A Busy Weekend

It was a busy weekend for the Miller family. We spent Sunday in Connecticut with Brian's family, celebrating his niece Rachel's eighth birthday and her baptism. It was nice to share Rachel's special day with her.
We also had a visit from Lisa's Aunt Frances and cousins Lee & William from Colorado. The weekend flew by too quickly, but it was fun to spend some time with them and for them to meet and play with their newest cousin Jake.

Have you ever seen a two-headed turtle??

Brian and I celebrated our second anniversary on the 14th and enjoyed a few days together (without any Verizon interruptions) at home. Besides the mandatory relaxation (can you ever really relax at home when there are so many projects to work on?) we went as a family to the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium. They have fish, frogs, ducks, and turtles. And I wasn't lying about the two-headed turtle--your proof lays in the picture. (Really, they're siamese twin turtles, but still really cool to see.) The funniest part of the outing was feeding the fish. The hatchery raises the trout to stock lakes and private ponds here on Long Island, and you'd think that these fish never eat by the way they respond to a little food thrown in the water. Check out the video to really see what I mean.

It's amazing to me that Brian and and I have hit the two year mark in our marriage. In some ways it seems like just yesterday we were tying the knot (let's go back to Maui!) and in others it feels like we've been a family for much longer than two years. I love you, Brian--and here's to many more years of love, laughter, and working for our marriage.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

This sounded like a great idea, so I've decided to join in the fun.

1. Add a comment on this post of a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me briefly or we go way back, just remind me of something that sticks out for you.

2. Next, repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's pretty fun to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave a memory about you!

It was a gorgeous fall day yesterday, and the Miller family went for a stroll at one of the many State Parks here. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the day. Here are a couple of pics of my boys from our walk.

On a completely different note, I have to admit that being a parent is so much more difficult than I ever imagined. You think you can anticipate what life will be like with a baby, but the degree to which life changes is completely unimaginable. And three months of compounded broken sleep really wreaks havoc on your physical and emotional state--which leaves you less than at your best to deal with the stresses and challenges of an infant. And then there's the little things that make you wonder how you ever felt so complete without baby. Like this afternoon, I was bouncing my son on my knee, trying to keep him entertained while helping my sweet neighbor with something, and Jake laughed. For the first time, he really laughed! And as I walked back home to put him to bed a little while later, I thought to myself, "Thank you, dear Lord, for reminding me of the joys, the little things, that help me find the courage to keep moving forward."

Duet

I have always loved singing. With a baby in the house, the amount of singing has probably increased though the genre of music has definitely changed. Brian and I are both having to relearn the lyrics to many different lullabies and silly kids songs. Jake really seems to like "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly" and "the ants go marching one by one"--especially when Daddy sings it to him. We're also noticing how much more vocal our boy is, though sometimes in surprising ways. The last couple of days, especially when he's in a calm state before putting him down for bed (though the two aren't always synonymous!), Jake appears to be singing a vocal duet with whichever parent is singing to him. It's adorable! Maybe the little tyke will be a music lover as well.

Play Date

Jake and I had our first official playdate with our friends Rebecca, Natalie, and Amelia. I think the playdate was more for my social benefit than for Jacob, but that's neither here nor there. We went to an animal preserve here on Long Island that houses everything from chickens to mountain lions (not in the same cage, of course) to alpaca and a woodchuck. I'm not sure where they got the wide array of animals, but I think some of them were illegal exotic pets or animals injured who can't be released into the wild. At any rate, I'm glad that someone is taking care of them and that I can bring my son to enjoy seeing them--at least he'll enjoy it when he's a little older. And its always fun to spend the afternoon with my favorite little 2-year-old Natalie (and her mom, of course). Here a couple of shots: Natalie and "baby Jabed" in front of the black bear, and one of Nattie comparing her wingspan to that of the eagle.

Time is flying

I have to say that despite the sleepless nights (yes, he's still waking us up), the poopy diapers, and the occasional nothing-makes-me-happy crying, after two full months Brian and I are enjoying this thing called parenthood. And Jake is getting to an age where he's more talkative and interactive with us, which makes it even more fun. We'll come in the room to get him up from a nap, and he greets us with a smile (unless, of course, he's starving), or when in the right mood, he'll coo and have a regular ol' conversation with us. It really does make you want to snuggle him and love him all the more. I was trying to get a picture of his happy little face the other day, to which he wouldn't look at the camera, so Brian came in to help. Little did we know that he would actually smile when being tickled!! And I love the picture of father and son having a grand ol' time together.