The Weekend That Was

It was a busy weekend around here for the Nobles.  A weekend full of family visits and even more proof that our baby, despite our warnings to her that she shouldn’t, is growing up on us.

Papa (David’s dad) came for a visit.  He was in town for a conference for work and so he and Annie got some nice reconnecting time in.  We are looking forward to introducing Annie to all of her Indiana family next weekend when we take her for her first real car trip.  All prayers for a happy traveling baby are appreciated!

Annie had her 3-month photos taken on Saturday – and oh how she handled the paparazzi.  We simply cannot wait to see the finished product.  I mean, we think she’s one really cute baby and I think these photos are going to give us more and more proof of that.  And with adorable accessories like this hat, crafted just for her by our dear friend Rachel, how could the pictures end up being anything less than perfect?

We also made a quick little trip to my mom's house in Mt. Sterling for my nephew, Dylan’s, 16^th birthday party.  How he got so old – and how I got old enough to have a 16-year-old nephew who is NOT the oldest nephew I have – baffles me. 

I’ll just let you guess who gave her that outfit…Um, yes.  It was Grandma.  It's amazing we got a shot of her with her shirt so conservatively positioned.  She has developed a habit now of pulling shirts like this up to her chin.  It's like Babies Gone Wild around here these days.

And, in addition to all this family time, Annie proved this weekend that she is making a habit out of taking naps in her crib instead of her infant swing.  I don’t know why this is such a big deal to me.  I think this is already the second time I’ve mentioned it on this blog (and I'll try to make it the last...but Mama is just so impressed), but for whatever reason it feels like a milestone to me. 

And she wakes up from these naps a very happy girl!

And Annie’s not the only one reaching new milestones.  Mommy managed to take a bubble bath for the first time since before Annie made her grand entrance into our little world.  And Daddy wasn’t even home to keep an eye on baby girl.  (Don’t worry, she was napping at the time.  I didn’t just leave her alone with the pets as her only chaperones or anything).  I think this was a big deal to me because I kind of proved to myself that I can go back to doing some of the things I took for granted before we had a baby.  Hopefully this means I'll be able to unplug the control freak in me long enough to start running again some day soon...but we'll take baby steps for now.

So as we recover from a busy and happy weekend, we get ready for yet another big milestone this week.  Monday is Annie’s first day of “school” (otherwise known as daycare).  Since I went back to work a month ago my mom has been watching Annie – and spoiling her in all the best ways.  And I really can’t say enough how grateful I am for her and her eagerness to help us out until we could secure a spot in a daycare we really feel comfortable with.   

So tomorrow is the first day we have to drop her off to stay all day somewhere that is not our home.  I don’t know why the thought of taking her to daycare makes me sad.  I have already adjusted somewhat to not being at home with her during the day.  I have zero reservations about the facility we have chosen or the way they will care for her.  I think daycare in general, and this daycare specifically, will be very good for Annie - allowing her opportunities to interact with other little people and be cared for by people who know a heck of a lot more about child development than I do.  But I still get a big old lump in my throat when I think about leaving her tomorrow.  I expect there will be tears…from me, not from her.   Be sure to check back for a status report on how Mommy handled the big day -- as for Annie, I'm sure she'll be just fine!