Mother’s Day Weekend, Beach Weekend, and Back to Work!

Whew!  We have been busy keeping the insane lifestyle going strong!  I don’t even know where to begin!  Mother’s Day Weekend was very special this year because it was my first!  Patrick and Anne Louise gave me a very pretty charm bracelet with a little girl’s profile as a charm that Patrick had engraved with Anne Louise’s name and birthday on it!  This Mother’s Day was also the first “grandmothers’ day” for our moms, so we did a photo shoot with Anne Louise and sent some pictures to the grandmothers in some hand-decorated frames.  Here are a few of our favorite pics and an example of the frames!

 

Mother’s Day Weekend was also special because it was the debut of Patrick’s new rock band --- that’s right, he’s now in TWO bands!   They only played a few songs, and they sounded awesome!  The week after Mother’s Day was “transition” week.  Anne Louise went to school a few more hours than the week before, and I went into the office for a few hours each day.  She did wonderful at school and even made her first art project using her hands and a big stamp pad.  We have it proudly displayed on our refrigerator (as all good parents do), but I’m thinking this one may get framed since its her first piece of artwork!

One very special even last week was when Anne Louise finally got to meet one of the very special ladies after whom she’s named – my step-grandmother Louise Rixon (its my mom’s stepmother).  Louise is the last remaining grandparent on my side, and it was a wonderful visit.  Louise was not feeling so great, but she made it a point to hold Anne Louise almost the entire visit!  Louise is absolutely one of the most amazing people, and I am so glad Anne Louise got to finally meet her!

This past weekend, we went to Atlantic Beach/Beaufort/Morehead City for my good friend Misty and Luke’s Engagement Party.  The party was a blast, but we really enjoyed hanging out with our friends the whole weekend.  Most importantly, we enjoyed Anne Louise’s first trip to the beach!!!  Since it was naptime, we took the Beach Pack-and-Play that our friends Derick, Shelly and Andy Thurman gave us.  After about 30 minutes of PURE EXCITEMENT (she had so much fun looking all around), she finally fell asleep and slept for an hour.  Nothing like a good nap on the beach! 

When she woke up, Patrick took her down to the ocean and dipped her feet in the water.  She was a little whiny for a few seconds, but then he said she starting smiling and seemed to love it!  Anne Louise also met a new friend Clara, who lives in Raleigh.  We split a babysitter on Friday and Saturday nights with Clara’s parents (our friends Blair and John that we met through Misty), and Anne Louise had a great time and did well for the sitter.  Sunday was a long drive back, but AL travelled well.  We were all in bed early Sunday because this Monday was a big day at work for me (and Tuesday, too, for that matter). 

Getting ready for work and out the door with a baby is definitely a challenge, but we have dubbed our morning routine “Team Magee.”  Patrick is a HUGE help, and we seem to have it down to a science.  I managed to get to work in a somewhat timely manner (although one day I forgot deodorant and had to buy some after I dropped AL off at school).  Ok, I can’t believe I wrote that, but I’m sure I am not the first working mom to forget something so important!  Anyway, getting AL ready for school has been a little easier this week because its Faculty Appreciation Week and each day is a different dress up day.  Monday was 80s day, which we didn’t really have much for her to wear (her pink Chuck Taylor converse hightops are still a little big).  Tuesday was pajama day, and I PROMISE we put her in a clean outfit and not what she slept in. ( Yep, she still loves putting things on her head).

Today was called Mix-Match Day, but I dubbed it “Melvyn Day” in honor of my stepfather who did not care one bit if things didn’t match exactly (or at all).  Here is AL’s Melvyn-Mix-Match Outfit.

Tonight we had dinner with Nana, who was back in Charlotte after a week at the mountains.  Nana has been doing VERY well in staying healthy, and it was great to see her.  Tomorrow we are heading to one of my favorite weekends of the year – the Wilson Family Reunion at High Hampton Inn.  I cannot wait for the Mississippi Wilsons to meet Anne Louise, and I’m gonna do my best to get my cousin Marcus to change a diaper at least once . . . . We will surely have lots to post after our trip!