Hit the Road Jack

So, among our many, many blessings, Jack has the privilege of BOTH of his sets of grandparents owning beach property, and we are currently vacationing in the beautiful Outer Banks, NC at the Hicklings' place. We've been looking forward to this trip for many months, and it could not have come at a better time ... time for some much needed R and R!

We arrived in the Outer Banks on Saturday morning, after we had our first Friday "night out on the town" since Jack was born. Two of our dear friends, Amy and Jay Lawrence, celebrated their marriage with a reception at our favorite local watering hole in Greensboro on Friday (7/2), while Grandma and Pops Hickling babysat for the first time. We had so much visiting with friends, but Mommy definitely missed Jack ... and her pre-pregnancy tolerance for alcohol! ;)

So, Saturday morning, Mary, Bill (Robert's parents), Robert, Jack, the dogs and I headed to the Outer Banks. Jack was a wonderful traveler and Mary and I didn't have to stop at all. Thank goodness Jack took to the bottle while riding in his carseat!

The beach weather was perfect the first two days we were here (in the mid 80's) and Jack quickly resorted back to the original beach bum he proved to be when he was merely 2 weeks old. He relaxed with the best of 'em, they with their beers, he with his bottle! He's such a easy baby ... or, as Pops would say, "He's so portable!"

We celebrated the 4th of July in full American fashion with an enormous spread of burgers, brats, dogs, crab legs, shrimp, clams, and multiple salads and dips. Robert's brother Chris and his wife Alice were here, as well as his cousin Nancy and her boyfriend Jake with several of their friends, who were so much fun! So, despite being new parents, Robert and I still tried to "hang" with the best of their party crowd! And, it was also relieving to realize that I hadn't lost my touch for "throwing some bags" (for those of you scratching your heads, I'm referring to a game called Baggo that we play ... kinda like horseshoes with bean bags).

Sadly, Robert had to head back to Greensboro for work on Monday evening, but soon after, our friends Greg and Hiba and their 1 year old little girl Mirah joined me at the beach. It was loads of fun to catch up with them, as the last time we saw them was when we visited them in Seattle when their little one was only 6 weeks old! It was a blast seeing Mirah on the beach for the first time! She took to it like a veteran ... trying to eat sand and splashing in the waves before crashing for afternoon naps on the beach. It's so funny how our lives have all changed since we've had children ... MUCH different than the life we knew together in Chapel Hill just two years ago!

Robert returned to the beach on Thursday night (thank goodness ... Mama was getting tired!). I don't think I've ever missed him so much in my life! I have a brand new respect for single moms after flying solo with baby Jack for 3 nights!

Friday evening, we were joined by two more friends, Corey and Amy Ford, who were married just the day after Jack was born (so clearly we couldn't attend). We just relaxed, ate good food, and played games (they killed us at Trivial Pursuit!). It was wonderful to see them, if only for a short trip ... thanks so much for coming guys!

It was a wonderful week at the beach with family and friends, and it was nice to find out that Jack hasn't forgotten how to be a beach bum! He is 6 weeks old now, and is eating well and seems to be growing like a weed! (He's already outgrown my favorite PJ's!) Jack holds his head up for as long as 20 seconds now when we do "tummy time," and he is much more awake and alert during the days now. I hope you all enjoy our photos, and thanks to everyone for their continued thoughts and prayers.

"Old friends are best, lest you can catch a new one that's fit to make an old one out of." ~ Sarah Orne Jewett

Last night, Robert, Jack and I had the privilege of meeting our "Parent Match" through the Down Syndrome Network of Greater Greensboro, which is an organization affiliated with the Family Support Network of Central Carolina. When asked in the hospital by an organizational representative if we were ready to be paired up with some parents of a child with Downs, we immediately jumped at this great opportunity.

So, last evening, Abby and Jason Hilemn and their little girl Lacey, who's 2 and a half years old, brought a delicious dinner over to our house. It was such an amazing experience to meet a young, attractive, successful couple that completely understands exactly what we are going through. Abby is now 33 and she had Lacey when she was 30, and Jason actually works somewhat with me at Moses Cone, and I definitely recognized him from work. So, it was nice to also be able to "talk shop" a little as well!

Abby and Jason found out that Lacey had Down Syndrome while Abby was pregnant during early ultrasounds and screenings, so their experience was a little different than ours. Nevertheless, it was interesting to find that Abby and Jason went through similar emotions and feelings as we did although we found out about our babies' diagnoses at different points in the game. Abby and Jason did not hesitate to answer all of our questions, and they gave us very candid advice, which we greatly appreciated. It makes such a greater impact to hear advice from people who have lived through what we're going through rather than from others who haven't.

Let me just tell you ... Lacey is one of the most adorable, vibrant, bright, charismatic, loving and affectionate little girls we have ever met. I wish I had taken a picture of her to post! She is just a ball of energy and just wanted to explore everything! She isn't talking just yet, but communicates just as effectively through signing. It was actually quite nice to have the spirit of a little rambunctious youngster around without all the noise!!! Abby and Jason tell us that little Lacey hit all of her other milestones right around the time expected of any "typical" child, so this was very encouraging for Robert and me.

So, we would like to formally extend our gratitude to Abby, Jason, and Lacey for the wonderful company, great advice, and delicious food ... we feel very lucky to have such a great parent match. The Family Support Network could not have picked a better couple for us, and we look forward to an everlasting bond and friendship that we now know we couldn't live without! Thanks so much, guys!