The One Where We Have a Party

It's been almost three weeks to the day since we first had Aliza and it's been a fun, exhausting, happy trip. We made Kerry's parents house in central PA the base camp for the remainder of our leave, coming down to Virginia only when we have business there. But Aliza--or "Birdie" as we've nicknamed her because of her frequent chirps--is a demanding, full time job. Not that we didn't understand what raising a newborn would entail, mind you, but some things people tell you about newborns don't really solidify until you experience them (which is true for most things in life, not just babies). First, you're tired all the time, as evidence from the below:

This was taken approximately 20 mins after the party I'm about to describe ended.

I always secretly hated parents that complained about being tired, and while it's not as bad as I think most make it out to be, it's just...different. Days are structured into 3-4 hour segments now, no longer 16 hours on, eight off, like before. Second, you are always cleaning something: cloths, bottles, the baby, etc...That's pretty much all of your free time, which seems ridiculous but it is, in fact, the truth. Finally, you have a lot of downtime, but ironically, not any time to actually do anything. None of these observations are necessarily original but at least give you an idea that, much to my chagrin, we are becoming stereotypical first-time parents.


But enough about that. On Saturday, May 19, my mom threw us a wonderful book shower for Aliza at the house in Virginia. We drove down that morning--our first road trip with Birdie--and it was a beautiful day for a party. We invited close friends and family that we haven't really seen in the year since we have been gone, and it was great to catch up. Here are some photos:

Yes, that is one giant cupcake 

The theme of the party was books and all the guests were invited to bring gifts of their favorite childrens' books for Aliza. We got some great ones, including some that we hadn't seen since Kerry and I were kids ourselves. It was a great idea for a shower and we are excited to start reading to our little girl now that we have the tools to do it.  


So, despite our first road trip almost wiping us out, it was a great success. We are now about to embark on our second road trip, destination Ocean City, NJ. We'll see how exhausting a relaxing weekend at the beach can be.