Big J Comes to Visit - Part II

Since getting Mom's entire visit into one entry would have made for a VERY long read, I divided it into two.  After the intensity of Thursday and the go-go-go nature of Friday, it was nice to take it a little bit easy Saturday and today.  That's one of the things that I love most about spending time with my mom.  It doesn't matter whether we're running around or just taking it easy, watching TV- it's always quality time.

We took our time getting ready on Saturday and then got ready to go to Great Beginnings, this fantastic baby store in Gaithersburg that has all kinds of furniture, bedding, strollers, high chairs, etc.  You name it, they have it for babies.  Of course, this was all a little overwhelming for me, as I don't do well with that many options.  I nearly had an anxiety attack in the stationary store when attempting to select wedding invitations!  But it was helpful that we were just there to get the lay of the land, not to make any decisions on purchases.  There's a TON out there, but it's nice to know we have such a good store nearby. 

At night, Mom and I watched some old family videos she has recently converted from VHS to DVD.  It's such a blessing to have all of those family memories recorded for posterity.  Some of the things I remember (like our family trip through Zion, Bryce, and Arches National Parks after my summer at the Bolsohi in Vail), but so many things I didn't, like my dad playing with my cousin Paige in our kitchen.  Just truly priceless memories.  It's really amazing to think that Jeff and I are going to be making our own family videos someday soon, and taking family trips like the ones my family used to take.  I can't wait!

Today the three of us went to some open houses in Gaithersburg, just to see what's out there.  We're not quite ready to move yet, but we know we will be in the next two years and it's fun to see what the future could look like!  While Gaithersburg is a little further away from work than we'd like, we think we might get more home for our buck there than we can in Rockville.  Obviously, we'll have to wait and see when the time comes, but we were impressed with the places we saw and excited at the prospect of future house hunting!

Of course, the day was tinged with more than a little sadness for me, as we dropped my mom off at the airport after the open houses.  Every time we leave each other, I feel a bit lost and anxious.  We have six or seven weeks until the next visit at Thanksgiving, and I'm just grateful that October is such a busy month!  Less time to think about missing my best friend.  Until then, I have a few pictures to commemorate the weekend - grandma's first meeting with T-Pup!

13 weeks and 1 day pregnant!

Parents-to-be with baby's first toy

Tara, Grandma, and T-Pup