A Welch Family Affair: July 2010

Saturday night marked the return from an amazing trip to Montana to visit my family. I was really nervous about the trip beforehand, thinking that Ellie would be an overtired mess, but she proved me wrong. She was a great little traveler, and really adjusted well! She's also a much more sound sleeper than I ever imagined. There was quite a bit of commotion going on at my mom and Keith's house at times, and she never woke, not once! I vowed to make it a low-key visit so that Ellie didn't miss naps and didn't get too overtired. We did a lot of things close to home, which was fine with me! Visiting with my family is what I wanted to do most. We visited some overlooks, did a little hiking, walked through town, drove some scary roads (eeek!), had some great photos taken, and visited the local parks for Miss Thing. Ellie discovered a love for sand at River Park and Lake Como...pictures to come! Next year, Ellie will likely be taking only one nap a day, so we can venture out a bit more! Towards the middle of our trip, my aunt and cousins from British Columbia came down for a visit. It's been a few years since I've seen them, so it was a long time coming! I suppose that's one upside to my mom living on the other side of the country. Chris joined us after they left, and is staying until this coming Wednesay. I guess that's tomorrow :) All of my pictures from the trip are on my mom's computer, so as soon as I get them, I'll have plenty to show you all!

Traveling somewhere different has really put my life into perspective and has created a bit of a dilemma. I grew up in the Washington area and now live right outside of Baltimore, so I've never known anything other than a fast-paced, career-driven, busy lifestlye. I've always known that I've wanted something different than that, but visiting a place like Hamilton, MT made me realize how done with this area I am truly am. Life is just a little bit slower. People wave to each other as they drive by, they go to Farmer's Markets on Saturday mornings, and the right things are priority there. Kids grow up in a community that cares about them, and they learn empathy and kindness. It's much more the type of life that I want to live and raise my children in. The dilemma is that we're stuck here for now. We're stuck in our house. Dave needs a few years under his belt with his new job. I think a big change might be in our lives in the next few years, but I guess only time will tell.

As good as the trip was, coming home, for the reasons that I just talked about, as well as the separation from my family yet again, is always difficult. This time, it's hit me particularly hard. I spent the last three days in quite a funk. I feel like life is just too short to be this far away from some of the people who I care about most. I am so ready to be close to my mom and Keith again. I don't necessarily want that to be here in Maryland, because I know that they would not be happy here, but 2,700 miles is just too much. We see each other for a week or so, only to separate again for months at a time, to see each other for just another week, repeat, repeat. There's no other way to describe it other than it sucks. I miss them terribly all the time and am feeling this increasingly large void in my life and Ellie's not having them here.

So, that's were we're at in life right now. Ellie's readjusted to life at home, sleeping completely through the night for two nights in a row. Dave's readjusted back at work. I'm still in the process of accepting the fact that we won't see mom and Keith again until December. I'm sure I'll feel better eventually, but I think I've got a long road ahead of me.

Pictures will be up shortly...

You'll have to excuse me ahead of time. This post is going to be unbelievably long. It's been a busy week so far! I am enjoying summer so much this year! I was thinking about it the other day, and this really is the first summer that I've ever stayed home. I've either worked summer school or camps, or taken grad classes. It feels nice that I've got 8 1/2 weeks of lounging with my family and friends to look forward to!

This week has been very busy so far! On Monday, Miss E and I went to the pool. Tuesday, we had our first playdate with my friend, Erin, and her 8 1/2 month old daughter, Hailey. On Wednesday, my good friend Robyn came over for a visit, and today, Dave and I walked with Ellie and our neighbor, Mary, on the new trail that they've built behind our development. Pictures are coming! You'll have to deal with my wordiness today :)

Developmentally, Ellie is going full steam ahead! I swear this girl learns something new everyday. She's full blown crawling these days, and just this week, she's learned to pull herself up to standing. You'll notice in the pictures that she is standing on EVERYTHING! She's even taken little steps while holding on to Dave! This week we added watermelon, prunes, and little pieces of avocado and banana into Ellie's diet. She seems to like it all, although she's still getting used to having to chew her food rather than just swallowing the puree. OH, and she said "mama!" I don't know if she's actually referring to me, but she's saying it! Ellie is one happy, well-adjusted kid. She eats well, sleeps well, and plays hard. We couldn't ask for anything better.

We leave in 6 days for a 10 day adventure in Montana to visit my parents. I am SOO excited! We started planning the "packing list" for things to bring for Ellie. Holy crap. Traveling is going to be a different experience than it's ever been. More of that later. Here are some pictures from the week so far...

Little lady has discovered the windows! Standing, of course.