5 Years and 2 Steps

This weekend J and I celebrated our five year anniversary. Five years already!! We had always talked about going back to Jamaica for our five year anniversary but since we decided to put our house on the market, that trip just didn't happen. However, we still celebrated and had a great time!
Eva went to Oma and Papa's for the night and we enjoyed a beautiful Saturday afternoon with cocktails on a patio overlooking the St. Croix River. Then we went back to St. Paul and had a wonderful seafood dinner, listened to some live music and drank more cocktails and enjoyed a full nights sleep in a quiet hotel room....and slept until 9am, which hasn't happened since before Miss Eva was born!
But of course we couldn't wait to pick her up and spend the rest of our Sunday afternoon with her. We were all starving when we got home so J grilled some cheddar brats and I sat on the kitchen floor, picnic style, with Eva and we shared lunch together. She was standing up, all by herself, and I scooted back a little bit and she did it... she took two steps toward me!! J and I could not believe we just witnessed our little girl take her first steps! Of course I got all teary and we smothered her with hugs and kisses...but she just wanted another bite of my brat. One of our biggest fears was that we'd miss the first steps because she'd do them at daycare, so needless to say, we were very proud parents today. We'll see how long it takes for her to do it again, and to really start walking. Our phones will be close by so we can get some video of it next time!

After all that excitement, we played in the pool for a few hours and enjoyed the beautiful summer day. Had barbeque chicken and corn on the cob for dinner and not even an hour later....

Daddy and Eva were wiped out from a big weekend and exciting day. Hope you also enjoyed the weekend and the great weather!

Father's Day Family Getaway

For J's first Father's Day, we headed up to Madden's Resort for a little weekend getaway. His work went last fall, but since it was the week I was due with Eva, J wasn't able to go so they gave him a voucher for us to use later...and later was his first Father's Day weekend! Perfect! It was also our first weekend trip with Miss Eva. If only I had taken a picture of how packed the Yukon was; I'm surprised we didn't have the kitchen sink with us.

We booked a little cabin that faced one of the bays of the lake. It was such a cute cabin, perfect for our little family, and it had a great view. The sunsets were gorgeous!

The first thing we did after we unloaded the truck, was headed down to the lake. It was Eva's first time at a lake (other than when we dipped her toes in Tonka when she was only a few months old), and we weren't sure how she'd like the sand or the waves of the water. However, she was instantly in heaven. She had a blast playing (and trying to eat) the sand and splashing in the water. The lake was still pretty cold but she didn't care one bit! As long as she had her rake in her hand, she was good to go.

 

In fact, she loved that rake so much she brought it to dinner with her.

The next day we took a pontoon ride around the lake. Not only was it our first boat ride of the season, but it was Eva's first ever! She was our little S.S. Cute Stuff. Even in that life jacket she loved the wind in her face.

 The grounds at Madden's were great. They had little paths all over and many times we just walked around with Eva in the stroller, to look around and let her check it out. They had a gift shop, a little market (that even had a nice wine selection for mom!), an art gallery with items from local artists and a cute little ice cream parlor.
 This was a horse carved out of stone outside the art gallery. Looks like Miss Eva may have gotten a love for horses like her momma!

Madden's resort was beautiful and we had a great time. The staff was friendly, the food was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our little family getaway. Happy Father's Day J!

Ten Months - Flashback!

The last baby bump picture I took was at 40 weeks. I ended up going another whole week but never took a last picture before Miss Eva arrived. And really, I was HUGE so there was no need for another picture anyways.
Sometimes I look back at the progression of bump pictures and try and remember how it all felt. The first time I felt her move, the hiccups she had every night, and the kicks. Oh the kicks. How I miss those kicks! I'm so glad I was able to experience the miracle of pregnancy and birth. If we hadn't been able to conceive, we still would have adopted in order to have a child, but as a woman, being pregnant is something we all want to experience. It truly is a miracle and the feelings and movements are unexplainable. As much as I loved feeling pregnant, it wasn't easy for me. Between the very swollen ankles and feet and weekly AFib episodes, I was very anxious for her to arrive. That last week of pregnancy seemed like a lifetime!

Now when I think about the last 40 weeks, I cannot believe how much has changed. Not only how much Eva has changed, but also how much our lives have changed. We have this beautiful daughter and she is such a joy in our lives. It's hard to remember this "little" 9lb 11oz baby that we brought home from the hospital and being first time parents and how we would barely get any sleep because we'd just sit and watch her sleep (if only then we knew what we know now!). Our lives are most certainly more full and complete with her in it. And much more busy! We've come a long way and have a long ways to go, but I'm so thankful to have this blog so I can look back all the way to the beginning.

I thought it would be fun to do a little flashback...

Here is my 40 week baby bump...

And here is our 40 week "little" Miss Eva! (how did that ever fit in my belly?!)