: SLEEPLESS IN DALLAS :

Sorry I haven't posted in a week, I know that's unusual for me at times. We are busy running all over Dallas visiting friends and family and having a blast, however it is exhausting. I have lots of stories and pictures to share when I get a chance to do a full post including D's first kiss from a girl!!!!

3 month update continued...we went to the Dr. Tuesday and D weighed in at 12 lbs 8 oz and 25 inches! He grew 3 inches this last month throwing him into the 90th percentile in height. He's still only in the 25th in weight, so he's a long and lean little boy! Everything else looks perfect as well! Yeah for little D!

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Today Dealey is 3 months old!!! He's growing into a funny little man and it's so much fun to watch. We have a dr. appointment Tuesday but last week he weighed in at 12lbs 3oz, I'm sure he's gained a little though since then. His personality is definitely developing, he laughs and smiles and kicks like crazy. He has discovered his feet and it is so funny when he sees them, his eyes get really big and he makes and O with his mouth and just stares I think it's only a matter of days before the foot find it's way into his hands. He loves to talk and rolls really well from stomach to back and we're getting close on back to stomach he gets on his side quickly but then struggles to get the rest of the way over. Overall he's doing wonderful, I'll post new weight and height stats after our appointment Tuesday along with pics from our weekend adventure in Manhattan's West Village!

how could you ever lose patience with a face like this?

Well, I'll tell you it's 100% possible but I have to give props to my little man it's as if he knew mommy needed a break last night he slept from 10 pm - 4 am and then from 5 am - 8 am...if only he'd do that every night....I can dream huh?

So the pictures...he loves bath time he kicks his feet and splashes around, and speaking of kicking check out this picture. I hung this blue elephant from his car seat handle so he can work on his eye hand coordination when he's sitting in the car but he's a kid after my own heart instead of reaching for it with his hands he kicks it!!!! My little soccer player is already in training, which means that the soccer ball that's been in his crib since we got to NY is doing it's osmosis job, I think we have the next Beckham on our hands!!!!

I love this picture he looks like a little boy to me, he's grown so much well, not his hair and thank God not his feet but everything else seems to grow on a daily basis, I love it!

After a great day on Saturday we didn't think the weekend could get better but it did. We spent Sunday with Christine & Stephen, Stephens sister Trish (a Texas lover) & a friend of hers and their family, in Manhattan in Battery Park at "Harmony on the Hudson" this family music festival they do every year. The music was great and it was so cute to see all the little kids singing along I can't wait for that to be Dealey, maybe next year?!

: new friends :
: great food :
: beautiful park :

Today (Saturday) was one of the best days we've had since moving to NY. My new friend Christine set up picnic so Matt and I could meet some of her and Stephen's friends and they could meet us and we were also able to invite our neighbors from across the street. We met at this great park called Snug Harbor and had the most fabulous picnic, we ate great food and talked and got to know each other. We've definitely made some new friends and tomorrow we're all headed to Manhattan for a huge all day concert in Battery Park, however Matt keeps reminding me we must be back by kick off, we can't miss the Cowboys/Giants game...I just keep doing whatever I'm doing and say yeah yeah, I know....hee hee, I'm oh so glad football seasons here!

Our new friends shown below are Tony & Leslie and their little girl Kalla (not sure on the spelling, she's 6 months old), Tamara and her friend Beth and Hugh & Arlene, their little boy Gabriel and little girl Ariana who was born just two days before Dealey (they are our neighbors across the street and aren't pictured not sure how that happened), then Christine & Stephen and little Eva who we met not that long after we first moved here. Lots of fun, it's nice to meet other people who have kids that we can hang out with it and they are all big foodies so I am excited and motivated to get the last of our boxes unpacked and the apartment set up so we can start having dinners, the first one a tapas & wine party....I can't wait!!!!!! I feel like it may all be okay after all...

Oh and when we told D here comes Eva it was too funny that his reaction was to start drooling! I think he's going to be the little boy that chases the girls around and ask for kisses, I smell trouble!

From left to right: Christine, Tony holding Kalla, Beth, Tamara, Stephen's back, Leslie & me

Gorgeous little Eva (almost 4 months old)

Beth holding the oh so cute Kalla!

Snug Harbor...

Me and D, see he's already quite the character!

From left to right: Tamara, Leslie & Tony

Stephen holding Eva, Matt holding D, Beth holding Kalla & Tony's head!

Snug Harbor is absolutely beautiful it has a butterfly garden, a herb garden, botanical garden, a little secret garden for the kids that's a cool maze but it's all kid height so parents can see kids but the kids can't see over the bushes that make up the walls of the maze. A huge outdoor stage and very cool 9/11 memorial, a huge children's museum that has cool programs all summer long and through out the year, a community theater and an art studio where you can take classes that also has a gallery. The park is beautiful year round and I hope to take anybody there who comes to visit. There's also a cool little cafe and a Japanese sculpture garden in the park that we haven't been to yet but plan to explore in the comeing days, weeks & months.

I've been meaning to write a post about our Labor Day weekend for days but unfortunately both Dealey and I are sick....it sucks but I guess the nice thing about it is I have so much to do with him every day to make sure he doesn't get worse that I don't have time to remember just how crappy I feel....so as we enter Thursday the snot flows freely in the Maples household and it looks like it'll be flowing steady for many days to come!

Okay enough about yucky stuff, lets talk about Labor Day! Matt and I spent Labor Day weekend hanging out at beaches, talking and enjoying what little time we get to all spend together. The best discovery was Bradley Beach, NJ it was incredible we were sad that we found it at the end of the season. Yeah that's right end of the season. Apparently up here Labor Day is officially the end of summer, everybody leaves the city, heads to the beaches and soaks up the last of the warm sun. However it was barely 70 degrees but the water was surprisingly warm. We splashed in the water walked the shore and talked about life.

I knew this move was going to be hard, moving to NY leaving everybody and starting our family. But there are many days I'm ready to endure everything I dislike about Texas just be back with family and friends. I have no idea what life holds for us where we'll be or what we'll be doing but I think for the first time in my life I realize just how much we need those things in our life. But for now life is in NY and I Heart NY, I just wish we had family and friends to love it with us. Here's some pics of our weekend, we went to South Beach Saturday night, and Matt took some cool pics then we were in NJ all day Sunday, we did IKEA, Trader Joes, a cute little town called Meutchen where we took a break and had ice cream at a place called "What's the Scoop", then we headed to Bradley Beach, hung on the beach until dusk, walked the boardwalk and enjoyed a MexiCali dinner at a place called "Fins". Enjoy the pics and remember you could see this all first hand when you each plan your trips to NY!!!!!!

South Beach & Verrazano Bridge


Bradley Beach, NJ