Milestones for the G3

The happy Garrett baby

What a week! The Garrett family had a wonderful week. To start off the festivities, Zach's mom came to visit and she arrived on Tuesday the 14th. We were so excited to see her! She hasn't been here since March and was looking forward to seeing her little girl before she learned to crawl. Although Dylan is making progress in this area, she is still just sticking to her tried and true army crawl (as per her daycare teachers). No hurry though; she's getting into enough mischief!

Christina celebrated her 30th birthday on the 15th and spent the day with Jodie and Dylan. There was shopping, lunch and relaxing time with the three Garrett Girls. Zach came home from work about 4:30 and then Jodie spent the evening with Dylan while her parents met friends for drinks in honor of the big 30.

Dylan really likes cat toys

Alyssa, Dylan and Christina

On Saturday we all took a drive to CT to see Eric, Tammy and Alyssa and spent the day at the pool. It was a beautiful day, but the pool water was still very cold. Despite that, Christina still braved the temperature and joined Alyssa for a swim and some sloshing around on a new pool float. It was ridiculous to see but really fun. Dylan enjoyed her little pool but then joined the older girls in the big pool and didn't seem to mind the cold water at all. In fact, she made it about 30 minutes in there and kicked her feet and splashed.

We were treated to some homemade pizza and an ice cream cake to celebrate our birthdays (Zach's is today). It was a late night and Dylan was pooped but we all had a lot of fun sitting in the sunshine and catching up.

Today is Zach's birthday and very first Father's Day. Sadly it was the end of Jodie's visit but we really enjoyed having her here and also thoroughly savored her cooking! Dylan enjoyed having grandma around to play with and hug and hopefully we will see her again soon. Zach is going to enjoy and relax today.

A very good week indeed!

Oh to Boston We Go

Castle Island, South Boston

The Garrett family has had a pleasant and relaxing weekend so far. Yesterday we ran some errands and did our usual Target visit. We found some bargains at Ocean State (swimming items for the little one) and then relaxed. Zach found some time to go skate and the girls spent some quality time together and played and went for a walk. The weather has finally been nice so we wanted to make use of it.

Boston Skyline

This morning we took a drive to South Boston and walked around Castle Island; it's become one our favorite spots. The weather was fantastic and we showed Dylan the boats on the water and airplanes flying overhead. She seemed to enjoy it. After our walk we headed home for some lunch, did a little grocery shopping and cleaned up. It's nice having some time to ourselves over the weekend to get refreshed for another work week.

Time Flies

An inexcusable length of time has lapsed since my last post. I really need to make a midyear resolution to check in more frequently. Let's see, what has happened since September 2010. I'll give the briefing here: I had two baby showers in September (one in SC at Jennifer's and one in CT with the Welsches), I grew to amazing girths and our baby "due" date came and went by 10 days. Dylan Elise Garrett was born on November 30, 2010 in South Shore Hospital, Weymouth, MA at 1:22 a.m. I can safely say she overstayed her welcome "in there" as it became difficult towards the end, but fortunately, our little one arrived safely and healthy into the world with many excited family members and friends awaiting her. It's hard to believe that today, our little Dylan is 6 months old! Where does the time go??!!

Tiring pregnancy aside, I did pick the best time of year to have a baby. I was fortunate to be home during the holidays and through the beginning of the new year. Mom and dad came to visit a few days after we came home from the hospital and Brian made his second Christmas trip up to CT. It was a lot of fun, despite the ridiculous snowy weather and blizzard conditions. We even lost power in the middle of the night in CT and relocated ourselves and a pack and play to the basement to stay warm. Moving to the basement you ask. Yes, it was warmer there! :)

Jodie came to visit in mid January to meet her granddaughter for the first time and it was so nice to have her here. In February we flew down to SC with Dylan for the first time so she could meet more of her large family. We stayed for a week and had a wonderful visit. Dylan was an unbelievable little traveler and gave no grief on the flight and with all the shuffling about during transit. We also got to see Sarah in Moore and meet her newest addition Reagan, who was a delight. Reese has gotten to be a big girl too and she is such a cutie!

I went back to work in February and it really wasn't as difficult as I heard it would be. I missed my little girl but it was refreshing to be around grown ups too. Dylan had a difficult time adjusting to daycare because there was so much to see that it was often a challenge to nap. She's definitely in the habit now and seems to be doing quite well and enjoys seeing her friends every day.

April and early May brought some visitors to town. Zach, Dylan and I were able to meet up with Julie and Bryan Hatfield of Charleston and we had a great time. It had been at least 10 years since we had seen one another and it was like no time had passed. If only they lived closer to us, I could see us getting together regularly. We also had Jenny and Nils Noeppert for dinner who were traveling here from Germany. It had been even longer since we saw each other last and enjoyed catching up.

So, there you have it! The last few months have been full of joy, visits from friends and many a baby milestone. Dylan is currently working on her crawling technique and I think she'll figure it out at any time! She is very determined.

Updates and Upgrades

Since the last posting in May, the Garrett family has endured some interesting and exciting things! In June, the two of us flew down south to visit friends and family. We had a really great time, even if the real-feel temperatures were in the 100s. Zach celebrated his 30th birthday among friends and family and we both had a wonderful visit. Honestly, I couldn't remember it being so hot there but I guess we just got used to weather here already!

In July, Zach celebrated one year with his company. I can't believe how fast the time goes! We also made the decision to move into a larger apartment. 730 square feet just won't fit a growing family!

The Welsch parents came for a quick weekend visit in August. We were part of their 3 week New England tour and while they visited, we took a drive to Gloucester and attended the Waterfront Festival. It was a comfortable day to be outside and we enjoyed the day trip. After their visit with us, mom and dad headed to Maine and by the looks of their pictures online, I would say they had a great time! I think Zach and I are officially adding Maine to our list of places to visit!

We just finished our move from the one bedroom to our luxurious and awesome two bedroom apartment. Fortunately it wasn't a far move; just across the parking lot. However, just because it was so close didn't make it any less of a pain. At present, Zach is moving boxes around and I am taking a break from organizing. Setting up the new place is less easy and more frustrating when your belly takes up more space than before! Ha! Aside from the shuffling about, we are very fortunate and very excited to have this new home and especially looking forward to our newest family member moving into her new room in November.

So, there you have the latest from the New England Garrett family. Until later!

The Great Garrett Cape-r

As I patiently await the upload process to complete on snapfish, I thought I'd update our readers on our recent trip. I suppose some would call it a Babymoon, that time before the child arrives where you just want to get the heck out of town and relax. Well, the travel bug hit Zach and I and we went to Cape Cod for a blissful week on the beach. It was such a needed trip since the last vacation we both took was in May last year when we visited Orlando. This trip was definitely more our speed.

One of my coworkers was helping me decide where to go and she mentioned this quaint cottage she had stayed in a few times. The fact that we didn't have to fly was super and being among the more thrifty options we had considered, it was the winning choice.

We arrived on Saturday evening after a day of work and got settled in. Our cottage was waterfront, small and quiet; just what we wanted and expected. We started our visit at the Bookstore and Restaurant that was a mere half mile from the cottage. The place offered vegetarian options and while this equated to artichoke dip and fries, we enjoyed it anyway! Zach enjoyed some local brew and I stuck to water and tea. In their defense, the veggie choices were delicious. We took the beach path to get there and it was so nice. Admittedly, I am not much of a sand walker and probably got on Zach's nerves because I had almost fallen a few times. Whoops!

So, during our week, we did some touristy things and enjoyed the WONDERFUL weather we had. We challenged ourselves to visit all the Cape Lighthouses in our path, and saw three of them (Chatham, Highland and Nauset - and the Three Sisters). I suppose it wasn't really a challenge but we had fun anyway. We enjoyed great (non-seafood) meals, shopped, walked and relaxed. It was just what we needed to be rejuvenated. We were both overdue for time off from work!

Some other highlights included awesome ice cream, wonderful beach views, trails, and some action from a skulk of foxes living across the street outside one of the neighboring cottages. Zach loved watching them every morning and evening. It was a little creepy walking by them, but according to the research we did on foxes upon learning they lived there, they aren't harmful (unless rabid). They were very cute!

We ended our trip at the same place we started, the Bookstore and Restaurant, for some breakfast before heading home. I definitely look forward to going back (hopefully next year, with little Garrett in tow). It was a fun time!!

And baby makes three Garretts

Ok, so I realize it's been a near eternity since our family last posted anything of interest. So, bare with me with an update.

Since the last time: Zach has been offered a permanent position with the company he was on contract for. We were very excited about this news because he has worked very hard and it was great to finally make it official. He started his new position in February. I have also since been promoted in the bank and work in Hingham now as a teller operations specialist. I'm slowly working my way back up the chain of command to management as I was a few years ago. I'm shooting for another promotion soon, but we shall how that plays out. We are very fortunate to be in the positions we have now and are thankful for state of Massachusetts for giving us our independence back. We have had quite a year and things have been going magically since our move last May. What a relief.

In other news, Zach and I are pleased to announce that we are expecting our first child this November. Zach is beside himself in excitement. It took some time for me to adjust to the idea, not that it isn't exciting, but admittedly, it's the most bizarre concept to absorb. I'm only hoping it's a normal reaction for a woman and that I'm not on the path to being a horrible and heartless mother. :) Only joking! The first few weeks were strange as I adjusted to what was going on in my person and become acquainted with the new sensations occurring and what it all meant. Our first appointment was April 13 and since then, I have joined Zach in his excitement and anxiously await the little person that will soon consume us with happiness. Our families and friends have been gracious with love and support and we are lucky to have them in our lives.

So, there you have it! Stay tuned...hopefully it'll be a bit more regular this time. :)

New York New York

Good eve all! Greetings from snowy Massachusetts. It's finally time for another Garrett family update. The Garretts are still doing well here in Randolph. Nothing much has changed since the last post, but we do have another big trip behind us.

Yesterday, Zach and I joined Eric, Tammy and Alyssa on a day trip to Manhattan. Tammy and Eric had gifted us this trip and we were so excited. The first thing on our agenda after an early morning bus ride, was a show at Radio City Music Hall. We saw the Christmas Spectacular and it certainly was spectacular. The show featured the famous Rockettes and they were amazing. Made me wish I had continued dancing all those years ago! Ha! The show was wonderful and I'm so glad we went.

The weather was less than cooperative for us but we made the best of it. We found a really great place for lunch/dinner called HB Burgers. Zach and I had the most incredible veggie burgers we have ever had. Tammy had one too and loved it. The food was excellent and they even made their own specialty beers and sodas. I had the pomegranate lime soda and it was quite tasty. After some food, and some time to dry off from the rain, we walked around a bit. Some places we visited over the course of the day were Rockefeller Plaza, Sax Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick's Cathedral and a local private showing of an art exhibition. The art was a treat! We just stumbled upon it walking down Madison Avenue.

The Garretts and Welsches had a wonderful day in the city. A sunnier day would have been nice, but we made do and had a fun time anyway. We definitely look forward to another visit some day.