So Delicious

Weekends are intrinsically good (who isn't happy for two days free of work?), and this was one of the best. Saturday was a good day at home, visiting with friends, marking some things off of the To-Do list, and going to a co-worker's house for the Wisconsin/Nebraska game. But Sunday was the real icing on the cake.

We drove across the border to Illinois and met my sister and her family at Edwards Orchard. The place is awesome. Great apple picking, a play area for the kids, a small barn with livestock carrying musician-inspired monikers (Swineman and Garfunkle were two of the pigs there), and incredible, fresh apple-cider donuts (of which I've eaten 3 in the past 24 hours) are just some of the things they have to offer. We left with the kiss of the sun on our faces and tummies happily filled with cider, apple pie, and fudge and brought the same home with us in the trunk of the car. But those aren't the only reasons yesterday was great (that and the fact that we fit a little shopping in as well. Whoot! Whoot!); it was so perfect because we spent time together as a family outside of the house, not just grocery shopping or stalking the aisles at Wal-Mart. I think that's what's been missing from our weekend routine - some quality family time. It definitely gave me a boost.

Unfortunately, all weekends must come to an end. To make the day after more bearable I did a little photo shoot with Connor. Today's pictures look markedly different from those that I took days after I brought him home from the hospital - his face has gotten a lot more expressive and he's lost a bit of hair, leaving him with what Z calls a George Costanza-esque hairline.  Here's a sampling of the pics so you can decide for yourself if you agree with him or not:

I'm feeling good and positive today.  I've entered week 6 of my maternity leave and am not feeling all the anxiety that I once did.  Instead, it's about planning out our days (an outing here, a walk there) so that both of us are stimulated and entertained.  I am staring to savor all those little moments that everyone warns you you'll miss - the way he curls up on my chest when he's tired, his little baby coos - instead of focusing on the frustration that comes when he fusses, cries, and makes his little piggy noises while sleeping that keep us awake at night.  It's tiring to hear people talk about how quickly time goes by when you have a baby, especially when you're sleep-deprived and the last week has felt like a month, but when I think about the fact that I have a five-month old I realize how right they are.  Time does go by quickly, and that thought is comforting and frightening at the same time.