Trip to Charlotte

Whitney and I recently took a girls trip to Charlotte. We flew down on Tuesday morning and came home Saturday morning, so we had a nice long visit. We had to leave Tim behind for Valentine's Day but we got to spend it with Brady, Niki, Cole and Haley. Sue cooked a special meal and she and John served us like we were in a restaurant. The kids all thought it was pretty cool!

We got to enjoy some warm Charlotte weather on the back patio and a fun trip to the park. Grandma had a few fun toys of her own and borrowed some toys from a friend, so Whitney kept busy playing with all the new things. She especially liked the play food and Mister Potato Head. Haley came over a few afternoons to play with Whitney. They had so much fun and she really wore Whitney out! Whitney also watched Princess and the Frog and Snow White for the first time.

I got very spoiled and got to sleep in everyday! I also took advantage of the amazing kids consignment shops and found tons of great stuff for Whitney and the baby! I also got treated to a manicure and pedicure!

We had a fantastic time and are thankful for the quality time with the family!

Movie time!

Fun big girl time!



Whitney wearing Uncle Brady out!

Valentine Activities

I knew I wanted to do a few fun activities with Whitney for Valentine's Day but wasn't exactly sure how to get her to grasp the concept. I came across a book that perfectly explains several Valentine activities you could do. And how perfect, it was Curious George! We read this book for a few days so Whitney was so excited when I said we were going to do something for Valentine's Day today.

First, we decorated a box so that as she received Valentines, she could put them in her box. This kept her occupied for a good hour. It was great!

Then it was the first step of making Valentine's Day cards for Papa and the Grandparents. One day we started with making red hand prints. Then I let her go crazy with the finger paints. The next day we put the Valentines together. Below is the finished product. I give credit to my friend Kelly for the hearts cut out of the finger painting art!

Cookies! You may remember at Christmas the post about the annual Christmas cookies. Well, we do it for Valentine's Day too. I hosted it at my house and along with Ann and Gigi, my mom and sister joined in. Of course, Whitney's meals consisted of mainly cookies that day. I made her a separate batch of slice n' bake so she could decorate with us but without using up our fancy cookies.

This year we got very ambitious and took on some new recipes. Red velvet cake pops. They were so delicious and looked pretty too. But I can't take any credit for them, I was mainly on cookie duty. My friend Sam sent me her amazing sugar cookie recipe and stopped by to show us how to do the fancy Royal Icing. First you do a thicker border, then flood the cookie with thinner icing and then decorate away. Ann found some cool techniques online that created what I would describe as a sort of tie dye heart effect. We were pretty proud of how they all turned out! I believe our total was 90 cookies and 45 cake pops!

The weekend leading up to Valentine's Day, Tim and I had a little DC Getaway. We wanted to do something like this before the little boy arrives! We took Whitney out to stay at my parents on Saturday morning and we had about 30 hours of just the two of us. We started off the weekend with some shopping at the outlet mall. We came home napped and relaxed on the couch. (I can't help but think what in the world did we do to keep ourselves occupied before Whitney!) Then we went to a great dinner at Sonoma Restaurant and enjoyed a long leisurely dinner. We stayed at a fantastic hotel called The Liaison Hotel in Capitol Hill. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Art and Soul restaurant and made a quick stop by Eastern Market on the way home. Definitely, more of a summer activity! Sunday we relaxed around the house and got ready for the week. It was a wonderful weekend. Thanks Mom and Dad!

On Valentine's Day morning we got up early and Whitney and I flew to Charlotte to visit Grandma and Grandpa for the week. We got to have a special dinner with Brady, Niki, Cole, and Haley. We sat at the festive dining room table while Sue and John played restaurant. We were served a delicious 3 course meal. We had fun conversation and Whitney had fun running around and playing hide n' seek. We of course wished Tim could have joined us but someone has to work around here! He sent a special delivery of chocolate covered strawberries and cake pops! Can't wait to devour them up! Thanks, Babe! We miss you!

Just the Three of Us

This past weekend we took our last trip to Kiawah before the baby boy arrives. It was incredibly relaxing. The weather was perfect. I got treated to a little spa day! It was just what I needed. As we lounged on the deck the last day while Whitney was napping, I realized it was our last trip as a family of three. It brought a mixture of emotion as we approach a new phase of our life. I am so eager for him to arrive but I thought, ok, I really need to enjoy all of this! I will not feel this well rested and relaxed for a LONG time!

We also had a wonderful time celebrating my Mom's 60th birthday! We enjoyed a fantastic dinner out and are so lucky to continue to create so many family memories together!

I guess I wasn't on top of my picture taking this trip. We somehow missed a picture of the birthday girl! But here are a few highlights.

I really didn't mean for us to match so much!

She looks so old in this picture:(

She kicked this ball all day long.
Helping assemble some new deck furniture.

Enjoying the fruits of her labor!

My Little Yogi

Though Tim calls me a drill sergeant at times when it comes to eating and working out, Whitney has taken a liking to exercise all on her own. I swear I am not running drills on my two year old! Whenever Tim or I have worked out in the basement Whitney has always loved to join in. Lifting 2 lbs dumbbells, doing lunges, push ups or upward facing dog. She even takes ques from my prenatal workout video on when to bring me my water bottle! When we go for walks outside, all Whitney wants to do is run. And I have to say she has a mean left soccer kick!

Two weeks ago I got stricken with some type of food poisoning. It was awful and being pregnant it seemed to take me twice as long to recover. Poor Whitney just looked confused as I spent a good part of two days in bed or on the couch. I searched for things to do and found a show On Demand for kids called Fun and Fit. How perfect, Whitney is in a Fun and Fit class at the community center. It wasn't exactly for toddlers. More like 8 year olds doing yoga. But Whitney loved it, rolled out her yoga mat and followed along. Well, a little bit. I was very impressed with her tree pose in the picture below.

Snow!

With the amount of time Tim and Whitney spent outside this weekend, you would have thought we got a foot of snow. Oh no, just under an inch and it was pretty much ice. Whitney loves being outside no matter what the weather condition is and this was her first real let's play in the snow and go sledding kind of winter.

She started the morning off with some time on the deck. I loved that I could stay in my PJ's and enjoy my coffee while watching her eat the snow. After about 45 minutes, Tim brought her in for some warm chocolate milk!

Then about an hour later they ventured out front and broke out the little blow-up sled we had picked up back in November. Tim pulled her around the neighborhood and found a good hill to send her down...many, many times. The squeals coming from her as she flew down the hill were just so adorable! After a good nap they made their way out again that afternoon and then finished off the weekend with some more time outside on Sunday afternoon. She thinks this was fun, wait till we really have a snow storm!

The Little Prince

Through this journey of losing a baby, I have met some extraordinary women. We are all part of a "club" that is one you don't want to join. However, through it all you have someone else who might know how you feel and can be there to listen when no one else understands. A friend sent me this beautiful card for Christine's birthday that just touched me in so many ways. I am posting this poem so I can always look back on it, but to also share it with you all as you remember a loved one that is no longer living.

What makes this poem even more unique to me is I understudied for this play a few years back. So, as I read this and think of Christine, I also have beautiful images to go a long with it. Funny how things come back into your life in ways like this. Thank you Sara and all the other baby loss moms that have been there for me!

In one of the stars

I shall be living

In one of them

I shall be laughing

And so it will be

As if all the stars

Were laughing

When you look

At the sky at night

And there is sweetness

In the laughter of all the stars…

And in the memories of those you love.

The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Christine's First Birthday

Today is a birthday at our house. Our baby Christine was born one year ago today. I have thought about this day since the day she was born. What will it be like. How will I feel. What will I do.

Well, we went about our normal day. Tim went to work. Whitney and I went to our weekly Bible Study class (I got to help out in her classroom today). I cooked dinner and went to my pre-natal Yoga class. And Christine was on my mind. Like everyday, the loss of my little girl still heavily rests on my heart. But one year later I can say that I am happy again...though it never seemed possible. I am thankful for the presence she has in our lives. We have grown so much in the last year and I am so grateful for the family I have and the little one that is coming soon. Christine has changed our lives forever.

We lit a candle today in her memory and watched it burn throughout the day. A little reminder she is always with us. We celebrated her spirit with some cupcakes. My amazing husband sent me flowers. Today was a good day.

This past weekend was dedicated to Christine as well. We decided it was time to spread her ashes. After we lost Christine, we couldn't wrap our minds around what we wanted to do with them. Months past and we didn't really talk about it. With the expected arrival of a new little one and her pending birthday, we knew the time had come. We decided on an idea that Tim had come up with last year right before she was born. We spread her ashes amongst some Cherry Trees in DC. Now every Spring we have a beautiful place to remember our little girl by. We know every year we might not make it down but we know that we can turn on the TV anywhere in the world and see this beautiful site. And to think that our family and friends will think of her when they see them makes me so happy.

Finally, thank you to our family and friends for the continued support. I feel relationships have deepened and conversations have been had that may not have been if it weren't for Christine. Every time you reach out or just mention her name, it means so much.

Gotta say hi to Mrs. Roosevelt!