Dec. 31: I feel like this vacation just keeps going on and on and on. It’s lovely! We flew back home to Wisconsin on Friday afternoon in the midst of a big snow storm. Fortunately (surprisingly, really) our flight wasn’t delayed in the slightest. Uncle Joe picked us up at the airport, which was good, because Andrew really wasn’t too keen on the idea of leaving Texas. His refrain most of the flight home was “Let’s go back!” Knowing that Uncle Joe was going to be at the other end provided enough of an incentive to keep him OK with the idea of leaving. I don’t think he could have had a better time during our trip. Being at Granny and Grandad’s house is everything a little boy could want.
Our awesome neighbor, Jenni, snowplowed our driveway for us as the snow fell thick and heavy, and we enjoyed getting back to our home. The kitties, who had been cold and lonely for a week, were a little psycho, but at this point, they have had their kitty love-tanks filled, and they are feeling back-to-normal.
On Saturday, Bryan took Andrew duty most of the day while I jumped into Maretta’s wedding planning. We enjoyed a cake testing at La Brioche, went to a couple alterations places to find someone who could help us bustle her gown, and spent the afternoon at a bridal shower hosted by Maretta’s maid-of-honor, Laurie. It was a fun-filled day! Maretta, Kyle, and Kyle’s mom, Marilyn also came over yesterday, and we spent a couple hours going over lots of wedding details together. The conversation continues at 1:30 today. We have lots to pack into the short time that we’re both home!
Last night we had my whole family over for a Christmas-time get-together. Becky volunteered her mom to make us a lasagna, and it got rave reviews from all who tasted it. It’s crazy that just immediate family makes for a party of 12 people! Andrew got to open a few presents, and he was in 7th heaven, playing with all of his aunts and uncles. This morning he woke up and said to me with a wistful voice, “Uncle Kyle played with me.”
Andrew was a stellar flyer, and he’s been in a really good mood since we got home. Bryan and I have both been unsuccessful in putting him down for naps, but when Uncle Joe or Aunt Maretta go in to do a “closing,” he goes to sleep just fine. What gives?? I think we just need someone else to live with us to put Andrew down for naps.
Hope you enjoy a happy New Year’s Eve!
Photos from the last week are in the gallery.
Should I be worried?
Dec. 31: Hmmm. As I type, Andrew is watching The Dance of the Hours on Fantasia.
At the part where the hippo emerges from the fountain, Andrew turned to me with a big smile and said, “It’s a mommy, mommy hippo!” “Just like YOU!”
Maybe he just likes the hippo a lot. Or maybe my girth is very reminiscent of a ballet-dancing hippo…
It’s a beautiful day…from my view on the couch
Dec. 27: Ahhh, December in Texas. It’s a nice day out today. Temperature in the mid-sixties, a little breeze, the air smells green and sweet. I can smell the breeze because I have the windows open.
Unlike my husband and son, who have been outdoors a lot this week, I have surprised myself by only venturing out a couple times. “How ridiculous!” I think. Why would I, who love a beautiful day, plant myself on a sofa for days at a time. Who knows, but I have certainly enjoying “slugging it.” I’ve knitting a bunch, ripped out everything I knitted because I forgot to reduce a few stitches for the armholes of Andrew’s sweater, and tried with only mild success to get my newly upgraded website gallery working fully.
It’s been a very relaxing and quite restorative vacation, despite my lack of motivation to enjoy the out-of-doors. We head back home tomorrow morning, and I’m then looking forward to four days of vacation at home before returning to work on Jan. 2. Maretta has a wedding shower on Saturday, and I’m looking forward to getting together with my family for a “Christmas” get-together on Dec. 30. The fun just keeps on coming!
Thinking of names
Dec. 27: Bryan and I got to go out on a date last night while Bryan’s parents stayed home with Andrew. A good time was had by all!
Bryan and I ate out at a good restaurant and had fun splitting several dishes. We somewhat accidentally also ended up ordering $18 worth of bottled water. Oops!
Afterwards, we went to a book store, and I stumbled upon a really neat book called The Baby Name Wizard.
We’ve barely talked about names at all, and we ended up using our night out as a kick-start to the baby name discussion. After reading through the book, we each picked out 20-30 names we liked. Then we’ve spent some time this morning combining lists and grouping our favorites.
We’ve now weaned it down to a list of seven possible names, and I think we’re going to let it simmer for a while. Bryan asked Andrew to say each of the names, and they sounded so sweet in his little voice. My guess is that we won’t settle on a name until we meet the little one face to face.
As of tomorrow (Friday), I’ll be at 34 weeks of pregnancy. Wow!
Here’s the update from BabyCenter.com with info on my little cantaloupe:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she’s born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you’ve been nervous about preterm labor, you’ll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short
stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.
Merry Christmas!
Dec. 25: Christmas Day greetings to all my friends and family who may be checking up on the website! We’ve enjoyed a really nice morning together so far. Ben and Mark have spent the early afternoon playing with their toy helicopters and cars. Melanie is working on some wooden puzzles. Bryan’s trying out some new music on new headphones, and I just finished setting up a web camera I got for Bryan’s parent’s so we can try doing video calls over the internet.
LuAnn put Andrew down for his nap, and he is now peacefully sleeping. My family is home in Wisconsin at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Sounded like they had a full house, with all my dad’s siblings and my cousin Abe and his family in attendance. Grandma is at the nursing home/rehab center, so I’m sure it’s a different feeling Christmas in Monroe without any grandparents in at home.
We had a breakfast of pulla this morning…a cardamom bread rolled with almond and raspberry filling and shaped like a wreath. Then for lunch, we enjoyed chili made by Melanie. Since I burned my tongue by eating it too soon, I needed Blue Bell ice cream afterwards:)
Ben and Melanie are still in town until tomorrow night, and we’re still here until Friday, so there’s a feeling of lazy relaxation. It’s nice to still be in your jammies at 3 pm on Christmas Day:)
Lots of photos from our morning are in the gallery.
Naptime hello
Dec. 24: Andrew is napping for the first time in the past three days. He really needed it! This morning, he was in pretty rare form, and I think he threw about 8 tantrums over the course of a few hours.
After sobbing in Mark’s library for a while because I had handed him the wrong book (a wrong that just could not be righted in his mind), he suddenly stopped crying, came out, and said, “I was very sad. I’m sorry. I feel better now.” This morning, he woke early and came around to cuddle with me in bed for about 20 minutes. Then he climbed over me, and woke Bryan by saying, “Daddy, it’s Christmas Day!!” When corrected, he wasn’t that phased, and happily shouted, “It’s Christmas Eve!”
We’ve barely talked at all about Santa or what happens on Christmas. Last night, though, I read him The Night Before Christmas. He was absolutely enthralled. It didn’t take any more than one reading of that story for him to grasp the idea that Santa comes down the chimney and brings presents. My tiny tot’s eyes were definitely all aglow:)
Today we’re doing lots of food preparation, puzzle assembly, and napping. For our Christmas eve dinner tonight, we’re looking forward to pork tenderloin, rolls, other-things-I’m-sure, and pie. Andrew’s looking forward to leaving cookies out for Santa.
I have finally updoaded some pictures to the gallery too…
Dotzour Christmas Letter
Dec. 23: I got my Christmas cards out quite a bit later than normal this year (doing the Babler family cards earlier this month slowed me down! ) I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas celebration this year. My 2007 Christmas letter is below…
December 2007
Dear friends,
It’s been quite a year!
In June, Andrew celebrated his second birthday with nearly his entire immediate family in attendance. He’s beautiful and charming and stretches us each and every day. Identifying letters and animals keep him endlessly amused. His sweet little voice warms our hearts, and his determination keeps us on our toes.
In June we also learned that we’re expecting a new addition to our family. My belly has expanded to huge proportions, and the “little sister” as we call her is expected to make her appearance in early February. I’ve been having fun finding the cutest little girl clothes!
Life since July has taken some really difficult turns. We had all so hoped that my mom would continue to beat the odds, but that just wasn’t how life played out. I’m still trying to adjust to the idea that she is gone. I don’t imagine anyone is ever ready to say goodbye to their mommy.
After losing Mom in August, we had a couple additional partings coming our way. Bryan’s grandpa, Dandy, and my grandpa (my dad’s dad) both passed away in October. We miss them both – especially during these holiday times of family togetherness – but we also celebrate their lives well-lived. What a rich heritage of families and work and values they leave behind!
We’ve experienced the richness of life’s arch this year. Beginnings and endings. We’re thankful for the wonderful and strong circle of friends and family who have gathered close around us this year. I feel so grateful for the strength and love of the people who support us.
Life keeps moving, and our work lives have experienced some changes this year as well. In September, Bryan found a new job. For the last few years, he has worked for Widen Enterprise in the field of “digital asset management” (helping companies store and access photos of their products). In his new job, he is a software engineer with a small microbiology company called OpGen that is working to develop technologies to help diagnose diseases by looking at the genetic makeup of bacteria. While he misses his past co-workers, I’ve think the change has been a good one. Bryan has been energized by his work and has been learning and stepping up to some exciting challenges.
I’ve been at Gathering Waters Conservancy for four years now, and I just love my work. However, over the last months, I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching, and I’ve decided that when the new baby comes along that I’m going to stop working and stay home with her and Andrew. I’m nervous about stepping away from a field that I care about so much, but I’m also excited about the opportunity to spend a lot of time with our little ones.
I hope all is well in your lives, and I want to offer my sincere thanks for all the caring we have received this year. I feel really lucky. On behalf of Bryan, Andrew, and myself, Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a new year that holds many wonderful surprises!
Ahh vacation!
Dec. 23: We are happily settled in at Bryan’s parent’s house in
Texas. We flew down on Friday, and Andrew did a really great job. It was his first flight in his own seat, and he was so excited about seeing Granny Lu and Grandad in TEXAS. It’s neat to see him getting to a point where he remembers things and can hold onto a thought for a longer period of time. Here in College Station, the sun in shining, and the last couple days have seen temperatures in the 60s or even 70s. Lovely.
I’m getting to wear some of the nice summer maternity shirts that people lent me, and Andrew had had ample opportunities for backyard play. Yesterday, LuAnn and Melanie and I left Andrew with the guys and we took the afternoon for some girls time out. Did a little last-minute shopping and had a fun time being together.
It feels really good to be “on vacation” after the last month of fun (but very busy) activity. I’m relishing the feeling of switching gears from the go-go-go of holiday parties and Christmas preparation to a lower-key, just hanging out kind of lifestyle. We had a family poker night last night, which is always a lot of fun. Plus with “Christmas Edition Poker,” all players ended the night with a gift card. Fun surprises at
Christmas time:)
It’s hard to believe we still have two days until Christmas. The way the holiday fell this year means that we get to see Ben and Melanie for much longer than normal. They drove down from Dallas on Friday night, and they don’t need to leave until Wednesday, so our time together is quite extended. It’s a great treat:)
Andrew is enjoying putting puzzles together with his Granny Lu this morning. He’s so excited to be here:) Hope all your Christmas preparations are fun!
~Althea
This baby is getting big!
Dec. 20: My friend Julia just had a baby girl on Tuesday this week. Little Eleanore Faith. She had her (first) baby three and a half weeks early! Makes me a little nervous, because if I did the same thing, I’d have this little miss in the second week of January. I think she should keep cooking until early February:)
I continue to feel mostly symptom-free this pregnancy. My hips are starting to ache once in a while as they stretch, and this little peanut is getting bigger and less and less movable. Makes it harder to bend and twist, and her movements are getting increasingly, er, notable! We’re looking forward to showing my big belly to Bryan’s family this weekend.
Oh, and I have a cute story to share. I got home from a weekend trip to DC late on Sunday. On Monday morning, Andrew climbed in bed with me, and after cuddling for a moment, he noticed my belly. I think he was a bit startled by it, and he reached under the covers, put his hand on my belly, and said, “Baby sister too! I feel her!”
BabyCenter Week 33 update
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He’s rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren’t fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.)
These bones don’t entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
and looking back,
BabyCenter Week 32 Update:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You’re gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she’ll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
Morning musings
Dec. 20: I’m up early this morning. I think it’s a combo of being excited about Joe coming home today and having that pre-trip adrenalin that always gets me excited and my mind working in overdrive. I think that having the living room light work Andrew up, because although it’s only 5:50, he just joined me in the living room.
His train that is set up in our living room just traveled, “over the bridge and over the dam. berries for jam!” Now he’s on to puzzles.
Bryan and I opened some of our Christmas presents to each other last night.
I got him all sorts of practical (read somewhat boring) warm things like socks and a hat and gloves. I am currently using the new computer gadget that he got for me…a much-needed external hard drive. Our laptop’s memory is nearly maxed out, so I have been in near-dire need of more computer storage space! I’m currently backing up all 75 GB of pictures and video. It’ll also be a relief to have all of it stored in a second space in case of disaster:)
Our December has been a fun and busy month! Last weekend, I traveled to Washington DC to spend the weekend with my good friends from high school, Heather, Anne, and Kacy.
We had a lovely time being together and catching up and eating lots of good food. Bryan was my hero , and (for the third time this fall) watched Andrew solo for the weekend so I could go have fun and reconnect with friends.
We drove down to Janesville last night to visit Mum and to take her out to see the Christmas lights. For some reason, it was a foggy night, but the snow was beautiful, and the lit-up houses twinkled. Mum seemed to be doing pretty well, which is always nice to see.
My dad is celebrating a big birthday this year, but with all that is going on with his mom’s broken hip, it’s been a really busy time for him. We’re planning on getting together for dinner this evening at our house. Aunt Julie and Uncle Kevin might be joining us too!
I have felt like between travels and all the fun parties we’ve been gallivanting to this month that I’m barely able to get to all the holiday preparations that call to me. So last night after getting back from Janesville, Bryan and I buckled down. He wrapped presents while I finished up Christmas cards. At this point, I think I’m content with either being done with some holiday prep or just not doing it before we leave for Texas. Feels good to be able to set my lists aside! Oh, except Michael’s present. I still need to get Michael his present.
hmmm
That’s the update for now!
~Althea