Merry Christmas Baby!

Merry Christmas to all.  And what a wonderful holiday it was for us!  This sweet little package was all we needed from Santa, but that didn't stop him from bringing me a brand new camera and laptop.  I must've been extra good this year!  So forgive me if my photos and postings aren't up to par - I'm learning all the bells and whistles on my new equipment.  I've already accidentally posted this once halfway finished because I clicked the wrong button.  Oops.  Anyway, our holiday was delightful, courtesy of this little sugarplum here.  Grandma and Grandpa came down the mountain through the snow in a one-horse-open-Kia stocked with presents for Sarah Beth.  So much for taking it easy this Christmas.  She also must've been a very good girl this year because she received a new wardrobe, a library of books, and some fun toys to play with.  Not to be outdone, Me-maw and Papa T sent a boatload of gifts as well.  Our tree was overflowing this year.  We started the festivities with Christmas Eve family worship service.  SB loved the candles and the music, and we loved that it was over in less than an hour.  No time for baby to get bored - whew!  Christmas day was a soggy mess outside but inside we had our love to keep us warm, in addition to hot coffee, Mimsosas and a new furnace. Sarah Beth was a delight all day, enjoying the wrapping paper as much as the presents themselves, naturally. 

With my parents, aka Mr. and Mrs Christmas, coming to town, we had to step it up a litttle with our decorations.  We surprised my Dad with an outdoor display of light-up reindeer and twinkly trees to rival his own.  And my tablescape would make Martha Stewart turn green with envy if I say so myself. 

See the lights in the backyard?  Fabulous job Kurtie Claus!

Eat your heart out Martha!

Stole the cranberries-in-candle holder idea from my crafty Mom.

I was obsessed with these little guys from Crate and Barrel.

Souvenir ornaments for our honored guests.  CandB tried to charge me for 8 of these little penguins when I only bought 1.  They are $7 cute, not $60 cute. Always check your receipts, ladies and gentlemen.

The day after Christmas we went for a stoll downtown to see the decorations and work off some of the beef tenderloin we all devoured for Christmas dinner.  We watched the ice skaters and took a stroll through the streets. 

Our favorite chicken

Love this shot.  My new camera rocks! Oh and the baby is pretty darn cute, too.

Obligatory Grandma and Grandpa Reindeer Poses

There was a bunch of kids playing Christmas Carols on the corner of Trade and Tryon that sounded like they were straight out of New Orleans.  Festive!

Did I mention how much I L-O-V-E my new camera?

Someone had enough of sightseeing

On Sunday we has special vistors as well.  Chris, Kurt's best friend of 20 years, came over with his 2 children Mia and Tyler, and his parents too.  Uncle Chris went nuts with the Christmas shopping and gave us way too much, but we are very thankful.  To top it off, they cleaned out the kids' rooms and brought baby boxes of books and toys that they have outgrown.  The sweetest moment of the day was watching 8-year-old Tyler read to little Sarah Beth.  He was so cute with her, helping her feel the books and turn the pages.  Kurt and Chris had quite a moment watching their kids play together for the first time.

As I mentioned, Mommy and Baby both got spoiled but the best gift may have been for Kurt from his Dad. When they were visiting in November, they joked about going to play catch in the park to make up for lost time. Well, wouldn't you know it, Dad sent Kurt a baseball and mitt with a note promising that they'd break it in next time. Not a dry eye in the house, I tell you. When we think about all we have to be thankful for, it is overwhelming. Not only do we have a healthy, happy little ray of sunshine living under our roof, but also wonderful family and friends and new unexpected grandparents to love her. 2009 was a very good year.

Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas!

Working on a Christmas post but here's a sneak preview of our holiday extravaganza.

Hello Blog...I have missed you.

So I realize I've been a major blog slacker.  But between, work, baby, new nanny, and the holidays sneaking up on me, I have barely had time to take a shower and brush my teeth, much less blog about it.  I'll make a resolution for the new year to be a better blogger.

First of all....holy cow I don’t know what happened but Christmas is THIS FRIDAY!  I can't believe how quickly the year has passed.  Twelve months ago were under major kitchen construction and I had a tiny baby bouncing around inside making me feel totally miserable.  This year we have the best Christmas present of all...a happy, healthy bundle of joy to spoil rotten on her first Christmas!  Having a child really does make the holidays much more exciting.  I started Christmas shopping last weekend and have discovered something even more fun that picking out baby clothes---- BOOKS! Glorious books! Oh my gosh I went to the Barnes & Noble on Saturday and completely lost my mind in the Children’s Books. Normally, I try to shop at mom and pop stores, avoiding big box book stores when I can.  But I needed some gift cards, and was quickly seduced by their kids’ section. I wandered around, seeing myself and Sarah Beth there as she grows up, starting with the baby board books like Hungry Caterpillar, then graduating to bigger kid books like Clifford and Little Bear before taking on the classics like Little Women and Black Beauty.  I must admit I got a little choked up at the thought of this wonderful world of books that awaits her.  Needless to say, I bought more than a few to put under the tree.  I think the library will be more economical in the long run, but for now, we must have a decent collection for her to read (and chew on.)  And yes, I am buying "Your Baby Can Read" from that infomercial on Sunday mornings - she five months old so I think we're already behind.  Those babies on the TV were reading Moby Dick at 7 months...show-offs.

As I’m writing this, “Mary Poppins” is on TV in the background. How appropriate! While our new nanny did not float in on an umbrella, she does seem to be pretty wonderful. Very patient and loving with our little one, and keeping her happy and stimulated. What a blessing and what a relief! Totally worth half my paycheck.  I have heard 3 horror stories this week about babies SB's age catching RSV (a respiratory infection) at daycare and having to stay in the hospital on oxygen and IV fluids.  Can you imagine our precious angel in the hosp...oh I can't even type it. I'm sick just thinking about it. Just further reinforces our decision to keep her away from daycare, even if nanny costs a small fortune.   Baby is healthy and has nanny's undivided attention all day, as it should be.  I know that plenty of people have their kids in daycare and not eveyone ends up in the hospital with serious illnesses, but as long as we can continue to avoid it, that's what we're going to do.

In other baby news, SB has moved on from rice cereal into the orange food category.  Somewhere I read that orange/yellow foods should be introduced next and I'm a big fan of color coordination so why not.  First up was Sweet Potato.  She seemed pretty indifferent to the taste, although she enjoyed spreading it all over her face and head.  I'm not sure how much of that she actually ate versus wore as an accessory.  Next on the tasting menu was Carrot.  DELICIOUS, apparently.  I know for sure she ate it because the next day her diaper contents were orange.  Looks much the same coming out as going in.  Yuck.  I can't wait 'til we get to green foods. 

Mmmmm....sweet potato.

Friday was my last day of work for the year.  Cue the Hallelujah Chorus!  I am so brilliant for saving up my vacation days for the holidays.  I can finish shopping and prep for Christmas all week without having to run around like a maniac.  I may even bake the cake that is on the December cover of Southern Living.  (Somebody please talk some sense into me!)  We are delighted to be staying home for baby's first Christmas.  My parents are coming to us on Christmas Eve, barring another winter storm like the one they had this week.  Ten inches of snow in the mountains!  We didn't get one flake here in Charlotte.  Just the typical "wintry mix" that is a big letdown for all the local newscasters. Poor guys, they were really hoping to get some snow in the area so they could go outside with a yardstick and measure the inch or so of accumulation for a live news report, but all they got was sleety rain and a bunch of people fired up to buy milk and bread at the Harris Teeter. 

But I digress...our halls are decked and stockings are hung by the chimney with care and we're ready to enjoy a relaxing, cozy Christmas with our family, reflecting on the miracles that have blessed us in 2009, and all the wonder and excitement that the coming year will bring.  If there wasn't one present under the tree or one card in the mail, we would still be the happiest home around thanks to this precious little angel right here.

Even Moose is in the Christmas Spirit this year!

O Nanny where art thou?

Sorry I've been off the radar for a while, but we've been scrambling a bit. Due to unforseen circumstances we suddenly found ourselves nannyless and in a panic.  Grandma Beth was gracious enough to come down to care for our little girl while we figured out what to do.  Joining the church hasn't done squat for our status on the daycare list, other than lighten our wallet a bit with our generous bribes..I mean, donations.  Why can't they kick out someone else's little brat so our perfect child can go to the perfect daycare?  Is that too much to ask?  Of course there's no such thing as the perfect daycare, as many friends and acquaintances have shared their horror stories with us.  No matter what type of facility, SB is going to end up sick with a cold or worse half the time.  She has been so healthy her entire almost 5 months of life; we hate the idea of exposing her to the germ warfare of a daycare center.  Not that we even have that option because we're still on the wait list. So while we're waiting, we needed some other options. 

Option 1:  Quit my job immediately and stay at home with my girl. 

Great option except for having to pay those pesky bills every month.  We could probably swing it, but it would be tight, especially since we just dropped $6800 on a new furnace.  I'd have to get some kind of job working nights but the only things that come to mind are cocktail waitress or exotic dancer and I'm not cut out for either of those career choices at the moment.  (I won't share with you Kurt's disturbing thoughts on lactating strippers but he did think it was a niche market with potential to be quite lucrative.)  Anyway...with that option off the table, that left us with:

Option 2:  Find a new nanny. 

The idea of inviting a stranger into my home to take care of my precious child while I'm toiling away at work is not my favorite thing in the world.  In fact, it really freaks me out, but we found a trustworthy nanny agency which sent us two candidates.  We really liked one of them so we're taking the plunge and giving her a try.  And I will try not to call every five minutes or cry in the bathroom at work all day.  Really, I'm sure it will be fine and it's only a temporary situation and so what if we're paying her half my monthly take home salary; the happiness and well-being of our baby is priceless, right?  So pray for poor Mommy and Baby and Nanny as we transition into our new routine.  

To relieve the stress of all this and get some fresh air, our little family took a stroll downtown on Sunday to see the Christmas decorations and more importantly show Sarah Beth the latest addition to Charlotte's public art collection, the Glorious Disco Chicken in front of the new museum.  Ok, the official name of the sculpture is actually "Firebird" but I think my choice is more appropriate. 

Isn't it wonderful?  I love that there's a mirrorball chicken on a perch nestled amongst the stoic bank buildings.  We can't wait for the Bechtler Museum to open.  This guy decided to build a museum to showcase his modern art collection.  Must be nice, hmm?  Thank you Mr. Bechtler.  Sure beats the stupid Mudpies we've got along the light rail tracks.

The shiny bird is a fantastic addition to downtown and I will enjoy taking SB to see this fun sculpture for years to come.  See, she loves it already!

Here are some more photos of our urban adventure.  SB looks thrilled to pieces, doesn't she? Kurt and I had fun, at least.

These giant Christmas ornaments are my favorite decorations downtown.

I had such a horribly busy day today, and I had to rush down to the car between meetings to pump some milk for SB (yes I'm still doing it in the parking garage.)  I was in the worst mood, when I heard a janitor pushing a bin, picking up trash that people had carelessly dropped from their cars, and he was singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  He was good.  I mean, Ray Charles kind of good.  I sat there in the backseat of my car, getting myself back together and laughed, thinking, if this guy can sing his heart out while picking up other peoples' messes, then I sure as hell should lighten up.  He doesn't know it but he changed my attitude a little and ignited a flicker of Christmas spirit in me.  I needed that.  I hope he has a very Merry Christmas this year.