Friday, August 30, 2013

West Virginia; 9 Months

This past weekend we trekked down to West Virginia (with my mom and middle sister in tow) to visit my oldest sister, Diana, and her family, who live in Fairmont (near WVU).  Calvin was a bit of a challenge in the car, only because I think he was upset that the two people sitting in back with him wouldn't take him out of his seat.  But we made it through ok, though it was certainly a welcome relief to finally get to Diana's (a 3.5 hour drive).  

We had a wonderful time!  Diana was thrilled to see Calvin after not having seen him since late June.  We girls had so much fun that first night having an impromptu clothing party (Di has recently lost a bunch of weight, so she had a lot of too-big clothing to give away), and staying up far too late, as usual.

The next morning, Calvin was up "early" (7:30), which of course meant Brian and I were up too.  I took the opportunity to head outside that beautiful morning for a little "photo walk."  The light was just so pretty, and there were so many lovely landscapes and little details just steps from her house that I wanted to capture.  It felt wonderful, like I was feeding my soul.  At the end of this post are some of my favorite shots from that walk.

The rest of the Saturday was spent doing some shopping (Cal got a few new clothing items and toys!) and then swimming in their backyard pool.  The weather was perfect the whole weekend, thankfully.  And we both had our first outdoor shower!  Oh yes.  Diana's husband, Paul, built it just off their deck in the back, and it is marvelous!  The water is heated by propane, and it's decked out with hooks, shelving and a fun shower curtain.  :)  It felt so peaceful showering while the sun shone on me and I looked up at the deep blue sky.  Amazing. 

We then had a delicious pasta and meatballs dinner (with Diana's delicious homemade sauce and my homemade meatballs, of course).  After it got dark, we (meaning Paul) made a bonfire and we sat under the stars roasting s'mores.  Calvin was very excited about the fire, before he fell asleep.  ;)

The following day was a little lazier... We just relaxed and eventually ate breakfast (after I made about 100 pancakes, haha) and we headed back to the pool for more swimming.  Calvin continues to love the water.  :)  We headed home a little later in the afternoon - Cal did much better on the trip home, thankfully.  

All in all it was a really great visit.  Diana is just head over heels for Calvin - she'd keep him if she could!  I only wish they lived a lot closer so we could all see each other more often.

And speaking of Cal, he turned 9 months old this past Wednesday!  He's getting so big!  His upcoming appointment is on Sept. 6 (coincidentally also Brian's birthday!), so we'll find out exactly how big.  I can't believe how quickly the time has passed (even though I knew it would).  As always, I'm doing my best to really cherish and enjoy this time with my sweet baby.  I hold him close and relish how perfectly our two bodies fit when he rests his head on my shoulder to sleep.  His amazingly infectious laugh.  How he army-crawls now (but just isn't quite up on those knees yet).  How he'll always let me hug and kiss him.  How he reaches his hand up for kisses from me while he nurses.  Oh, I could go on and on.  He's just extraordinary, and I'm loving (most) every moment of parenting my brilliant little boy.

















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