A Night Away in St. Michaels, MD

Thanks to Brad's parents, Brad and I enjoyed a night away on Sunday night before they sadly had to leave on Monday. This was Brad's gift to me for Mother's Day, a night away in St. Michaels, MD, located on the Chesapeake Bay. He made reservations at The Inn at Perry Cabin and let me say, it was much needed and so beautiful! The town has a very Nantucket feel to it and is just so quaint. We got there Sunday afternoon and strolled the main street, going in and out of the little shops. We had dinner reservations that night at the Crab Claw, where we ate WAY too much! We crashed for the night when we got back and woke up early on Monday to enjoy a nice breakfast overlooking the water. Unfortunately, since Brad's parents had to fly out that afternoon, we didn't get to sleep in but we were so grateful to them for taking such great care of Baker. The three of them had such a fun time together! We had a nice time away but we were so excited to see the little man! We are definitely going to be going back to this place in the future!

Our traditional snapshot we always take when we're out!

The gorgeous gardens at the inn.

View of the inn from the water front.

The sprawling estate...so pretty!

I don't know why but I loved this tree!

Do I look relaxed?

A view from our room's patio.

I love this shot.

The long tree lined driveway

Nana and Papa Visit

Last Thursday, Brad's parents came for a visit and we were looking forward to this visit for months! Baker took right to them with no problem, practically pushing mommy and daddy out of the way. All of our Skype webcam calls have obviously worked in keeping him familiar with them so he knows exactly who they are! We had a great time with them, as always, and felt this trip was a lot more relaxed due to the space we have in our new home. It's not nearly the cramped quarters that we're used to...they even had their own room! Most of our time was spent playing with Baker and having him entertain us.

Andy, Patty and Brad after lunch at Le Pain Quotidien.

Mommy and Baker on the other side.

Baker enjoyed my mint lemonade, so much that I didn't really have any left over to drink!

Sour lemon face - He loved the lemons! You can't really tell by the look on his face here but he devoured it!

Enjoying a ride from Papa on our walk back home. This was the first time he has taken a ride on someone shoulders and he loved it. I was a bit nervous though! I'll have to get over that!

Love this - Papa and his boy

Sweet profile

Later that day, we took a walk to the park to enjoy the weather. Baker was fearless...

He was all over the equipment like he was a big kid.

Saturday, we took them to Eastern Market, our local market in Capitol Hill, so they could see all of the cool booths and food stands. We had lunch at our new favorite spot and had shrimp rolls! I love how Nana and Papa are playing follow the leader with the smallest one of all!

The three Blackmon boys...Baker was not happy about this picture! Love that pouty face!

Scrunching up his face with his daddy.

We made a stop at Turtle Park (We don't know if this is the real name of the park or not but there are stone turtles throughout, so that's what we named it!) for Baker to have some free time out of the stroller. He loved it! He ran straight to the dog when he got there and as he does with everything he sees for the first time, he said "hey!"

Nothing like running a stick through pebbles...so much fun!

He made a friend at the park but then they both wanted the same stick and it became a war of strong wills...I think Baker may have won!

Saturday night, we had dinner at Good Stuff Eatery. It's chef Spike from Top Chef's restaurant and it is yummy! Baker liked his Nana's hamburger! We even saw Spike while we were there...so neat!

The toasted marshmallow milk shake was a hit with all of us, but especially with Baker. He went wild for it and kept signing for "more"!

Mmm mmm good!

He made such a mess that day he needed a bath. Brad gives him these crazy curls when he washes his hair! He looked like he was from Whoville.

Happy Birthday Nana!

Sunday was Nana's birthday so we celebrated with cake for breakfast! We were so happy we were with her on her birthday. We never get to see our families on their birthdays

so this was a treat!

Baker got trapped in his stroller when he decided to climb on it. He wasn't bothered though...just played with the straps.

Baker was content to sit with his Papa, highly unusual to keep him settled for that long but he stayed for some time...very sweet. He clearly loves his Nana and Papa and was not afraid to give them kisses during their entire stay.

They sadly left on Monday and we miss them already!

Video: Baker drinking my lemonade and loving it and then chowing down on a lemon.

Video: Baker having his first milkshake. He loved this stuff and I think we could have put it in an IV and he would have been happy. At one point, he took his index finger, shook it at us, and said "Dji dji dji dji!" very strongly but with a smile on his face, as if he was saying "Why did you wait so long to give me a milkshake?" Of course we all laughed and wanted him to do it again and again and he did it a few times. That was my real goal in taking a video but it didn't happen. There is a very brief shot of him doing it quietly at the beginning but that's it. Oh well! You have to act fast with little ones!

"I Know I Can Do It"

Baker is all about testing his boundaries and climbing to get something he wants these days. He has no fear it seems. I am constantly pulling him down from things and know this will likely get worse as he gets older but we're ready for the challenge!

The other day, I decided to brave our unfinished patio out back with the boys. Baker seemed to love it, especially the windchime. But then I noticed what looked like poison ivy and fled the scene immediately. Then, when Brad's parents were here this past weekend, his dad took a look at it and confirmed that the little sprig I saw was indeed poison ivy but the horrifying news came when he told me that the HUGE ivy growing up the fence was also poison ivy! I am telling you, this is a ginormous branch of ivy and the neighbor downstairs said that it has been there for at least 10 years...that should give you an idea of how big this ivy is and it's in several locations. Clearly no one spent any time out back before now. So, until this issue is resolved we will not be going out there anymore!

"I want to touch the wind chime." Notice the ivy in the center of the picture, above his head and along the fence...Baker is not as close to it as it looks.

"I'm determined to get it!"

Climbing up his playpen. He loves to push it around the dining room too!

Baker has really taken to the idea of feeding himself lately. He's been feeding himself finger foods and we've been giving him a spoon/fork for months now to hold while we feed him. We've also been working with him, for what feels like forever, on how to hold it and scoop food up or stab his macaroni with his fork. But for the most part, he's let us feed him. However, over the past couple of weeks, he is determined to not allow any hand come near his mouth when feeding, and if so, he freaks out. This behavior led me to think that it was time to give up control of the spoon and let him do it himself. A lot of my control issues with feeding came from the pure fear of the mess that he would make all over himself and the floor and after talking to my friend, Christa, I learned that I'm not the only one afraid of this! And in the past when I've let him attempt to feed himself macaroni or whatever, it usually ended up in him playing with his food and not eating. So I was afraid to try something runny. Last week, I couldn't fight with him anymore over the spoon/fork so I gave him a plate, spoon and applesauce to see what he would do with it. This was the first time that I had given him something other than pasta or veggies to eat on his own. I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't try to stick his fingers in it right away but instead, he used his spoon and fed himself. I assisted with another spoon to get more in his mouth but he did such a great job and we've been doing this ever since! Watch the video for Baker's successful feeding!

Mother's Day Weekend

This past weekend, while I was saddened that I couldn't call my own mom to tell her I loved her, it was also a reminder to me of how blessed I am to have the best little boy and most thoughtful husband in the world! So despite the obvious absence of my mom, I have my own sweet Baker to put a smile on my face and he and Brad made it a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! We started the weekend by visiting Eastern Market, our local farmer's market in Capitol Hill. Lucky for us, this market is open daily but on the weekends it turns into a huge market with art vendors, flea market finds and an expanded farmer's market. So, we headed out to the market after Baker's nap to grab lunch at the little seafood/bbq stand in the market with fresh crab, shrimp, oysters and fish sandwiches. Let me say how delicious this was!! I had the shrimp roll and Brad got the crab and they were both delish. I can't wait to go back. I feel a weekend tradition coming on!

Later that night, our thoughtful new neighbors threw a BBQ for us to welcome us to the Hill. They have a decent sized back patio area and invited a few of the neighbors on our block over to meet us. We were shocked at how gracious everyone was in welcoming us to the hood. And amazingly enough, the same neighbors that threw the party have a little girl, Gracie, that is only 2 weeks older than Baker! The two of them got along very well and consisted mostly of Baker just following her around. It was a lot of fun and we're thrilled we have such great neighbors to look after us!

After church on Sunday, we went out for brunch at Overwood in Old Town. Earlier that morning, Brad and Baker gave me my Mother's Day gift - a night away in Saint Michael's, MD at the beautiful Inn at Perry Cabin. We later found out that the movie Wedding Crashers was filmed here! How great is my husband? He knows how much I need a mini-break, just a little down time where I can hang up my mommy jacket and relax. I know I will feel somewhwat rejuvenated when it's all said and done! He has it all planned out. Brad's parents are coming up tomorrow until Monday. Brad asked them if they would babysit Baker while we go away on Sunday and return Monday. Of course they said yes! It's the first time we've left him overnight and I know it's going to be really difficult but we both need it. Plus, we're going to Vegas in June for a few days and dropping Baker off in TN to stay with Brad's parents, so this little overnight stay will be good preparation for that! Brad has planned for us to have afternoon tea when we get there on Sunday and then reservations at the Crab Claw for dinner. I can't wait and can't thank him enough for this wonderful gift! I'm so blessed and love my little family so much.

Sunday brunch - Seriously, could his face be any cuter?

Later Sunday afternoon, we took Baker and Bleeker to the park to play and run off some steam. It was a nice little family outing!

Baker with a little pep in his step!

He is not afraid of strangers and walked right up to this father-son game of soccer and tried to join in. The dad was kind enough to let Baker "play" for a moment. His son was hilarious and kept saying what a great soccer player he was and how he was on the best team ever. He was just a little boastful and I couldn't help but feed his sweet ego! Priceless!

Brad and Bleeker out at the park.

Baker decides to take his stroller for a push.
Saturday at the market

Having lunch...Baker enjoyed the fries!

Daddy and Baker walk through the market.

Saturday night barbeque

Trying to figure out this firetruck

Gracie and Baker were not happy with their own sippy cups. They only wanted each others. I'm finding this to be the case with all of his friend's sippy cups. He never wants his own if he sees another kid's cup in the vicinity. No matter how much of a germ freak I can be, there comes a point that I can't control what Baker does and I just have to let it go!

Neighbor Greg teaches Baker how to grill brats!

Video: Baker pushing the stroller and encountering a few bumps along the way.