A Trip to Tampa

Mark's team has preseason camp in Tampa. Since he was within driving distance, and that occurrence is rare, Dags and I made the trip. I'm not much of a planner and a terrible packer. When the trip was originally planned I was going to ride with my parents. Leaving me in the back seat to tend to a 5 month old on an 8 hour drive. As things changed, I was making the trip alone and for 5 nights instead of two. I packed too much, and really didn't think about the drive with Dagny out of reach. We were going to stay in a hotel and there was a pool. The weather forecast was anywhere from 40 degrees to 75 and sunny. It is hard enough to pack for myself with that weather. The drive ended up being fairly easy. I like to think I have the greatest baby of all time. I got up at 5 am, fed her, and let her play while I finished packing the car. We were on the road 45 minutes later and Dagny was back to sleep. She didn't make a peep until I stopped at Starbucks two hours away. I woke her up to take her in and let her wiggle around. It was a tough decision to wake her, but that was the only Starbucks for another hour, and I had a full tank of gas. We got back on the road and she was asleep again. We made another stop two hours later where I fed her and changed her and sat in the back seat to play with her for a little while. We finished the last leg like champs. I had all of her toys within arms reach and when she'd start to fuss I could reach behind my seat with a toy and would feel her little hand come up and take it. It was the cutest. Ten minutes later the toy would fall and we would repeat. I'd like to say I wung it and I'm so happy I did. Dagny was sound asleep when we arrived so she was a little bewildered about Mark. After staring at him for a minute, mark took her. She got a little upset but that lasted one second and the two of them were in love again. She was so sweet all week with him. Completely comfortable. When she'd get fussy she would prefer me, but that happens with all babies even when the dad is there every day. I know she knows mark because of the way she blows bubbles at him. It's how they communicate over FaceTime. The week was wonderful. Dagny's highlight being the mornings we'd sit in the lobby and she'd watch the elevator ding and open to a bunch of her buddies, Mark's teammates. My highlight being the mornings in bed with Mark and Dagny. Runner up to greatest moments was Rocco seeing Nick Hagglund, and Hank calling Michael Bradley a tomato to his face. I'm so thankful for the time with Mark. Hopefully it will hold us off till April when we travel to Dallas and Orlando in one week! We'll see if I still have the best baby then. 

Mark had two a day sessions, so dags and I spent a lot of time at the pool.

 It's not Dagny's best, but it sure is Mark's. I love that smile. 

  

 Have you seen anything cuter?!? 

Mark and I may have gone to Ben&Jerry's every night. 

Breakfast over looking the ocean and Dagny in a highchair...check

These two knuckleheads. It took a lot of arms to keep Hank from running onto the field. 

Remi was the best fan.

Rocco and Nick Hagglund. As much as Rocco loves Nick, Nick loves Dagny.

I hope one day Hank puts two and two together. 

Because two Perkins boys ate all the marshmallows.

We went to Ikea on the way home and these little babies were so big in their shopping carts!

Because truly, she is my best bud.

Sorry...

we're a little bit busy.

"Sweetheart Come"

In honor of Valentine's Day I wanted to share a tragic love letter my sister Mary Kate sent me.

In 1909, there was a wife and mother of two that was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her name was Emma. When her illness was presumed terminal, she was sent away to Wiesloch asylum where she stayed until her death 11 years later. The eerie part of this story is that her husband's name was Mark. After her death, a collection of unsent love letters was found. Most were illegible with her repetitive and overlapping script, but what can be made out is this:

 "Herzensschatzi komm" and "komm komm komm." 

"Sweetheart come. Come, come, come."

For eleven years she wrote and waited for her sweetheart. These are much more extreme circumstances than our Mark and Emma love story. However, I can imagine how sad and lonely she felt.

Happy Valentines Day. I'm so thankful for my sweetheart and Valentine. Even though we are apart, he has already made me feel so loved today.





 



 

A love letter from Mark to Dagny was delivered to work with flowers today. 

"To my beautiful baby girl! Dagny you are perfect and will grow up to change the world! I can't wait to hold you and see you smile. Love, Daddy."

I pray one day she finds a husband as wonderful as mine. Good luck boys. 

Some things that made my last week or 2...

Everyday I love this baby more. We are our best buds. 

The fact that Dagny is being a terrible sleeper and it doesn't seem to bother me. 

These bloomers and the constantly scooting booty they're on. She is a week away from crawling. 

 Coffee at my mom's house.

Days off with the Perkins family and the mimosas we consume.

A big family dinner like old times. Tacos, go figure.

The flowers in my garden. 

We see Mark in a few days! My heart can't bear it any longer! 

How to Survive the First Week without Mark

First things first. Mark moves out, Dagny moves in. There's nothing I like more than things to be placed neatly in the right places. It gets a little crowded when Marks home in terms of storage. I take up two big closets and a chest of drawers. That leaves one closet and chest of drawers for Mark, Dagny, and linen to share. So hours after Mark left, I got busy folding and stacking. I could breathe a little easier when I opened these closet doors. 

Second, clean. With Mark, went Abby. As sad and a little less protected as I feel, I will never give up my dog hairless wood floors again. For the first time, I was able to sit down with a glass of wine and enjoy the fact that my floors still sparkled. I cleaned up everything else and rearranged paintings, my coffee table, photos, kitchen appliances and the bathrooms.

Next, buy flowers. Lots of them and place them everywhere around the house. It's makes things happier and prettier.

  

Buy a new bedspread, I think It speaks for itself. But don't change Mark's pillow cases yet. His handsome smell will linger for weeks.

 Spend the weekend with your family and drink lots of mimosas.

 

 Let Dagny sleep with you so you wake up to this:

Plan for the next time we see Mark, and every other visit this year.

What's not pictured  are cereal dinners and wine filled glasses that made up my evenings. It's a lot harder to prepare dinner when you get home at 8 and get to spend time with your baby you haven't seen in 13 hours before she goes to sleep. The rest of the time we are FaceTiming Mark.