Mornings with Robert

I have slowly turned into a morning person. My college self would be amazed but oh how times have changed. Most mornings Robert wakes up so happy. Rob and I usually get a kick out of watching him on the monitor just rolling around in his crib, squealing and playing. After we change him and spend a tiny bit of time in his room, we come downstairs. Downstairs we nurse, we spend time with Rob before he to goes to work (we feel so grateful to have him working from home!), we listen to worship music, Robert sits in his Baby Bjorn bounce chair and kicks while I drink my coffee and make breakfast. Then we go for our morning walk together. Mornings with Robert are the best. 💗

Now that we are in Williamsburg I have loved getting out for my 2 (ish) mile loop with him most mornings. He usually uses it as his first nap but before he falls asleep we look for bunnies and chat about the day ahead... AKA Robert stares at me while I chit chat about bunnies & animals and our plan for the day. I have made a new friend while out walking and have loved being able to walk with her, as well as have been able to walk twice now with my old childhood babysitter, which is just the neatest full circle. 

I love our neighborhood! There are tons of trees and it connects directly to the Capital Trail and cuts through First Colony so we can also easily walk to Chris and Katie's house. Walking this loop with Robert is something I've grown to really look forward to each morning. 

Of course, there are moments throughout my day that I wonder what my co-workers are doing or how

certain students are holding up but these non-rushed, cozy, stay-at-home mornings are my absolute favorite. I feel very lucky to have this time with our little man. 

Robert gets RSV

Our little man just recently got over having RSV. 

We are incredibly lucky and grateful that he only had a  mild case but of course it still broke our hearts to see him sick. It started out with him having a super running nose (cue up nose Frieda for the win!) then turned into coughs and a few rough nights of sleep, which had us worrying because it was all so different than his typical demeanor. Thankfully our pediatrician squeezed us in for an appointment the same day I called. I'm so glad we decided to take him to see the doctor because he ended up testing positive for RSV. Robert got a nebulizer that we used every 4 hours in the beginning and then began slowly weening him off.   

Overall he was still our happy boy! He was a trooper!

First Post! Let's Play Some Catch Up

My first post! Woohoo! I am beyond excited to be starting this blog in hopes of it serving as a "scrapbook" so to speak for my family. I have attempted to actually scrapbook (inspired by my Mom's beautiful scrapbooks) and in the past I have loved to journal but these days I just can't seem to find the time to do either, so here I am trying something new and inspired by my sister in law's amazing family blog. This seems like a great solution to chronicling the everyday moments, both the ordinary and exceptional ones in one place that we can look back on together and cherish as a family. 

This initial post is way longer than what I am envisioning for my "typical" post because I'm going to play a little catch up to get us up to date since moving to Williamsburg, Virginia back in June. 

1.) Moving Day! Rob, Robert and I moved to Williamsburg on June 5, 2021. It was a HOT moving day but we were thrilled for our new adventure to begin in Williamsburg. Robert was a champion baby on move day... napping with Mom on our usual morning walk and sleeping most of the way in the car on 95 South. The moving truck blew a tire on the way down to Williamsburg so it was a long day but we finished the day with smiles on our faces while enjoying pizza and a beer in our new kitchen. 

2.) I closed a chapter of my life... 8 amazing years working for Loudoun County Public Schools. 6 years working at the elementary level and 2 in the high school level. Even now typing this I feel emotional thinking back on the amazing relationships that came out of my time in LCPS. My co- workers turned into family and the students brought me so much joy. I will be forever grateful for my time at Cedar Lane Elementary, Sanders Corner Elementary and Broad Run High School. 

A huge thank you to Gaby (Rob's Mom) for helping to watch Robert during the work day so I could enjoy my last full week as a School Counselor after maternity leave. 

2.) Rob's First Father's Day- We celebrated while being at the beach with my family. Rob is such a wonderful Dad and Robert loves him so much. Rob is playful and is the one that can get Robert to giggle the most. We love you! 

3.) Robert's First Beach trip- We are so lucky to spend one full week every June with my family at the beach. This was Robert's first time seeing the ocean and touching his toes to the sand and water. He was such a happy boy sleeping in his pack-n-play in our flamingo room. He hung pretty well at the beach too, napping in our arms and staying for a few hours at a time but he definitely thought the ocean was a bit too freezing for his liking. 

4.) 4th of July- Rob's parents came to visit and we had a blast. We went into Colonial Williamsburg to enjoy hot dogs and beers at Precarious and then had Katie, Chris and their kids over for a grill out. 

5.) Rob's 37th Birthday- to celebrate we went to Billsburg Brewery. My parents, Rob's parents and Katie, Chris and the kiddos were able to join too which made it so fun. Rob got a grill for his birthday, which we have been LOVING. 

6.) Millpond day with my family- I love our Millpond. It's such a special place for my family. I'm so excited for Robert to grow up making memories there too with his cousins. 

7.) Beach trip #2- this time just Robert and I went. After a quite interesting drive there (some tears by Robert and deeps breathes takin by me) we arrived for a few days of fun with just my parents, Jonathan, Kostan and Quinn. I was nervous about traveling without Rob and knew that we would miss him. We definitely did but we also had a wonderful time with my family. It was nice having some 1:1 time with Mamie and Papa, as well as time with my brother. Robert did a fabulous job sleeping in the closet (the same closet I grew up sleeping in) so I was able to enjoy card games and watching the Olympics with my family every night after he went to sleep. 

8. Robert's First Trip to the Library- Robert has a library card! We have begun the 1000 books before Kindergarten Challenge and Mamie (retired elementary school librarian) is ecstatic. Don't let Robert's seriousness fool you - he had a blast picking out his very own book that he got to take home, "Can you Cuddle like a Koala".