Birthdays birthdays and more birthdays

I'm impressed by how many ice cream cakes we have finished off since I last wrote. We've had so many things to celebrate around here including 4 birthdays - Jenna turned 1, Henry turned 2, Tad/Gamps turned 73 during his visit here, and...Elliot Kimball Merrill was born on June 1, his due date!  Elliot's arrival was quite exciting indeed.  I started having braxton hicks contractions around 1am on the 1st.  Scott and I went about our business that day deciding to work at a local book store.  By the time we met up with the rest of the gang for lunch, including my brother and his girlfriend who were in town for that week, I had had 2 real contractions but I still didn't think there was any reason to change the day's plans.  Until 4pm I thought I would join the group for a family dinner to welcome my dad into to town, but it was around then that I decided the contractions were too uncomfortable to allow me to enjoy the social setting.  However, it wasn't until my sister and I were sitting down to a quiet dinner at her house around 6:30, while everyone else was out at dinner, that I accepted I was in labor.  Scott and Drew got back around 8pm with the kids and by 8:45 Scott, Sarah, and I were on our way to the hospital.  If only the story could continue as smoothly.  Resulting from confusing directions because "Turn east on 199" actually meant we needed to go west but follow a sign that said east and the dark and stormy conditions, we, um, got lost on the way to the hospital. I tried so hard not to have the baby in the car!  We made it to the hospital just in time. I tried my best to wait for the doctor and at least for Scott to make it up to the room after parking the car.  Scott arrived, the doctor didn't.  7 minutes after getting there we met Elliot! 

6 lbs 7 oz

19.5 in length

13.5 in head circumference

9:34 pm

Early the next day the family came to visit. Although a bit overwhelmed at first, Henry quickly bonded with his little brother.

Here's Elliot wide-eyed during his first skype call with Scott's mom / GiGi when he was just 10 hours old.

Henry meeting his cousin Jenna, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Drew

Here's a bunch of photos from the last 5 weeks

Henry's 2nd birthday day - Scott arrived from Bangladesh just in time to celebrate which I think was the best present Henry could have dreamed of after 6 weeks apart.

We have spent a bunch of time near or in water

We've hung out around the house enjoying a visit from Uncle Joe and Aunt Rachel and Gamps. By the way, the photo of Henry feeding Jenna is hilarious to all of us here because Jenna has made a name for herself as having a voracious appetite and will come walking (yay! She's proudly walking now!) as soon as she sees food.

And now here are just some photos of the boys

Settling in

Life has been great in the US.  We've settled in to a routine of playing with the family (in the photo on the right the cousins are showing their creativity on one of the chalkboard walls and the one below captures how much Henry loves his younger cousin and tries to keep her entertained), exploring the yard, eating great food including salads and delicious cheeses - both of which are hard if not impossible to come by in Dhaka, and, it just had to be done, getting work done at the office while Henry hangs out at daycare.  I'm happy to say he has adjusted to the school we found for him and while he doesn't necessarily beg to go in the morning he's finally started raving about his day when I pick him up.

We found Henry and his cousin an indoor soccer program that they go to two days a week.  It's interesting to see how long 2 and 3 year olds can keep their attention; Henry usually lasts about 30 of the 45 minute session.  The most challenging part of soccer has been to convince Henry that "dribble dribble dribble shoot" has to be done with his feet instead of his hands because until now he's mainly played around with a basketball. 

Last week Gamps (my dad) and Nana Charlotte came in town for a 2 days visit which was quite a treat.  Since Henry and his cousins all have birthdays within a few weeks of each other, Gamps and Nana Charlotte wanted to throw a group birthday party while they were here.  The kids didn't complain about that!  After everyone played outside for awhile, the kids were surprised with presents and then later in the day we chowed on an ice cream cake.

Henry found a bunch of bugs under the table and wanted to tell everyone

 They learned how to do texture rubbings

  

 And then it was present time. I was very impressed with the planning because each kid got 4 presents evenly and equally split by clothes and toys.

You'll notice the dumdum in all the rest of the photos. Henry was so thrilled to find a "lollipop" taped to the first present that I had to entice him to remember that he had presents to open.

Here's a "Most amazing brother ever" outfit

 

When Gamps bought the soccer jersey he didn't know that Henry was playing indoor. It was fun to put the jersey right to use at soccer that same afternoon.

 I held back from posting a series of hilarious photos from the ice cream cake extravaganza.  The green icing offered up some entertainment since it colored the kids' teeth and then they started having fun trying to increase the messiness.

 Here's one photo I did want to post with Kaylin planting a big green one on Henry's head.

Henry and Gamps also played one of Gamps' favorite past times and Henry's new found fun - baseball.

 Other than that we've just been doing the same old taking advantage of all this free time we have before the baby comes.  I have just one more photo from a birthday party this past weekend at a bounce house.  Look at Kaylin climb!  The slide on the other side was luring them up.

Happy Mothers Day!  Only 5 days until Scott gets here :)

Settling in to the Grand US of A

It has been a whirl wind of a few weeks made much easier with the support of my sister and her family and Scott's mom who have all ensured Henry is enjoying the transition.  While Henry has asked to "Go Home" a few times, it looks like he's really having fun here and is adjusting quite quickly to all the changes that include being able to play with his cousins from the second he wakes up to the minute he says Good night, take a few road trips on roads that don't require swerving and honking but, unfortunately, don't have all the cows and goats to point out, and adjusting to a new day care setting without the one to one ratio of child to nanny.  

For this first post in awhile I'll post a few photos from our last few weeks which included a week with my sister and her family getting over jet lag and enjoying the wonderful weather, a week in Baltimore where I worked and Henry bonded with Phyllis who flew in to watch him, a surprise baby shower (no photos though) my colleagues threw for me in Baltimore, and then this past week back with my sister and her family.  Here you go...

Henry and the cousins enjoying together for the first time, with the figurines at hand, an episode of Dinosaur Train:

An afternoon at a beach right near my sister's house

A day outside in great weather.  You'll notice we put them all in Minion shirts :)

 I didn't get too many photos from Baltimore but luckily on the last day I was able to click a few of Gigi and Henry playing, you guessed it, basketball.  Henry STILL tells me about the scratch he got on his knee from "basketball shoot" when he fell after shooting a ball; he's so proud.

Here is Henry so excited for his first day of school.  If only that enthusiasm had lasted through his first short week there...

This weekend we went to a fair at the YMCA complete with a bouncy house, a football throwing area and even a dog petting station.  The kids had a great time.

I expect that now that we are settled in Williamsburg I'll have the camera out more to capture the fun.  

Baba, we miss you!!

The last dispatch from Dhaka...for awhile

Henry is asleep and I hope to catch a few hours of ZZZs before we head to the airport late in the night.  It's been an interesting week knowing that we're leaving for 3 months and will return with another baby.  One aspect of this week that is unique to living abroad is that not only do I say bye to friends that I won't see for these few months, but a number of my friends will move away from Dhaka over the summer so I won't see them again when I'm back.  My oh my - lots to keep track of!  But, we've made the most of it and have had a great week.  

There were a few days this week that I left for work a little late and caught Henry getting some cooking lessons from Shilpi.  A couple weeks ago we bought him a stool so he could reach the sinks to wash his hands.  He quickly figured out that he could also use his stool to 'help' cook.  It's a lot of fun to have him participate and to see him so excited as the final product comes together. He especially loves helping to make ice cream and then watching it spin in the maker - but who wouldn't!

 

Today we went to an Easter egg hunt organized at the Club made all the better by the rain which was nice enough to join the party.  When we pointed out the first egg to Henry he looked at us curiously wondering why we were telling him to pick up this odd plastic thing. However, it took just that first egg to get him hooked and he was a avid hunter after that.  

 We then took our last photo as just the three of us in Dhaka!

And then one last photo from today when Henry was transformed by his best friend from across the hall into the Easter Bunny Super Man.