Declan Hercules & Keevah Nyx House: My cousin and the snow

My weeks just keep getting better and better!

This week, my Uncle Chris (daddy's brother) and Cousin Laura came to visit all the way from State College, PA. I've never been to this place called Pennsylvania, but Laura tells me that it's a pretty cool place. Gran lives there too, along with Ada, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Chloe and my other cousin Harper. I can't wait to visit them when I'm allowed to fly. My darn preemie status has me avoiding airplanes until the Spring! So, anyway, I had a great time with Laura while Uncle Chris attended a conference at UC Davis for a few days. We played together with my nanny Heather on Monday and Tuesday while Mama and Daddy worked. I'm pretty much recovered from my g-tube surgery at this point, and am cooing and babbling all over the place. I really loved being held by my cousin.

Woe is me...!

Cousin Laura and me

After a few days in Napa, we packed up and went up to Tahoe. I've been to Tahoe three times now, and I'm a pro! I sleep the entire way up in the car to let Mama and Daddy have a chance to catch up on their week, and then I love playing on the rug by the fireplace. This time, I wasn't feeling too hot (I got a bit of a cold), but thankfully Grammie & Grandpa were there to help cuddle me so Mama and Daddy could get some extra sleep. This week was the first time that anyone from Daddy's side of the family saw our Tahoe Cabin. It was fun to show it off, and I can't wait for the rest of Daddy's family to see it someday.

Daddy and Laura on the gondola

Grammie and Grandpa playing with me and Freddie the Firefly

Grandpa trying to rock me to sleep with my silly cold

Finally passed out...

Mama and Daddy in the jacuzzi with Uncle Chris and Laura - I can't believe they wouldn't let me in this time! Something about the 104 degree water that is bad for me...but I can totally handle it!

Daddy and Uncle Chris sharing a glass of scotch

Tahoe had snow this time! Mama and Daddy have told me a lot about snow the past two times we went up, but it was hard to imagine what it would really look like. It's super white...so much so that I wouldn't open my eyes anytime I went outside. And it's cold! Mama put me in a sled and boy was that fun! It freaked me out a bit, but once I got the hang of it, it was pretty cool.

The sun was so bright that I wouldn't open my eyes. Everyone who did must have been blinded!

Mama and Me on my new sled

Grammie having me feel my first snowball!

Grandpa, mama, and me!

Sledding is fun!

After three days in Tahoe, we sadly dropped Chris & Laura at the airport. I saw my pediatrician, who comforted my overly protected and worried parents that I did not, in fact, have a crazy flesh-eating-bacteria or the swine flu, and that I rather had a run-of-the-mill cold. You would think that since Mama is a physician, and Daddy is a PhD, that they would know these sorts of things, but apparently you over-react when you have babies of your own! I slept a lot on Friday and Saturday, and then was magically raring to go for the rest of the weekend.

We had a lovely dinner with our friends Jon, Christy, Justin & Sara and three very cool little people on Saturday night. It was Mama and Daddy's first dinner party where everyone had kids! And it was fun! I was on my best behavior and loved being pampered by everyone who was there, including Justin's mom...who played Grandma to everyone! I experienced my first night with the ladies that night...as a handsome dude, this may get to be a problem someday, but I handled it pretty well on Saturday!

Olive, Rose (Boo), and me...I could totally get used to this treatment!

On Sunday, we went to Grammie and Grandpa's to have our pre-Hawaii planning session with Uncles Ben, Chris, and Tomo and Aunts Kelly, Aubree, and Ladonna. We had a great time figuring out what we're going to do for the week in April when we all get to be together. Grammie and Grandpa are so generous to provide us all with this amazing trip! All the grownups got matching reunion t-shirts, and I even got a matching onesie and bathing suit! Unfortunately we had to leave early since Mama is an important surgeon and she had to operate at the hospital, but I had a great time with all my aunts and uncles - it was the first time we have all been together since I was born! I love being the star of the show!