Very content in his Papa's lap!

Back at the ranch, while we were at the zoo.
No, that's not Brad and I. It's Brian and Shannon! :o)

The Dan Clan at the zoo

It was a treat to see the Panda Bear this close up!

Meet your newest Daniels cousin, Baker! This was

the first time they had met him. They couldn't come into

the maternity ward after I delivered.Nana and Papa couldn't wait to get their hands on him!

Seeing Baker for the first time since he was a week old.

Taking a family walk on Thursday evening.

Family Visits for Baker's Dedication

Friday: The Zoo

This past weekend was absolutely wonderful! Baker was dedicated at church on Sunday so our families came to DC to visit and witness this momentous occasion. Brad's parents arrived on Thursday night and my brother and sister-in-law and their four kids arrived Friday afternoon. Patty and Andy were thrilled to be given the chance to babysit while Brad and I took my family to the Smithsonian National Zoo. We didn't get there until 4 o'clock but we saw a lot! The kids loved the chance to ride the train to the zoo. I think that was as much fun as the zoo itself! Highlights of the day were definitely seeing the panda bear and the hippo...such a great zoo!When we returned, Baker was sound asleep for the night so we couldn't wait to see him in the morning...8 AM couldn't have come soon enough for Brad and I.

That is one sweet dog!

Our dogwood that bloomed this week!
Our neighbor's lavendar tree that we are lucky enough to have
it drape over to our side of the wall too! Our azalea bush

Spring is Blooming

Spring has definitely arrived in Old Town. Flowers are blooming and trees are showing their leaves for the first time in months, so I took a few pics of the blooms in our patio area on Saturday while the sun was shining. It's been a crazy winter and we're so happy to have great weather to finally enjoy with Baker. It certainly beats sitting inside all day long! However, it's pouring rain right now and has been since late Saturday night. Brad and I are definitely over it and ready for the warm sunny weather again!

Brad and his mini-me
Baker actually pulled this off of the gym! What muscles he has!

Picking Baker up from the nursery. Whew...what a relief!

Mom and dad out on their own. No more tears, let's enjoy some Greek food!

How crazy for us all to be out without our children...very strange!

Dropping Baker off at the nursery with Gwendolyn and Sylvia.

Take care of our baby! He could have cared less, really.

"Will cry for food". That he will!

Parents' Night Out

On Saturday, our church hosted a Parents' Night Out and provided nursery care for the kiddos. They do this once a quarter. So, Baker had another first...the nursery! Needless to say, mommy wasn't too fond of leaving the little one behind but I knew it was going to be okay. Brad was very encouraging and Baker was in great hands. So from 5-8 pm, the night was ours...very odd to not have our baby with us! We joined 6 other couples for dinner at Taverna Cretekou in Old Town for some great Greek food. We were blessed with another day of great weather so we sat in the garden area of the restaurant and had a wonderful time. It's amazing how fast 3 hours can go by!

On Sunday, my MOPs group had a lunch at our church for all the MOPs families. This was a great way for all of the children and husbands to join in and meet the other stay-at-home moms that attend MOPs every other Tuesday. It was mayhem but great fun and you can't beat having BBQ and all the fixin's for lunch! Needless to say, it was a busy weekend but very entertaining nontheless!

Taking a family walk by the Potomac
Jeffro holding Baker. There will be lots of this when they move here!

Baker and Claire at the park - all ready to go!
Mommy and Baker
Playing footsie at a young age!

Precious Claire sleeping like an angel.

Baker had had enough!

"Two" cute!

Handsome boy

Molly and I with the babes at the Harbor

This is a new thing for him. He's not sucking his thumb, only covering his nose.

How sweet is that?

Loving his play gym!

We could stare at that face forever!

Picnic in Founder's Park

On Friday, Molly and Claire came to visit and because it was a lovely day out, we decided to have a picnic in Founder's Park in Old Town. It was sunny and 82 degrees...amazing! This was Claire and Baker's first picnic so it was very exciting for us. We went to Bruegger's for a bagel sandwich and relaxed by the Potomac while we ate. The babies just slept in their strollers and when it was time, we fed them and played a little. It was so hot though and I'm not sure that Baker really enjoyed the heat that much. As good a baby as he is, he got a bit irritated at it. Hope he gets used to it...it gets hot in DC in the summer! There seemed to be a ton of other people with the same idea and I'm sure we're going to be doing this again in the future.

That night, we had dinner with Jeff and Anna. They were in town to settle on an apartment here in Old Town since they are moving in May...woohoo! We can't wait for them to finally get here. It's all the four of us have talked about the last several months so for it to be happening soon is so nice. We lived just 2-3 blocks from each other in NYC and now we are going to be about 10 blocks so it will be like old times!

Looking like an angel in a 12 month onesie
With his bunny

He's getting so long that I can't quite get his feet in the picture anymore!

Big boy on the changing table

Baker's 3 Month Pictures

Every month I take the same pictures so that we can chart Baker's growth and really see how he compared to the previous months. So if you see the same shots over and over, (i.e. rocking chair in diaper, laying on his changing table, in his crib and in a 12 month onesie) there is a method to my madness and obsession with a camera. In one of the shots, he is in a 12 month onesie but I'm afraid he's going to be wearing these much sooner than at 12 months!! He is growing like a weed!

Baker's stuffed friends...he blends right in!

(Thanks for this picture idea Molly!)

His smile is worth a million bucks!
Yo, yo what's up?
Our sweet boy.

I love my Harrod's puppy...thank you Jen!

Baker taking a nap during the party. He sleeps so well if he's covered up.

I went to check on him and found his little feet sticking out? So funny!

Noah, Micah and Baker

Baker is only 6 days older!

Nicole and Amelia

The BIG 3 Months!

Wow, Brad and I cannot believe we have reached the 3 month milestone with our precious Baker! What an adventure we have had over 12 weeks! Baker has blessed us more than we ever imagined. Getting the chance every morning to wake up and know that we can go in his nursery and be greeted with his smile is the best feeling in the world. We know he loves us...he shows us every day! He has definitely grown a lot and sadly we know that he's going to change even more over the next 3 months, especially if it goes as fast as the past few. But that's okay because he is only getting bigger, stronger and smarter!

Today, we had a playdate with a bunch of ladies from my MOPs group to celebrate another Nicole and her baby Amelia who is 8 months old. Amelia has had heart trouble since day one and has recently undergone open heart surgery. She is doing remarkably well and looks to be on the up and up so this date was to celebrate God's faithfulness in her getting better. There were LOTS of kids and babies there which meant a lot of noise but it was all so much fun! Having our own baby now makes me appreciate the sound of children so much more. It was a great time to socialize and allow Baker to be around all of his church friends, even though he has no idea who they are...ha! If nothing else, it was a great photo op!

Welcome the newest members of DBC!
With our friends Brandon and Lauren
Baker looking sweet before going to church.
Wow, I'm so strong!

But Sara Beth is even stronger! ;o)

All the mommies and babies...me and Baker, Sara Beth (Sam not pictured),

Melanie and Micah, Nicole and Amelia, Carolyn and Noah

Sweetest man ever!

The Espinoza's

The Sorli's

The Arcara's

Sam - "Want some?"

First Spring Cookout with Friends

This weekend was great! Brad and I took Baker to his first cookout at the Espinoza's home on Saturday. It was a chance to get together with friends and their babies and just enjoy the nice weather. Carolyn and Ed had planned this at their house in Arlington because they have a great backyard area and we've been kind of rotating around friends' homes. I don't know how we'll ever get to do something like this at our small place! It was a lot of fun and the weather, despite raining all afternoon, turned beautiful in time for the cookout!

On Sunday, Brad and I joined our church, Dowtown Baptist Church, finally! We have been wanting to do this for some time now and finally made the decision this Sunday. It feels great to be a part of such a great church where the people truly care about you. They have really taken care of us since we moved to DC and especially after Baker arrived. It's been unreal. We're honored to be official members now! Afterwards, we had a great lunch at the Austin Grill with Sara Beth and Jamey and their little boy, Sam. Brad is so happy to finally eat Mexican food again. When I was pregnant, I really had no desire to eat it. Since this is his favorite food to eat, he is thrilled he gets to now! Anyway, it was such a nice weekend!