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!