Emma has been finding her voice lately.  She makes little coos and gurgles that melt my heart.  Today, however, she was practicing her new found talent to yell at me.  She doesn't like sitting without being entertained lately, which makes getting anything done difficult.  I think she's equally mad and also entertained with making this sound!

She doesn't start until about 20 seconds or so, just FYI.

From our first long walk post-baby.  Isnt that wheat field gorgeous? Not as cute as that baby though!

Pop on over to the photography page for some new baby photos!

Having family in town has been a good excuse to explore some of the cool spots in our area.  I've not done a good job or posting as we go, but here are some of our favorites so far!

We found a cute little wine garden in Geisenheim.  Its a little garden vineyard with tables scattered amongst the vines.  The atmosphere is casual and the wine is really good.  There's a walking path nearby that you can stroll along the Rhine.  There are scattered wine stands along this path as well.  Can you think of a better way to spend an evening?

I've mentioned Hochheim before, but its still a favorite.  Its just a cute little town to stroll around.  The path through the vineyard is cool too.  

Heidelberg is about a 40 minute drive south of us.  The main sight to see there is the castle, but the town below is cute and very picturesque with the castle looming over it.  I had taken my brother here in December and it was cool then with the Christmas markets, but I have to say I liked visiting in the warm weather better.  The streets were more bustling, there's greenery and gardens everywhere, and it just seemed move vibrant overall.  A great place to visit and fairly easy to park, walk, and drive to - my kind of tourist attraction!

Eltville is the first city along the Rhine, when driving from Wiesbaden.  We stopped by last week and meandered around.  We found a cute little wine restaurant on the water and hung out there for a bit.  Beautiful!

Touring the Rheingau via river cruise has been on our list of things to do since we moved here.  While my Dad visited, we tried it out.  We parked in Rudesheim and took a train to St. Goar.  We then rode the boat back to Rudesheim.  The train took about 20 minutes and has great views of the river along the way.  As you ride the boat down the river, there are various castles and small German towns along the way.  

I honestly just enjoyed being on the water for a bit.  The cruise was about 3 hours long.  We then walked around Rudesheim for a bit and got dinner.

Its been an eventful couple of weeks, to say the least.  Not to mention Emma's arrival, this is the summer of family visitors!  We've been so lucky to have so many people willing to come out and meet Emma and help out.  

Here are some photos of our visitors so far.  Jason's family arrives the week after next and then his cousins two weeks after that, and then we head to Italy with more friends and family!  

Life is good.

To my two favorite Dads!

We're not quite ready to come out of hibernation yet.  

Nothing can truly prepare you for all that comes with having an infant.  The immediate connection is indescribable, but the best description I've read is from Elizabeth Stone who said that "Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

Beyond the emotional changes, I had a hard time understanding why having a child was so all encompassing.  Why wasn't I going to be able to sleep, watch a movie, call people, get stuff done, run errands, etc.  I didn't really understand when I saw others struggle with these things.  

Needless to say, posting has proven difficult.  I have TONS to share, but finding some time to sit down at the computer is challenging.  Ill keep trying, but have patience with me while I'm learning what this new world looks like. 

 Here are some photos from the past 4 weeks.