A new friend!

WILDER made a new friend yesterday: Ori! The boys were so much fun to take pictures of! One of these days they'll be running in circles, dragging around little toy army guys, grubby worms, and BB guns. 

But for now, we're enjoying their grinny goodness, fat rolls, and drool! Wilder certainly takes the cake on the fat roll stuff. No pun intended.

Thank you for the play date, Ori & Julie!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

...how lovely are thy, ahem, fake, branches. 

We did the unthinkable. Unimaginable. Inconceivable. We. Purchased. A. Fake. Tree. This. Year! *gasp* *gulp*--is your mouth agape? Well, mine was. In our 5 years of wedded bliss, we've always purchased a real tree, grappled with the prickly branches, cleaned up the oozey sap, aspirinized the water for optimum tree life. And I loved it, mess and all. 2008 marks the dawn of a new (gee, I really didn't want a fake tree) era! We figured it a more economical choice for us at this time, since the $50 spent on a real tree each year tended to be a stretch with our need to buy gifts, too. So we found this synthetic, vinyl, plastic, whatever-the-material-may-be fir at Home Depot. It stands 7.5 ft tall which is a tad ridiculous given the height of our ceilings: 8 ft. Anyway, the 1,000 lights are pretty (especially since we didn't have to dizzy ourselves stringing them round and round) and I've done my best to welcome this unscented friend into our home.

Me and Monkey (tree in the background!)

All of us in front of the tree prior to decorating it

One of my favoritest ornaments, from A. Tam

"Our First Christmas" ornament

Redbird in remembrance of my grandma, Lula

Not sure which cook this is referring to since there isn't one in our house!

Gotta love sparkly ones!

Vintage--I want to get a collection of these going

We had some bubbly while decorating

The view from Wild's Bumbo seat

I will not let...

...Amish friendship bread run my life! For those of you who know the commitment involved in baking Amish friendship bread, you'll understand my complanatory position here. I absolutely LOVE this bread--it's a little bit like coffee cake, and has enough cinnamon to fill the house with a comforting scent. However, this little booger of a recipe requires one to be baking every 10 days. And whilst I love to bake, sometimes the 10th day falls at a time when I'm busy doing other things. This year, the timing is great in that I can pass along loaves as gifts. If you'd like to start your own bread, click on my sister in law, Andrea's, blog, for the recipe. 

Are you enjoying the yummy treats the season brings as much as I am? Please say "yes" so I don't feel like I'm the only one adding poundage to my thighs, which I endearingly refer to as my "jiggly bits." Here's to crumbs all over our blouses!

Posting at 5am--when I'm up, I'm up!

I'M not normally up this early. Trust me, I'm not one of those folks who bounds out of bed with a broad smile across her face, ready to smell fresh-brewed Folgers, watch the sun rise, do some stretching exercises, and read the newspaper. Alas, I am not one of these folks. Find me up at midnight nose-deep in a novel? Much better. Truth is, Wilder's a little "off" this night/a.m. and has been up twice. Those moms doing the breastmilk thing have to stay hydrated and well-fed. Well, when you're taking care of a baby all day, it's hard to even remember to do those things. And last night, I hopped on the treadmill for a little energy re-boot, which was too much for my body...not enough calories to exert that level of energy. So, Wilder probably didn't intake enough milk (I can usually tell when supply is low), hence his need to make up for it in the middle of the night. I feel horrible about it. But I've learned my lesson.

My body shut down and I became weebly and fatigued. It's incredible how the human body works..how it provides external indicators to remind us something's not right. This led me to the question: am I taking care of myself? Because if I'm not, everyone in my family suffers, which I can't bear. It's yet another struggle for moms--feeling selfish for relishing in a bath when you know you haven't read 10 books to baby yet...

Last night was a bit of a wake up call for me. I need to explore my creativity, call my sisters up for a healthy chat, and, bake, because those are things I love to do. And there's nothing selfish in that.

As your days are filled with work, errands, appointments, gift-buying, and the like, what is your body telling you? It's my hope you'll pay heed to the signs, be wiling to say "no" when you need to, and acknowledge the messages your body is conveying. In this bustling, wintry season, don't overlook tending yourself so that you can be your very beautiful best for those who delight in you.

..and, for those who might rely on you for their food supply!

4 months of bliss

OK, not all of it has been bliss (no sleep in the early weeks, spit-up, etc), but every bit of parenting is worth getting to see Wilder smile, getting to feel him relax in my arms. I'm glad he feels safe enough to do that.There's something to be said about feeling safe, don't you think? He turns 16 weeks tomorrow and I'm pinching myself to believe it. Maybe the pinching will help my flabby areas go away...

Anyway, Wilder continues to charm and amaze us. He giggled for the first time on the 5th. He's especially giddy on the changing table. Shawn tickles him with his whiskers. His laugh--oh, I've never heard a sound more beautiful in.my.entire.life!!!

He's sucked his thumb/fist so hard that he's left a really red hickey. I think the discomfort in that has led him to switch to the other hand...we're thinking he really just uses his thumb to help massage his gums. Also, he's been sleeping through the night for about a month 1/2 now. Judging from other parents I've talked with, this is a bit of a rarity...he goes to bed about 8:30 and gets up about that time, too!

My, how these days are fleeting. I've no choice but to relish each moment. And if that means no make up and a pile of dirty dishes, I'm ok with that.

don't you want to squeeze him?