Zzzzzzzzzz......

Apparently, the first day of day-care and the first day back to work after maternity leave are totally exhausting.

The Tulip Garden

The Tulip Garden is Michelle's favorite place in Baltimore. It probably has something to do with the fact that I proposed there, or maybe she just really likes tulips. Its actually called Sherwood Gardens, but most people refer to it as the Tulip Garden because of the thousands of tulips that are planted each year. On Saturday, we had a picnic there with Grandmom and Granddad. Natalie spent most of the time napping on the picnic blanket, but she did take a couple of minutes to check out the flowers.

On the Road Again...

We are back in Baltimore for the weekend so that Michelle can interview for a job. Natalie is becoming quite the little jet-setter, as last night marked her fourth ride on an airplane this month. This time she got her very own set of wings.

Mmmm Crawfish

"Grandmom says she won't eat crawfish, and there is no way she would ever suck on their heads. Momma won't eat them either, but I'll try it...wait this one is backwards"

Lots of Aunts and Uncles (and one cousin)

After our visit to Hampstead MD, Natalie and I continued on to Webster NY so that she could meet the rest of the family. Here are pictures of her with: Uncle Thomas, Uncle James, Uncle David, Aunt Janmarie, Aunt Elizabeth, Aunt Annalouise, and her cousin Praetorian. Everyone seemed to love her as much as we do!

Meeting Grandpa

Natalie met her Grandpa for the first time on Monday afternoon. He was so excited that he immediately took her from me without even saying hello! Natalie enjoyed sitting with Grandpa in his chair to watch tv and take a nap. She also had a great time visiting with him during dinner in a restaurant. Although she does save her best smiles for Daddy, Grandpa got some pretty good ones too.

Mmmmm Chocolate Cake

"Surely Daddy wouldn't notice if I took just a small taste of his birthday cake!"

Cousin Reed

After all the excitement at FanFest, Natalie met the first of her cousins. She got several big hugs and Reed assures us that they are already "Best Friends". They should have a lot of fun when Reed, JT and Traci come to Birmingham for a visit in May. After we move back to Maryland this summer, they should have many more opportunities to play together.

A True Fan Begins in Diapers

Natalie's indoctrination as a die-hard Baltimore Orioles fan started today as we attended the Orioles FanFest. Most of the important lessons were lost on her, as she spent most of the day asleep in her baby-bjorn. She did manage to get her picture take with "The Bird" and a new T-shirt that reads "A True O's Fan begins in Diapers".

On our way to Baltimore

On Thursday, Natalie made her first trip out of Alabama and took her first plane ride. We came up to Baltimore for a long weekend to celebrate my birthday, to visit with all the family that hasn't met Natalie yet, to start looking for houses, for Michelle to go on a job interview, ...and probably for a few other reasons as well. Our flight out of Birmingham was delayed for more than an hour because of all the bad weather, so Natalie passed the time by playing on the floor and taking a nap. She actually seemed to enjoy the flight, even though Michelle was more than a little nervous about all the turbulence. Of course, Grandmom and Granddad where very happy to meet us at the airport.