Happy and Sad

On Tuesday Sean and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. It has indeed been three wonderful years!!! We took advantage of Grandma's offer to baby sit! We left her at home with two bottles in the refrigerator and headed off to a favorite Japanese restaurant around the corner. Following dinner we stopped in our favorite Irish pub for a beer! Our son Alex has proven himself to be quite a good shopper. Even though he is not quite a month old yet he managed to get us an anniversary gift. Sean got season seven of The Simpsons on DVD and I received Bon Jovi's latest CD.

Gifts and cards continue to come in to welcome Alex. This week he received bibs and books from the Lipetzky family in Raleigh. (Dan is a former student council president of mine.) The Lipetzkys must know how important it is to feed both your body and your brain. Aunt Carol sent a photo album FILLED with the many pictures she took on her visit to meet Alex. She also sent me a couple of pairs of shorts....excellent gift since none of my old ones fit....not yet!!!

We did a bit of traveling this week. On Wednesday Alex, Grandma, and I went to the Bronx to visit my friends at PS/MS 194. Everyone couldn't get over how long Alex was. We tried to keep him out of the reach of the students...they can be germy little things. On Friday Alex, Grandma, Sean and I went into Manhattan to do some sight-seeing. We went to Battery Park where you can view the Statue of Liberty. Then we walked up to South Street Sea Port. We wanted to get some pictures of the New York babies together (Grandma was born in Brooklyn-Alex in Queens) in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. We stopped in the Heartland Brewery for dinner and walked by Times Square. Alex was fascinated with the lights!!

Saturday was a very sad day for the Wine household. This was the day that we had to take Grandma to the airport to fly home. We were so lucky to have her here for over a month. But that made it very hard to say goodbye to her. A few tears were shed at the airport, and many more once we came home. Cousin Elizabeth surprised Grandma by meeting her at the airport in Pittsburgh. The Wines will survive knowing that it is only about a week before we get to go home to WV to see Grandma and meet the rest of the family.

Birthday & Fathers' Day

This weekend brought us two celebrations. On Saturday I celebrated my birthday...no I'm not telling you how old I am. Sandra, my best friend who happens to share the same birthday, declared it "Happy 16th!!!" I like the sound of that, especially since the 2 of us decided several years ago that we refused to get any older. My wonderful son Alex instructed his dad to go out first thing Saturday morning and buy me flowers....they are beautiful!!!! We had a quiet evening here at the apartment. Sean made me a delicious cake....chocolate with coffee served warm with ice cream!!!! I got a gift bag full of goodies including a gift certificate to a local spa for a manicure/pedicure, the perfume "Lovely," and a magazine over-viewing Big East football! (Yes, I'm a football geek!!!)

On Sunday Sean celebrated his first official Fathers' Day. Grandma Sue treated us all to coffee and breakfast from Starbucks. On Sunday evening we took Alex into Manhattan for the very first time. He was great on the train...didn't cry a bit, but was wide-eyed and awake. We went to Central Park and picked out a spot on the bank overlooking the Boat House. We had a family picnic. Sean got cards and had his brag book filled up with pictures of our angel Alex. (He had gotten his big gift, a DVD camcorder, on his birthday as a b-day, dads' day, anniversary present.) We took some pictures by the lake and in front of Bethesda Fountain. It was a very nice evening...warm, but with a gentle breeze. What a great weekend!!!!!

Guests and Gifts

I guess that all Sean and I needed to do to get people to come to Queens to visit us was have a baby. REALLY?? That's all??? Apparently so. In the months prior to Alex we had exactly two guests visit us in our apartment, Mike Anderson and Iggy. Since the arrival of Alex we suddenly have many more people willing to make the trek to Queens to see us. Is it any wonder? He really is worth the trip.

This week Miss Kirsten and Titi Helen from PS/MS 194 came to meet Alex on Monday. (Titi, by the way, is Spanish for "little aunt.") After months and months of watching him grow inside my belly they were anxious to meet him in person. They oooed and ahhhhed about how beautiful Alex is, and they caught me up on all the goings on at school. Sean prepared a delicious dinner of cheese ravioli with a mushroom and asparagus cream sauce for everyone. We all agree that he is an excellent cook.

Aunt Carol and Uncle Bruce came from Richmond, VA to visit over the weekend. Carol called Aunt Jane back in WV to rub it in that she got to hold Alex first. Carol, like Aunt Jennie, is quite the photographer. We had a photo shoot on Sunday, and I am certain she got some excellent family photos. Bruce treated everyone to dinner out on Sunday afternoon at NY Style Eats. Alex is two for two when it comes to dining out!!! He was again a very good boy.

Sunday afternoon Sean's friends Irene and Jazzy came to visit with Jazzy's three kids. Irene and Jazzy must have bought out the entire baby section at Old Navy because they each gave Alex a bag of clothes...all very cute!! We had a house full of fun with coloring, videoing, popcorn eating, and of course everybodies' favorite, Alex spoiling.

This has been a busy week for our growing boy. His umbilical cord fell off this week, and we can now see that he has a real little boy belly button!! Daddy fed him his first bottle this week too!! He was having a little trouble going to sleep one night so we broke out one of the many pacifiers that we have for him (all gifts from the shower) and it worked like magic!!! He also attended his very first street fair on Saturday, a Strawberry Fair on 46th Street. Carol & Bruce, Grandma, and Sean & I looked at goods from the street vendors and ate strawberries and ice cream. Alex was content to ride around in his carrier with his daddy. Whew!!!! With all of that excitement it is no wonder that Alex likes to sleep so much!!

We have gotten so many cards and gifts from people who are excited that Alex has entered the world. Uncle Vernon, Kathryn & Dick Minnich, Jim & Wendy and "Uncle" Alex Applegate sent cards. The Edmonds Family, a former student Ms. Krista, an aerobic friend Ms. Scarlette, and the Cutlip Family all sent gifts this week. Alex is ready for the NFL season now with his Dallas Cowboy pacifier and his very first football card (an Emmitt Smith card from the Cowboys of course), both gifts from Mike Cutlip. He is a very lucky boy to be so loved and have such generous friends.

Alex's One Week Birthday

On Friday, June 1 Alex celebrated his one week birthday!! He started the day with his very first well-baby visit to his new doctor. He now weighs in at 8 lbs. 6 oz; that is a gain of 11 oz. since he left the hospital on Sunday. The doctor gave him a thorough check-up and proclaimed he was a-o-kay. He doesn't need to go back for his next visit until the end of the month.



Aunt Jennie and Uncle Reid were in town to see their new nephew. Jenn, Reid, Grandma, Mom, Dad and Alex spent Friday evening "out on the town" in Sunnyside!!! The Amos's treated everyone to a Tex-Mex dinner at "Chips." Everyone had fun indulging in Sangria (Well, Mommy had only about half a glass and Alex didn't get any since he isn't 21 yet!!). The food was excellent, and everyone went home with a full belly. It was Alex's first official restaurant outing and he was a very good boy...sleeping through the whole meal!!



Mommy finally got around to sending photos to people this week. Aunt Jennie added a bunch of her own as well. Aunt Jane and Grandma & Granddad Wine were especially excited to get their first look at new baby Alex. Grandpa would have been equally excited had he not had a particularly thrilling day of his own. While he was working in his garden, Grandpa heard some loud crackling nearby. He looked up, and standing only 18 feet away from him was a black bear. The bear started towards him so he stood up and yelled at it. The bear then took off up near the neighbor's house. This small bear along with his momma and a little brother or sister bear have been seen by the neighbors nearby. It's a good thing we are in New York where we are safe from lions, and tigers, AND BEARS.....oh my!!!!!!!



Since Aunt Jennie was in town with her super camera, it was definitely a weekend full of pictures. (Jenn took well over 300 photos in just 3 days!) Alex's first "official" baby photos were taken this weekend as well. Life-long friend Lori Dittman once told me of a great idea to take a photo of your baby each month on the same blanket so you can see how much he grows over the course of the year. Each month Alex will be seen on his WV blanket that was a gift from Grandma's best friend Joy Shepherd. Alex is seen here wearing his very first WVU onsie, a gift from his Aunt Sonnie. Let's Goooooo!!!! Mountaineers!!!!!!! Let's watch Alex grow!!!!!