Showering Baby Covington

On Saturday February 8th I was privileged to help host a baby shower in Dallas for one of my beloved college roomies, Melissa.  I hosted with 2 other college friends, Meredith & Katie, her high school friend, Lauren, & her step sister, Dianna.  I have been fortunate enough to get to know them throughout the course of Melissa's wedding as well as other post-college visits and they really are kiiiind of awesome.  Melissa must pay them very handsomely to keep them around.  ;c)

Luckily for this over-busy-seasoned, out-of-towner, Miss Meredith took the lead in the planning department.  She definitely missed her calling as a party planner because she managed to come up with the cutest theme (the Hungry Caterpillar) and did an incredible job spurring us all into action to get it pulled together.  She basically is Pintrest in the flesh.  Major kudos to this organizational Goddess.

We threw the party in the rec room of Katie's apartment building and it. was. awesome.  As the pictures below will evidence  Just seeing it makes me want to move there and we all know that Dallas and I are frenemies.  Sure there may have been an older lady who randomly came in to "get her vitamins" (play piano) while we were setting up.   And yeah, there may have nearly been a confrontation when a different lady kept trying to utilize the room despite the fact we very obviously had it reserved- BUT the free Flavia machine and warm cookies totally outweighed that.

We guests were treated to a delicious HC-themed smorgasbord o' food, some fantastic company and Melissa and sweet baby boy C were showered with some fantastic loot.  I had such a great time getting to visit with the old 5th year PPA crew as well as Melissa's Dallas folk- so tragic that Houston and Dallas have to be separated on opposite ends of the state with only a Bucees between them.  It's pretty much the geographic version of Romeo & Juliet.

The fun didn't end at the shower though because Melissa & Blake were kind enough to let me stay with them despite having LOTS of family in from out of town.  Why would a very pregnant lady agree to add stress to her life by letting me stay with her?  Because she's crazy?  She is and I don't know why they're so nice to me.  Probably because she subjected me to 2 nights of a whining feral cat my 5th year of school.  That's neither here nor there though.

Thanks to their generosity I got to pretend to be a Poorvington for the evening.  I tagged along to dinner with Melissa's Dad, Mom & Aunts as well as Blake's Grandmother, Mom & Sister at Love & War in Texas.  The food was topped only by the company.  I already knew that baby C was a lucky little man to have such wonderful parents, but after breaking cornbread with the extended fam I can say that he is far more blessed than he'll understand for a long time to come.

Lots and lots of thanks to my fellow shower hostesses, the Poormans, the Covingtons and mostly the proud parents-to-be for a wonderful weekend.  I love you all and I can't wait to house crash again in April when sweet Norman* makes his world debut!

* name subject to change.

How perfect are those eyes the Katie fashioned from pipe-cleaners?!  If this whole bad@ss lawyering thing doesn't pan out I think there's an Etsy shop in her future.

Only Meredith would own her own helium tank.  Is this not the cutest?!

Gorgeous flowers that Katie picked up.

Meredith's childhood books really dress up the place.

Is that a caterpillar head or a tomato?  Who can tell?

Lots of treasures for the little Mister.

Blake just found out Melissa's pregnant.

Melissa and her incredible Aunt Sue. 

Can't WAIT for pics of Little Man in the precious wardrobe he scored.  Best Dressed List Dallas, look out!

I'm still a little upset Becca didn't pose suggestively on the ottoman- I think that's supposed to be Auntie tradition.  Especially because Katie appears a full foot taller than the rest of us.  Can't wait to meet you, sweet boy!

Happily Ever After: The Fuchs Edition

Saturday morning, Ryan and I "slept in."  Now, back in my prime, sleeping in was defined as McDonald's had looooong ago stopped serving breakfast.  Nicer restaurants may have already even wrapped up their lunch specials.  These days I've been trained to accept far less than that level of luxury.  I think we probably had ourselves ready to get our tourist on by about 10:45.  WE ARE CRAZY.  (Sidenote:  sleeping in a bed is amazing.  Never take it for granted.)

After a stop at the hotel's Starbucks we were off to Lincoln Road.  What is that?  It's basically a really long plaza with a bunch of shops and restaurants.  Of important note- if you are worried about passing the Guess store and/or a Starbucks- do not fret.  You will run into about 20 more.  How these places manage to pay such astronomic rent for multiple shops in such a small radius is beyond my little accountant brain's comprehension. 

Ryan getting artsy.

Why yes, it DOES look like a whale tail is coming out of the top of my head.  The point was the palm trees though.

I took this picture for my Mom because it was a shop window filled with old sewing machines.  It looked super cool in real life.  Not quite as cool in this photo with Ryan and I's reflections taking center stage.  It's the thought, right?

Anywho- we strolled along and finally gave in to one of the people standing outside the sidewalk cafe's beckoning us to eat.  We are martyrs, I know.  We picked a Cuban place because Ryan felt it was one of those "when in Rome" situations and you know I'm not going to argue when there's a mojito on the line.  It was a great choice and we both had delicious meals.

Mojito at noon?  Don't mind if I do.

Hey babydaddy.

Arroz con pollo.  Absolutely wonderful.

The bar was really cool and vintage looking but from our angle it was difficult to get a shot without blatantly taking a picture of the bartender.   Take what you can get folks.

Next we wandered over to Ocean Drive and meandered around for a little bit.  We picked up some souvenirs for the caretakers of our little rascal.  We peeked at the ocean.  We marveled at the number of Starbucks (yes, again).  Then we realized it was really hot, so we headed back to the hotel where we spent the remainder of our afternoon by the pool.  The life of a tourist is so rough!

Amy, is this a really cool famous hotel?  No.  Well, maybe?  It's the hotel that I saw first when I realized- crap, you haven't taken any pictures of Ocean Drive yet.  :c)

Luckily going through Ryan's pictures I realized he took some.

Mid-afternoon my other amazing 5th year roomate/BFF, Melissa, and her hubs, Blake, made it into town.  They deserve a massive shout out because they flew straight in from Europe hours before the wedding, took no nap, and partied like it was 1999.  That's how you know they are fun.  If anyone had been a fly on the wall listening to the 4 of us get ready, you'd have another form of confirmation.  It truly is tragic that they insist on living in Dallas.

The wedding was held in the ballroom of our fabulous hotel, Eden Roc.  The ceremony was every bit as beautiful as I'd have expected from Courtney.  It was the first Jewish wedding I had ever been to and it was really cool to get to compare and contrast the ceremony to the Christian ones I'm accustomed to.  Plus Ryan got to wear a yarmulke which I'm pretty sure made his life. 

Ryan's new favorite accessory.

Blurry, no-flash picture of Courtney's parents walking her down the aisle.  She was just stunning!

The ceremony was followed by a wonderful cocktail hour with delicious appetizers, and THEN the party really got started when we went into the reception.  Not 15 minutes in all the guests were on their feet dancing and laughing and clapping.  It was awesome.  The entire evening continued at that pace and we all had an absolute ball.  The food was stellar, the band was amazing, the bride and groom were gorgeous, the guests were incredibly fun - just all excellent.  Ryan and Blake yelled "mazel tov," to their heart's content.  We had so much fun in fact that we were sad when we finally had to head to bed at 12:45 so we could wake up to catch our flight 4 hours later.  Ryan told me no less than 20 times that next time he "wants to get Jewish married."

Gorgeous centerpieces with some strapping young lads walking across the dance floor.

The cake was also gorgeous.  Are you sensing the theme?

Their personalized M&M favors were every bit as awesome as they were difficult to photograph.

Melissa & Blake, the globetrotters.  Ask Melissa about her accent.

Oh how I miss the Mopes.

We were sitting too far away for flash to be effective, but you can still feel the love.  :c)

Precious shot of Gillian, Mackenzie and Jenny watching the first dance.

Getting this party STARTED.

Ohhhhh, how far we've come.  Who'd have thought when we were having our christy dance party in the living room that 7 short years later we'd all be hitched and one of us would have a kiddo?!

NYC roomies on the left and ATX ones on the right.  Clearly Courtney has great taste.  (Editors note:  I know I just had a kid and what not, but I swear there is something behind me that is making my butt look larger than life.  I nearly nixed this picture for that reason, but because I like the sentiment it stays.)

The luckiest men in the world, obvi.

I just found this jewel on the camera.  I feel I would be doing myself, and Ryan's creepy photography skills, a disservice by not posting it.  That's a wrap, kids.

So, huge thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Fuchs for including us in your day and in your lives.  I love you both so much and can't wait to see where life takes you!  And, of course, a huge thank you from the very bottom of my heart to everyone who took care of Emery - you are all angels!

Huh?  You can't stand an Emery-less post?  You're simply dying to see what she did with Aunt Tiff and her Martin grandparents?  Okay, okay...you've twisted my arm.

I practiced waving hi to Mom & Dad.  (Okay, maybe practiced trying to grab the phone, but whatever.)

I practiced my tummy time skills on the couch.

I practiced wearing fabulous accessories for days spent by the pool.

I practiced soul-searching while looking at corn.  (And really, who doesn't?)

I practiced kicking it by the pool.  Mom says one day I'll love this.

I practiced sleeping.  Being a lady of leisure is so taxing.

I'm so EGG-cited.

Yes, I know that title is completely terrible.  I'm sleep-deprived, cut me some slack.  It'll get better.  ;c)

The weekend of March 31st was little Miss Emery's first Easter.  To commemorate it, we spent it as we do most holidays - by celebrating with my family at the lake and then heading over to Ryan's parents' house to celebrate with his kin-folk.

Since Ryan happened to have the week prior to Easter off and I'm on maternity leave, we decided to extend the holiday.  We packed our two kiddos and all their trappings up and headed up to Conroe on Thursday evening and stayed through Saturday mid-afternoon.  In that timeframe we managed to get in our first dinner out since our princess arrived.  Sure it was at a BBQ restaurant where you order at a counter and take it back to your table, but I'm counting it.  Thanks to the magic of a pacifier and the sleep sheep, sweet baby girl slept through it.  We spent the remainder of the weekend relaxing with the family around the house and enjoying getting to catch up.  It was also nice to have a few extra hands to help out with our little diva who refuses to be set down.  Last but not least, before we headed out on Saturday my dear friend and old college roomie Melissa went out of her way to drive up to Conroe from League City just to meet Miss Emery.  This was AFTER driving into League City from Dallas the same morning.  Does she deserve a medal of honor or what?!  All in all it was a completely wonderful weekend with my incredible family.  I'm so thankful.  :c)

Lola's maiden voyage in the new Mom mobile.  She doesn't look too impressed with her new digs, does she?  I'm surrounded by divas.

When she finally does fall asleep, it merits documentation.

As soon as we arrived at the lake it was gym time for this little lady.  Holiday or not, tummy muscles don't develop themselves do they?  I know they don't at 30.

Just lounging with Daddy.  Clearly we're having a stellar hair day.

Learning from the Master of passing out in a recliner- Grandpa.

Grandpa trying to convince Emery she's gifted enough to walk at 3 weeks.

Proof that although she's never in pictures, Mama does in fact exist.  Also evidence that Mama needs to make a hair appointment.

Attempt one at documenting Emery's Easter outfit.  It was grossly unsuccessful.  I thought she was happy enough for a wardrobe change but she thought otherwise.

Aunt Melissa.  If Emery ever gets a cat it would only be from this Aunt.

On Easter Sunday my sweet niece, Kylie, was baptized.  Unfortunately we couldn't make it to the actual service due to someone channeling their inner-banshee for the bulk of the morning.  It may or may not have been Ryan.  What can I say - he gets angry when we run out of Raisin Bran.  Luckily we got everyone happy enough to head over to Ryan's parents house for a celebration lunch that afternoon.  We all feasted on delicious ham, enjoyed playing with Easter basket goodies and getting to watch Kylie search for eggs like a pro.  Yet another successful and memorable family event in the books!   

Attempt two at capturing a good Easter outfit photo.  Apparently staring at Mama's crazy hair is more interesting than the camera.  What are you going to do?

The world's most precious niece.

Emery modeling my favorite blanket as well as her favorite expression.

Kylie doling out Easter goodies.

Kylie and her Mama testing out her new treasures.

Kylie trying to capture her crazy Uncle's finger.

Adorable gifts for Miss Emery from the Missouri family.

Ryan's Mom's table set up.  Bonus: Nancy waiting politely for the rest of us to be seated.

Annnnd... she's off.

Sometimes when you drop it like its hot you happen to find an egg.

Pretty much all 15 of the pictures I have of her hunt are blurred.  Girlfran was on the move.

Easter 2013 was all together wonderful.  I'm so glad Ryan happened to have the holiday off and that we got a chance to spend time with all of our favorite people.  Next year we look forward to getting to go to church without fear of sweet Emery over-screaming her welcome.  Thank you to each of our families for having us- we love you all so very much!  I hope that each of you had an equally wonderful and celebratory Easter!