TIME WITH GRAMS

You love your grams, Maeve! Yesterday we spent some special time with her when she stopped by, and you impressed her with your ability to "help" hold your bottle, play independently, and with how big your tooth has gotten! You are so sweet with her and smile when she holds and cuddles you! We also love walking around campus with her!

I love this sweet photo of you and grams at your cousins' house last month! You're always so cozy in her arms!

MAEVEY'S FIRST PUMPKIN

This morning we met up with cousins Isla and Louis and auntie Gina and uncle Taylor at a pumpkin patch. You sat in a big corn pit then helped mommy and daddy pick out a couple of pumpkins. It was completely adorable.

ADVENTURES WITH GRANDPA

You and your grandpa. You two are kindred spirits and he loves you so very much, Maeve!

Grandma, who usually keeps you one day a week, was hard at work all last week on a new mural in downtown Raleigh. I had lots of work piling up, so grandpa offered to watch you Friday. And you guys had the best time!

You enjoyed some tummy time!

You visited grandma!

He took you shopping!

And you went swinging, where he took possibly the funniest photo of you of all time!

You two are like peas and carrots!

ALMOST 8 MONTHS!

Dear baby girl, you are almost 8 months old! Some of my favorite things about you at this age:

-You are such a good eater! You are eating 3 "big girl meals" a day (organic, pureed fruit and veggie combinations). Without fail, every single time we feed you, you make the most horrific face after you take your first bite. Then you gobble up the whole meal. That first bite, though! That face! Ha!

-You have started entertaining yourself/happily playing by yourself, and it's so cute to watch! We will sit you in your pack 'n play, surrounded by toys, and you will sit up and play/talk to yourself. Your favorite toys as of late include your soft lamb book, your many dollies, your "keys" and anything that soothes your poor gums!

-You can hold your bottle yourself and bring it to your mouth. You look like such a big girl doing this!

-You love to river dance in your doorway jumper in the kitchen while we're cooking breakfast and dinner. You get especially into it when your dad is beatboxin in the background!

-You sit up in the bath! You are so strong. We are especially impressed by your abdominal and leg strength, little lady!

-You have 1 bottom tooth and lots of ridges on your bottom gum (more teeth soon, we think)!

And my very favorite thing as of late? When you're sitting down and I go to pick you up, you reach for me/my neck. My heart melts every single time.

We love you so much, Maeve! A day doesn't go by that doesn't include your dad and I discussing how amazing, beautiful, happy, smart, strong and sweet you are. We are just obsessed with you my dear, in the best possible way!

YOUR FIRST ATL TRIP!

We are just back from a long girls' weekend in Atlanta spent with grandma and aunties Tina, Jessica and uncle Peter! And it was so wonderful!

Grandma met us at our house very very early Friday morning and we hit the road, just the three of us, on an epic road trip to Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia.

We got into town late Friday, and grandma went straight to Marietta to her art festival to set up while you and I hung back and relaxed at the hotel.

We spent the entire day on Saturday in downtown Marietta where grandma was working on her chalk art. Several weeks (maybe months?) ago the three of us went to grab burgers in Chapel Hill and grandma told us about this festival and its patriotic/Americana theme. So, naturally, I thought it was hilarious to see the subject she finally settled on for her square in the festival, the iconic Bruce Born in the USA album cover. Ha. There was definitely a little wit and irony behind the choice. And it turned out to be amazing/a huge hit!

Auntie Tina and uncle Peter, who live in Marietta, spent the day with us at the festival. They held you, cuddled you, kissed you and maybe fell in love a little. :) And you loved them for sure!
That night you and I had dinner around the square (which boasted an impressive array of restaurants and shops!) at WR Social House. I loved the fish tacos and you the people-watching.

Sunday was my favorite day of the trip! The weather was great so you and I headed to downtown Atlanta to do some sightseeing. Your new dolly, Julia, came along, too.

We visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site and did a walking tour of the neighborhood.

Our favorite stops were the actual house where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born (he was born in his home) and the fire department on the corner where he used to play basketball.

Auntie Jessica met us around noon and we did a market crawl around downtown. Krog Sreet Market was our favorite. I didn't take any photos there, though, because we were so into the food! We had the best time catching up with Jess! If there were two people I wish I could live close to it would be Tina and Jess. I miss them so much!

Later we drove up to Marietta to meet back up with grandma and Tina and Peter, and their poodles, Teddy and Ellie! You loved them, of course!

The next morning we headed home, but not before a trip to the market for snacks for the road. You in a grocery cart = still cute.

Maeve, I can't tell you how impressed I am with you as a travel companion. You are great on long car rides, very mellow, and so curious and interested in what's happening!

You were so happy to be home on Monday night! Seeing your daddy and Louis and Lilly made you so happy! And the next morning, as I carried you from room to room on my hip you smiled at everything familiar. You were thrilled to be home!

NEWS

Guess who is on the cover of Durham Magazine The Design Issue this month? Hint: 5th from the right. It's your grandma! Yay!

And in the centerfold. No big deal.

Also, big big big news: you got your first tooth! It's your bottom right tooth and it's adorable!

YOUR FIRST NYC TRIP: DAYS 5 AND 6

Day 5 of your NYC stay was one of the most fun! You, daddy and I traveled down to Chelsea then split up for a few hours. While your dad did some filming you and I did some shopping and window shopping. Window shopping in Manhattan is one of my favorite things. So inspiring! I particularly loved seeing children's stores with a fresh set of eyes, now that I'm a mom! It was also the day that I learned how to change your diaper without removing you from your stroller (ha!). And up to this point, we were very lucky in terms of the weather. It was sunny and warm until this day. As the hours passed on Tuesday, the temps dropped and the clouds seemed to congregate over the city.

We were sure to save up for a really nice meal during the trip, one of our favorite parts about traveling to the city! Your dad did some research and we landed on Cosme for our "fancy" meal and made a reservation for Tuesday night. I was excited, but a little nervous, as I wasn't sure how the experience would be for you. Sometimes, establishments aren't always baby-friendly, or equipped for babies. Cosme couldn't have been further from that.

The staff was overwhelmingly gracious and genuinely interested in you and your comfort. They prepared a big round table in one of the restaurant's back corners for us. And it was perfect. The lighting was very low in the restaurant, and it was on the louder side, which was perfect for you! You slept through the first part of the meal and when you woke you were comfortable and happy. It was wonderful.

Uncle Wade had the NY strip tacos, and I had scallops. Your dad's dish, the crispy octopus, was our favorite. But our absolute favorite part was dessert. We each ordered something different and each dish was better than the last. I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of the dish I ordered, or what exactly it consisted of. Some sort of corn mousse, I believe. And I know this sounds completely nuts, but it looked like a dinosaur egg broken in half with goo inside. Ha!!!!! It was absurdly delicious! And because I know how insane the description sounds, I googled "Cosme dessert" and found this photo...

See what I mean?! Ha. Told you it looked like a dinosaur egg broken in half with goo inside! It was beyond!!!

We took turns holding you through dinner, and during dessert you snuggled with uncle Wade. That night we stopped by uncle Wade's work, a few blocks away, for a diaper change, before catching a ride uptown on the subway. That was the first time we saw rain during our trip!

We woke up to rain the following morning, but luckily your dad had arranged for a car to take us to the airport. The photo above is you at JFK. Clearly, over it. Ha. Unlike our first flight to the city, on the way home you fell asleep in my arms during takeoff and didn't wake up until we arrived at RDU.

Grams and grandpa picked us up at the airport and dropped us off at home. You were happy to be reunited with Lilly and Louis, and all of your things, at home!

So there it is, Maevey, the story of your first NYC trip! I hope it's just the first of many more to come. I love you!

YOUR FIRST NYC TRIP: DAYS 3 AND 4

Your adventures in NYC continued on Sunday, which was a really special day because it was spent with uncle Wade! We walked through Central Park down to the Met. Your favorite (and our favorite) gallery of the day was the one housing the Oceanic art. The scale and craftsmanship was just incredible.

Daddy made silly faces as we fed you lunch on the plaza.

The view from the rooftop was just spectacular.

You were much more interested in the plants and people-watching than the view. But I tried to get you excited by showing you the direction of home!

Your very favorite part of the day seemed to be the swings next door to the Met. You just loved them, of course!

We finished the evening with takeout Indian food on uncle Wade's roof. It was such a lovely day.

Monday was fun because we took the subway all the way downtown (thank you Chambers Street stop for having an elevator!!!), just you, me and daddy, for a relaxed day of sightseeing.

A highlight from the day was most definitely the 9/11 Memorial. The two reflecting pools (that are positioned where the two buildings once stood) are so breathtaking and vast. Each is almost an acre in size! They really are something to behold.

After grabbing a quick lunch at Shake Shack downtown (I know - so good we had to back!), we made our way up to Pier 25 of the Hudson River Park.

You loved the swings, and I loved the view and the lounge chairs at the end of the pier.

In addition to the boats, you could see the Statue of Liberty from the end of the pier!

After more sightseeing we made our way back uptown where we picked up a pizza and ate it, picnic-style, in the park, before heading back to the apartment. It was another full and lovely day. You were so great, Maeve!

YOUR FIRST NYC TRIP: DAYS 1 AND 2

Yesterday we returned home from your biggest trip yet: seven days in New York City! Last night we spent the evening at home, marveling at how big our cozy house here in Chapel Hill seems, and how quiet things are here in our (downtown) neighborhood. Ha. A little dose of perspective goes a long way, no? There really is no place like home.

So, my love, here is the story of your first trip to NYC...

Last Friday grams and grandpa picked us up early in the morning to head to the airport. I barely slept the night before (I was worried about the flight, how you would feel about being away from home and your things for so many days, whether or not I packed adequately for you and the weather, and about leaving Lilly and Louis behind). I'm a bit of a worrier, for sure. :) But of course, you woke up happy and were patient as mommy and daddy rushed to finish packing and get on the road.

While you were definitely not a fan of sitting still on an airplane for an entire hour, the flight out wasn't too bad. And let's face it. You on a plane is just about the most adorable thing ever. You fussed, but weren't a wreck. Thank you for that!

Our first afternoon in the city set the tone, really. We had to travel, with all our luggage + your stroller, from the airport to downtown then back uptown where we stayed with uncle Wade. And not all of the subways had elevators. So once we made it to Wade's apartment we pretty much felt like we could handle whatever the city threw at us in the days to come.

And because the weather was crisp and sunny and perfect, we decided to walk about seventy more blocks (what the heck, right?), that afternoon, in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the Pope, who was in town that day. We marched as far south as we could before the police barricades blocked the way. You slept in your stroller as we waited on a street corner across from the park where the Pope marched with 80,000 people. While we never saw him, the energy was something else. And everyone was just so excited that he was a few blocks away. YOLO, you know, so we didn't think of this time spent waiting for the Pope as wasted, as it will be a fun story we can always share!

Before heading back to the apartment Friday night, we swung by Shake Shack, and it truly lived up to the hype. My chicken dog was worth the wait, and daddy said his burger was, too! We walked more, around the UWS, and took note of all the neighborhood parks with baby swings (the funny thing is that on the first two days in the city, every time we happened to pass a park with baby swings, you were peacefully asleep in your stroller)!

The next morning we went grocery shopping for breakfast and lunch materials for the week. Another funny thing about this trip: I have never been to a Whole Foods in NYC before, but with you, I went three times (!!!) in twenty-four hours. Ha. But I was determined to pack light and buy what I could (food/diapers, etc.) in the city. After shopping we spent the entire day Saturday in Central Park. I have never spent so much time in the park. There are so many incredible spots. Our favorites include Bow Bridge, Sheep Meadow and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. And we pretty much treated Central Park as our backyard (and our dining room and living room on some days) throughout the trip. We ate many meals there, frolicked, walked a million blocks, etc. And it was perfect. That night we met up with uncle Wade for dinner on the water (the Hudson) and strolled back up to the apartment through Riverside Park. We crashed and rested up for Sunday, and a full day at the Met...

FAMILY DINNER

With preparing for your first big trip, last week got away from me before I could post about dinner at Gina and Taylor's house. Your aunt and uncle invited us over to enjoy some of Taylor's famous pizza + family time with the Longinotti-Dansby clan and grams and grandpa. You spent time with Isla and Louis (who let you play with their toys and watch them play), lots of time in grams' arms, and auntie Gina read you and your cousins a book. It was so sweet!