One day they'll be the best of buds...

I've been hoping to get a cute picture of Eamon and Sam together. So after Karl and I took the two of them to music class yesterday, we had a little downtime at our apartment and I quickly sat S and E on the chair together and...well, let's just say Sam was NOT happy. He clearly did not like this shrimp tugging on his jacket and getting all up in his personal space. Didn't help that Eamon was beyond tired and kept falling onto Sam...oh well. I know they'll be BFF soon, but right now there's just no love!

Erica's shower

Erica's shower was on Sunday (she's expecting her first baby on March 13), and I wasn't about to miss it, even though it was at her parent's house north of Baltimore. What's another three-hour trek down the Jersey turnpike, right? Besides, it's rare I get a chance to see either Erica or Ashley, so I have to take advantage of any opportunity. So, leaving the snoozing Mark and Eamon behind, I made the quick and easy trip to Maryland and got to see Erica's adorable bump and watch her open many, many presents. That baby is set!

During both to to- and from car rides, I continuously turned down the music when it got too loud and found myself checking the mirror over Eamon's car seat. It was a pretty strange feeling to be without him for an entire day--all told, I was gone for about 11 hours, probably the longest stretch of time we're been apart (and the longest amount Mark's been alone with them). No surprise, the two of them had a great time and Eamon was all smiles and giggles when I got back. He clearly adores his daddy!

Dreaming of Africa...

This morning on a somewhat gloomy day in Hoboken, I'm living vicariously through Chuck, Mike, MK and Kristen's blog on their trip to Uganda. They are visiting Conche (the boys' mom) in Kampala for a total of three weeks and seem to be having an amazing time. Currently, they're en route to a safari excursion to Murchison Falls on the Nile. Of course I googled the area and found out that there are elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, bushbucks (part of the deer family), and lions living there. They'll also go chimpanzee trekking, which is pretty much my dream adventure. Actually, this is pretty much my dream trip, second to Hawaii. And since I've now been to Hawaii (though I'd gladly visit again and again), I think we'll need to be joining the gang on their next trip to Africa. Living vicariously just isn't working.

Don't think I sit around and take pictures of Eamon all day--I do get work done and other things accomplished...really, I do! But lately he's been giving me the greatest smiles, and I just can't help but play (amateur) photographer. These shots I took with the self-timer on my camera. We were just playing on the floor and I let it snap away.

Obama Baby

Eamon enjoyed watching all of the Inauguration coverage with me today! Here he is hanging onto every word of Obama's inaugural address...I know, I know, he's a bit close to the TV, but I moved him right after I took this pic.

E

Here are just a few shots of many that I took commerating Eamon reaching the fifth month mark. He now smiles when he sees the camera--I've trained him well! As you can see, we received Sam's exersaucer and Eamon loves it. He has been figuring out all of the various wheels to turn and buttons to push--and of course, things to chew on, too.

All better!

Except for a nagging cough, Eamon's cold has flown the coop, and he's back to his playful self. His latest trick? Sitting up! He will pull himself upright from a lounging position...and stay that way while he plays. He also likes to sit in his Boppy and play with toys in his crib, and of course, horse around with his Daddy! Here are some pictures of our now five-month-old boy!

Haven't blogged in a while, but for good reason. Over the past week, we've all been afflicted with some kind of cold/flu/mystery death disease that's cast a pall over our apartment. I came down with something last Wednesday, first developing a fever (which I never get) that lasted three days, then a lovely cold, cough, headache, etc. Poor Eamon was the next victim--he came down with his very first fever on Friday--and then Mark got it (sans fever) on Saturday. Ugh!

After a weekend of lying around, sleeping, and trying not to cough or sneeze too much (it was scaring poor little E), we all turned a corner on Monday. Mark went to work, I actually spent more than five minutes outside, and Eamon was his energetic, opinionated, and happy self again. Hooray!

I'm usually not one to dwell on any sicknesses, but it's pretty bad when everyone gets it at once. All I have to say is thank goodness for Tylenol cold, DVR, and Netflix!

Eamon laughing

Eamon has a new laugh! He randomly burst into a belly laugh when I said "hieeee" to him in a high-pitched tone. So I did it over and over (and over) to get it on video. Please ignore my annoying voice--I did it all for the laughs!

Happy Trails..

As most of you know, Hairspray! made its final curtain call on Sunday night, after six-plus years. So sad to see it end, but at least we got to witness it go out with a big bang--and support Leezie as this very successful chapter in her life came to a close. The performance was unbelievable--I had chills the entire time and teared up along with the cast during the always-emotional I Know Where I've Been as well as the closing number...You Can't Stop the Beat brought down the house!

Making it even more exciting? The handful of celebs in the house, including SJP and Matthew Broderick with their son (sitting two rows behind us!), Tony-award winner Christine Ebersole (right behind me, cackling the entire time) and Al Roker and his wife.

Afterwards, we hit up the after party for a bit, checking out the many cast members (and former cast members) who were there to boogie. My dad was THRILLED, to say the least, to chat with Harvey F.--and his entire family! We ducked out just before karaoke started. Bummer--but I had a baby (and a baby daddy!) to go home to.

Congrats again to Leezie for all of her hard work on this show over the past 7 years. She may work behind the scenes, but is truly one of its biggest stars!

New Paltz for the New Year!

We had an awesome time celebrating the New Year in New Paltz. Once again, Bec and John were our hosts at Rose Lane, where we enjoyed extended amounts of relaxation and good times from Wednesday to Friday. For New Year's Eve, Bec whipped up some delicious fondue and salad and some very tasty chocolate pots (and champagne, of course!). We watched the countdown from the living room as a fire blazed and the Cranium board was out--we didn't play for very long, but had a great time while we did. As you can see from the picture below, Eamon partied until the wee hours in the comfort of his Bjorn. Thanks to an extra-long nap earlier in the evening, he stayed up for quite a bit...but couldn't hang until midnight. His eyes shut for good around 11:55 p.m.

On Friday, Bubba, Mario, Bruno, and the 'rents stopped by for a visit. Great to see them, as always! Here are some pics from our stay--including evidence of our first trip up the climbing wall! So much FUN!

First Day of '09

We spent a few hours on the first day of 2009 enjoying the wintry wonderland of New Paltz. Mark and I set out for a nice, long hike (with Eamon loving every second snuggled in his Bjorn) while the extra-ambitious took to the trails for a run.