Kumquats and such

A long time ago, Aunt Lynsey sent Reagan the cutest outfit, but it came with an apology note to me...mainly because it was a navy blue dress with an orange ribbon and orange lettering with Reagan's monogram, yup, that's right, UVA colors:)  Luckily I'm not one to get hung up on rivalries (most of the time anyway), so here's a look at the outfit.  So adorable.  Ignore the poorly tied ribbon.  Reagan has gotten too "handsy" so I had to double knot it!

Well, not exactly, but with the warm temps we've been blessed with lately, I can't help getting excited.  As you know, I tried my hat at gardening last year.  As I would consider it a mostly-successful venture, I'm shooting for round 2 even earlier this year.  In the fall, Jason and I planted a couple shrubs and some daffodil bulbs.  The 65-degree average over the last week was enough to wake the shoots from those bulbs... Now we just have to pray that it doesn't freeze again and kill them:(  In addition to these flowers, I recently planted cilantro, basil, rosemary, and parsley in a seed tray inside the house.  Although it's too cold to transplant them to the outside, they are doing well in their indoor place on my kitchen shelf.  The only threat they currently face is my niece, Julieta, picking them!   Needless to say, I can hardly wait to get the garden started again and will probably do so quite soon.  I've got to break out my books an...

This past weekend, Reagan and Tommy and I packed up the car and headed to Raleigh to attend Keith & Colleen's joint baby shower.  They were wonderful hosts and on Friday night they treated us (and Keith's family) to dinner at a local B-B-Q place called The Pit.  Reagan even got to test out the new crib in the nursery!  (I'm an idiot and forgot to take pictures of the nursery, but it's absolutely gorgeous and it made me sad that we didn't decorate one for Reagan.  Not sad enough to do anything about it, but anyway, I digress...) On Saturday, friends and family came over to enjoy refreshments, talk of the new baby on it's way, and just show support for the Belward's.  All in all, it was a fun gathering and I think Colleen & Keith got a large part of their registry knocked out:)  Colleen looked fabulous as always, and Keith was looking pretty good too (and demonstrating his dedication to P90X by exercising with his new 20-pound weight...Reagan). ...

Now every parent I've ever spoken to gives advice (unsolicited or not).  One of the common threads I've found is this: "They grow up too quickly.  Enjoy this time when they are babies!"  I am making every attempt to savor the time when Reagan just wants to sit and cuddle or roll around the floor and play with me, but I keep having nightmares that she's going to be 13 tomorrow and hate me (as is common with most pre-teen and teenage girls).  I suppose it's because I read Firefly Lane, a wonderful book, that includes a detailed description of a mother dealing with her teen daughter and the massive fights they have.  While I know it's inevitable that we'll have our fair share of arguments, I can't help but think (or hope) that somehow we'll be different.  While I'm sure I was a terror to my own parents - or at least Jessica was - I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe we'll be able to escape such a destiny.  Here's hoping anyway... H...

Jason attempted to teach Reagan the mechanics of crawling recently.  It hasn't quite worked out, but it sure made for some cute pictures:

*This stunt was performed under the careful supervision of Mommy & Daddy*

Thanks for the outfit Grandma!  (and the candy that Mommy & Daddy won't let me have:)

Today is Mil's birthday!  Here's to a wonderful woman who spoils not only her grandchild, but also her son and Dil.  We can't wait to see you in May!!  We love you very much!

It's official...Colleen is now "in her 30s!"  Happy 31st birthday Colleen.  Hope you have a wonderful day.  And as one of our high school teachers once said, "I hope you get half of what you wish for, and everything you desire."  We love you!

That I started making Reagan's baby food!  At our baby shower last year, Mil gave me the Beaba  baby food maker and my other mom, Betty, gave me a food mill to puree veggies.  We started giving Reagan vegetables (squash, carrots, peas, etc) a few weeks ago, and we used Gerber  stage 1 foods.  I knew that I wanted to make my own food for Miss Reagan, but didn't want to jump into it before we got the basics down.  Well, the time came today.  We broke out both baby food making machines and tested each method.  I made carrots with the Beaba:                                        Step 1: Dice carrots                             Step 2: Steam carrots                    Step 3: Use handy spatula to remove carrots     ...

We recently purchased a Graco bouncer that hangs in the doorframe.  It's rapidly becoming Reagan's favorite hangout spot!

On Saturday, we visited the Fort Fisher Aquarium.  We were pleasantly surprised at the size and quality of the aquarium (having visited the one in Atlanta, we were not expecting anything comparable) and had a wonderful visit.  Reagan enjoyed the touch pool and seeing all the different kinds of fish.  She even tried to taste a whale backbone (see upper righthand picture in the collage:)! One of several sharks we saw! We sat in front of this huge tank (really a 2-story window) for quite a long time.  I'm not sure who loved it more, Reagan or us?! Checking out baby sharks and other neat things

Although I have spent my fair share of time calling Valentine's Day a "Hallmark" holiday, I think I've overcome my cynicism.  Valentine's Day is an opportunity to celebrate the love we have for family and friends.  It should not solely focus on the love between men and women in relationships, but rather, remind us of our love for those special people in our lives.  Any while a special day should not be required to celebrate this love, it is nice that one exists.  You know, for all those people who have busy lives, who combine work, parenting, marriage, and hobbies leaving less than ample time to send a card or make a phone call.  Valentine's Day means that for one day of the year, we put all those things on the back burner and focus on the people who are important to us. While waking up to flowers and chocolates is nice, finding a sincere note from the heart is even better.  Taking the time to actually say, "You are important to me and I love you.  A...

On Sunday, we enjoyed a beautiful 65-degree day.  The sun was shining, and we took advantage of the weather for some outdoor playtime.  It's hard to believe that just a couple weeks ago I was taking her picture in the snow! Staring contest with Daddy Practicing standing She can stay up for 1/10th of a second on her own:) It may only last a second or two, but our girl is starting to sit up unassisted Hanging out with Daddy Playing with her brother who really enjoys these sunny days!