First cousins & first smiles

This past weekend was one I will never forget. Evan finally got to meet his Aunt Jen, Uncle Brian and his cousins, Colin and Erin. We all spent four wonderful days together at my parents' house in South Carolina. Although it felt like most of the time was spent feeding babies, changing diapers and waking up from naps, we were able to squeeze in a lot of fun. Colin entertained everyone by splashing in the kiddie pool, chasing bubbles in the backyard and playing with Chafie. Erin and Evan, on the other hand, were pretty quiet and soaked up hours of being held by their aunts, uncles, and grandparents. What a life! It was so adorable to see these three kids together at last. I can already tell what wonderful relationships they are going to have, and I can't wait to see the memories unfold over the years.

For me, it was also great to spend time with 80% of my family in one place. I loved being able to sit and talk with everybody at the same time. One night we sat on the deck and talked and drank beer until almost 1:00am, which I consider a pretty big feat for someone with a 6-week old baby. Sure I was exhausted the next morning when Evan decided to wake up at 5:45, but it was worth it to make that memory with my family.

One of the main things I will always remember from the weekend was seeing my son smile at me for the first time. I had heard from several friends that this is one of the most special moments in a mom's life and it certainly did not disappoint. After a long feeding, Evan was laying in bed with me and Brett when he all of the sudden started smiling for what seemed like an eternity. We had seen the usual "muscular" smiles before but we knew this was the real thing when we saw it in his eyes. In that moment, his entire face lit up with joy and I have to say, it was the best feeling ever. It's as if I got a little glimpse into who Evan is going to be. Now I spend most of my time trying to earn some more smiles from him. I know I shouldn't rush things, but when a smile is THAT cute, you want as much as you can get!