Meet the Aquilios

Nathan, Lilli, Charlotte, Jill and E.V. 

My brother Tony and his family recently moved from Marietta to Orlando (coincidentally only a few miles from my grandmother, the real Emma Vance), and this weekend they were in town, giving "the cousins" a chance to meet E.V. for the first time. 

My sister-in-law Jill and I agreed to meet up for lunch, all four Aquilio kids in tow, and while they were running a little late, I got to experience being in public with a baby alone for the first time. (To her defense, Ryan was also late--but with ZERO kids in tow...hmmm....)

Thankfully Emma Vance was relatively calm while we waited in a semi-deserted corner of the restaurant. And when she did make a little noise, my iPhone saved the day. We've discovered that she LOVES the sound of the hair dryer, and (no surprise here) there's an app for that! (I figured that the closest patrons would prefer some white noise to a crying baby...)

Lifesaving iPhone app...

It was so fun to watch the kids interact with Emma Vance; they were pretty fascinated, especially Nathan, and just wanted to touch every part of her little body. (Nathan even snuck a few touches to her face, which Jill told him NOT to do about a dozen times, and each time he looked at me with sneaky pride...funny guy!) Nate and Lilli haven't had a baby cousin, and Charlotte was still young when the twins came along, so I think it was really fun for them to see her up close and in person.

The kids just wanted to touch her all over!

Charlotte was a little shy about it, but she wanted to hold E.V. and did a great job (with a little help from Jill). I've been joking with Charlotte that her mom volunteered her to come stay with us and be our live-in nanny, to which she's responded that she doesn't know how to change diapers. (Although, somehow she does admit to knowing how to wipe a baby's bottom...I think she's playing me.) Luckily for her, the restaurant didn't have a changing station in either bathroom, so Ryan had to make a couple of trips to the car to freshen up Miss E.V., getting Charlotte off the hook from a diaper-changing demonstration.

And, of course, Jacob was a little stand-offish, being an almost-pre-teen, but he came around once the younger kids were so excited to mess with her. (Plus, in his defense, this whole "baby" thing is old hat to him after three younger siblings...)

Jacob refused to hold her, but took full advantage of Charlotte's bravery for a closer look...

Overall, it was a fun and successful meeting, and we'll be glad to see them again on school breaks.

Oh, and of course I have to mention Emma Vance's outfit (which we had to choose carefully, since years of Disney princess movies have made the Aquilio girls quite discerning in their fashion preferences!). I took the opportunity to practice my baby photography...and E.V. was much obliged to cooperate. (She's such a ham already!)