A beautiful day for a walk with Tessa

Catching some of the first real smiles!

We have been getting some real smiles over the past few days! It is so much fun to interact with Tripp and get very close to his face and watch him smile. It is just so cute and so priceless. It is hard to believe that he is 7 weeks old! He is now too starting to make sure bubbles with his mouth.

Just a few things we have found in our backyard over the last three days...

It has been quite a busy time in our backyard these past few days. I guess with the warm weather, all the creatures are out. We have some blue bird eggs in the box, wood duck eggs are in their boxes, snakes are out (luckily this one was non-poisonous), this one was hilarious - yesterday I spotted a mallard duck and the male swimming in our tiny fountain, and last but NOT least - how about an otter that showed up on the dock relaxing and laying out!

Silly ducks - they prefer freshwater so they found the fountain to take a swim in

Look! Blue bird eggs (actual eggs below)

Non-poisonous water snake

Juliette "carefully" sneaking up on the ducks....

Nothing but fun...

We are having so much fun and each day seems to bring something new and special! Today, Tripp had a first real smile today. We were able to make him smile by giving him a little tickle on his belly and boy did the smile come out. I actually got a picture of the smile while he was on his tummy and I was tickling his back.

Spring brings so many fun and exciting things going on. Last weekend we went up to the Flowertown festival and had so much fun seeing good friends, old friends and everyone else too... Easter is well on its way too. It is coming up this weekend.

Sharing my baby brother with good friends Lily May and Aldret

Tine for some face paining at the festival

Daddy and Tripp time

Check out my first day of some real smiles

3K Easter party

Juliette had her annual Easter party today. It was SO much fun and all of her little classmates are just the CUTEST! They still have so much baby in them and come up with the cutest things to say! They were even greeted by the Easter bunny. There was an egg hunt and as usual Juliette was only concerned with picking up one egg and opening it immediately to eat the candy. Quantity was not important to her, only instantly being able to eat the candy was important.

Wow for ONE month old today

My my time flies!! Tripp is one month old today. He has been the sweetest baby boy in the world so far. You have no idea what a joy he has been so far, I am getting sleep - and a good bit of it as well. He is going to sleep each night around 10 PM and wakes up around 3:00 AM - eats and goes right back down to normally wake up around 7 AM. It is the best feeling in the world NOT to be absolutely exhausted each day.

Juliette is getting quite used to having baby Tripp around. She will now tell people that he is her baby brother. When asked his name she replies, "Baby Tripp." Yesterday she actually asked me if she could touch his head. She used her index finger and that is all to just barely feel it. Yesterday she looked at me and said, "Mommy, Tripp has "the bleed." She noticed that he has a little red mark on the top of his head... she cracks me up! Once again she assures me that there is nothing of baby Tripp's that she likes because he likes blue and she likes pink.

Juliette has been a BIG help to me. She will carry my bag down the stairs and makes sure that we have a bottle for him before going anywhere and pacifier. In the car if he is fussing she will even offer to put the paci in his mouth or announce to me that he must be hungry, Last week we were going to watch Don play soccer. He was loudly fussing in his car seat. Juliette was getting very annoyed. She finally tried to sing to him and of course that did not do anything. She looked at me and said, "Mommy I really wish we got one that listened to us." Then two minutes later she looked at me again and said, "Maybe we need to get a different one." I could not help but laugh out loud at the cuteness and innocence of a child.

Today my Mom and I took the kids to Summerville to our favorite park to take pictures for Tripp's one month old birthday today.

Settling in....

We are getting well adjusted and on a good schedule with Tripp. He continues to be such a joy and a very easy baby. Juliette told me the funniest thing in the car last night as was Tripp was fussing. She said, "Mommy, I really wish we got one that listened to us." I just started to laugh out loud as she was dead serious because she kept singing rock a by baby to calm him down and he was not calming down in the least.  The little Mother hen meant what she was saying. I just looked at her and told her, "Me too."

Juliette is in school three days a week and we get out of the house every day. Not going to work at all for three months leaves me housebound if I am not getting out. Tripp seems to like to take little jaunts each day as well.

  

Juliette helping clean baby Tripp's belly button

Volunteering to take a picture with baby Tripp one morning...

Our first lunch out to Vespa with baby Tripp

Look at this sweet sweet boy! He is such  doll and we love him to pieces!