Friday, April 30, 2010

Weekend in the Big D

Last weekend Andy, JJ and I took a little road trip to Dallas. The big draw was the Detroit Tigers vs Texas Rangers baseball game on Saturday night. JJ did really well in the car (the drive is a little over 3 hours).

(Andy and I were also good in the car so we rewarded ourselves with DQ Blizzards on the way to Dallas.  It was buy one, get one for $0.25!  Who has the willpower to pass that up?)

We enjoyed a pre-game dinner at a bbq restaurant Andy had scouted out called Smoke. Yum-my!

Yes, all this food was for 2 people.  No, we didn't eat it all (but came pretty close).  And how cute is the piggy plate?!
JJ's interest in the baseball game was mixed.  We made it until the 8th inning before he started showing signs of a complete meltdown.  Luckily, the Tigers had it in the bag by then so we made an early getaway and beat the traffic. 

It was fortunate we left when we did because J had a conniption fit on the way back to the hotel. He eventually settled down and luxuriated in the Sheraton's fine linens.

On Sunday, we took our first family trip to the zoo! The Dallas Zoo was just so-so I'd have to say, and JJ slept through a lot of it, but it was still a nice little adventure for us.  We saw some penguins...



...and some turtles...
...and a bunch of other animals, including meerkats.  (Most of the meerkats weren't this tall.)
We finished off the weekend with dinner at Olive Garden since it was April 25th : 10 years exactly since our first date at Olive Garden on 4/25/00 in Jackson, Michigan :)
On that first date, neither of us ever imagined that 10 years later we'd be married, living in Texas, and toting a 2.5-month-old along to our date-iversary!!

Catch-up post: JJ meeting his family

JJ was fortunate to have lots of visitors during his first couple of months in the world.  Posting some photos of these first encounters with various family members is long overdue!  So here we go ....

Starting with the visitors in the hospital right after JJ was born.
JJ's Grandpa was the very first visitor, within a few hours of JJ's birth!

Quickly followed by Aunt Jess and Uncle Eric:
The day after we got home from the hospital, Grandma held JJ for the first time:

When JJ was about two weeks old, the first great-grandparent paid a visit!  Here is JJ with Great-Grandpa Stang and Nancy who traveled here from Pennsylvania:

Before JJ was even three weeks old, we had more relatives swooping in! Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Moore came from upstate NY to meet their first great-grandson.  JJ models the hat and blanket Great-Grandma made for him.

At three weeks of age, JJ was lucky enough to meet his Uncle Jeff and Erin during their spring break from UofM.  They were fabulous baby-sitters :)

JJ was 5.5 weeks old when he met Grandma Neecie and Grandpa Chubby (jk!), who made the long drive from Michigan to Texas to meet their first grandson.
Just before JJ's 2-month "birthday" we ventured to Ohio.  JJ met his baby cousin Fiona, his auntie Jen, and his uncle Dave (not pictured).  Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Anderson from Tennessee made a trip up north to see both their great-grandbabies (see 4/9/10 post for other photos).

JJ is a lucky dude to have such a wonderful family!

Swimming in the bathtub




JJ loves bathtime. With every bath, he learns to kick harder and thrash his arms in a more spastic manner. He looks forward to going for a swim 2 or 3 nights a week. At 11 weeks he has nearly outgrown his whale-shaped tub.


Saturday, April 17, 2010

Denim overalls: spanning genders and generations!

These denim cutoffs were a flippin' sweet wardrobe choice back in 1979.  Check them out on baby Steph!  (Steph's mom was rocking some denim herself -- looking fab.)
Grandma LAM held onto these overalls all these years, so now JJ gets to wear them.  He puts his mom to shame!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

JJ smiling!

A little video update. I will warn you the video is a good 2.5 minutes long, but there is a some good smiling in the middle and at the end.

Friday, April 9, 2010

What's cuter than a two-month-old baby? TWO two-month-old babies!

We had a great time meeting JJ's cousin Fiona last weekend.  Lots of cuteness, as you can see!

JJ also got to meet his great-grandma and great-grandpa Anderson for the first time!  We're so glad they could drive up from Tennessee :)

Flying on a jet plane


JJ took his first airplane trip last weekend!  We flew to Cleveland to meet JJ's cousin Fiona and attend cousin Scott's wedding in Columbus.

JJ is a great traveler; he slept pretty much the entire time we were in the air.  We've decided we need to re-create the airplane environment at home so he will sleep here better!

Friday, April 2, 2010

This is gonna sting a little, no foolin' ...

Here is JJ on his way to the pediatrician's office for his 2-month check-up yesterday (April Fools!).                                                        


JJ now weighs 11 lbs 8 oz and is 23.5 inches long.  He was in a great mood while the doctor examined him. He only cried for a minute or two after receiving his THREE shots.  What a brave boy!  He made Mommy and Grandma proud :)

Happy Easter?

Awww :(  Somebunny is NOT so happy!
That's better.  Thanks for the sweet stuffed bunny, Grandma!