Adam (before the apple)

As what seemed like an endless pregnancy neared a close, we went into "nesting" mode. This involved almost breaking the dishwasher while sterilizing bottles, and organizing bags of baby clothes into bins.

About one week later, Emily Jane hit the scene! 7-11-14, 6lb 1oz, 19" at 9:52pm.

The "nice" camera does a bit of a better job than the iphone!

Adam was introduced to his little sister the very next day.

As part of our anxiety regarding how Adam would react and adjust, we enlisted our very good friend, Amazon Prime. Mr. Prime provided Adam with "gifts from his baby sister" - including a few very specific Thomas trains. There is nothing like good old bribery and positive reinforcement to convince a toddler that a new sibling is a really, really good idea.

At the hospital, everyone wanted to hold baby Emily! Daddy got 1st dibs.

Zayde was next, wearing a brand new shirt from EJ's Diner to commemorate the birth of "EJ."

Saba and Safta could not wait to get their hands on their new grandaughter!

EJ was finally given permission to be discharged and placed in a "going home from the hospital" outfit.

When she arrived home, she discovered the many joys of "sleeping like a baby" and putting herself into different positions.

Can everyone be quiet? The noise is getting to me. Let's use our inside voices now, shall we?

TOUCHDOWN...! Emily raises her arms in victory.

This photo-taking thing is getting a bit old... can you guys give me some space?

Greetings from the crib (ahem, bouncy seat...)

This thumb sure tastes delicious.

First bath! I like to be discreet when bathing.

Me just being adorable.

One of my earliest outings. It is so important to accessorize.

After the thrill of new toys, we all wondered how Big Brother Adam would react to Emily's arrival. The first week was tough. Adam tried to be cool, but decided, he really just wanted to be a baby like Emily!

Adam in Emily's bouncy seat, "pretending" to be a baby.

Things got better and Adam slowly began to adjust to the changes including his first trip in a double stroller. Good snacks always help.

We managed to capture this great shot and then several others in which Adam appears to be OK with and possibly even happy with Emily. Only a few of these shots were staged.

While Adam was busy getting to know his brand new sister, we all took the time to bond with Emily.

Before leaving for college, Adam's friend Courtney stopped by to say bye to Em.

Thankfully, they will be able to skype and Emily promised to send many care packages!

Emily can't walk yet but has been on a few mini adventures over just a few short weeks. She went to the roof deck in our building (an excellent place to take a nap while closely supervised), Lincoln Center, and even to the beach!

Welcome to the world, Emily Jane! We look forward to many fun times and blog-worthy events ahead!
Love,
Us

Greetings!

We last updated the blog at the end of last summer (2013). So lots of catching up to do... Here is a quick recap of the past year, which of course culminated this summer with Emily's arrival :-)

FALL 2013

September began with a "photo shoot" as we were told we needed family photos for Adam's preschool. We may have gone slightly overboard with this, but got this beautiful shot!

And this one! Adam's new nickname is "dimple man" :-)

The major milestone of 2013 - Adam began his educational career! This of course involved a juice box.

October brought along the requisite visit to a pumpkin patch. Adam showing off some muscles...

He decided to be Thomas for Halloween. A case where it is helpful when one's child is extremely invested (ahem, understatement) in a particular character making the "costume" decision easy. All aboard!

In November, we visited a beautiful B&B in upstate NY. It is noted that our hair matches the scenery :)

December brought Hannukah and many gifts of Thomas toys.

Adam showing off his growing train collection and his ability to cleverly organize (or hoard?) objects while wearing mismatched pajamas.

New Year's eve was daddy's birthday. Adam and Safta baked a cake. Happy birthday, Jay - and happy 2014!

WINTER 2014:

January's highlight involved our annual ski trip to Deer Valley. Adam made a big impression on the bunny slope.

We took a family "selfie" that shows we know how to follow trends. Cool Bacows!

Adam, as always, had a blast with his friend Jordyn - this time, in matching moose pajamas. A rowdy evening of jumping on the bed and avoiding sleep ensued.

Goodbye Park City. See you next time!

In February, we embarked on the famous parent and toddler journey known as "potty training." This is Adam in his pre-contemplation stage where he began seriously considering participating in this project. First step - sitting on the potty while fully clothed.

Next step - using the potty, with Elmo.

SPRING 2014:

In March, Adam had his very first school photo taken. This is Adam "helping" the photographer, behind the scenes.

Final product. Success!

At the end of March, Adam celebrated his 3rd birthday at his favorite gym. Thomas even made an appearance in the party decor.

Adam had great fun with this cake that said "Happy Birthday Addam." A friend of ours commented that at least it did not say, Happy Birthday Saddam! Oops...

We visited a good friend's baby and Adam got to practice the art of being a big brother. He gave baby Lily a bottle and then promptly tried to climb on top of mommy. Uh oh...

Adam celebrated his birthday again, at school. Cupcakes galore!

In April, the polar vortex of 2013-2014 finally began to relent.

Adam developed a particular fascination with eggs when he discovered that drugstores sell plastic eggs with toys and candy inside them. Easter and Passover occurred around the same time, so we decided to just go with this (especially when Adam asked whether there would be any "eggs" at Passover...)

We did of course actually observe Passover (and as a prize for finding the afikomen, Adam got an... you guessed it... egg!)

In May, Adam had his first toddler celebrity sighting. Thomas was kind enough to grant him a photo.

In May, we also celebrated mother's day with a fabulous brunch at the Smith. Adam and Zayde make a great team.

Family photo with a visibly knocked up Terri.

Go Sox!

In June, Adam served as a male model for Zayde's fabulous new line of sunglasses, Pau Rio (for those who want to look as smashingly cool as Adam does, feel free to visit www.paurio.com)

June was a busy month as we (Terri) was determined for Adam to have as much entertainment as possible before the baby arrived. This began with a visit to central park's mini amusement park, victorian gardens. Mommy rested and daddy took Adam on a bunch of cool rides.