From left to right Michelle S with Rhiannon, Kymberlee with Robyn, Julie with Riley, and Gwyneth with Camille From left to right Riley, Rhiannon, Robyn, and Camille KYMBERLEE: "Okay, so it included one set of non-Virginians, Gwyneth Butera from Rockville, Maryland with her husband Robert and darling daughter Camille but the rest of us were from Virginia. There was Julie Watson with son Riley from Hopewell, which is near Richmond. Michelle Smith was there with daughter Rhiannon - she had the shortest drive of anyone since she lives in Dale City. And, of course, I was there with Robyn representing Charlottesville. I arrived first at our predetermined meeting location followed by Michelle Smith then Gwyneth Butera and last - but not least! - Julie Watson. We spent probably close to an hour on the bench where we had arranged to meet just letting the babies play, hang out and talk. We took lots of pictures - and my video camera was there too. :-) It was nice to see that Robyn isn't the only petite one on the list. Camille was a nice petite handful, definitely more worthy of Robyn's nickname "Petite Dewdrop" than Robyn at this point. Rhiannon was a good size for her age, as was Riley. They were the bigger two and seemed to get along well, while Camille and Robyn were constantly socializing though Rhiannon did like sharing Robyn's toys! :-) After a while we started walking and going to various stores. Potomac Mills, for those of you unfamiliar with it, is positively huge. There are ten neighborhoods - I couldn't name all the stores if I tried. If you're curious about it, you can check out www.potomacmills.com. We did sort of lose Julie at one point in the Carter's store, but it gave Camille a chance to show her stuff. Her dad would put her on the floor and she would pull herself over to Rhiannon's stroller. She seemed entranced by its big navy blue wheels - hey ma, what are those things? ;-) We made it all the way down to one end - we had started in the middle - and almost back to the other end when Michelle announced she had to be going. We were sad for her to leave, but she told us she was going out with her hubby. Yea Michelle! Hope you had a good time when you get to read this. :-) So it was time for more pictures, though Rhiannon was fast asleep by this time. We also had about three hungry babies and three hungry adults on our hands, so we found a bench, Robert (that's Gwyneth's husband) got us some soft pretzels and us three ladies sat feeding the babies on a bench while he sat on the floor - poor guy. ;-) I had taken Robyn's socks off by this point so she could stand on the floor and not slide. She had a good time holding onto her stroller as the feeding sessions wrapped up. We finished up by going to IKEA, which was fun for me since I found a chair for Robyn to sit in. Gwyneth said that she was going to spend a good two hours in IKEA trying to furnish her new house in Atlanta so I wonder what time she got home! :-) After IKEA, we all got our respective vehicles and went to the other side of the parking lot for lunch - or was it early dinner? We went into the Olive Garden and said there were four adults and so we needed a table for four - well, plus three highchairs! Julie left her name and as soon as Gwyneth and I settled in for another feeding session we heard "Watson, party of 7" which made us all laugh! Our meal went well with all present eating. Camille boasted a very nice handmade bib, which her grandmother apparently made from a hand towel. Very innovative not to mention full coverage. Riley took the cake with his bib that proudly mentioned "Mom You're Gorgeous." Robyn had her second adventure in a highchair, though the first time she sat in a highchair she couldn't sit on her own and it was a bit of a struggle. This time proved to be lots of fun for throwing toys on the floor and having Gwyneth go fetch. Poor Gwyneth alternated between feeding Camille banana and fetching Robyn's toys! :-)! We parted ways from there with Julie leaving first since she wanted to get home before dark. Gwyneth and I lingered some and then eventually left. Apparently, though, they did not go home but went back to IKEA to ponder the furnishings for their new home. All in all, a great time was had by all and the babies enjoyed seeing other people their own size. I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime soon. JULIE: Ok, now its my turn....:) First off, I was not the last one there. Please Kymberlee, dont make me any later then I already was. LOL I think Kymberlee already talked about everything we did. I had a great time and it was so neat to finally meet some babies. :) Camille is just lke a little doll baby. I cant even describe how tiny and adorable she is. Robyn is also quite petite and so pretty. She is definitely a mover and a shaker. I was very impressed with all that she can do already. Thank god Rhiannon was there or poor Riley would have realy gotten a complex about hissize. Rhiannon and Riey were the big babies there. Rhianon is gorgeous and Riley was flirting, although I'm not sure if he was flirting with Rhiannon or Michelle. LOL Rhiannon and Riley both had the same Poo binky and binky holder. They spent a good 5 minutes trying to take eachothers binkys. lol I think Riley did feel a little threatned being the only boy thjere...hehe He was not his normal bubbly self, but he had his moments. He eally liked playing with Camille and Rhiannon though. I dont think he got a chance to play with Robyn much. I know I never got a chance to play with hert. :( We'll just have to change that when Kymberlee comes down to Richmond. Anyhoo, it was lots of fun. Shoping was a blast too. I just love that place!!!! I Definitely want to go back. :) GWYNETH: BC (Before Camille) I always worried about being on time; now, AC (after Camille), I just accept it as a fact of our lives... DH, Camille, and I were late leaving Union Station, so we didn't get to Potomac Mills until 11:15, fifteen minutes late. Michelle S. and Rhiannon, Kymberlee and Robyn, and Julie and Riley were all there waiting for us patiently. Camille was asleep, but the other three were having a great time! Riley and Rhiannon had matching binkys and were wanting to share. Robyn was happily sitting on the bench playing with her rings, schootching along on her rear. Eventually, I decided Camille should wake up and join the fun, so I took her out of the sling and put her on the bench to share toys with Robyn. Rhiannon was sitting on the floor bouncing away and chortling with glee. I placed Camille down there with her, but I kept my hand on her, as she doesn't sit nearly as well as Rhiannon. Camille and Rhiannon then decided it would be great fun to untie Michelle's shoes :) Riley was having way too much fun flirting, and decided he wanted to join in and finish his lunch later. After a bit and a diaper change, we headed down to Carters'. I found some baby sunglasses and tried them on Camille, but all she wanted to do was to chew on them. Robyn, however, let me put them on her, and she hammed it up for the camera! Around that time, the babies all decided it was time to take a nap, except Camille. We stopped at the Baby Depot, and I put Camille in a round crib, to try to convince her to sleep. No way! That bed was WAY too much fun to roll around in! Michelle bought Rhiannon a nice Tweety spring coat there. We then headed to Osh Kosh. They have these really cool "Learn to Dress" books there, but with no overall clasps in them?!? Julie bought Riley the cutest denim hat there. But then Michelle said she had to go; she had a date with her DH! We took some pics, and then said goodbye to her and the sleeping, curly haired Rhiannon. The other babies woke up and decided it was snack time, and the adults agreed! Milk for them, and pretzels for us. Robyn had a great time showing us how well she can stand; she has these wonderful toes that curl and uncurl and curl. Great for balance! Riley was busy flirting with those big blue eyes of his! What a smile! After a stop in Rubbermaid to buy organizers for Jay, we moseyed on down to IKEA, the greatest store on earth. Kymberlee bought this cute chair for Robyn,and Julie got a little something for herself. Deciding that it was time to get some food, we headed out. Rob and I volunteered to watch all the kiddos while Julie and Robyn went to get their cars. Camille and Riley had a very long conversation, while Robyn played happily with her bunny. After loading the cars, we met up at the Olive Garden for dinner. "4 adults and 3 babies, please." The hostess was amused, and the wait wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. We sat at a nice large round table. Baby, Adult, Baby, Adult, Baby, Adult. The fare for the evening included: pasta, banana, ravioli, mashed carrots, salad, sweet potatoes, breadsticks, crackers, and chicken. A delicious feast for all! After dinner, Kymberlee and Robyn and Julie and Riley headed on south towards their respective homes, and Rob, Camille and I headed back to IKEA. A few rugs and doodads later, we too headed home. Thanks for a wonderful day, you all! We had a blast, and hope that you enjoyed it as well!"

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Last updated August 15th, 2000
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