Delicious Traditions

Each Christmas, I INSIST on making Christmas cookies. We've done this every year for as long as I can remember. When I was little, we would all gather at my Grandma's house and my mom, aunt and grandma would bake the cookies while we kids would wait in the dining room, butter knives in hand, waiting to frost them. This year, my family came to visit us since we can't travel with the baby. I always want my mom to be involved. She doesn't love it like I do, but she tries to act like she does for my sake. Every Christmas season, we always have to make sure we set aside a day to do the cookies.   

This year, Billy had to get involved because he is a master of the recipe that has been adapted for the mountains. He sees cookie  making as a task to be conquered and  DEFINITELY doesn't like it as much as I do. Unlike my mom, he usually doesn't try to pretend  to love it for my sake either. He makes some really really good cookies though, so it's worth it to get him involved. As you can see, he shows the dough who's boss.

 When I was in college, I invited my friends back to my house to join in the fun. My friend John created some classics that have to be recreated every year. One of our favorites is "Peed on Snowman." This year, the icing was a little runny, and the scarf kind of looks kind of frightful, but we made the peed on snowman in honor of John.

Of course, the best part of the cooking making is the cookie eating.

Sometimes, during the Christmas season, I grab a couple of cookies and have them for breakfast. I know it's not healthy, and I know that I'll regret it on January 1st. For now though, I don't care. It's good to know that if I ever need to make some extra money during the holiday season, I can don a germ laden red coat, a fake beard and let small children sit on my lap at the mall.

Bathtime's not for sissies!

Avery's a typical boy and does NOT like bath time. He screams and acts like the world is coming to an end. We, on the other hand, laugh and laugh. You can see why!

He starts to pull himself together once he's out of the water...

                           As soon as he's dry, he's happy again.

Tis the season...

For a sugar coma...

AJ's first bedlam

Train a child in the way he should go...

skunk eye...

Touchdown!!

#1 DAD

My husband, Billy, is the best husband and dad ever! When he found out that I was expecting, he was really excited and involved in all things baby. He didn't miss a single doctor appointment. Unbeknownst to him, he probably read the entire What to Expect When You're Expecting book via email updates. He thought I was pretty even though I felt like a beached walrus. He endured several shopping trips for baby things and didn't say a word about how much he hates, nay, DESPISES shopping. In short, he couldn't wait for Avery's arrival. We were both really disappointed that he wasn't there for the birth, but he has made up for it many times over since then. Here are some highlights.

He enjoys feeding him and takes the middle of the night feedings on most nights. Avery seems to know when Dad is on the job and finishes his bottle every time. I, on the other hand, can only get him to eat 2 1/2 to 3oz most of the time. They're already forming a man alliance.

They play together all the time and Avery gets really excited when Billy is around. Also, Billy is really excited when Avery is around.

                                                                               Dad is already teaching Avery about technology. Here is his first Skype experience. This is good news for me because I know that one day, I'll need Avery to help me with computer things when Billy is on his trips.

                This picture is by far my favorite. As you can see, Billy has fashioned the receiving blanket around his mouth and nose in true warrior fashion as if he is dealing with the chemical Agent Orange instead of a dirty diaper. Avery looks on while his onesie says it all. He really does love his dad and so do I.

Bustin' out!

When Avery was born, he had to spend 12 days in the NICU. It was a trying time for all 3 of us. Billy and I spent most of every day in the hospital with him. There were alarms chiming 'round the clock and some of the worst furniture EVER!! Avery was hooked up to several machines to make sure he was stable and it seemed like every time we moved him or held him, we pulled on some cord. We were measuring his food by the ML and weighing every diaper he produced like NASA scientists. While we were there, some of Avery's personality emerged. He seemed just as ready to go home as we were. One morning, while I was talking to the doctor during rounds, he actually removed his own feeding tube and waved it in his fist until the doctor took notice. Her response? "Oh! Well! He removed his feeding tube! And that's okay. He doesn't need it anymore anyway." Nice.

He also constantly tried to remove his oxygen, but turns out he still needs that.

The day we left, he sat in his car seat and waved bye bye to the NICU. We're grateful for all the support we got from the staff in the NICU, but man, our couch sure feels good. There's no place like home!!

Rock Star

Shreddin' some killer riffs on the air guitar!

IIIIIIII Wanna Soak Up the Sun...

Because he was early, Avery spent 12 days in the NICU after he was born. One morning when we arrived, we found him like this while he was under the photo therapy lights for his jaundice. I have to admit I was a little jealous!

Doula in Stilettos

On November 8, 2010, our son Avery was born. His arrival came as a big surprise to everyone because he was 5 weeks and 1 day early. My husband Billy is a pilot and was on a trip to Arizona when I found out that I was going to have the baby early. I was planning to get some groceries and do some baking and my parents were boarding a cruise ship to the Bahamas. Perhaps the person who was most surprised by Avery's hasty arrival was my friend Heather. The day before Avery's birth, we had talked to her about being my emergency contact in case I needed a ride to the hospital if Billy was out of pocket. We never thought we'd need her to step in because Billy was scheduled to take leave around my due date. Heather agreed to be available but probably never thought she'd get an urgent call in the morning. She was great! She said she would stay with me until Billy got to the hospital and while she waited with me, she provided chap stick, water and most importantly, distractions. We all thought we had plenty of time--after all, it was my first child. I think Heather and I were both surprised that after about 2 hours, it was time to push. A nurse looked at Heather and commanded her to take a very active roll in the birth. She jumped right into her new roll as a doula. She encouraged me to stay calm and remember to breathe. But perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that she did it all in stilettos. Who does that?! Way to go Heather!  

Let the Craziness Begin

Most people know that I have been very "anti" blog or twitter or pretty much anything where one is expected to share their thoughts at regular intervals online. I don't see the point in letting everyone know that I had a bowl of cereal or that I go to bed at 8pm. But as Faith Hill says, "A Baby Changes Everything." So here I am...on the world wide web... attempting to share the events of my rather mundane life with at least a couple of readers--one of whom is my mom. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading.