Carolina in My Mind

Durham, NC

Gramma and Grandpa Manning gave little Baby O lots of attention and got to see all of his new tricks like sitting up by himself and eating cereal.

The Manning Kids were there for most of our visit which made for an especially great time hiking and playing on the slip and slide. We went to an amazing playground that had unusual and fun equipment. An hour or so later, Zach and I were both cut up and covered in woodchips. I think the kids had fun too.

Once again, Zach and I quickly agreed to go on a date while my parents watched the boy. We went to Maggiano's and had a lovely time out together. I try not to incessantly talk about the baby when it's just the two of us, but usually after an hour or so, we're both ready to gush over him a bit. And analyze. Owen began his poor night sleeping while we were at my parents'. And by poor I mean horrific. I can't blame the kid, since we're the ones who upset his system just when he was consistently starting to sleep through the night and even soothe himself to sleep. Still, it's something we're presently trying to remedy...that's a long time without good sleep.

Jason and Katrina came to get the kids, so we got to hang out with them at Mom and Dad’s as well. Jason and Owen really hit it off.

Zach and I spent a day in the Duke Gardens and then Zach gave me a tour of the campus. It was nice to have a day to ourselves, but I was also glad we had an extra night with Mom and Dad.

Virginia Beach, VA

We were able to visit my other college roommate, Stacey, and her husband Michael in their new home. The house and yard looked great, and it was just like old times hanging out with them. Except that, you know, Zach had our baby sleeping on his lap and they owned a house.

Then it was on to Jason and Katrina’s house. Owen had his first swim! He did great, especially considering that the water was a little chilly. The Manning Kids were so wonderful with Owen, and Owen would just laugh and laugh every time he even saw Nathan. Nathan (and later Noah and Theresa) would get right in Owen's face and say, "Hi, hi, hi, hi," and Owen would go crazy for it. A few weeks later, after seeing the Manning Kids again, Owen started going, "Hey, hey, hey, hey," in the same manner. I didn't connect it at first, but Zach pointed out he was mimicking them. So dang cute. And yes, I have a video of that as well.

Another favorite memory from our time in Virginia was playing American Idol with Katrina and Jason. Hilarious. Katrina beat me so bad and Jason once again wowed me with his fantastic singing and dancing. Lot of talent in that family. We also went to the zoo, which was a blast with those four little Mannings. Owen slept through most of it, though he did wake in time to nurse on a train that went around the zoo. There were also some fountains that the kids got to play in. Nathan would sit on one fountain and then spray kids as they got close. Noah climbed up this mock termite hill and yelled, "I AM IRON MAN." Those kids are hilarious.