Archive for December, 2006
I cried when my parents left our house last night. I have no idea when we’ll get to see them next ~ maybe this summer? Hopefully. Anyway, we had a *terrific* Christmas celebration with them! I’ve added more pictures to our online Christmas album [the link is on my sidebar]. Guess what my mom brought for Meredith? My very first doll when *I* was a baby! Her name is “Lolly Dolly.” It felt *so* neat to see our little girl snuggling with her [and "Lolly" is almost bigger than she is!]. My mom said that she always knew when I was awake from my naps because she would hear Lolly Dolly rattling around in my crib. :) I couldn’t have put together such a nice Christmas dinner if it weren’t for my mom’s fantastic help. We enjoyed chicken Milanese, a Caprese salad, mashed potatoes, toasted ravioli with marinara sauce, a cheese and crackers tray, Brussels sprouts with prosciutto, and cranberry sauce. Lucas’s new Tonka fire truck was a *huge* hit, as was his Elmo workbench! My parents just called and said that they’re navigating I-465 right now and are almost home!
For some reason, I always feel bittersweet when a year ends. New Year’s Eve used to be really exciting, but now it just reminds me that time is passing by *way* too quickly. I look forward to good times and special moments in the year ahead, but I also hate to say goodbye to all of the wonderful things that happened during the past year. It’ll be difficult to top 2005 and 2006 for us, with the birth of our two children. [I spent most of 2006 pregnant, hehe!] :) It was an *amazing* year, to say the least. We have *so* much to be grateful for … and we have a *lot* to look forward to in 2007, as well:
~beginning my new freelance editing job
~celebrating Lucas’s second birthday and watching him grow even more
~attending a friend’s wedding in May [in Chicago]
~celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary
~hosting our Fourth of July party [it's becoming a tradition!]
~hopefully decorating and finishing more of our house
~seeing Meredith experience her first year of life and reach lots of milestones
~planning Meredith’s first birthday party
~celebrating family and friends’ special events
I hope that 2007 will hold nothing but happiness, good health, and fun times for all of us. We don’t really have any plans for tomorrow night ~ but if Meredith doesn’t sleep well, then I’ll more than likely be awake to see the ball drop! LOL! :) OK, time to sign off … Jeff and I are going to curl up in our bonus room and watch some episodes of “Lost” [from our Netflix queue]. Meredith turns two months old tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to writing her monthly “letter”! :)
It was *so* much fun seeing my dad meet Meredith for the first time. :) And there’s my mom holding her ~ such a *cute* picture! My parents came over to our house last night after checking into their hotel, and then today they watched Lucas while I took Meredith to her two-month checkup. For some reason, I thought that she wouldn’t get any shots yet ~ but I was wrong! She received *four* plus a liquid vaccine. Now, I’ve always done a good job during Lucas’s shots … but this time was different. I almost wanted to cry when the nurse stuck Meredith with the needle. She started bawling! She told me to hold Meredith’s hands down, and I felt *horrible* seeing her in so much discomfort. I had to repeat to myself, “These shots are keeping her healthy.” She just looked so trapped and helpless there, lying on the exam table. And of course, today she has been a little cranky [thank goodness for Children's Tylenol ~ hopefully it's helping her]. The good news ~ our pediatrician said that she’s doing wonderfully. Our little girl now weighs nine pounds, five ounces [that's the 25th percentile] and measures 22.5 inches long [she's tall!]. Maybe she’ll be a basketball player for the WNBA? :)
My parents also went to Target today and bought us an additional chair for our bonus room. [We'd purchased one a few days ago, and now we have a really nice seating area upstairs!] We’d intended to have our Christmas dinner this evening and open presents, but Jeff encountered some *really* bad problems at work and still isn’t home yet. :( Poor guy! Tomorrow, I think that our plans are to visit the Christmas Tree Shops and go out for lunch.
It’s funny … the last time that I saw my mom, I had a big pregnant tummy and was experiencing lots of discomfort! LOL! :) Seeing my mom hold Meredith this time *really* made me realize how much our daughter has grown and changed in just two short months. And my dad is *amazed* at how big Lucas is now!
This year was our first Christmas here at home, just the four of us, with no family members. Yes, it was awfully quiet ~ and we missed everyone so very much. But we had a wonderful time, especially since we got to sneak into our bonus room after Lucas went to bed and help Santa arrange all of the presents around our Christmas tree! :) It was also Meredith’s first Christmas, and while she was of course too little to know what was going on, having our beautiful daughter in our arms made our holiday incredibly special. I posted two of my favorite Christmas photos above, and if you’d like to see the rest ~ they’re here. Meredith fell asleep in my arms as we were unwrapping presents, and she looked like she was saying, “Mommy ~ this Christmas stuff really wears me out!” :) And I love how Lucas is so engrossed in his new toy truck in that second picture, among all of the chaos of wrapping paper and ribbon. That moment brought back so many happy memories of my Christmases as a child, when I would receive something cool to play with! I felt like I just couldn’t get everything together this year, though, and that made me really sad. I think that I put way too much pressure on myself to create a picture-perfect Christmas. I just had a baby not too long ago, and I should have gone easier on myself. I wasn’t very realistic about what I would be able to accomplish. I just hope that our children enjoyed their Christmas this year.
We attended church on Christmas Eve morning, and I really enjoyed that. Then, we stopped by the grocery store for a few last-minute ingredients [which turned into an $80 trip, LOL!]. We came home and immediately wrapped presents, then I spent the rest of the day cooking up a storm in the kitchen. We also called our families. It was really cool falling asleep with the soft glow of the Christmas candles in our windows! Lucas was super excited when he saw our Christmas tree on Christmas morning. The look on his face was priceless! After he opened his stocking, he pretty much played with those toys and wasn’t all that interested in unwrapping the others. But later on, he started distributing presents for everyone to open! :) He’s a pro at tearing off wrapping paper. He seemed to enjoy his “Cars” gifts the most ~ a squishy Lightning McQueen car that makes noises when you smack it, a storybook with sounds and stickers, and a miniature Lightning McQueen Matchbox car. He also *loved* his remote-controlled car and his semi truck that holds a bunch of Matchbox cars. Meredith received lots of sweet things ~ a Night Glow Pooh, two beautiful cross-stitch hangings for her room [done by my mother-in-law], a warm and snuggly fleece blanket from her Aunt Jenny, a “3-in-1 Gym,” an adorable red and black velvet dress, some stuffed animals, and lots of other neat presents. Santa was good to us, as well! :)
After opening gifts, we went downstairs while I finished cooking our Christmas Day dinner. We had a roast, corn casserole, my grandma’s mashed potatoes recipe, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, chips and peach salsa, crackers and cheese, and green beans. Dessert was pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and bourbon balls. Unfortunately, I started feeling kind of “off” during lunch ~ and I don’t know why. It could have been because I didn’t eat any breakfast. My head felt spacey, my stomach felt a little odd, and my head hurt. My anxiety of course kicked in. :( I went upstairs and took a shower, which helped. Then, we spent some time on our computers while Lucas napped. Last night, we called our families and then played Lingo online with Jeff’s brother, Spencer, and his wife, Brandee.
And pretty soon, we get to do it all over again! :) My parents are on their way here, and I can’t wait to see them!
My period, that is! [Merry Christmas to me!] :) Sure explains why I drank an entire half-gallon of chocolate milk the other day and consumed four Christmas cookies for breakfast this morning! LOL! :) I’m amazed at how my body seems to enjoy sticking to a schedule. We have two children born exactly on their due dates [well, Lucas was only nine minutes late!] ~ and now I’ve had two periods that both resumed at exactly seven weeks postpartum. Freaky! Now I know why I’ve been feeling *so* crappy for the past week.
I had a pretty rough day yesterday. [Exhaustion was mainly the cause.] But guess what? My husband’s boss sent *me* flowers! I couldn’t believe it! When I read the attached card, I was overcome by her thoughtfulness. She said, “I know that Jeff has spent a *lot* of hours at work and not at home, and I *really* appreciate your patience.” It was a gorgeous Christmas bouquet [similar to this one] that will be perfect for decorating our dining room during the holidays! And as far as we know, I’m the *only* one to whom she sent flowers. They were probably in honor of Meredith’s birth, too ~ she sent us beautiful tulips after Lucas’s arrival. I can’t get over what a kind person she is.
So today, I drove over to Kingston, NY and dropped off a meal for one of the moms in my moms’ group. She just had a baby [her second, I believe] on December 6. It makes me feel *so* good when I can help someone. I know how much it meant to us when friends from my moms’ group made meals for us after Meredith was born. It was *so* convenient just to heat up something in the oven! I’d never met her before, but I was excited to meet a fellow mom who doesn’t live *all* that far away from us. I’d intended to explore Kingston and go shopping at the mall, but I got kind of turned around and decided to just head home. [Carol, you'll have to straighten me out!] :) Someday, though, I’ll check it out.
By the way ~ did you have any trouble viewing my blog entries after I switched to this new design? [Did you even get a chance to see it? LOL!] :) Connie told me that she could *barely* read the text ~ that it was *way* tiny. Oh well ~ guess I’ll just go back to this one for now!
Everyone else seems to be doing this one, so I’ll join in, too! [Plus, I am such a *huge* fan of Ellen. Can't miss her show. Love the American Express ads!]
Ohhh, too funny! Carol just invited me to a “come-as-you-are blog party” because she thought that I’d be a good sport about it. [And she was right.] What a fun idea! :) You can’t fix yourself up in any way … you just take your picture right then and there, however you are. Look at my hair! Ugh! :( That’s what happens when I don’t blow dry it [or do *anything* with it, for that matter!]. I *do* have on a little bit of makeup, but you can’t see it … just some mascara and blush. [My lip balm wore off a *long* time ago, so I licked my lips in order to fake it!] Hey, at least I look happy, right? :) And I am … today has been a *great* day. Plus … this is the *very* first picture that we took with my Christmas present! A brand-new Canon PowerShot A630 ~ *eight* megapixels, baby! Rock on! :) Lucas dropped and broke our old camera. Want to see the shot that he captured right beforehand? Cracks me up. Love the toes! :)
OK … let’s see … who should I tag? How about anyone who would like to participate? Come on … you know you want to! :)
Meredith slept through the night last night!!! Woo hoo!!! :) I am *so* excited and proud of her. She did a *great* job. She went to sleep around 9:45 p.m. and woke up at 4:45 a.m. to nurse. Then, around 6 a.m. she went back to sleep and is *still* sleeping! LOL! :) Of course, I might have jinxed everything by posting this entry … we’ll see whether it was just a fluke. Seems like every time she has a string of really *good* nights, she follows it up by occasionally having a bad one. But I feel like I got some *amazing* rest last night! And since I have a touch of a flu bug right now, it was *much* needed. Yay!!! :) What’s more … Lucas is still upstairs sleeping, too. I enjoyed a long, hot shower this morning and a cup of vanilla chai tea, straightened up our living room, repacked the diaper bag in preparation for our grocery store trip today, cleaned off the kitchen counters, put together a cheese and cracker tray to drop off at a friends’ house, and checked my e-mail … all while they both were still asleep! It’s amazing what you can get done before 8 a.m. :)
I think that I *might* have a touch of the flu. :( My body aches all over … my head feels kind of spacey … I’m exhausted … I feel congested at night … my nose is runny … I’m sneezing a lot … I don’t really feel like eating all that much … well, you guys know what it’s like. And it’s *just* enough to be annoying ~ I don’t want to rest in bed all day and do nothing, but I don’t necessarily feel the energy to go places and run around like crazy, either. *sigh* I’d intended to get a flu shot but just haven’t done it yet [fortunately Lucas got his back in October]. It freaks me out because I know that a lot of *nasty* stuff has been making its rounds lately [one of the reasons why I completely *detest* winter, even though I know that's just a myth]. Normally, I’d chug some Nyquil [and I think that I'm the only person on earth who actually enjoys the taste of that stuff ~ both the green and the red, LOL!] and climb into bed for a few hours to rest ~ but I can’t do that. Luke has a *bad* cold right now, too, and my husband keeps saying that he thinks that he’s coming down with something as well. Hopefully we’ll all be feeling right as rain by Christmastime! [I've always wanted to use the phrase, "right as rain," hehe!] :)
Speaking of the upcoming holidays … how can it be the week before Christmas and my husband was outside this morning raking leaves? LOL! :) It’s 50 degrees here right now. I had to take off my sweatshirt and change into a lightweight top because I was too warm. Don’t get me wrong … in *no* way do I want a bunch of snow and ice! But it’s just crazy how it still feels like autumn in Albany, NY. We actually had some sunshine today! Amazing!
By the way … you know how TLC shows “life lessons” during some of its TV programs? Well, the other day I was watching “Take-Home Chef,” and one appeared on the left-hand side of the screen. It said, “Never let your inlaws see you crack.” I completely misread it, though. I could have *sworn* that it said, “Never let your inlaws see *your* crack.” :) I’m pretty proud to say that my inlaws have *never* seen my naked tushie, but … I actually *have* seen my mother-in-law’s! She once pulled her pants down right in front of me! LOL! :)
OK, I *couldn’t* let this blog entry go by without mentioning our little Meredith. :) Remember how I said that she looks a *lot* like Lucas did when he was a newborn? Here’s a side-by-side photo that kind of illustrates their similarities:
I jumped for joy this morning when I stopped by our post office and discovered that our photo Christmas cards had arrived! I’m *extremely* pleased with how they turned out, even though Meredith is looking at me instead of the camera. :) When my husband and I became parents last year, we decided to start a tradition of taking a family portrait here at home each Christmas and using it as our holiday card. Maybe someday I can create a scrapbook containing all of those photos … so that when we’re old and gray, we can look back through the years and remember our Christmases together. [Who am I kidding? I'm *already* gray, LOL!] :)
I sure enjoyed sitting down at our kitchen island this afternoon and addressing our Christmas cards. It’s one of my *very* favorite parts of the holiday season [but then again, I've always had such a fondness for writing letters]. It’s a ritual for me, even. I poured myself some soothing peppermint tea in a Christmasy mug and actually managed to finish most of them. [Lucas was upstairs taking a nap, and Meredith was happily relaxing in her bouncy seat.] With each card that I write, I find myself thinking about the recipient and how much he/she means to us ~ how grateful we are to have that person in our lives. We feel incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends. And this year, I felt *extremely* proud and blessed to have a *fourth* name in our signature. :)
Every Christmas in my blog, I always ask this question: Which of your Christmas cards will travel the farthest? I have an online friend in Australia as well as a French penpal who now lives in Germany, and I’m also sending two Christmas cards to South Africa.
We sang Christmas carols at my moms’ group meeting this morning. At first I was extremely reluctant to do so ~ my singing voice is absolutely horrible! [Just to illustrate my point ... in fifth grade when I auditioned for a school play and sang "America, the Beautiful," my music teacher asked me whether I had a cold. I didn't.] :) But as we started singing and the entire room filled with music, I was amazed at how beautiful all of our voices sounded together. And when we began to sing, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” I thought about my grandma [who passed away in 2002]. That was one of her favorite songs, and it brought back memories of me playing Christmas carols on their piano when I was a kid. I’d give anything to have just one more of those afternoons with her. It really warmed my heart to take time out from this busy, hectic holiday season and sing with some good friends. I needed that. It also made me think about how grateful I am to have found such an awesome moms’ group. We had our Christmas cookie exchange, too, so I came home with three dozen yummy-looking treats! :) I made chocolate crinkles with Hershey’s Kisses in the center [if you'd like the recipe, please let me know].
My six-week postpartum checkup was scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m., but when I arrived the doctor had to rush out in order to deliver someone’s baby. My appointment was rescheduled for December 21st. It was strange being in my OB’s office and not being pregnant anymore. And I feel like the six-week checkup is kind of the *final* end to the whole pregnancy experience, you know? Anyway, as I walked out of the office and waited for the elevator, I saw Dr. G. zoom right past me. [He's the one who delivered Meredith.] We said hello, and before he reached the stairway he said, “I have to go make a delivery.” I wished him good luck, and he thanked me. On the way home, though, to my surprise ~ I started feeling all emotional about it! Probably because *I* was just in that same situation not so long ago [and am still quite hormonal, LOL!]. :) The last time that I saw Dr. G., I was in labor! Anyway, whoever that woman is ~ I wish her all the best today!
