4 Years!

Getting engaged, looking for apartments in NY.


The wedding.


Many highlights, traveling, and a baby.
It's been an adventure, to say the least.

I look back of pictures of myself when I was little (under the age of 12) and there's a self-confidence that disappeared sometime shortly thereafter.
I see a similar look in most girls...understandably things feel like they go downhill just around 12 years old. (I stress FEEL)
Anyway, I have to say that there's something that clicked around 30. I realize that I'm new to my 30s, but I have to say that it's a refreshing feeling.
And this isn't an excuse for bad jeans or VPLs, but I just feel okay in my own skin every once in awhile and I don't think I've felt like that in years. (Even when I actually looked better and now when I look at that skinny 25 year old, I wish I'd enjoyed it more but c'est la vie.)

eww...this is incredibly "Ya-ya sisterhood" - I feel like I need to have a little pow-wow and do a dance of sisterhood or something. a little embarrassing but true nonetheless.

So in summary....teens and 20s stink. 30s feel good.

The hunger strike is over.
He still spits all fruit out of his mouth, but at least he's eating.
We're embarking on a new chapter of life this week.
We are officially meeting with our realtor on Wednesday night
to look at a first batch of homes we're interested in!
I won't divulge any of our secrets just yet, but we're both really
excited about the prospects. We'll see!
Needless to say, although we love Nana and Pop-pop,
we are ready to be in our own place.
(the picture is of our last home in NY - I've been missing our little apartment!
Even crazy Jimmy who sat on the stoop talking about politics and the moon.)

So Father's Day was super fun, I thought...we started the day by making dad breakfast in bed.
Sullivan and Dad enjoyed morning cocktails - whole milk for the boy and a Bloody Mary for the dad. (He's going to kill me for adding this..sorry, man.) We then took lunch up to Valley Forge, where we spent the day on a long hike around the park. I love going up there.

In other news, Sullivan is on a hunger strike. I don't know if he thinks he's Gandhi or what...maybe he's discontent with the current political state of the world? Hopefully he's not waiting for GW to be out of office. His refusal to eat makes me very upset and so I've circumvented it by fitting in food in surprising places. I basically have to hide foods in his favorite things: pancakes and eggs. He'll eat anything that's cooked into one of those.
This morning he had ricotta pancakes with berries. The boy that snubs blueberries and strawberries was munching quite contentedly on them. Once a day he has eggs with zucchini and chicken (or another combination of veggie and meat) cooked into them. He eats it with no complaint.
This is a huge pain. Why won't he just eat the effing green bean? It makes no sense. He has some extreme disdain for most things that wind up on a plate and instead of just ignoring them, he picks them up, makes a nasty face, and forcefully throws them onto the floor. Yesterday, he made a little pile of the offensive green beans, neatly stacked on top of his sippy cup.
It's a good thing he's so cute.

A few things:
1. I declined the job. I love teaching...who was I kidding??
2. It's very awkward having a professional observe your interactions with your own child.
3. Strawberry pie is delicious.
4. Two guilty pleasures: So You Think You Can Dance (because I do even though I can't) and The Bachelorette
5. Love flowers. Always have always will. I'm pretty easy to please.
6. Nothing is better than a sweet morning with the men you love. (husband and son)
7. I love frozen veggie burgers for the baby. Ain't no shame in taking a few shortcuts.
8. Life is a balance. Nothing is more important than the other, so they all deserve equal parts of love and attention. Not terribly complicated but not terribly easy.

One year ago today, Sullivan was "Delive(red)".
Home after 13 days in the hospital.



One year later....what a joy!

Today is the THIRD time I'm speaking with this organization, who apparently, is trying to hire me. I suppose one should be flattered...they're essentially offering me a promotion, before ever working a day, because I declined on their most recent offer due to an embarrassingly low salary. Not that money is everything, but the job is based in K.O.P. so when you factor in the cost of the gas, tolls, and the extra hour of babysitting a day, not to mention no summer vacations and the other perks of teaching....well, a better paying teaching job, closer to home, is sounding pretty good. Which is too bad, because if they were willing to relocate their entire office a little bit closer to here, or just let me work full-time from home, I'd definitely take it. In a heartbeat.
Speaking of which, what is with gas??
My lunch money in high-school used to be enough to fill the tank.
Since Cheltenham had off-campus privileges, we would pool our lunch moneys, get gas, and go eat lunch (for free) at one of our homes. Plus, our parents would all be at work, so it was always a super fun (and not always well-behaved) lunch period. Oh the excuses I had to make up when I'd come in late to Mr. Umfer's 6th period French class....but I digress.
Anyway, all I'm saying is that I guess I could just say NO, but I'm feeling like I should leave the door open.

So Sullivan's birthday party just happened to fall on some freak heat wave. When the outdoor thermometer registered a whopping 80 degrees at 9:30 yesterday morning, we knew it was going to be a long day.
I had imagined the kids, frolicking on the back lawn with the parents sitting around under paper lanterns, sipping cold beverages and laughing over funny little anecdotes or planning summer trips to the beach.
Instead, sweaty and gross, I found myself making repeat trips to the A.C. to cool off, and finally gave in around 12:30 with a complete AC lockdown. Windows and doors sealed, AC on full blast.

Anyway, this new influx of "big boy" toys has inspired a very late spring cleaning. Out with the old, in with the new! Why is it that as the kids get older, the toys get bigger? ALL of his toys, seriously, used to fit into a pail. Like, a sand bucket. One sand bucket. No longer. These things are large and can't just be thrown into the pail anymore. They require a room unto their own.

One Year

A brief story of Sullivan, through pictures.
An ode to the man, if you will.

Our boy was a world traveler before he even saw the light of day.

David and I flew to Prague for a week when I was about 24 weeks pregnant.David was able to go see Sullivan just a few hours after birth.

This is the first time we are meeting!


A whole two weeks - I won't bore you with all the details...sufficed to say, we are glad that's over.
Moving on...

Ages 1 month to 6 months...between surgeries 1 and 2:


And...surgery #2 - November 2007:

Unremarkable is great news.

And months 6-12. Lots of adventures, traveling across the country, crawling, friends....



It's been a crazy first year of life...lots of ups and downs.
I have to say that for a heart that is 'incompatible with life,' Sullivan is pretty compatible.
We're blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise this little boy!
Happy Birthday Sullivan Lowing.