Milestones: Henry's first haircut

Well the big news around here is that we gave Henry his first haircut. We dressed him up for church on Sunday and he looked so cute, but when I was watching him toddle around the aisles of the chapel, I realized - my baby has a serious mullet. I woke up Monday, resolved to fix the problem, i.e. cut off his blessed sweet curls!! Don't worry I saved some curls, it's one of those gross mom things I never thought I'd do, but alas. He was a superstar during the haircut. I just sat him on my lap while we watched Cars and Mark buzzed and snipped away.

Doesn't he look dashing!? Bonus - this haircut really makes it easier to tell that yes, he is a boy, strangers in the grocery store and in the park.

Weekend

This weekend we finally met Henry's little cousin, Iris! She loved Henry and Henry was...interested, but he's mostly interested in trucks and balls these days. I was checking her little chubby arms and legs to look for similarities between her and baby Henry...but all it did was make me want to squeeze her little legs and have another baby immediately. Oh, the baby fever is a real thing.

Henry started swimming lessons (his second year) at Eastern Market. Which means we get to spend all our Saturdays at Eastern market for the next month...which really means...crepes. I love the crepe man. My special is egg, bacon, spinach, tomato, and chive cheddar. 

Sunday, we celebrated fathers day a week later (Mark was in Tokyo), by leaving church early, taking a family nap, and eating dinner at Wildfire - the restaurant where Mark and I had our wedding luncheon. That place holds some great memories!

And onto Monday - the June heatwave is upon us. I head to Hershey, PA this week for a short meeting, then our family is home for a few weeks. Time to enjoy this summer that is just passing us by.

I watched a movie last night

Safe Haven. It was sort of meh (saving grace was Fergie's hot husband), but it was about domestic abuse and it scared me.  It took me back to a very dark time in my life.

I know the feeling of being controlled in a relationship, and feeling stuck, and then finally having the courage to leave and being scared for your safety. It was a long time ago for me, but those experiences never fully leave you. You always remain very aware of the hurt and damage that other people can inflict and are wary of trusting others for a long time. Luckily I had a strong support network of family and friends who helped me out of it, and I happened to date a wonderful person afterwards who was a marriage therapist and helped me through my emotional recovery.

Over the next little while, I want to share some stories about that time in my life. I hope that is ok and I hope you can be sensitive to me trying to share a very personal and difficult part of my past. It took me over 10 years, but I finally feel strong enough to share. Everyone's journey to becoming a confident and self-assured person looks different, but I know my own strength is renewed when hearing from others.

Babies growing up.

I can hardly remember his tiny little body, snuggled up on my shoulder, cuddled in my arms. But the one thing that takes me back to these first few days and weeks, where everything was so new is his hands. When he was born, he had such a strong grip on my finger that made me feel like nothing else mattered but that little boy. And today, when we walk down the street together and he reaches up to grab my finger, he holds on tight, and I'm reminded again of the sweet precious baby, and how it is as true as it was on day 1 - nothing else matters as much as this little boy. I love being his mother and watching him grow and learn. This week he started really running around, pushing trucks back and forth, throwing a baseball like he means it, and wanting to jump off of every curb and step he sees. It's lovely to see him come out of his shell and be such a darling boy. But that hand, every time he grabs mine, it just reminds me how little he is, and how precious each of these minutes are that we spend together. They pass by too quickly.

Five things that make me happy.

1. This sweet little Henny boy:

2. Henry
3. Henry
4. Henry
5. Henry

Maybe summer isn't so bad after all...

I've always been a fall/winter girl. I'm guessing it's because I grew up in the DC area, where hot, dripping humid summers are the norm and I always feel like I can't breathe in that heat. But! I think Henry is changing me into a summer lover! He loves to be outside, and I love to go on neighborhood walks with him and play on the playground, watching his confidence grow on the slide and climbing everywhere. Henry is a very careful and cautious little baby, and to see him learn and grow brings me so much pride. I just love him so, and I can't believe he is running around and talking so much! We've already taken him on his first beach trip of the summer, signed him up for swimming lessons, gone to the pool, and he hangs out in this little backyard pool nearly every day thanks to his awesome nanny (and isn't his friend so cute?! They are super besties). Summer, you are becoming my season of adventures and carefree exploring!

Mysteries that plague me

Meal planning
Birds chirping at 4am
My next hair color decision
Steak-ums
Growing lettuce
Dinosaurs (seriously, what happened to you, guys?)

busy weekend.

We had a busy weekend, punctuated with business trips. Yes, business trips. Saturday we went to the beach for the morning, Henry was scared to walk in the sand at first, but then embraced it and even started throwing rocks into the water after about 45 minutes. We left to drive 90 minutes to Manassas to see Pop Pop perform in a choir near the train station. Henry napped and Mark and I listened to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, the ideal way to spend your 11:00 hour. Played on trains, danced to choir songs, then loaded up the car and drove straight to Georgetown to shop. Shopping these days means one of us tries on clothes while the other one chases Henry around the store in between "what-do-you-think-of-this" feedback between Mark and I. After shopping, we got a couple mini pies from Pie Sisters and walked down to eat them while watching boats on the Georgetown waterfront. We went home and fell into an exhausted puddle of sleep.

The next morning I woke up at 5:30am to catch my flight to Asheville, NC. I stepped out of the airport into a taxi, to my meeting, back into a taxi, and back on a plane by 8pm, and back home tucked in safe and sound at 12:30pm. Mark left last night for his second Asian whirlwind tour in a month, and Henry stayed with the grandparents. I came home last night to an empty house and it was the most eerie feeling ever. Henry is hardly 2 1/2 feet tall, but that little guy sure fills up a room, you know what I mean? I'm picking him up in a few hours and I'll be glad to get him back in my arms. He is the best thing these days and I can hardly stand to be away from him for the workday, let alone 2 days!

One look at our May and June calendar makes us look a little travel obsessed, but I'll be laughing last when I finally get STATUS this year on United. Call me shallow, but I want that gold star of achievement and moreover, lounge access people. A trip to NYC and Pennsylvania still loom in June, and once July comes I just have one work trip, with a fun little girls weekend to follow in Sunny Arizona! Then maybe it will calm down a bit.

I always think life will slow down a little so we can just relax and regroup, but somehow it just keeps getting busier. I've been reading The Happiness Project this weekend and it's resonating with me in a good way, that there are options to live a more fulfilling life - it just takes commitment and practice. Easier said than done, but it's giving me hope at least.

Hawaii

Last month I had my first Hawaii experience. I had a meeting in Honolulu and extended my trip a few extra days to drive to Lanikai Beach and the North Shore. I had never been crazy about the thought of Hawaii, maybe because it's a 10 hour flight from DC and I consider myself more of a Europe lover than an island junky. I'm willing to admit I was wrong.
Here are the thoughts I can't get out of my head after the trip:
Why do live in DC when I could live in a beautiful place like this?
If I lived in Hawaii I would live an active lifestyle of surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and running. It's so beautiful, all the time, and everyone is always moving around and EVERYONE LOOKS AMAZING. It's inspiring.
Another thing - there is some really great food in Hawaii. It's easy to eat healthy - so many fresh fruits and veggies - but it's just as easy to eat shave-ice, pork, and gorge on traditional Hawaiian food. Also, macadamia nuts, the end.
Warm beaches, perfect water temperature, water clear enough to snorkle in and see the beautiful coral reef and tropical fish.
I love Hawaii. It's just like everyone said it would be, and now that I've dipped my toe in it, I'm going to work it into my life plan to live in Hawaii for some part of my life.

Now onto the good stuff...

The first couple days we spent in Honolulu. I didn't get much beach time, but we did stay at a cute little hotel right on Waikiki Beach. I woke up around 4:30am since I had crazy jetlag and would go for long runs on the beach. Super super my favorite thing ever.

 

 The trees were beautiful, too. I loved all the different varieties, especially these beautiful Banyan trees with their aerial roots that grow into the ground.

  

  

We had meetings at the Hawaiian Capitol building, which is awesomely shaped like a volcano. The very top of the building is the governor and Lt. Governors offices, and there are 360 degree views to see the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. I've never seen such a stunning Capitol building! 

  

We drove to Lanikai Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, where we relaxed, ate Macadamia Nut Pancakes at Kimo and Boots, kayaked to Flat Island, ate shave-ice at Hawaiian Snow and just reveled in our luck to be at this beautiful beach. 

 

 We stayed on the North Shore and visited Sunset Beach and Sharks Cove (for snorkeling). We airbnb'd a little studio apartment off someones huge beachside home, which had everything we needed, including snorkel gear, a gorgeous bathroom, 2 beds, and the Hawaiian grammys on TV. Perfect. :)

 This is Sunset Beach, at sunset. Cliched? Maybe. Perfect? Yes. We watched the surfers ride out the last of the waves at dusk. I wanted to die.

 

We visited Haleiwa for good food. We had breakfast at Cafe Haleiwa (huevos rancheros, but the pancakes looked amazing!), lunch at Ted's Bakery (chocolate pie and a malasada!), and dinner at Opal Thai Food, the most amazing thai food I've ever eaten. The owner comes to each table and asks you what flavors you like, your favorite thai dishes, then brings out several dishes for you to try. It was off the chain delicious.

 

The last day in Hawaii, we spent lounging on Sunset Beach before our 8:00PM flight home. It was the perfect wrap-up to a perfect trip! Hawaii, I hope to visit you again!