End of Year Party

We hosted a party at our apartment last Thursday to celebrate the end of our first year here in Philadelphia while Marty is going to Wharton. We had a small group of friends over for drinks and food. Sarah put on an impressive spread for the guests.





Jackson tried to get into the spirit as well but was disappointed when Mom wouldn't consent to a sip of beer.



To see more pictures from the party, go to the following link.

http://calmarty.smugmug.com/gallery/1421040

Happy Easter

This was our first Easter with Jackson. It was also our first Easter away from home...



We were fortunate enough to have Sarah’s cousin Nicky and her friend Dennis come for the afternoon.



In the morning we went to Church. Then Nicky and Dennis arrived by train. Once they settled in, we went on a stroll down Walnut Avenue. We enjoyed an early dinner. Then Nicky and Dennis had to return to Baltimore. We had such a pleasant day and it was so nice to be with family. An added bonus: Jackson was a sweet and happy boy. He loved playing with the small plastic eggs!

Marty's Birthday

Marty turns 29!


Marty and I went out to Audrey Claire, a French restaurant
near our house. Our good friends Bharat and Anila watched
Jackson while we enjoyed a dinner for 2. It was a special
night. We have much to be thankful for, another happy
year for Martin Dillard.

Jackson is 4 Months Old

Jackson is four months old! The best accomplishment has been sleeping on a somewhat regular schedule. Jackson is a night owl. He goes to sleep between 10:30 and 11 and has to be woken up between 8 & 8:30 am. We cannot seem to get him in bed any earlier. He usually wakes up from his naps with a great big grin, and gurgles and squeals. His favorite toy is his Exersaucer. He sits in the Exersaucer, spins this wheel, and bounces up and down. He can hold his head up. He can also roll from his tummy to his back and vice versa, but he prefers to lie on his side. Marty is most impressed by his ability to grab a toy, study it, and the control he has to bring the toy to his mouth. Jackson enjoys music and once a day Sarah and he have “music time” where they listen to CDs and sing together. He still loves baths. When he is in the tub he kicks and splashes. We cannot wait to take him swimming this summer. Jackson has begun to eat rice cereal; he cries when the bowl is empty and as you can see form the pictures his little cheeks are filling out nicely!





To see more pictures of Jackson go to the following link.
http://calmarty.smugmug.com/gallery/1347746

Touring Philly With The Frenchs

Mike and Courtney came to visit us in Philly. We did the tourist thing. We went down and saw the Liberty Bell, visited Old City, the original site of the First Congress, the First Federal Bank, and Reading Terminal Market.



Jackson is wearing the shirt Mike and Courtney got him. Mike was nervous holding Jackson because of his "bobble head."

Jackson is 3 Months Old

Jackson is three months old! He loves to study objects and explore. His favorite activities are playing on his activity mat, taking baths, and going on walks in the Baby Bjorn. When we are out he loves to watch people and moving objects. Jackson can roll from side to side and once he rolled from his back on to his stomach (although he hated being on his tummy and cried). He can also grasp objects and control his head. Jackson smiles, makes lots of noises, and is a pretty happy little guy!

Jackson's Northern California Tour

Jackson has been a very busy guy. In February, on Saturday the 25th, he met most of his aunts and Cousins (on Sarah’s side of the family). Grandma (Suzanne) hosted an open house so family members could drop by and meet Jackson. Haleigh, Jackson’s second cousin, helped prepare the food and set the table!







March 2 and 3 Jackson went to the Bay Area. He went to Marshall Elementary School and met the teachers Sarah use to work with. He also got to meet some of the students that were in Sarah’s class. On Friday night he was watched by Nana (Barbara), and Poppa (Bruce) in the hotel room at the Clift. Sarah and Marty took a cooking class hosted by BCG, Marty’s summer employer. Here is Jack lounging on the plush bed at the Clift.



March 4 and 5 Jackson visited April, Matt and Gimli (the dog) in Truckee. Liz (Sarah’s friend from 7th grade) and Sarah took Jackson to Truckee to see April and tour the beautiful Sierra Mountains. While we visited we had a surprise birthday celebration for April with a Double Chocolate birthday cake from Freeport Bakery.





On March 7th Jackson met Haylie. He enjoyed visiting with Haylie and playing with her toys. Here is a link to Haylie’s web page.
http://therunnerbunch.com/haylies_page.htm



Jackson loved meeting all of his family and friends. He was spoiled non-stop my his Grandma and his Nana.



We are so lucky to have such warm and loving people in our life!!

To see more pictures of Jackson’s Northern California trip click the link below
http://calmarty.smugmug.com/gallery/1292061

Jackson's First Visit to Oregon

Sarah, Marty, and Jackson travelled to Oregon over Presidents' Weekend to introduce Jackson to Marty's father's side of the family. He spent the weekend getting to know (from left-to-right and back-to-front in the photo below) his Uncle Scott, his Aunt-to-be Lauren, his Second Cousin Chris, his Second Cousin-in-law Casey, Dad, Mom, his Great Uncle Jim, his Great Aunt Betsie, his Second Cousin Pat, his Uncle Ben, his Great Grandmother Bumpy, JiJi (Julie), and BoBo (Marty's dad).



Ben was very sweet to Jackson and even had a sign waiting for him at the airport that said "I'm your Uncle Ben".



Marty's dad and his grandmother Bumpy also really enjoyed getting to know Jackson.





The family was also surprised by the announcement that Marty's dad had bought a sailboat, a 36-foot Island Packet named Sea Otter. They already have plans to sail down to Mexico in 2007-2008.

Jackson is 2 Months Old

Jackson is two months old and he is a happy guy. He smiles and coos often and will “talk” in response to an adult’s voice. He says "goo" and makes vowel sounds. He has not quite laughed yet, but is very close. Sometimes when he is smiling he squeals.





This month Jackson has found his hands. He can finally control them. When he was a newborn he would start sucking on his fist, only to have it fly away, without his knowledge or control. He would cry in frustration when his hand was gone. Now he can move his hand easily up to his mouth. He cannot get to his thumb yet. However, it is only a matter of time before he discovers how to suck his thumb. For now he chews his whole fist, sometimes both hands at one time.



If you would like to see more pictures of Jackson, click the following link. This is a link to our photo website and features all of the pictures we have take under the category “Children.”

http://calmarty.smugmug.com/Children

Marty's Summer Job

Last week was rather stressful as Marty interviewed with several consulting firms for a summer internship. In the end, the best offer came from a consulting case competition, not an interview. Marty, along with teammates Jeremy Greenberg (left) and Bharat Sundaram (middle) won the Boston Consulting Group Case Challenge and the top prize was a summer internship offer from any US office. Marty will be working in the San Francisco office this summer. He is very excited about his new job!

Girls Night Out

Sarah had an official “Girls Night Out” on Sunday night. This was her first time leaving Jackson for more than a quick trip. She went to dinner with several friends at a Thai restaurant. The photo includes (from top left to right): Patricia, Nisha, Dawn, Devan and Sarah. Sarah dined on a delicious meal while Marty watched Jackson. All in all it was a great evening.

Grandma's Visit

This past week Grandma came for a visit. Sarah’s mom, aka Grandma, came on Tuesday, January 7, and stayed until Sunday, January 15. Grandma came at just the right time to enjoy Jackson’s newest skill: smiling.



Jackson also showed his Grandma around Philly. We toured Rittenhouse Square, went to the University of Pennsylvania campus, and visited several local restaurants. Grandma also gave Sarah and Marty an evening off. They went on their first “date” since the arrival of Jackson. Jackson was a perfect angel while mom and dad went out, and did not cry one bit.





Jackson loved visiting with Grandma. On her last day here he smiled nonstop while Grandma held him and said her goodbyes.

To see more pictures of Grandma’s visit go to the following link.

http://calmarty.smugmug.com/gallery/1127438

Jackson is 1 Month Old!

Jack seems to be a happy little guy. He enjoys kicking his legs and waving his arms. He carefully watches objects in motion. Jack loves his mobile, activity gym, and bouncy seat.





Jack also loves being on the go. He is most content in loud public places. Recently, he went with mom and dad to watch the Rose Bowl at the Public House in downtown Philadelphia. He slept peacefully through most of the game, not one single cry or fuss! Additionally, Jack enjoys cruising around in his stroller. He likes going to Rittenhouse square, the local coffee shop, church, and historic Philly venues. To celebrate his first month out in the world we took Jack to the Reading Terminal. This is an indoor market where fresh fruit, cheeses, meats, and Amish treats are sold. Jack enjoyed looking at the booths and people, then drifted off to sleep. Again, not a single tear!





Our greatest thrill is that Jack has begun smiling! He first smiled at dad, much to mommy’s dismay. He is especially happy in the mornings and enjoys his morning play time with dad (while mom catches up on sleep). Jack is the greatest blessing and we are celebrating one month with him!



To see more photos of Jack’s first dinner out, our trip to Reading Terminal, and Jack’s favorite time of day (bath time) click on the following link.

http://calmarty.smugmug.com/gallery/1106549

Happy New Year!

This is sure going to be an exciting year for our family. 2006 will bring about great changes as we watch Jack grow, Marty figures out where he will work and what he will do, and Sarah adjusts to being a “stay at home mom.” We are sure to have luck (again) this year. Several years ago our friend Courtney French (then Courtney Cook) introduced us to the old Southern tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Years to ensure good luck. Again this year, we ate our beans, toasted the New Year, and now we can’t wait to watch yet another year unfold.




Marty and Sarah are celebrating their 9th year together. New Year 1997 they decided to officially date and see where their relationship would lead. What an AMAZING and WONDERFUL 9 years it has been!

First Dinner Away

On December 30, 2005, Bharat and Anila invited us over for dinner. This was Jackson’s first dinner party. We enjoyed a nice evening out and Jack was a good guest. He slept peacefully while we enjoyed a delicious dinner.

Our 1st Christmas as "The Dillard Family"

This was our first Christmas as the Dillard Family! We enjoyed a quiet and peaceful Christmas. On Christmas Eve we enjoyed a walk through Rittenhouse Square. Marty made a delicious dinner. He made corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. We also went to the Christmas Eve service at First Presbyterian Church. The service was long and after an hour of being a quiet participant Jack got hungry and began to fuss. However, he really liked the organ. It is amazing to attend a Church with such a long and rich history. Ben Franklin use to worship at First Presbyterian too.







Christmas morning we opened presents. Jack got a ton of gifts!!! Both mom and dad got Jack a Christmas shirt. The shirt from dad says, “Feliz Navidad.” The shirt from mom says, “Mommy’s little present.” He spit up on daddy’s shirt so the verdict is he likes mommy’s shirt better.





This was a wonderful Christmas. Unfortunatly our tree did not hold up for the big day. It was a total FIRE HAZARD!


To see more pictures of Christmas click on the following link.

http://calmarty.smugmug.com/gallery/1082493