Sometimes Leave Home Without It…
We began November with a whirlwind “Great-Grandparent Tour” through the fine state of Georgia. Four days of fun, including 16 hours in the car with a four-year-old and two-month-old… a small price to pay for time with three priceless people. Sissy was on her best behavior, taking long naps on every stretch of the trip, with the exception of the Friday evening drive through the ATL… she, like her Daddy, was NOT a fan. But really, who enjoys driving in Atlanta?
Somehow, we left home without the camera. The realization of this error seemed quite tragic at first, as we were about to introduce Sissy to some of the most important people in our lives, but the sudden loss of digital SLR provided a welcome change in perspective. Instead of focusing on getting the perfect shots, we took on the challenge of taking each moment in, hoping to make the memories last, while also chronicling our trip through the lens of an iPhone. It didn’t turn out too bad after all… (Though somehow we missed getting a picture of Gammy and Sissy…Sorry Gammy!)
Two Months Old…
At two months old, Sissy weighed-in at 11 pounds, 5 ounces… 22.5 inches long. We quickly learned that her stellar car behavior on our trip was merely a one-time occurrence, or an act of God, as she returned promptly to her hatred of the car seat. While she continued to give us sore ears during the day, thankfully, she began sleeping through the night on a semi-regular basis! Though the hour of said “bed time” is anything but regular, at least we get a good 5 to 8 hours of peace once she gives in to sleep. Sissy continues to smile more and even learned a new trick, which she enjoys greatly: sticking her tongue out. Her “vocabulary” is expanding as well, adding cooing to her already perfected skills of screaming and wailing… a welcome addition for sure!
Our Little Turkey…
The Goose is a little shy when it comes to public appearances, so instead of having “special words” at her preschool Thanksgiving performance, she had a “special costume”… one that we found extremely appropriate… The Goose was a turkey… a silent turkey, but a turkey nonetheless! Though she proudly sang her songs at home, she did not open her mouth once during the “show.” Oh well…
Thanksgiving…
We spent Sissy’s first Thanksgiving the same way we spent the Goose’s… at Mimi & Grandaddy’s house. Sadly, I don’t remember much from that day except that we had LOTS of good food, of which the goose ate very little (a common occurrence in our home these days), and we had quite a time getting a good picture of the cousins (another common occurrence in the land of FOUR). It was much easier to get the goose to smile on her first Thanksgiving than it was on Sissy’s…
Milk, Bye Bye… Give Whole Foods a Try…
In our house, we pay close attention to poop… so upon discovering some inconsistencies in Sissy’s, we wasted no time in getting to the doctor, hoping and praying to avoid some of the Goose’s GI adventures. The good news at the time was that it seemed Sissy cannot handle the protein in cow’s milk, which is easy enough to fix with some dietary restriction on my part. So with the hope of a happier, healthier baby, I gladly gave up milk… then soy… then beef… then wheat… then… well, the jury’s still out on what to do next… stay tuned.
Meanwhile, we had toyed with the idea of making the switch to a whole foods diet of sorts (prompted by the 60 Minutes special on “natural flavors” G.R.O.S.S.), so the loss of milk proved to be just the
Firsts…
Advent came and went in a flash this year, and with it came some special firsts…
We were asked to light the first Advent candle at church this year, which made us feel even more like a part of the “family” at our new church.
After seven years of the same 3-foot artificial tree, we finally gave in and got a REAL, 7-foot Christmas tree, which we even cut down ourselves! Surprisingly, the Goose initially wanted nothing to do with the whole “authentic” Christmas tree experience… She stomped, cried, and pouted the whole way to the tree farm, loudly protesting that she did NOT want a new tree! And when asked why, simply responded “because our little one is fine!” Ahh, FOUR. Upon our arrival however, my how quickly her tune changed… merely at the sight of the inflatable Christmas décor lining the tree farm drive, she was in heaven! Her mood only got better as she spied the giant knitted Santa and the tree full of candy canes. And when she heard there was free hot chocolate… well the little dear’s heart nearly burst with excitement! Truth be told, even the accountant had a glimmer in his eye, despite the cost of authenticity… he was pretty proud of his efforts and happily announced that we now have a new family tradition.
The Goose also participated in her first official Christmas Pageant. The four-year-olds were the townspeople and had the very important line “ALLELUAH!”
Sissy made her first visit to Daddy’s office for the company Christmas party. Thankfully, both girls were remarkably well behaved. They enjoyed meeting all of “Daddy’s work friends” and playing in his office with “the chair that spins”…
3 Months: Don’t Put Me Down…
As there was no check-up at the three month mark, we don’t have any “stats” for Sissy, but we know she is growing! She now sleeps through most nights, but still gives us a fit getting her to go to sleep. She is quite a bouncer and has a sixth sense for knowing when the one doing the bouncing sits down… this sitting business is rarely tolerated. She also has a keen awareness of when she is placed in the crib. No matter how deeply you think she is sleeping, the moment her little body touches the crib mattress she is WIDE AWAKE! Magically, if you pick her up, she is instantly back asleep. This little game reminds me of a terrible song from the 80s… “Don’t [put] me dowwwwnnnn, Bruce!” (and yes, I know those aren’t the exact lyrics, but it’s what comes in my head!)
And speaking of terrible songs… “Y’all ‘gon make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here!” is also on a continuous loop in my head…
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| Thank you Pinterest for this! (source) |
C H R I S T M A S… In (a few) photos…
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| The girls had matching PJs for Christmas morning, but... Sissy's only lasted five minutes into the day before a major blowout prompted a wardrobe change... Oh well! |
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| The Goose requested a baby-doll swing, scooter, and notepad from Santa. She was excited to receive them all, but enjoyed opening her stocking best. She was also pumped about getting her first REAL camera! (she's become quite the iPhone photographer lately) Sadly, the camera didn't work :( |
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| We had a special treat of spending Christmas day with our family from Japan! The Goose LOVED all the extra attention... and the ballernia doll ("Dolly") that her great-aunt and cousins gave her. The dollhouse from Gamma & Beba was also a HUGE hit! |
Happy New Year!
We were very happy to usher in 2012… asleep! We narrowly made it into bed with two sleeping kids just before midnight… it was a minor miracle. We were awakened however a few minutes later as the dog made his disdain for fireworks known. Thankfully, the New Year’s noise did not disturb the children, and so we settled back in, looked at the clock, and both laughed at how old we have become. We could not think of any better way to start a new year, for “God gives to his children, even in their sleep.” (Psalm 127:2) May he grant this awesome gift to you too.
