Spring Break and Birthdays

The past two weeks have been full of fun Spring Break activities. Although I did not have the time off, Emmy enjoyed first the Spring Break of Aunt Megan and then the Spring Break of Daddy. Luckily, the two school systems had the same Spring Break last year, and that is when we went to Disney! This year, the two weeks fell on opposite sides of Easter. During Aunt M's Spring Break, she planned a lot of fun activities for the boys, and she included Em and Grammy in their trip to the Science Center. For quite some time (well, since November!), my mom was on a mission to find car seats that would fit in the back of her Camry; she wanted to be able to transport all three grandchildren at the same time. Luckily, she found just the right size for Zander's booster seat, and within an inch, she got her wish: all three kiddos piled in the back of Grammy's car! What a cute picture it makes! With Emmy in the middle, her two cousins on each side keep her laughing and giggling for most of the ride; that is, until she inevitably falls asleep. Since the Science Center is in Greensboro, it worked out perfectly for them to meet me during my lunch break. I enjoyed having an hour of 'Spring Break' with them!

The University was closed on Good Friday, so I did have this day off with all the Spring Breakers. After a 10-mile run for Meg and me (whew!), we continued the annual tradition of dying Easter eggs. It was Em's first time participating, and she enjoyed swinging and kicking around while Zander did all the hard work. Maddox attempted a few eggs, but after a minor mishap with the green mug, we let Zander finish the rest. It was a fun cousin activity! Aunt M got Emmy her very first Easter basket with her name on it, which will be perfect for Easter egg hunts in the future. This year, it made for a pretty table decoration along with the birthday flowers I received from Boomer. But I won't skip ahead to Easter yet, because on the Saturday in between Good Friday and Easter, we had a fun-filled day. First, we tried food for the first time. Well, I'm not sure if we should really call it 'food' -- rather, I should say we tried a spoon for the first time. We mixed some rice cereal with breastmilk and kept the consistency pretty thin. After a few confused, funny faces and a few small spills, Em started to get the hang of it. She would start to open her mouth when the spoon came towards her. While we are certainly not ready for a full course meal, she is learning how to swallow and take food from a spoon. Grammy has continued to work with her this week, and she sends videos that show how quickly Em is improving. We will soon move from the rice cereal to other things like fruits and vegetables. I've been told to be prepared for changes in her diaper, so I am a little nervous! Even so, I know she can't survive on only milk forever. It's hard to believe how quickly each new stage is coming. Even just seeing those bendy baby spoons in the kitchen drawer with our other utensils is a reminder that our little girl is growing and changing.

 After experimenting with the rice cereal, we spent some time outdoors at the Wake vs. Notre Dame baseball game. It was a 4:00PM game, so after Em woke from her afternoon nap (all that eating is tiring!), we headed to the ballpark. The weather was perfect, and Em was entertained for several innings with all the sights and sounds. I tested out my Ergo carrier for the first time, and it worked well for the walk to and from the car. It also came in handy when Em got a little fussy during the 5th inning. I walked around in the concessions area until she fell asleep. We were able to watch a little more of the game, but by the 6th inning (and after I sneezed!), Em was awake and ready to go home. We kept to Em's bedtime of 7:30PM, and Daddy was content with listening to the end of the game on the radio. Luckily, Wake won -- Go Deacs! (Oh, and there was free admission for fans that wore pink, which explains why Boomer is matching his girls!)

 Easter Sunday was a special day as we celebrated Christ's resurrection and also my 31st birthday. My birthday has fallen on Easter two other times in the past. It is a neat coincidence to have two occasions on the same day. I loved starting the day with my family all on the same row at church. After the church service, just our little family of 3 made a spontaneous trip back to Winston-Salem for a picnic on Wake's campus. The weather was just perfect -- sunny, mid-70s. After we ate, we [squeezed onto a small blanket and] played with Em while she kicked around. Since she was born in the late fall, she is just starting to spend time outdoors, and I think she likes the fresh air. She also seems to like Wake! We captured several smiles while she jibber-jabbered and played in the grass. After our picnic, we headed home for naps for both Kennedy girls. Then, we met back up with my family for dinner at East Coast Wings. Em enjoyed being passed around and also tugging on Grandpa's beard. All three of the April birthdays (Grammy, Zander, and me) blew out the candles on a homemade cheesecake, courtesy of Grammy. Even at 31, I'm still spoiled with my choice of birthday dessert!

Just to re-cap, we tried a spoon for the first time, Mommy turned a year older, and Em went to her first baseball game! And if that's not enough for one week, Grammy captured a good shot of the two teeth that are starting to poke through on the bottom row, and one more milestone: Em wore shoes for the first time! Check out her sweet kicks!