One month old today & a quick visit from Nan & Pere yesterday

I managed to get out for a run yesterday - my first one since Vivi was born - and it was oh so nice to move freely and quickly and to be outdoors! While I was out enjoying myself, my mom and dad called to say that they'd like to stop by for a quick visit before attending a performance of Mozart's Requiem at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts here in Jacksonville. So, it was a doubly-nice day - I got to exercise and see my parents too! Just in case you're wondering, Vivi will call my mother (Rachel), Nan (which is a family name for Grandmother), and my dad (Roger), Pere (which is French for grandfather).

It's also been a nice weekend for Steve too - who also got a run in - because he hasn't had to work this weekend and isn't headed to the airport anytime this week either! Life is quite different now that Vivienne's here; it's a quieter, simpler life and we don't get out as much but we eat well (I really do love to cook!) and strangely enough, I honestly think we're taking better care of ourselves now that we're not cramming the weekend full of activities. For now, I think we're quite content to spend our free time at home and we have no plans to travel for some time yet. Luckily, we live close enough for most of our family to visit us with only a short drive required on their part and lots of our friends are understanding of what its like to have a newborn and are making plans to visit us at our home.

This weekend began the Parade of Homes and I am hopeful that we can make a trip to St. Johns County one afternoon this week to see some of the homes featured - who knows, maybe we'll find a home that we'd like well enough to purchase! Rusty & Shari - one of the couples we know that live in St. Johns County - are coming to visit us next Saturday afternoon and I think we may head over to the Riverside Arts Market (http://www.riversideartsmarket.com) and perhaps grab a bite to eat outdoors at The Brick or at European Street. I can't wait for their daughter, Skyler, to see Vivienne. Skyler is 4 and is a fun-loving, sweet, imaginative girl. I was still quite pregnant the last time we visited with them, and when we arrived at their house Skyler came running up asking "where is the baby?" - later that day she informed me that Vivienne would be black! I found this to be hilarious and tried to explain to her that babies generally look like their parents and since Steve and I are both caucasian, Vivienne would not be black. Skyler persisted in her belief though so I am curious as to (1) whether she'll remember what she thought and (2) if she'll be surprised at all to see that Vivi is not black after all!

A quiet Easter Sunday

Since Vivienne is only 3.5 weeks old today, she's not been cleared by her pediatrician to attend church yet (we have to wait until she's 6 weeks old to take her out "in public"). So, our Easter Sunday has been a very quiet one this year. Steve and I both commented how much we missed attending the sunrise service on the St. Johns River that has been our tradition for the past few years, and we plan to be a part of it again next year - provided we still live in the same neighborhood.

That's right, we've been throwing the idea around of moving out of Duval County and into St. Johns County in order to (1) be in a better school district, and (2) have more room in our home for Vivienne and all the accoutrement which will most assuredly be growing at an exponential rate as she gets older. But, seeing as the housing market is struggling to come to life - this big move may or may not happen in 2009. We'll see. For now, we love our house and our neighborhood and Vivienne is not of school age, so there is no big rush and we're happy to wait until the "time is right" to put our house on the market.

Steve is seeing the end of a brief, but intensely busy-time at work. He had to cut his paternity leave short in order to return to work to get started on an annual report for one of his clients, and he's had to work late quite a bit and has gone out of town overnight twice in the past two weeks, so I am really looking forward to the completion of the report for this client. Luckily, Steve's mom, Marylee, has been staying with us during the week - I don't know what I would've done without her! - so I have had help caring for Vivienne during this time. Yeah for terrific mother-in-laws!! Marylee is the best! : )

Speaking of great moms, my mother, Rachel, came over for a brief visit yesterday to bring us the Christening gown that her mother handmade for her when she was a baby so we can use it for Vivienne's upcoming baptism. (No, we haven't set a date with the church yet, but I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as we do!) My mom also took some photos of us and was kind enough to give me a wonderful (and oh so very much needed) backrub. It took three attempts to give me the backrub (baby interupptions) but my mom was patient and persistent enough to make it happen. Gotta love moms! I've got to come up with some extra special gifts for Mother's Day this year!