  It was a quick trip but filled with family, friends, fun and firsts!

The trip started off with Porter's first airplane flight.  He was amazing!  He slept through the first half, played wonderfully the second and didn't shed a single tear.  He was so well behaved and I was shocked (even a bit mad!) that  no one commented on how well he did!!  I mean, come on, if he had cried, I know I would have gotten a million dirty looks, but a good baby gets nothing!? I'll be sure, from now on, to compliment any family traveling with well behaved babies! We decided to wait and be the last ones off so that we could get a cockpit picture--the pilot was more than happy and even let P and Daddy sit in the co-pilot's seat! Too cute!

The next leg of the trip was the first surprise of the weekend.  Riley and Ian didn't know we were coming into town to see them, they thought they were headed to the airport to pick up their dad.  It was so fun being able to surprise them and have them meet baby Porter for the first time.  

We were riding down the escalator at this point--they knew they knew
us but didn't understand why we were there and not dad! 

The second surprise was for Grandpa--we had the three grand kids wait out front and we rang the doorbell.  Grandpa came to the door and was shocked to see them waiting there for him!  Surprise!

And the fighting who gets to hold the baby starts!

The following morning we had professional family pictures taken (I'll post when we get them).  Porter experienced a few firsts during the shoot...

Technically his little feet hadn't ever touched the ground, naturally because we are always holding him. Daddy had always joked that he wanted a piece of sod or some dirt from Texas at the hospital so that as soon as Porter was born we could plop him in the dirt and tell him that his feet touched Texas before Colorado. Fortunately for Daddy, his toes never made it onto Colorado soil and we have pictures of the three of us where his feet touch ground for the first time--Houston ground!  

The second "first" for the little man happened during a shot of him in his tummy time position.  The photographer was on the ground taking pictures of him and right then and there, in front of the camera he rolled over for the very first time! Clearly, he loves to perform in front of the camera as much as his mama does!

Later in the afternoon we invited some of Daniel's college buddies over to hang out and meet Porter.  The weather was great for hanging out in the yard, the kids played and we were able to catch up with everyone.  

Big Brother Paul and his wife Datra. 

Another first for Porter--Texas Blue Bonnet pictures! The Blue Bonnet is the state flower of Texas and you are not a true Texan if you don't have pictures of your kids sitting in these beauties! We snapped a ton of pictures of Mr. P playing in them and Daniel even declared that Porter ate his first solid food, after we pulled some petals from his mouth.  If he couldn't be born in Texas, this is the closest he'd ever be!

That night we headed to a yummy Houston Mexican dinner with Grandpa and his closest friends.  The trip was a complete success and didn't scare us of from future travel plans.  We head to California in a few short weeks for my good friend, Kate's wedding.  Porter will be our travel buddy as we head to wine country to spend a fun weekend with all my CHIX.  (He told me he's very excited to see them again.)

Happy Birthday Grandpa- I love you! Love, PDH