Christmas in WA

Sorry in advance for the very poor quality on the photo. Our camera broke, and this is what the disposable gave us. I guess it's better than nothing!

Some ND Christmas Highlights

Where Did December Go? I Don't Know. I Don't Know.

I am a fan of Will Farrell. Not all of his stuff, but quite a bit. I became a fan in the 90s, when he was a cheerleader on SNL. Perhaps you remember the chess tournament skit, when Will and his partner said, "Where did Bobby Fisher go? I don't know! I don't know!" Though I've never been, nor never will be, a cheerleader, I have come to the same conclusion about December. Where did it go?

This is what I've come up with:
1) mailed Christmas pictures of the kids
2) an open house for J's sister
3) a birthday party for R, H, and T
4) a hair cut
5) a doctor's appointment
6) Christmas

Not much really. Pretty mundane compared to most, I'm sure. And yet . . . here we are already at the end of the month.

I'd say this is one of my biggest adjustments as a mom -- days feel very busy, yet I feel like I accomplish very little. In fact, I've come to organize my day into two categories: before nap and after nap. Not mine, just in case you're confused.

But, I'm not complaining. I have loved being home these last two months, and I mourn my transition back to work in 8 days. It's just that, in response to my dear friend K, who wondered why I haven't posted anything in a month, I couldn't think of anything incredible to post.

Hopefully this is better than nothing.

Keeping Things Real

A few months ago I read an article in a parenting magazine about a mother's mortification about her daughter's choice of clothing. I remember reading that article and thinking 'Not my A. She wears whatever I dress her in.' Yeah, Little Miss Prideful spoke too soon.

Earlier in the evening, she brought my 2nd grade ND bicentenial dress down from the playroom and wanted J to help her put it on. He said as soon as she had it on, she twirled and twirled with a huge grin on her face. He couldn't bear to make her take it off, and I was in far too much of a hurry to have a power struggle. So, A proudly wore the Laura Ingalls Wilder look-alike dress, with purple fleece pants, and brown Strawberry Shortcake shoes to Costco. She smiled and said, "Hi!" to everyone we passed in the store. And I was slightly less mortified than I would have been had I not insisted she wear a pink sweater. It WAS cold that night.

When we got home, I told her I wanted to take a picture because she looked so pretty. She glowed!

A's Turkey House

A is excited about many things, some of which puzzle me. For example, the moon. If she's in the car at night, we hear, "Where's the moon, Mommy? Where's the moon, Daddy?" what seems like a million times. And I wonder how she even knows about the moon. I know I haven't told her.

Well, I have our two neighbors with giant, illuminated, inflatable turkeys to thank for her intrigue with Ben Franklin's favorite bird. The first night she saw them, our entire dinner was filled with turkey (when she says it, it sounds like kee-kee) talk. Specifically her questions centered around when we would go to see them next. And all I could think was 'Who invented those stupid inflatables, anyway?' I'm not a fan.

Because of her love for turkeys, my mom started singing "Down by the turkey house . . ." to A, and A LOVED it. Thanksgiving morning A insisted on holding a wooden turkey I had on the table, which she promptly put into a clothes basket and announced, "Turkey (kee-kee) house, Mommy." I guess that turkey needed a home.

Geese

I'm from ND, as you know. Not everyone from ND hunts, but many people do. It's just part of the culture. If you mention hunting here in WA/OR, people usually gasp and call PETA on their speed dials. Okay, it's not quite that bad, but you know what I mean. Animals, especially dogs and cats, get the red carpet treatment around here. I like animals, but I don't regard them quite that highly. I do, however, go crazy over deer sightings. There's just something about those four legged creatures that gets me every time. J claims that I have an eye for them when I spot them on our long road trips to ND. I secretely smile and feel very proud inside.

I don't necessarily feel the same excitement about geese as I do about deer. But, I do like them. I think it's because I love fall and winter, and when you see geese, you know fall is here and winter is coming. I don't know much about them, but I am intruigued by what I've heard. They fly in the V formation, for instance. How does that happen? Who decides who gets to be the lead? Or is that the worst place to be, because wouldn't he/she get the most wind resistance? I know these aren't deep thoughts, but their mine.

I also like geese, because my dad likes them. I don't think I've ever heard him say why, but if he paid attention to them, so did I. When Dad was out to visit us a few weeks ago, the geese were out in the farmer's field across from our house. He took A out to see them a few times, and I found that precious.

So, when I saw them out again today, as J was hanging Christmas lights, I had to take a picture. Not because there's anything so profound about them. But it was a sweet memory for me, of Dad and A, hand-in-hand, looking through the fence at those geese. Maybe she'll grow up to like them too.

Chevy Chase

Perhaps you remember that we moved at the end of May into a different home. Our first home was one story, and J did a wonderful job putting Christmas lights on the house each year. It was a couple hour job at most.

Well, now we own a two-story home. And, my dedicated decorator braved the heights to tackle our steep roof on Tuesday . . . and part of Wednesday. It's always hard to know how many strings of lights you'll need the first time. But it was all worth it. I think he did his best job yet!

What does this have to do with Chevy Chase, you may ask? Our next door neighbor, Wayne, after seeing J up on the roof for hours, making sure that everything was perfect, called J "Chevy Chase." Now, I'm sure there are a few dedicated Chevy Chase fans out there, but I'm not one of them. I am, however, unfortunately aware of what Wayne was referring to. Just in case you're one of the lucky few who haven't seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, let's just say Chevy Chase REALLY likes to decorate with Christmas lights. And it's not the tasteful kind of decorating. It's the let's-see-how-many-neighbors-can-loose-power-because-of-all-of-my-tacky-lights kind of decorating.

So, let me be clear. J is no Chevy Chase. You did a beautiful job!

Two Weeks Old

This week, we were delighted to hear that J D's weight was increasing, so we are no longer going to the doctor every other day for weight-ins. Hurray! Today, he was at a whopping 7 lbs. 14 oz., and we were thrilled. Our life hasn't totally revolved around his weight this week. But, honestly, I don't know where the time goes. I want to say I'm out of the new mom fog, but I think that would be too generous. I'm not sure that I've accomplished anything at all, which is a bit wierd to me. But I can say this: J D's feedings are improving, I'm getting slightly more sleep, I've relaxed a ton now that he's gaining weight, and I've given him two baths. I guess that's something!

Yes, that IS a Winnie-the-Pooh towel he is wrapped in. And, NO, I haven't out-grown that huggable old bear.
Here he is on his two week birthday. He's filled out quite a bit, don't you think? He looks like he's pondering something very deep -- perhaps when he should eat next?

Just a Rockin'

1 Week Old

This is a pretty typical view of J D. It's a highlight each day when he can stay awake for a few minutes and show us his bright eyes. We've had several trips to the doctor this week, because he's not gaining weight and having adequate output. So, I've been diligently filling out the chart from the hospital, so I can keep track of his eating and diaper changes. I remember doing this for a few weeks when A was born, because I just couldn't trust myself to remember. J pointed out that this is the one time in life when we are actually excited to see and change bowel movements. J also mentioned, perhaps in one of his more sleep deprived moments, that he might start recording his own b.m.s. You know. "Just for fun." I'm glad he can find humor, even with this!

My dear brother, A J, requested a sighting of our parents on the blog -- so here's to you, A J! Pictures of mom are few and far between, but here's one of Dad and J D.

A has continued to be incredibly sweet with her new baby brother. She asks for "my turn" to hold the bottle, she pats his back when I'm burping him, and she insists on putting his hat back on when it falls off. J found an old Golden book from the 50s called My Baby Brother that she pretends is about her and J D. I find it amazing that a two year old can suddenly take on the role of mothering. It's pretty precious.

A glimpse from into our world

Well, after a bit of an impatient confession in my last entry, I was humored with the very punctual appearance of our son, John David, on his due date, Nov. 1st, at 10:04 a.m. We are home now, and I am again reminded of how good God is to give us such a precious little boy, how much patience I need with all of the adjustments that come with a growing family, and how much I need His help. Thankfully, I believe His help came in the form of my parents, who arrived late last night from ND, and we are all making these adjustments together.

I hope you enjoy a glimpse into our world.

8 lbs. 1 oz., 19 1/2 inches long

When A came to visit, she said, "Hello Baby!"

J D 's proud dad

Precious footprints

J D's first trip in the car was a success. He slept the whole way home, while A announced from the back seat, "We're home baby brother, we're home!"

A beautiful fall day

Before A's baby brother arrived, we took A to the Fall Carnival at our church. A dressed in what else? A Seahawks' cheerleading outfit! We saw her cousins, S and A, at the carnival and stopped for a photo.
We also went to a new (to us) park, and A and her friend R spent some time on the play equipment. More and more each day, it seems she is becoming a big girl, which, for me, included when she graduated to the "big" swings.

Impatient . . . yes

After a perfectly beautiful weekend of playing with J and A, I was disappointed to wake up this morning to no contractions, no broken water, no pain. Just another day in paradise. One reason: I don't really want to go to work anymore. My students have been fine. That's not the problem. I just want to be home for a while. Reason #2: I'm ready. So, why wait? The longer I wait, the more grading, phone calls, etc. that I have to deal with. My sub is ready, and so am I. So, I say bring on the contractions. My friend S says to be careful for what you ask for.

J doesn't understand why I am quite so vocal about my desire for pain this time. Reason #? why men do not have babies. It's not that I WANT pain. I just want to go into labor naturally this time. I want to know what actual contractions feel like, not Pitocin-induced contractions. I want to know my own threshold for pain. I want to experience labor. J has said more times than not that if he was the one having the baby, he would arrive at the hospital announcing, "Bring on the epidural," or something to that effect. Not me. This time, I want to know how it feels, and frankly, if I can't take it, THEN I'll say, "Bring on the epidural." But, not before. My friend's reflexologist says if I'm feeling anxious, then why would the baby come. He can feel my anxiety, she says. I don't know about that. All I know is that I'm not afraid, so how could I be anxious. Impatient, yes. But anxious? No. Bring it on!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Bi-Zi Farms pumpkin patch again this year, and A had a great time. This year, she was much more outgoing with feeding the animals, running through the corn maze (thus the muddy knees), climbing the hay bales, picking out pumpkins, and riding in the wheel barrow. It was a beautiful day, and we took advantage of it before the rains set in. I have about 2 1/2 weeks left of my pregnancy, so hopefully the next picture you'll see of me will be with our new little guy! J thought A needed a ride in the wheelbarrow, and she was all grins as she rode with the dirty pumpkins. Two years ago, she wore a pumpkin costume for her first Halloween.
A and her cousins climbed the hay bales for a fun photo. It was probably the only time all afternoon when they sat still!

Portland Children's Museum

We took A to the Porland Children's Museum the day after her birthday. They are doing an exhibit right now on Arthur (think Marc Brown books), but we thought the whole museum was fabulous. Here are a few highlights . . .

1) An entire section devoted to shoveing rubbery pieces into buckets. A had quite a good time filling all of the buckets.
2) A supermarket and restaurant, complete with shopping carts, a check-out and fun food to fill your cart. I thought this section was adorable. She knew right what to do when she saw the cart. Doesn't she look like she's on a mission?
3) A water area, where she donned a large smock. J and I had as much fun in this section as she did, floating objects between the pathways.
4) This was a current tub, where she could float salmon down the currents or change the flow of the currents by moving the dividers. J was on a mission to make the fastest flowing current possible.

We'll definitely have to go back soon!

A's 2nd birthday

Our daughter loves moving vehicles - namely cars and trains (which she calls "choo-choos"). So, we bought her another train set for her birthday. This one has a bridge and a level to make it start and stop. So far, she likes turning both trains on at the same time. And, she says bye-bye to her choo-choos when we leave the playroom. How cute is that?
We also found a playhouse for her. She was eager to have us come into her house, as uncomfortable as it was, and stay for a while. She also wanted Sam, one of our cats, to come in. But, it appears he's a bit hesitant to venture in.
She and J also played with some bubbles.
When her cousins and friends came, then she got to show off her new house. Cousin A quickly took on the job of sweeping out the new floor.
I made her a train cake. All in all, I think A had a great birthday! Where did the time go?

A sweet moment!

One afternoon in August, it was unusually quiet. So I rounded the hallway in search of my daughter. Lo and behold, she sweetly sat on the stairs, hugging her puppy with a huge grin. Luckily, she was still smiling when I ran back with my camera.

New York in August

A and I flew to NY to see my family at the beginning of August. I had been wanting to see where my brother and sister-in-law live, as well as where my brother J has been living since January. They warned me that I just might want to stay after I see what it's like. And now I understand why they love it so much. Thanks for sharing your secret with us!

We enjoyed lots of family time. A colored with her Uncle J.
We attempted a round of mini-golf. Mom's quite the golfer, if you didn't know already!

A got to catch up with her grandma and grandpa. By day three or four, she was willingly giving hugs and kisses to everyone. She was especially enamored with Auntie C.

One evening, Uncle J donned his clowning outfit for a children's carnival. A was pretty scared of him, as you can see by her expression.

We were also able to celebrate Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary! Congratulations you two! I'm glad we were all together to celebrate with you!

Guess who?

J bought A a Mr. Potato Head. I'm glad she didn't try to put on the eyes!

This morning I was in the kitchen, and A was unusually quiet. Quiet usually spells trouble when you're dealing with a 22 month old, but today it spelled creative.
A put two of my shirts on (one on and one over her head), as well as two of J's boxers (look closely near her ankles). I think this is hilarious, and it is a good reminder not to leave the folded laundry on the couch. Apparently it's just too tempting!