and now ... four days after I started,..

It should be noted--- I started this post on Monday night. And now its Thursday night. Just getting around to finishing!

So we'd been for ice cream, and then an impromptu stop at the park.  Eileen had had the perfect 3year old afternoon.  We're pulling out of the parking lot, and Josh said something to her.  I don't remember what. And she smarted-off to him. And I whipped my head around and said 'You better watch that tone lady or I'll pop you."  And she looked at me and furrowed up her face and said "I was TALKING to Daddy!'  And as much as I wanted to discipline her, I completely cracked up.  I could not even muster that Mom Look.  It was just hilarious.

She knows when she's being naughty. And she will not hesitate to stand her ground.  It should make for some really fun tween and teen years.

We went to Boomsday yesterday.. Boomsday is a massive Labor Day fireworks celebration here. Roughly 400,000 people show up every year.  And as much as I knock Knoxville sometimes, I will say.. the fireworks on Boomsday are pretty darn amazing. Of course, Eileen is terrified of fireworks... so we didn't stay this year for that. But we did go down in the afternoon and wander around the Family Friendly part.  There was Euro-Bungee jumping. AndI did it. And OMG it was so hilariously fun.  It was me and all these kids!  i was on this trampoline thing and hooked to a harness with Bungee cords. And I could jump and jump. All the kids were doing back flips.. but I didn't.  I'd be that one person that lands on her head. I thought Eileen would get a kick out of watching me jump.. but she didn't really seem phased.  I'm not entirely sure what that means?  She's used to seeing me bounce about like a loon? Perhaps.

Anyway. They had a whole Kid Zone part with boucnce-houses and bounce slides and bungee running and all SORTS of things that Mommy wanted to do.  So she saw that and was convinced it was Mickey's club house. And was sooo sure she wanted to go in.  But then was terrified. So we left the area. And then she was mad we'd left. So we went back. And she was terrified. We went throuhg this about 3 times before she finally decided she was going to buck up and master the Bounce House.

And then we could not get her out.  She refused to try any of the other bounce houses or bounce slides or bounce caterpillars or what have you.  But hey, she was having fun. And burning loads of energy.

She's so much like me its frightening. She'll be so shy, or scared, or quiet at first. And then she'll be the star of the show and never shut up. (and no, I am not implying I am ever the star of the show.. but I am generally quiet in new situations, and then most people tend to want to muzzle me). 

Its been a hectic week. And I know next week will be hectic. And it will also be Eileen's bday. So in the middle of a project that has taken over my life, I will be also trying to sort out the house bday party and some sort of school party.

And yes, I know, certainly Eileen is far more important than work  - but this is one of those times when I realize that I do enjoy working and want to have a successful end to a project, and I also enjoy playing with and making my daughter a happy girl.  Balancing the two.. not always easy.  Guilt sways back and forth.. guilt for leaving work a tad early to get to daycare in time to guilt for not being there to see Eileen kick the soccer ball in her little class with all her buddies.

I guess thats about it for now. I'm watching football (shocker) and working and blogging and facebooking. And whitening my teeth. If that's not talent, well.. I don't know what is. :)

Mini Me Girly Tomboy

My girlie little tomboy. I love it.  We had a super fun day today. Mainly bc College Football started. And Tennessee won. Those things always make for happy days. But having a mini-me to share it all with is even better.

This has been the first weekend in about 5 weeks that we've had no plans. And while it is fun to have plans.. it can be just as nice to have nowhere to be.

I

t has been oddly cool the past 10 days. As in we've had the windows open ALL WEEK. I can't WAIT to get the electric bill. Anyway.. so the weather was completely positively perfect this morning for a run. I had a really nice 6miler and was pumped. I got home just in time for Game Day. yeeeehaww!  Eileen entertained herself upstairs while I cleaned and watched Game Day and Josh went for his run. Love that she's old enough now to hang out for a while by herself.

Today, of course, our game was at noon. Sweet.. I thought .. as Eileen would take a nap and I could watch most of the game while she slept. Of course she had no desire to sleep. She chatted to herself for about an hour, and then decided she wanted to get up. So I told her she had to watch football with mommy. She said OK.

And you know what?? She did! She lasted a little more than a quarter. Not too bad for a three year old!!  I told her about end zones, and goal posts and referees. She was pretty interested. Yes.  My own little sports buddy. LOVE it.  We also did her nails while we wtached. Football and manicures. I say that makes for one cool chick.

While it was odd to watch UT football without the Great Pumpkin.. I did not miss the sweaty bellybutton. Coach Kiffin.. much easier on the eyes.

So after the game we headed to Fleet Feet - which is a running store - but Eileen calls it the Sock Place. There really aren't many socks there... I think she just associates the Feet part? who knows. but i thikn its hilarious.

Last week at school they had some soccer coaches come in.  They'll be offering soccer at her school, so they came in for a demo I guess. I'd planned on signing Eileen up for gymnastics - also offered at her school - but somehow soccer sounds more like her. So we told her we'd get her a soccer ball at Target - of course she insisted on a purple one!  So we got home from running errands and I went outside to play with her and her new soccer ball. She said she wanted to show me what they'd learned last week. And oh.my.gawd.  She's like Mia Hamm, or maybe Brandi Chastain since she's blond. She's not even three. And I swear she took off down the back yard - 110% dribbling that ball with her feet! I stood there in shock. She moved that ball all over the place - but only where she wanted it to go. Clearly soccer is the better choice over gymnastics. She also did the move where you put your foot on top of the ball to stop it. NICE. So since soccer has loads of running, I am, of course, sooo excited to start molding my little training buddy.  I can't wait for her to start soccer at school next week!

So we still have two days left of our three day weekend. Did lots of chores today so hopefully we can just play tomorrow. We might go to Boomsday... but not the fireworks bc she's scared of those! Monday I'll have a long run. And then summer's over. Wow.

I hate to see it go. But I am kind of loving this weather. and a day of football and Octoberfest and candy corn does make me excited about Fall. Oh... candy corn. Yeah. its out. and yeah.. I bought a boat load. I do love it so. As does Eileen.

mmmmmmm.

Happy Holiday weekend all. Make it a safe one!

You Spin Me Round..

Do you ever have that day where you just feel like you've been a puppet on a string? Or perhaps sitting on a merry-go-round just going around and around and around...? that was me today. I worked like a mad woman all day, but not a thing got crossed off my to-do list.  in fact, not a thing even got started.

I blame email. what did we do before it? I honestly think that's what I did most of today. Sort email. And everytime I got it whittled down and felt like I'd filed and responded and deleted, I was faced with at least 30+ new messages.

Yes, I know. All those 'time management' experts tell us to just turn off our email for a couple of hours and get something done.  But you know what? Those 30+ messages will be 95+ if I ignore them for a couple of hours. So which is worse? Which is the lesser evil?

And I brought home three folders-full of work to do tonight. But I can't bring myself to do it. I am just too fried. So I guess it will be there tomorrow. And by the end of tomorrow I will be just as fried and more behind.

A friend recently wrote on my FB that if I am overwhelmed I should ask for help. Oh and I do. We're all overwhelmed. And don't get me wrong. In this economy, I am so very grateful for my job. And that I am overwhelmed. Because we're busy. Busy is good.  I guess I'm just jabbering.

Eileen started her first day in "PreSchool" today. A bright new shiny classroom. Actually, a mammoth classroom. It is just a really big room. And she was mesmerized. She moved up with all of her friends, but sometimes she still has a hard time adjusting to a new teacher or slightly new schedule. Today she just walked up, little HH came running up to say hi and show us Eileen's cubby, and she was off!  She didn't care where I was. Which is good. I don't at all get my feelings hurt when she doesn't notice if I'm there or not.

So she had a good day. I think she'll be excited to be learning new things and being a 'big girl.' Almost there with potty training.. but I'm not pushing it.  It would be nice to not have to be spending money on diapers.. but eh.. it will come.

There was a mom last week not happy that the snack her son had eaten did not seem to match the snack indicated on the 'snack calendar.'  Ok.. to each his own. But hmm.  I am much more concerned (and thrilled) with the fact that my not quite 3year old can write some letters and name all letters and numbers by sight and count to 15 in Spanish and so on and so on.. if she eats crackers and water for a week.. well.  umm.. who cares?  Said mom was frustrated that all her son would eat at home is mac'n'cheese and chicken nuggets. UMM.. they're THREE. Every three year old I've ever seen exists on cheese and breaded meat. And they all turned out pretty OK, right?   Anyway.. like I said.. to each his own.. but lawsy, she needs a cocktail or something!

So Eileen likes to umm.. have some 'private time' after dinner each night.  She generally comes home in panties, but refuses to do number 2 in the potty, so we trek upstairs to get a diaper.. and then she heads down the hall to her Princess Tent.  And she proceeds to do her business.  So last night, I'm laying in the floor in her room waiting on Miss Thang to finish.  She comes running down the hall at full speed.. comes into her room.. throws her hands up in the air.. and says "Mommy!!! I did a SCARY poop!"  Wowo. so NOT what you want to hear from your three year old child.  Its that moment when you want to laugh your arse off.. but also want to run away and hide til she's 10 or so.   Yeah.. she's going to kill me some day for telling that story...

OK.. its almost bed time. I am clearly not going to get any work done. But I will read some of the paper... goodnight all. :)

Hello Fall..

Funny how it can feel so very much like Summer and so very much like Fall all at once.

I do love Fall, but I am a girl of Summer. Light in the morning.. light well into the evening. Warm. Ahhh warm. Long lazy days. Tans. Grills. Pools. Beaches. ahhh... mainly, the bright warmth.

I dread its departure.

Because for all of the fantastic things that come along with Fall.. Football.. pumpkins.. World Series.. crisp air.. candied apples.. cozy sweaters..witches.. mums... marathons.. all those perfectly fun things are followed by winter. .Cold gray winter. We do not get along so well.

But I digress.

Today started out almost chilly. And there was almost no humidity. Which, to be honest.. a day with no humidity in AUGUST in TENNESSEE is somewhat disturbing. But so very enjoyable. It warmed up as the sun came out. Felt more summery. We ran errands and did chores. We went to the park in the late afternoon.

And the shadows were long. And there was a breeze. And it felt like Fall. Except there was that undeniable Song of Summer.. the bugs.. those "Back to School bugs"... I missed them so much when we lived in New York. Tonight its like they were screaming to be heard and noticed.. as if to tell us that in just a couple of more weeks they'll be gone... so be sure to hear them and enjoy them. And then I came home and had a Sam Adams Octoberfest.. and it felt again like Fall. So you see, today has me all over the Seasonal Map!

And with Fall, of course... comes School. Eileen starts her new class tomorrow - PreSchool 1. How in the world is she old enough for a level called "PreSchool?!" She'll move up with all her friends, and be doing even more Big Girl things. She already writes some of her letters and can recognize them all by sight. She memorizes her books.. word for word. Mind boggling. Her school is amazing, I don't know where we'd be without those teachers. We love that place.

Her imagination is unreal. The things that come out of her mouth have us hee-hawing. For instance.. last night I gave her a mani/pedi. I was taking off her old polish, and she pointed to her toe. "Look at that!" she said.

"What?" said me

"That toe! it's GORGEOUS"

I died. "What?!" i said.

"Gorgeous! its gorgeous!"

I asked how she knew that word and where she'd learned it.

"Grandma." she said matter of factly.

So who knows if there is truth to that.. because then conversations like this morning happen...

I got her out of bed. She showed me two of her fingernails void of polish.

"These two aren't pretty!" she said.

"You're right. We'll fix them! what happened?" I asked.

"Daddy did it."

Now, let me fill you in. I painted her fingernails and toes, and then our babysitter arrived. And we left. Daddy never touched her fingers. Most likely the polish came off in the tubby. So I knew that little story was a fabrication! Her little mind spins constantly.

So I find myself constantly wondering what is true and what isnt. She'd have me believe they eat cake and ice cream and popcorn every day if I were any more gullible.

Luckily, I'm not.

I am, however, tired.

So.. I'm signing off. Swearing to try to get back to better blogging.

Happy Sunday.

Back to Blogger...

You may have noticed the typepad site is gone. I was paying for that one, and can't really justify paying a monthly fee since I have become such a lazy blogger. What really stinks is that it just deleted the site all together. So about a year or so's worth of stories are gone. But there's not much to be done about that I guess? Still stinks.

So anyway.. I at least wanted to get it out there that I came back to blogspot bc..well.. its free. And there's not much free out there anymore is there!?

So these are a couple of recent pics..I have more to upload, but I don't have the camera with me. Stay tuned..

HELLO!

Yeah.. I've been MIA..

check this out:

www.ejamienyc.typepad.com

see you soon!

Oh yes..

Yes Folks.

My feisty nature of late (mainly at the office) has attracted the attention of the folks at the National Hurricane Center.

What you see here is a current image of Tropical Storm Erin.

It goes without saying that anyone who knows me at all finds this insanely amusing. My colleagues have gotten quite a kick out of it.

To my friends in Texas - the last thing you need is rain! I hope my little buddy doesn't wreak too much havoc over there.

Social Butterfly

Seriously. This kid has the life.

She hangs out with a social crowd, and seems to always be the life of the party.

Saturday our friend Sandi had a birthday party/housewarming party. We headed over there early evening. Several friends from work were there. I just put her down in the sun room and she made herself comfortable. Hung out with my boss, loved both of my boss's sons (ages 15 and 7). She played with them forever. And of course (the other) Uncle David - aka Baby Whisperer- was there. She loves him. Just grins ear to ear when she sees him. We stayed there right up until her bed-time, and she was none the worse for the wear. She really is spoiling us.

Sunday morning we headed to church. We hadn't been in two weeks. So, I don't know if it's because we haven't been in two weeks, or whether its because Eileen has become that much more mobile, but she was feisty! Not misbehaving - not yelling or crying or pitching a fit -just being social. She kept blowing raspberries at the priest as he read the Gospel. During the sermon she kept saying 'babababababa' quite loudly. And seeing as we were in the front row, this was quickly going from cute to rude. So I made my way to the back of the church to hang out with the other parents and listen through the speaker and watch through closed doors! We'll give it another shot next week, and if she's still on a mission to par-tay.. well our days of front row church people may be on hold for a couple of years.

And then, then the fun began! We went to IHOP! Eileen got to eat her first pancake. Let me rephrase that: Eileen got to devour her first pancake. She absolutely loved it. She's been eating more solids lately-- little baby raviolis and cheese slices. But she is generally pretty picky when it comes to new foods. Not pancakes. One little taste and then she gobbled it up. So cute. Of course we took pictures.

(pause here for Erin's social commentary: The table next to us was a family of 4. Mom, Dad, teenage daughter, and a son about 4 years old. The daughter sits down with her ipod in her ears. Stays that way about 10 minutes. THEN she took out the earbuds to talk on her cell phone. All while mom, dad and brother sat and chatted and ate breakfast. Now I don't know the circumstances. I have never been in that situation -raising a teenager. I shouldn't pass judgement. But I hope to high Heaven that I am never that parent that would allow my child to act in such a manner. Besides the lack of manners, it's just downright sad).

We thought about going to the pool, but it was really just too hot to even do that. If she were older, or if I were by myself, I would have parked there all afternoon and basked in the summer heat. But she's still too little to be able to handle it, so we decided to go see some model homes in a new development.

It is a fantastic concept.. basically a village in the middle of town. Single family homes, town houses, loft style condos. Several large parks. Retail - shopping, movies, restaurants, and a small grocery store. It is in the early stages, no retail is there yet.. just some of the homes. The idea is that you don't really have a yard, you go to the many giant gorgeous parks. You don't have to drive anywhere once you're home. Need a gallon of milk? You can walk to the little grocery store within the village. This whole concept would be ideal for Josh and I, seeing as how he's not able to drive. BUT since the houses start at about $400,000, it is not likely we will ever actually live there. But hey, we can dream.. and we can wander through the (air-conditioned) model homes. And I did indeed find my dream home. Craftsman style, and actually not much bigger than the house we have now. Gorgeous kitchen opening up to the family room. Master on main. Bedrooms, loft and bonus room upstairs. Very open and airy. Arched doorways. Even a firepit out on the patio. And half a million dollars.

Of course, one thing that did not occur to me was that I'd be carrying Eileen all over the place. From house to house. Upstairs and downstairs and back up again. Inside and out. Hot and cold. Did I mention the stairs? And did I mention that she weighs around 24 or 25 pounds. And did I mention we looked at at least six houses? Wait, did I tell you there were stairs? And now I get to brag: because despite the heat and all the stairs, I was NOT out of breath! And, my arms did not ache. In fact, I didn't even really notice that I was starting to get a little tired of carrying her until we were in one of the last houses! It seems that my 5:30am workouts are paying off. Now, I will admit, that later that evening, my back was aching, so it did catch up with me!

And now here we are and it's Tuesday morning. Still hot as hades here. Two weeks ago we had a load of rain and our yard turned green and the flowers were gorgeous. Now it's been in the high 90s, with heat indeces (fancy word alert) in the 100s, and we've had not a drop of rain. So the yard is brown again and now my flowers just look nasty. They are long and 'leggy' looking. I will be pulling them up soon and waiting it out til mum season.

That's about it from our world. Catch ya later!

And Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

So, where were we?
Talking about the trip!


















The second day was the actual wedding. It was a blast. Kim & Bill had it in their (gorgeous) back yard. Tents, bonfires, horseshoes, live band, and barbeque! oh, and of course the nuptials. We were all dressed up for the ceremony, and within 5minutes of it being over, I was in a t-shirt and shorts and so was Eileen! It would have been nice hawod I remembered the fact that I would need to be in a family picture.. but that would have been far too much brain power. So there's Erin The Southern Cousin in her t-shirt and shorts. Good thing Bill loves me! :)

It was hot but breezy. We all just hung out and played in the backyard. Couldn't have been more perfect. All the kids had a blast running around. The adults had a blast chowing down and having a beer or two. We did not stay for the bonfire (I was bummed about that!). Eileen did great, but by 6ish she was hot and worn out, so we headed back to the hotel. But she did manage to consume a corn muffin and a piece of wedding cake. She likes her carbs!


Sunday was fantastic. Everyone was heading out of NH. Josh, Granndpa, Beanie, Eileen and I drove back to Boston. We spent the day walking around Quincy Market and Fanueil Hall. I love love love that part of Boston. I haven't been there in several years. I remember going there so many summers as a kid when we'd go to Aunt Sharon & Uncle Ron's. We ate some fried clams (well, not Josh, but the rest of us did). There really is no place that can serve up fried clams like Boston. I was in Heaven. Then we walked around. I was on the hunt for Baby Red Sox gear. We found a great vendor and dropped a load of cash there. We really shouldn't have, but how often do we get to hang out in Boston?! Josh got a new cap & a Green Monstah t-shirt, Eileen and I got matching Sox caps, and we both got a t-shirt. (ahem. and now it's also time to get the Tennessee cheerleader outfit!).

Then we made our way over to Aunt Sharon & Uncle Ron's condo. They've lived there as long as I can remember and it's just cool. They are the reason I always wanted to live in the big city (tho I ended up in NYC and not Boston, it was still b.c of them!). Their windows on one side look into the heart of downtown Boston, and on the other side they look into the Harbor. And for years they looked over the Big Dig, which now is amazingly almost finished and actually seems to have turned out quite well. We hung outr at their pool for a while. And Eileen got to ride on a swing for the first time ever. And she LOVED it. She just squealed and giggled and couldn't get enough. She just gets cuter and more fun every day.

And then we headed back to the hotel in Boston and crashed. She did even better on the plane trips back home- slept all the way through both flights. After 3days of running around, I think she was beat. But she was just insanely good the whole time.

It was great to see the family. It was great to get to hang out in Boston. We definitely came away with some great memories!

A Diversion: Code BROWN

We're taking a slight diversion from the Vacation tales. These pics have nothing to do with the story, they are just cute ones I wanted to share.

Today's posting is not for the faint of heart! In fact, it is quite grody. It may be the grodiest thing you've read in a while. (sidebar: I am well aware the word 'grody' is straight out of late 80s Valley Girl speak, and I am well-aware that 'grodiest' is probably not even a word. But isn't it fun to just keep reading those two words and saying them in your head?!)

So, last night we had a pretty normal evening.. get home from work (oh- it's hot as all get out here- heat index of over 100 and half the city lost power last night- but not us Thank Heaven) around 6. Play with Eileen a little.. get some water boiling for pasta.. get a bottle made for her.. watch some news.. sit her down in her high chair to eat while Daddy finishes getting our dinner ready. Lately she just clams up and decides she just doesn't want to eat unless it's yogurt or cheerios. I decided maybe it was the highchair - bc the whole time we were gone and she ate on the floor or stroller she didn't once protest!- so Daddy drug out the portable highchair to see if the change of scenery helped.

Eh, it did a little, she decided she'd allow me to feed her some more. So then we're eating, and she did several poots. Eh. it's cute when a baby poots. Then it became evident that she was actually pooping b.c her face gets the color of a late summer tomato! So we let her do her thing and we finished dinner. Then I thought maybe she'd want to eat more since she'd made room in her tummy! She ate a little more and then she was done. Time for a tubby!

THAT turned out to be the understatement of the year! I unbuckle her, pick her up, and OH MY WORD. There is a mound of greenish brown POO in her chair. And on her leg. UGGGGGGGG. So I pick her up and have her at arm's length and am moving at mach speed to get upstairs to the bathroom to just dump her in the tub.

Thank Heaven we have hard wood floors.

So I am running thru the den, Josh right in front of me so he can start the water. In one nano second, but also in extreme slow motion, I hear ever so slightly 'PLOP' and then feel my flip flop sliding around on the floor. I freeze. Oh Lord, no. But Oh Lord yes. More POO fell smack out of her diaper and onto the floor! And there was splatter to go along with it! And to top it off Gracie was at my heels and then was fascinated by the mound, and evidently decided it would be a great after dinner snack. So there I am holding Eileen at arm's length, she's dripping poo and crying, and I am yelling at Gracie to get the hell away from the POO! Josh hadn't yet realized any of this was happening, and then was getting upset b.c I was yelling at the dog!

At this point I just laid her down on the floor. There was now poop on her toes! Those precious toes! I just start stripping her down, so thankful for easy to clean hardwood, Josh gets the dog locked in our bedroom and the tub running. Poor Eileen is crying and scared and can't figure out why I've just unceremoniously stripped her nekkid in the middle of the living room! I am somewhat mopping up the mound - at least the size of a baseball- with baby wipes and cloth diapers. Those things rock. I can't imagine using them as actual diapers- but as cloths/rags- fantastic! Those two however, went straight to the trash. I wasn't even going to begin trying to clean them. Oh, and my shoes. There were footprints of poo where I had danced around trying to figure out what the hell to do. I did have the foresight to take those off before heading up to the carpeted 2nd floor!

She and I made it upstairs and into the warm waiting water. Whew. Poor Josh was downstairs cleaning up the rest of the floor, my shoes, and portable high chair. And poor Gracie didn't know what to think; she eventually showed up at the tubbie with Piggie in mouth - bringing us her favorite toy to make it all better.

The whole event probably lasted all of 5-6 minutes, but it felt like ages. Once we got done with the tubby Eileen was back in high sprits, and I broke my 'no wine during the week' rule.

So, that was our eventful evening. Who said life in the burbs was boring!?!?

And no complaints about the ickyness level of this entry, you had fair warning!

Day One...

We are usually the nut jobs that take the morning flight at the most ungodly hour available~ usually the 5:45am flight out! This time, however, I did manage to use what is left of my brain power and book us on a mid-morning flight. Even with packing as much as possible the night before, and even with Josh and I being up at 5:30 am to allow plenty of time to get ready and finish packing, we were still somewhat rushing out the door to get to the airport in time!

I was obsessed with the TSA site to make sure I had everything packed properly for carry-on. I had my one-qt ziploc bag of my own liquids (yes, we checked bags. But I have a fear of getting stuck somewhere overnight so I always pack some essentials in my carry-on!), none over 3oz. Then I had Eileen's bag of essentials - also none over 3oz. And of course there was a separate ziplock bag of her formula (2oz bottles) and juice (4oz bottles) and benadryl (6oz bottle!). It was OK for me to have some of her liquids over the 3oz limit, and all were in orginal unsealed packaging - but even still- not only did it have to go thru the xray, it was also photographed. The TSA folks were very nice about it all- I am sure it helped b.c of my obsessive preparation- but this is an example of why it takes ages to get thru security- b.c the TSA people have to take pictures of Benadryl and Apple Juice. (of course, I of all people, understand why this has to be done, and I am certainly not knocking security measures, but it still boggles the mind).

We made it thru security, hung out in the terminal. Let Eileen crawl around as much as possible to try and burn up some energy! Josh was quite excited to now be part of the early boarders - "those with small children who may need extra time to board the plane." Flight from Knoxville to DC was a small plane, slightly cramped, but a good flight none the less. There was an 18month old in front of us who provided Eileen with a lot of entertainment.

In my booking prowess, I somehow only allowed 45 minutes between flights in DC. But Luck was on my side! We actually landed in DC early. That was cool..we could see the Capitol building, the Washington and Lincoln monuments. We flew over Arlington and the WWII memorial. I have not been to DC since I was 13; can't wait to take Eileen there someday. So we scarfed down some airport food (my $8 turkey sandwich was just divine) and had a quick diaper change and were off to the next flight.

The beauty of the DC to Boston flight was that it was the commuter shuttle. So you have a planeful of people who travel regularly. Translation: they know how to get on and off a plane quickly and effieciently. They know NOT to get up to go to the restroom as the plane is taxiing out of the gate (and therefore stop all action as we know it). They know not to use cell phones and ipods during takeoff and landing. Really, a pleasant experience. We had a whole row to ourselves which was nice for spreading out. As you see in teh first picture, Eileen passed out in my arms. That was right after she learned she could raise and lower the window shade. Mommy stopped that little activity right away b.c it was loud and I didn't want to be that parent!

We made it to Boston, got our bags amazingly fast. Grandpa and Beanie had already gone on to the rental car place and were heading back to the terminal to get us. Delta managed to lose Grandpa's luggage (but not Beanie's- how does that happen?!).

What should have been a quick trip to New Hampshire turned into a traffic jam, but we eventually made it there. Eileen got a tad fussy but nothing a bottle couldn't fix! Granpa and Daddy went to the store to get some baby food and beer (nice) and of course I forgot to tell them to get diapers. I mean, that's like forgetting to get gas at the gas station!!! At least I had enough to get through to the morning. We went on to the rehearsal dinner.. I really didn't know if we'd stay long b.c I wasn't sure how long Eileen would hold up.

HA! She's a regular club kid! She was in high spirits.. fascinated watching her older cousins run around.. fascinated by Uncle Dick - he appears to have hung the moon in her world! She had a blast hanging out with Nick and Dan (bottom picture). Nick tickled her and made her giggle just like his dad used to do to me when I was a baby! Funny how things go in cycles like that. Nick (who will be 15 in November) said he felt old b.c he sees how big Jack (5) and Emma (also 5) are. HA! I remember when Nick was born, and now he's taller than me by a head and has a girlfriend. Talk about old. (heehee.. but his dad is still older than me! love ya Bob!) There was a big dance area and Eileen had free reign to move all around the floor (while managing to avoid the 5year olds running around!). She also was a fan of crawling UNDER the tables. That was stopped as quickly as it was started!

Anyway, it was well after 10pm by the time we got back to the hotel. Eileen was no worse for the wear. She was still giggling and ready to play! But the minute I put the bottle in her mouth, she passed out. She was not a fan of sleeping in the pack-n-play provided by the hotel. Since we had a king-size bed, we let her sleep with us. Sometimes it's just easy that way. And it's just so sweet to wake up and she's next to you. And now, in the middle of the night, she has a habit of rolling over andputting her arm around my (or Josh's ) neck. Words really can't to justice to how sweet that is.

So that was Day One. Up early.. plane rides.. car rides.. meeting most of her extended family on Grandpa's side... and then crashing with Mommy and Daddy in a really really big bed. Does it get any better?!

The Trip!

Whew. We're home! This will be a short posting. I'm at work - even tho I was only out two days, AND I kept up with emails while gone- I am still catching up to a load of stuff. And there's so much to tell, and of course so many pictures, that the blog about the trip will just have to encompass several postings!

But I will say, it was a fantastic trip. Eileen was so good it bordered on freaky. I just keep waiting for the other foot to drop. She was amazing on the flights- no need for the Benadryl. On the last flight yesterday, she slept the whole time - even through the landing! She was good in the hotels, at the rehearsal dinner - which kept her out partying past 10pm, at the wedding, and on our day in Boston. She missed a lot of naps and was nowhere near being on routine, but she didn't seem to be phased by it. Amazing.

We had a blast, loved getting to see so much of the family. Its fun to get to hang out with Cousins, Aunts, Uncles... we get to see them so little!

Here are a few of the (over 200!) shots we got while on the road...

Pooh chilling on the plane. Eileen fast asleep (with Pooh of course) smack in the middle of the king size bed in the hotel.

Grandpa & Josh in front of the Black Rose (also known as the main hangout of Boston Based IRA!) - not sure if you can really see Eileen's face, but it's hilarious.

Josh, Eileen & I on Aunt Sharon's balcony, which just happens to overlook the Boston skyline.

You can, of course, take a sneak peak at the pics at www.eileenloebner.shutterfly.com

Tune in for more later...