Big developments November 29, 2007

I did it. I took my baby to day care and I left him there. I left him there. I’ve had such a laid-back attitude about him being in day care and both of us working full time (mostly because when I have gone in to the office this past month, either Dave or some close friends have been with him). You always hear people say that they cried all day the first day they went back to work, and I’ve been fine so far. Today, I left him there for just two hours, and I’ve already cried. And that 2 hours is only half over!

It’s going to be fine, and the people at the day care are very warm and loving, and this is what’s best for all of us. And it’s not like either of us can (or wants to) give up our jobs to stay home full time. I’m really grateful that we’re doing a trial run of all of this, so that next week – when he is there full time – won’t be as traumatic as it could be.

BUT! And this is exciting! The critter ROLLED OVER today! I put him on his stomach (tummy time!) and just a couple of minutes later he rolled over! And I have witnesses! My friend Amy and her son Nathan saw him! Yay! He’s only done it once, but I’m sure we’ll see it more and more!

Fryin’ a turkey November 26, 2007

Ok, so before I get to the details of Thanksgiving in the Carpet Capital, I just HAVE to share more about the turkey fry that our friends Matt & Lynne hosted. See, you get yourselves a turkey or two. Here’s Matt showing off one of two turkeys they procured for the occasion…

Yes, I posted this picture the other day. But I *didn’t* get to post Matt lowering the turkey into the oil…

Or the video of that turkey fryin’ up reeeeaaal nice…

Fryin’ a turkey from natalie on Vimeo.

It was wonderful!

Thankful November 25, 2007

I’m beginning this entry from gate B-25 of the Atlanta airport. It’s 7:39 in the AM, and we arrived more than two hours early for our flight, just in case! We didn’t have to stop on the way down to the airport – a big relief. It took us 3 hours just to drive from the airport to the Carpet Capital on the way down!

I’ll keep with tradition and list some of the things I’m thankful for at Thanksgiving:

* My boys. Dave and the Critter are both pretty amazing. I love them both, in very different ways. I can stare at the Critter for hours, but Dave’s a more sophisticated conversationalist. Not that the Critter isn’t engaging, and he is working on his vocabulary! And they both have their own way of making me laugh.

* My family. I have two hilarious, supportive sisters and two loving parents that still love each other. The Eubanks family is wonderful, and I can’t wait to introduce Noah to his uncle, great-grandparents and great-uncle at Christmas. Support from the extended family has been wonderful and we love the emails of encouragement!

* Our friends. We’ve been incredibly blessed with wonderful friends who continue to check in on us, even when we haven’t (found time to) made the effort to call or write them. So many wonderful people helped us out when the critter was born, and we’re massive indebted to all of them.

* Our new friends at GKS (Greenbelt Krabblestrube, which means “crawling location”). We’ve really enjoyed our neighborhood babysitting cooperative, and have learned a ton from everyone on how to deal with different challenges Noah throws our way. It really is wonderful to have such terrific people in our neighborhood going through similar things together.

* Our neighborhood and house. We’re currently trying to convince the Alaska-dwelling part of my family to move here with the Mooselet. I think North Carolina might be as close as we get.

* Good healthcare and good insurance. Not everyone has this, and many have much greater need than we do. We are, of course, also thankful for our good health and the relatively easy challenges that we’ve had.

* Jobs we love and supportive coworkers. We’re challenged by what we do, and continue to find new ways to get our creativity and problem solving engaged.

* A sense of humor. We need it!

* The grace of God, who has given us all of this while we did nothing to deserve it, but who challenges us to give back and to reach out to people everywhere. For the past few years at Christmas, our “gift to the planet” has been to help support an orphanage in Malawi run by a colleague of mine. Most of the children there are AiDS orphans, and every little bit given goes an incredibly long way. I want to give even more this year, as a thank you for Noah and all of the joy that he brings to us. Let me know if you’re interested in hearing more about the orphanage – they could use the help.

Finally, here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving:

The Critter and his Great-Granddaddy

Aunt Melisa trying to steal the baby

Matt, frying a turkey last weekend

High school reunion brunch – mamas and our progeny

Videos coming soon!

3 months old! November 19, 2007

Well, he’ll be 3 months tomorrow, but I’ll be at work and won’t be able to post anything. The critter is growing like a weed, and changing all the time, as detailed in Dave’s previous post. Right now, he’s enjoying his activity mat while I sit next to him and type this. He likes the music and is watching the dangling ladybug very closely. He’s not yet as mobile as his cousin is, but I’m sure it’ll be here before we know it.

He smiles all the time now. And he’s found his hands, which he very carefully watches as he slowly brings them to his mouth. And we think he’s crying less now that our friend CJ got him to take a pacifier (thank you, CJ!). The big trick now is napping. I did get him to go to sleep last night without nursing him to sleep. That was a big accomplishment! I saw the sleepy signs, I sang to him and gently danced around, put a pacifier in his mouth, and he fell asleep in my arms. Not in a crib, mind you, but we’re taking things one step at a time. I do feel like we’re making some sleep progress most days.

The big activity over the next couple of days is getting ready for our first flight with an infant. Holy cow! There’s so much to think about! Thankfully, we don’t have a layover, but we will have a 2-hour drive once we get to the Atlanta airport. Dave’s in charge of figuring out how to work the car seat in a car that’s not ours. We did figure out what size disposable diapers to use, but I’m not sure whether we should use them just while we’re in transit, or whether we should use them the whole time we’re gone.

We’re really excited about going to visit my family for Thanksgiving. And of course my parents and sister Melisa are excited to see the critter. Dave and I are just the baby delivery systems – we know, it’s ok. I talked to sister Allison last night and we’re trying to figure out when we’ll get the boys together. And we’re going to Memphis for Christmas. It’s going to be great to be with family for the holidays!

Here’s the boy when he was first born:

Unbelievable how much he’s grown! (Yep, 97th percentile for weight, last time we checked) Here’s a picture from a couple of weeks ago.

His smocked day gown was made by our family friend Mrs. Sponcler. Beautiful!

In no particular order… November 16, 2007

…my current favorite Critter behaviors.

• Non-sequitur, but oh-so-knowing, grins in the middle of extended crying fits.
• His recent mastery of gnawing on his knuckles. It’s as if he discovered a new and blissful continent.
• The introduction of the consonants. What was so recently “enh” has become “denh.” “Uh” is “tuh.”
• Weird twisting around and hand gestures at the end of his long winter naps.
• Raised “eyebrows” when he eats.
• His sense of style. This boy can rawk a onesie with fleece pants and blue socks.

Happy Halloween! November 1, 2007

We neither went trick-or-treating nor gave out candy. But we did dress up the baby in a costume!