Bainbridge Recap

The girls playing in Juj's roomUncle Matt with the girls and Alex

Me with Alex

Checking on Juju's fish, Goldie.

The girls had SO much fun playing in the pool!

Rachel and Julia sporting their bikinis...

I love Rachel's little bum in those boy shorts!

Mommy and Alex

Sweet Baby Alex

Rachel and Julia playing Juj's game,

which she calls "Drop the Beans"

(also known as "Don't spill the Beans")

Precious boy

daddy looks a little sleepy with baby boy

Juju is dancing with her special make believe friend, Minnie,

which is really a CD tower, but Juju really plays with it/her!

It was really funny watching her tote Minnie around!

How sweet...sucking his baby thumb!

Big sis, Alex and Cutie Pie

Rachel was thrilled to finally meet Juju's baby brother!

Alex is not quite as thrilled!

Rachel got a birthday present from Julia

At Dance Class

Goodbye sweet nephew! I can't wait to see you again soon!

What an eventful 48 hours! We left yesterday morning (which feels like several days ago) at 9:15 for Bainbridge. Deborah came to get Bradley at 8:45 and he was fine...he was ready to go, get in her car and watch a movie. I got emotional, so Deborah left as quickly as possible. I was glad. I knew he would be fine, but I will never be glad to see my kids leave me or me leave them. It just doesn't feel natural yet. I mean, I know when they're ready to go to college and then get married I'll feel happy that they've taken the next step in their lives, but they're still my babies, so I really prefer to have them with me! Anyway, Bradley was completely happy with Deborah and he and Nick had some father/son bonding last night and this morning, so it was good for all of us. Once Deborah and Bradley had left, Rachel and I loaded up the car. It's the LEAST amount of stuff I've ever packed for a trip. I just had a few things for Rachel, a few things for me and it all fit in ONE bag!!! I couldn't believe it! It was very smooth sailing all the way down. I didn't get lost at all and felt very comfortable driving. Of course, once we got there, I realized how tense I had been for the whole drive. My leg muscles were so tense that they were cramped and painful! I guess I kept them tight while I was driving and didn't even know it. We got to Wendy's house at 2:00, so we made it in about 5 hours after stopping twice to pee and get food. I thought that was pretty good. It was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good to see Wendy, Matt, Julia and FINALLY meet Alex! We just had such a nice, relaxing time! The girls were ecstatic to see each other and had so much fun playing together. They pretty much did their own thing. Alex was PRECIOUS and I loved holding him as much as possible! He is having some aggravating tummy pain, so it was pitiful to see him work so hard to work out the gas, but I loved trying to help. Alex is just a precious, tiny, wrinkly, soft, adorable little boy. He makes precious little baby noises and his cries are more like tiny baby shrieks. It was just so fun getting to be around a new baby again. It's amazing how quickly you forget your own new baby stuff. We spent some time in Juju's pool, which is actually a perfect size for her and Rachel. The girls had a blast doing that. We also got to see Juju's dance class. Her teacher even invited Rachel to join the class. She did for some of it, but was feeling a little shy about it. But, the dance practice was absolutely adorable and Julia was so into it all. She was a great little dancer and listener. I was impressed with the whole class and how well the teacher ran the program. We left there, came home for lunch and then got ready to leave. Then, Nana and Pop invited Julia to come back with us and spend the night with them for a few days. So, Rachel and I had BLAST driving home with Julia in the car. The girls kept each other entertained and we left at 2:00 and got home at 7:15 after stopping twice to pee and eat. So, it was a whirlwind of a trip, but it was so much fun, and so worth it! I can't wait till Wendy, Matt, Julia and Alex come up for Bradley's birthday and we're all able to spend more time together!!!