More Pictures from ND

Mario suprised me for my birthday and made reservations at Fiddler's Hearth (a very fun Irish Pub) after the Blue and Gold game. He treated me and my family to a yummy Irish meal (the beverages weren't so bad either).

We had fun at the hotel...although, I think Mario is happy to be back in his bed.

Joey at the Grotto

Mario found dirt, can you believe it?

Grandma and Papa's House!

I'll try to catch up on the events of our trip: We spent April 15th-19th with my parents in St. Louis and had a terrific time. I am really so relaxed there; they have everything I could possibly need for kids. MJ remembers their house and had such a great time. I began to contemplate the circle of life and how not so long ago, my parents were toting me and my siblings to my grandparents' house where many warm memories were created. And here I am, with 2 little boys who next year will be chasing each other around Grandma and Papa's house. Very fun indeed!

Stephanie & Matt

After visiting with my Grandma, I drove to Ann Arbor to see Stephanie and Matt. They were so sweet and took me out to dinner for my birthday. This cute couple is getting married this August!

Visiting Nana

After our 2nd weekend at ND, Mario and I drove back to Detroit so he could work that Monday. While he was working, I relaxed a bit and visited people in MI. My Grandma lives in Detroit, and this was her first time seeing Joey.

Visiting with Nana

Look at Joey!

Blue and Gold game tailgate

MJ and Daddy watching some boys play at the tailgate.

MJ decided he should play too.

MJ and Joey were hot and tired for the Blue and Gold game.

Joey's first tailgate

2 months

Joey has been exploring his hands lately (I guess he didn't have much else to do while he was in his carseat). And yesterday he got a good hold of his thumb. Again, Joey and Mario are so different, I tried to get Mario to suck his thumb or take a pacifier, but he wouldn't do either.

But, they aren't that different. Joey had his 2 month check up today (which was more like a 10 week check up). He is 17lb 11oz, 25 3/4 inches tall, and head is 16 3/8. Height and weight are off the chart (literally above the 97% line) and head is 90%. Mario had similar numbers at his 2 month check up (which was at 8 weeks). He weighed 16-11 and was 24 3/8 tall. So, yes, Joey's numbers at his 2 month check up were bigger, but he had 2 more weeks of growing. Joey handled his shots like a pro, and so did MJ. We warned him that Joey would be crying soon, so MJ could say to him "It's okay Joey". Now if you ask MJ about Joey's trip to the doctor he says "really sharp"... I guess he got a close look at the needles.

We're Home!

We finally made it back from our trip to the midwest which lasted almost 2 weeks. We left Thursday April 12th at 11am and returned Tuesday April 24th at 8:45pm. I spent 11 hours of my birthday in the car. But it realy wasn't that bad. Joey slept a lot again, MJ did as well. My laptop is still broken even after Best Buy said they fixed it, so I was without a DVD player. I didn't think I could make the trip home without one, so I stopped at a Walmart and bought one thinking I would return it after I used it if I opened it carefully. Well, we were halfway into our 510 mile trip when I realized that MJ hadn't needed it yet. So I thought we might be able to go the whole trip without a movie...and we did. I'm so proud of my boys. MJ did a great job of entertaining himself with toys, singing, and telling me about all of the things he saw on the trip. Here are a few sleepy and playful pictures from our ride in the car. It's hard to see Joey in the first picture because the top mirror is a little dirty. But that's pretty much all I saw of him for most of our time in the car. I have so many pictures of the adventures we had, but it will take awhile to catch up on those.
Meanwhile, it's great to be back and think about all the fun we had!