My favorite Italian

Chris has a nice setup at his job at the Santa Clara Valley Water District. He works what they call "9-8-9's" which means - I'm not clear on the complexities - that he gets every other Friday off. And occassionally said Fridays coincide with Holiday Mondays. And this is why Christopher Columbus is my favorite Italian.

Anyway, we used this long weekend to go see Annika's paternal grandparents who reside in the greater Sacramento area. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that a set of Chris's cousins would also be joining us this weekend - the Arientes, who have wonderful taste in clothes and food. And then, the weekend got more wild (appears to be a theme) when we got to see the newest addition to the Solis family - baby Ally who was born last week, weighing in at a whopping 6 pounds, 8 ounces. I have never held a baby so tiny, because we know Annika was never, ever that small (and never will be, that's for sure). She was sweet and adorable and hopefully slept that night since she slept pretty much the whole time the family was visiting.

We also got to see the Mahers who read this blog, but don't vote in polls. (Hi Tina!)

The best part about this weekend was that Mommy & Daddy got to spend some much needed alone time. Grandma and Grandpa Hakes were just wonderful with Annika and were happy to be rid of us, I think. :) We were able to go shopping and even gambling! (Don't ask if we won.) However, though it was absolutely great to see and speak with Chris for longer than ten minute stretches without interruption, each time we came back to our baby, I just couldn't believe how much I missed her. I find that I appreciate and love her so much more every day, and it just grows when she's out of my sight. My baby girl is just the most perfect, gorgeous thing, and it was a blessing to find out that being away from her is a gift, but being with her is simply precious.

I'm gushing, so I'm going to stop now. (Ridiculous beanies courtesy of Uncle Ben).