Observations

Today has been kind of a sentimental day for me. I'm not really sure why, but I've just been thinking a lot about all the myriad things going on in our lives right now. We have this huge move ahead of us (more on that in a minute), Paul is graduating from Tuck next month, Rebecca will be six months old tomorrow... it just seems like so much is happening. Most of it good, but it does give me reason to stop and reflect a bit.

We have lived on the east coast for the last seven years. SEVEN YEARS. To put that into context, Paul and I have been married for almost eight and a half years; so for practically our entire marriage we have been out here. Crazy. I loved northern Virginia and living outside of D.C. It is such a great city (aside from the horrendous traffic). We made wonderful friends and had two of our children there. But then it came time for us to move on and we were given the opportunity to come up here to New Hampshire for school. What an amazing experience it has been. We have met some truly great people here- people from so many different countries and cultures and walks of life. It's been tough at times with Paul so busy, and last summer was especially trying as we were apart for three months, but we survived. And the future looks bright.

So now the time has come for us to move on once again. Paul's last day of class is tomorrow and then he will graduate with his MBA on June 12th. I am so immensely proud of him. He has worked so hard and given his all at school, on the job hunt and at home. He has accepted a job with YouTube in San Bruno, CA, and will be starting at the end of June. He is excited to work again and we are all looking forward to this new adventure out west. But I am sad to leave New England. It is amazingly beautiful here and we've felt very much a part of the tight-knit Tuck community. I know wonderful things lie ahead for our family, but it's hard to say goodbye to this place.

And then there's my baby Bex. She will be six months old tomorrow. I had a baby six months ago. It seems like six days ago. As I was pondering this astounding impossibility, I noted how differently I view her "babyhood" from Ethan's, and even Sadie's to an extent. When Ethan was a baby, I couldn't wait for certain things to happen. I couldn't wait for him to smile. I couldn't wait for him to coo and laugh. The day he turned four months old I started him on rice cereal. I wished he would sit up. I couldn't wait to watch him crawl around on the floor and get into everything. I was anxious for him to take his first steps. I desperately wanted him to start talking. And on and on and on. Now I find myself yearning for a pause button, as one of my friends put it. It's not to say that I don't look forward to all those same things with Rebecca; I most certainly do. I rejoice at every new milestone and skill she develops. I'm just not in a hurry anymore. I don't care that she's not sitting up yet; I skipped cereal as her first food because she didn't like it, and give her solids only when I remember. I haven't been waiting the recommended three days in between each new food to watch for an allergic reaction. Seriously, who is allergic to green beans? (besides picky five year-olds) I appreciate each stage for what it is, and realize that she will never be this small again. Pretty soon her world won't revolve around me anymore, she'll be running away when I ask her to do something, or throwing a tantrum because I won't let her have cookies for breakfast. She'll grow up; it's already happening too quickly. So I'm getting in all the sweet baby snuggles I can and enduring nighttime feedings because I know that this phase will end much too soon. She's already halfway to her first birthday!

Okay, enough philosophical ramblings- on to the cute baby pictures. I might take some more tomorrow but here's what I've got so far. I just want to nuzzle her chins every time I look at her.





I love you, Rebecca!!