Kim and Ed Jr.

We have been in Cincinnati for nearly a month already and time is continuing to fly by! We made it to Kim’s parents’ house on Easter Sunday just in time for the Easter egg hunt and big family party. We were excited to be able to introduce Trey to so many extended family members that day.

There have been numerous other big events since we have been back. We watched my dad run in yet another Flying Pig Marathon, my parents threw a welcome home party for us so Trey could meet his relatives on my side of the family, and we even managed to squeeze in a trip to the zoo this past weekend.

Now that we are back, my mom has been taking so many pictures of our growing boy! This works out perfectly for us since we haven’t taken so many pictures. As always her photos can be viewed on her flickr page. Below are a few of our photos from the past month along with a video of Trey’s first meal of rice cereal last night.

One thing I came to realize quickly after Trey was born was that I was not going to be able to put him into daycare as easily as I had thought. When I was pregnant, Ed and I choose a daycare in Denver and even paid the deposit to reserve his spot. It was a very nice, safe, Montessori school one block from my work. But when the time came to bring him there, I just couldn’t do it.

Luckily, Doni offered to stay with us my first week back to work to help us avoid daycare. And even leaving Trey with her for a couple hours a day was hard for me. I knew Doni would be taking better care of Trey than I even do. And Trey loved being with Doni. But being away for the first time was miserable for me!

Doni and Trey

I was able to work from home my last couple weeks in Denver which let us skip the daycare scenario altogether. And now that we are back in Cincinnati, my mom and Ed’s mom are watching Trey for us during the week. Judging by how happy he is, I think he loves this set-up. He literally smiles ALL the time. Having Trey grow up being close to both of our families is priceless. Plus they get to enjoy the little guy as much as us now!

I wrote an entry on edpaffjr.com about our trip back to Cincinnati, but here are some more pictures that aren’t included there.

The last month has flown by because we’ve been busy – selling a house, buying a house, packing and saying our good-byes.  Our friends hosted a party in Wash Park on Sunday, so we could enjoy one final party with all of our friends.  It was great seeing everyone again and we are going to miss all of our friends here.

We’ve been away from Cincinnati for 8 years and I couldn’t be more excited to move back! I’ve loved all the experiences Ed and I have had both in Denver and Kansas City and I wouldn’t trade the last 8 years for anything.  But, I’m ready to be back in Cincinnati with our family and friends.  I want Trey to be as close to our families as we are and that won’t happen if we are 1,200 miles away.

Our final journey home starts tomorrow.  We are going to stretch out the drive home over four days in attempt to make the car time tolerable for Trey.  I’m looking forward to our stop in Kansas City on Friday because we are going to visit with Doni and her family and some of our friends from KC.

With exactly one month until we leave Denver, the phrase “with every ending there’s a new beginning” keeps going through my head.  This is true with so many aspects of our life right now.
The day Trey was born was both the greatest day of my life and at the same time one of the worst. Minutes before Trey came into the world, my family was at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati saying their goodbyes to my cousin Patrick. Patrick had fought cystic fibrosis his entire life and on January 9th, at the age of 21, his battle ended. These two unforgettable events took place within minutes of each other. I’ll never forget the moment that I heard the news. If anyone ever had an angel, I believe that Patrick is Trey’s. Trey may never get to meet Patrick, but he will always be a part of his life. Patrick was as tough as he was sweet and no matter how bad things got he always had a smile to give.

Today was Trey’s two month check-up with the pediatricians, his first visit back since the two week check-up. He did great, though the visit wasn’t tear free this time. He received four vaccinations, three of which came in the form of shots in the thighs. Here are his stats as I remembered them to be:

• Weight: 12 pounds 6 ounces. 60th percentile. Up nearly three and half pounds since 1/26.
• Height: 23 inches. 60th percentile. Up nearly three inches since 1/26.
• Head: 15 3/4 inches. 50th percentile.

He is growing up so quickly!

While I am stuck at work on this beautiful spring-like day (though I did enjoy a nice lunchtime jog), Kim and Trey are out enjoying the park near our house. Here are a couple of photos she just sent to me.

Enjoying the ducks!

But we miss you!