So Much Snow

We're in the middle of another humongo snow storm. It's already dumped about 14" at our place and it's still coming down.

This winter has been one storm after another. You'll hear a lot of people around here complaining about the snow but I'm not one of them. I used to love the snow purely and for no other reason than the great powder skiing opportunities it provided. That seems like a lifetime ago. Now I love the snow because:

(1) It's pretty (beats looking at the brown soggy lawn all winter);
(2) A big storm adds some excitement to an otherwise blah winter day
(3) I rarely HAVE to drive in it (no more long, scarry commutes from Syracuse to downtown or the U);
(4) Giant snowmen all over the neighborhood
(5) I love how the snow flocks the branches of the trees right after it falls.
(6) The sound of the snowplow coming through the neighborhood (one of Gavin's favorites, too)
(7) This will seem weird, but I love it when the car slides just a little.

That last one reminds me of when I was a teenager and I was with my parents and sisters when we slid off the freeway into a gully between the northbound and southbound lanes of I-15. Now that was a little TOO MUCH sliding. I do remember us laghing about it though while we were sitting in the gully waiting for help. (Or maybe it was everyone but mom laughing).

1 Month

Today Mia is one month old! She's getting very close to flashing us a smile. We've noticed that she watches our lips when we talk to her and a few times she's taken on a very serious look and tried to move her own lips into a smile. She hasn't quite got there yet but it's likely to happen any day.

I still remember the first time Tristan smiled. I was on maternity leave from my job and I'd spent many days and nights caring for him and getting used to the rigors of motherhood. The day he first smiled at me I knew it was all worth it.

My Failed Photo Shoot

We were all home today and the sun (kinda) peeked through the clouds, so it was a perfect day for a photo shoot. I've been trying to get to this all week as I'm excited to get started on Mia's birth announcements.

After doing a few of these in the past, I've discovered that the fundamental ingredients in a successful newborn photo shoot are:

(1) Someone to help me so that the baby is positioned correctly and doesn't roll off the couch. And not just ANYONE will do. This is a highly specialized job. This person needs to be patient and needs to understand my need for perfection. They also need to be willing to sit under a heavy fleece blanket in the sun for a rather long time.
(2) Patience
(3) A south-facing window
(4) A sunny day
(5) A cooperative baby

Well, all of the ingredients were present today... except for #5! I guess we'll try again in a few days.

Is it ok to Spoil a Baby?

At three weeks of age, Mia is already spoiled. She's definitely figured out when she's being held or carried around, and when she's lying down in her crib. It's pretty common for her to wake up and start crying when she's laid down.

I wonder how this could have POSSIBLY happened!

Christmas 2007

It seems a little anti-climatic to write about Christmas at this point but I've been promising myself for weeks that I would do so...

We had a fabulous Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's for our traditional raclette dinner. We got a huge snow storm that started in the afternoon and continued through Christmas morning, so it really felt like Christmas. My stepmom, Joy, was here from Phoenix and Lisa was with us, too. We had a wonderful dinner, read some Christmas stories and played Taboo. It was the kids' first experience with Taboo and I was surprised at how well they played. Since then Tristan has asked if we could play again sometime.

We were up EARLY Christmas morning and enjoyed watching the kids open their gifts. The highlight was Tristan and Jolie's excitement at finally getting a video game system, the ever-coveted Wii. Tristan has been asking Santa for a Game Cube or other system for two or three years and he was absolutely convinced that he was the most unlucky kid in the world because he didn't have access to video games 24/7. It turns out that one of his favorite games on the Wii is NBA Live 2008 with which he can play any NBA team against the Jazz (see photo).

We enjoyed the rest of day with my parents, aunt Lisa and Grandma Joy. We ate great food, opened more gifts, spoke to far-away friends and family on the telephone, and enjoyed each other's company. It was a great day!

Just when I needed Diet Coke more than ever...

Wow, so much to blog... so little time!

This is a very *rare* moment for me to sit down and try to catch up. The baby is sleeping, Gavin was invited to play at a friend's house, and I have a whole 30 minutes before the other two rug rats will be charging in the door like a couple of bulls in a china shop.

I took this photo this morning and now that I think about it, this baby looks exactly like Dan! It's not nearly as obvious when you see her in real life. Honestly, I think it's the expression on her face. Something about that serious, pensive look. Hmmm...

Things are going pretty well. Dan went back to work on Monday, that was a hard day as all the kids were home and I hadn't slept much. I had my first post-baby emotional outburst (as opposed to all the pre-baby end-of-pregnancy emotional outbursts) as I was sitting upstairs in the rocking chair nursing Mia and Dan was going out the door. If I remember correctly, the other three kids were running wild and arguing over something and I realized it was going to be a hard day. I was also supposed to take Mia into the doctor for a weight check. She still hasn't regained her birth weight so our pediatrician wants to keep an eye on her. I guess I was feeling a little overwhelmed.

The other thing I should mention is that Mia now seems to be going by Mia. Sometimes we call her Camille, sometimes Mia and most of the time "the baby". We like both of her names so I guess we'll see what sticks. Oh, and Grandpa D. keeps calling her "Shirley" because "she was early". But don't get me started on that...

Mia is sleeping pretty well other than waking up to eat every 2 hours or so. Two or three nights ago (can you tell that I'm living in a fog?) we went to bed about 10:30 or 11:00, she ate a couple times and then she and I were up at 2:00 am and I never went back to sleep. That was a rough night. I've decided that I must have eaten something that upset her and she was wanting to nurse to ease her discomfort. She was crying and kicking her legs like she was in pain. As soon as I got her settled down she'd be awake crying again. That's when I decided to kick my Diet Coke habit. And let me tell you, it hasn't been easy. There's probably no time in my life that I needed caffeine more than now and I've had to give it up. I guess it will be worth it if we can avoid any more nights like the one I've just recounted. I guess.

I'm going to try to upload some photos of Christmas today... stay tuned.