A Date Night

It used to be that almost every Friday and Saturday night would be a date night. Just by the nature of being a young married couple without any children, we would often find ourselves out to eat on the weekends, or even during the week, with very little planning or forethought. Since Emerson was born, it seems I can count on one hand the number of dates we have had in the last 9 months. Let's see, we were able to celebrate our anniversary in December...hmm but most of our other 'dates' have been Prom, the Military Ball, or some other school function. Date nights just aren't as frequent as they used to be! It's not that we have neglected our marriage; it's simply that the weeks are flying by so quickly. Times that use to be just Boomer and me are now for our family of three. After spending most of the week apart, it's hard to think about spending more hours away from our little girl. Knowing that it is still important to invest in our marriage, Boomer was so sweet to plan a date night for us this past Saturday, complete with babysitter arrangements! He asked my parents first, but they had plans with their Sunday School group, so then he asked Megan. Yes, my sister who already has two kids! Unbelievably, she said 'yes.' Knowing it would be impossible for her to be at her own home for bedtime and also at our house, they came up with the plan for Emmy to spend the night. This would be the first night that she would spend away from us and the first night that we would be at home without a baby. To ensure success for all parties involved, we tried to limit the amount of time Megan would have to be in charge of all three kiddos (did I mention Zack had to work late?) We dropped Em off around 5PM, and then, we planned for Boomer to pick her up the next morning at 7AM. If all things went according to plan, it would mean only a couple of hours of Meg flying solo with Emmy, Maddox, and Zander. She was a trooper! 

 As we were leaving the Houston's, I came out to the car and noticed that Boomer had put a special parking placard on his rearview mirror -- it was for the Founder's Club at the WS Dash! I don't know that all girls would get excited about a night at the ballpark, but this date is a trademark Boomer-Lindsey 'winner'. The Founder's Club is actually now called the Flow Club (but I still call it the Founder's Club) and it is the swanky, air-conditioned, all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink box seats at the Winston-Salem Dash. We've been able to go once or twice in the past from friends who have given us tickets, and it is such a treat. We joke that it's livin' how the 'other half' lives! It was a beautiful summer evening, perfect for baseball, perfect for a date night. We enjoyed watching the game, and I kept score like in the past when Boomer first taught me how. (Can you imagine keeping score with a 9-month old?? Impossible!) It was nice to have some adult conversation and to enjoy the company of my husband. Between pitches, we would sneak looks at our phones, and Meg sent the cutest updates of the cousins playing. It seems Emmy enjoyed the date night as much as we did!

We had Emmy's 9-month doctor's appointment today. Luckily, this appointment didn't include any shots! It was just a well-check, and the doctor asked several questions to gauge Emmy's development: is she crawling? does she respond to her name? is she holding her own bottle and bringing food to her mouth? does she play games like peek-a-boo and patty cake? is she pulling up on furniture? By my answers, it seems like she is right on track with these developmental milestones. She responds to her name (both Emerson and Emmy); just recently because of daycare, she is holding her own bottle; we are still working on bringing food to her mouth (and not playing with it); she likes to play peek-a-boo and can clap. She isn't yet pulling up on furniture, but she likes to stand when being held, and she can hold herself up if she is placed in a standing position against an object. By her measurements, she continues to be long and lean: 17 lbs 9 ounces (37% for weight), 29" long (91%), and head circumference of 44.5 cm (65%). After the appointment, I kept her out of daycare for the rest of the day, so we were able to spend some extra time together. We had a spontaneous lunch with Aunt Megan during her workday, and then we had a playdate with Katie and Grant (who is now 5 months old!) Here are a few pictures from the appointment and also from the rest of the week.

 

This weekend officially marks the end of summer. Boomer is actually at his school's Open House Night right now. His students start on Monday. My new county (Surry Co.) is a week behind, so I will start with Teacher Workdays on Monday, and students will come back the week after that. We hope to soak up these last few days of summertime before the rush of the school year starts again!