I caught it...

Not the flu (although it is abundant in my neighborhood right now hope my flu shot works) but the Christmas spirit. There have been a few experiences which have allowed the spirit of Christmas to flow and I'll tell you about how it all happened

1)St. Nik

We took Avery to see Santa Claus. We went to the Crown Center downtown with Sarah and Daisie and their cute kids. Crayola had this awesome crayola fun house (it seriously made me want to buy a huge box of crayons... good marketing Crayola!) for the kids to go through, then Santa was at the end. Of course Avery can't really walk or crawl and doesn't really know much about Santa or Christmas or much of anything yet besides her deep love for her binkie but I know she had fun. At least we did. Here are some pics

Sadie & Sam playing in the house

The Girls

The entrance

This cute old couple with matching sweaters were obsessed with how cute Avery was. They stopped us again and made us show all their old friends. I hope Trav and I are like that when we are old- not just the fact that they were sweet grandparents, but the fact that their sweaters really were cool.

We wondered how Avery would welcome Santa into her life. She wasn't so sure at first, but she must have felt the jolliness because she was a perfect angel. Also his beard was real, and she kept trying to eat it.

Before

She thought he was cool

Trying to get a family pic

There we go!

2) Parties

Tis the season to eat, eat and eat!!! We had our annual med school Christmas party at the Hastings. It was awesome as usual. We had Spaghetti with home made meatballs and she had her chocolate fountain going; which was a bummer for me because Avery freaks out when I eat chocolate... boo! But it was so much fun to hang out with our friends from med school who we haven't seen for awhile! And of course the awesome white elephant gift game. I know Alishia is loving what she got from us!

My friend Angela had an awesome "girls" party at her house. Her food items were pretty amazing. We also played a few games; one being Christmas song pictionary. Very intense! We also brought gifts to exchange randomly. I bought a really cute sweater from Walmart, a mere $20 gift and I was hoping with all of my heart that Angela, who just graduated from a very prestigious fashion design school, would not get the cheap sweater but of course she did! I was embarrassed, oh well, she looked really cute in it!

We have had tons of fun enjoying people's company and good food. I'm pretty sure we are going to pay for it pretty soon when our pants stop fitting.

3) Allison and Kate McFarland

Allie totally used me to come and see Avery and they flew in last weekend. We had a lot of fun on her short stay. She got me hooked into High School Musical; that my friends will be a whole different blog post. On Saturday night, Allie and Kate joined the Charles's on the annual "search for a Christmas ornament" date. I wanted to go to the Cheesecake factory and we tried, but everyone in KC had that idea so we left due to the two hour wait. We ended up going to Crown Center and eating at the coolest restaurant. It was in a street car in the middle of the mall. We had the coolest waiter named Mark. He was probably 80 and was the neatest guy. He was so proper and to the point. He won us over and I'm sure he is a millionaire with all the ginormous tips he gets. We had to sneak a picture with him.

Kate and Avery were so dang cute together. Kate was so easy going. Avery cried most of their trip. I kept using excuses for her crying like, it was something I ate, she is going through a growth spurt or she gets overstimulated easily but in all reality she is just a fussy baby. We hope you guys come back!

Ok, this is when I discovered that I caught the Christmas spirit. We were walking out of the crown center. It was freezing cold, there were people ice skating and Christmas music playing in the background. There was lots of hustle and bustle going on all around when I looked up and saw this gorgeous scene.

I felt it and have loved having it. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and that we all think of Christ; its his birthday and the reason we celebrate!

Merry Christmas!!!

Turkey Day '08

Eating rocks! Especially when you are suppossed to be eating 500 more calories a day because you are nursing! I took that out just with the dessert alone. With all the hustle and bustle going on with a new baby and all the company; I didn't really plan what we were going to do for Thanksgiving. Luckily our neighbor, Rachael, invited us to partake with them. We actually had the dinner over at our house since there was more room. The Marchants, Swensons, Kanooths and Tyler Shawcroft came over. We did the Turkey and everyone else did sides. It was good food and good company.

The set up

The kid's table... they didn't last long!

Post dinner hang out... the turkey is making someone sleepy

The crew

Rachael and I

Our little turkey

Just the four of us

Hickey

No, not from Travis; from Avery! I was holding her and I got distracted. Then I realized she was sucking on my left bicept. Beware of this sucking child; especially during feeding times.

Like a Weed...

Avery has hit the big one month mark. Here are her stats:

Wt: 7 lbs 10 oz (10Th percentile)

Ht: 21 inches (50Th percentile)

Head: 14 1/2 inches (10Th percentile... thank goodness, Trav's family is known for their big heads (not in the cocky sense) that could have been a painful experience)

Last week she had the opportunity to meet her other grandparents. Trav's parents came to visit and help out. They were so nice to have around. Mama K made great meals and made sure Avery had everything she needed. Papa J took his 8 to midnight shift seriously. He would get mad if we came in the room when Avery started to cry; kicking us out. I loved the help! Thanks for everything.

PS Travis insisted I go to see Twilight opening night at midnight with some of my friends... so I did. We were probably the oldest people in the theater that night! Besides the fact that all the 14 year-old girls would "wooo" when Edward hit the screen I liked it. There were a couple really cheesy scenes that I was embarrassed about, but other than that they did a pretty good job. I think besides the wig, Jacob is a hotty! Although my heart belongs to Edward.

PPS Only one more day and Travis is done with his crazy rotation. YESSSS!!!!!!!!

Viva la Vida

We love our sweet Avery, but last Thursday night we ditched her! He he, I know that sounds bad, but we went to the Coldplay concert. Don't worry, we left her with a very experienced and capable babysitter. Our good friend Brandy watched her (her stats: 2 kids, one on the way; no criminal history; a very talented homemaker and cook).

The true story of why we went even though we only had a two- weeker is this: Coldplay was supposed to come last July and we bought tickets in June thinking our fetus could dance to the music in the womb, but something happened and the concert got delayed after we purchased the tickets. When we found out they weren't coming till November we were a little worried. I have about five bands that I would pay big bucks to see in concert; and Coldplay is probably number one on that list. We decided it would be OK and we went.

We headed off to downtown KC to the Sprint Center. We first went and got a bite to eat. Then we went and found our seats. They were probably the furthest seats possible from the stage and they were the handicap seats (how did they know)? The concert was the most amazing thing I have ever seen (sorry Reba, but you are a close second.) I can totally see what Gweneth Paltrow sees in Chris Martin, the lead singer. I have never seen an entertainer sweat that much. You can really tell that he loves what he does. It looked like he was having so much fun performing. He laughed with the audience, ran around, even did some somersaults. He really was so charming; I have developed a crush on him. I know, he's a little squirly but he won me over. The band is so talented and the lights and effects were amazing. I really could have seen them play for at least another hour.

In the middle of the concert the band ran up the stairs of the Sprint center into the middle of the crowd and started playing. We were still miles away from them, but closer!

Chris Martin was amazing on the piano. He also played the guitar, harmonica and I think it was the xylophone.

I decided that even if Avery cries the whole week after that concert; I will still have a smile on my face. The crazy thing is that night; she slept from midnight till 6:30 am. What a good night. To all my friends in Salt Lake, they will be there in 2 weeks, I recommend going if you like a great band.

JHO (Just hanging out)

The past 2 1/2 weeks have been pretty awesome. When I say awesome I mean interesting... when I say interesting I mean unpredictable... when I say unpredictable I mean... I don't really know what I'm doing! Its crazy to think that God trusts that you will take care of his little creatures; and with no experience! I've had my fair share of tears this past couple of weeks. But with the tears I've also reaped so much joy. I wouldn't trade this new experience for anything.

Just a little about Avery:
She loves sucking! You saw it in the last video. She is a sucking machine! She thinks that her hands are "go-go gadget" arms. When she gets hungry, and I try to feed her, I have to practically tie her hands down because she thinks that she is feeding herself with them. I get no credit!

She is going to have a 6-pack stomach. When she isn't swaddled snugley in her blankets she is constantly doing Pilate's. I should have known she would be this way from the way she behaved in my stomach because she was always kicking around in there. We are thinking she is going to have a mean left foot!

She is also a pooper. In the hospital she pooped on two nurses. Since we have been home she has found the split second opportunity to soil me and herself in between diapers as I'm changing her. I have done more loads of laundry since her birth than the whole year of 2008.

She is a feisty girl when she isn't getting her way. Don't mess with her.

My mom and dad just left. They were here for a week or so. They were so much help! We really miss them... and of course the meals and free cleaning. Come back!!!

Travis and I are adjusting. Travis just started the toughest rotation so far (good timing right?). He is working in a children's hospital. He wakes up at 5:30 am and usually is home around 5 pm. He only gets 4 days off for the whole month and is on call for 4 days of the month which means he has to be at the hospital for about 14 hours. I hate to say this, but to all you single mothers out there, how the heck do you do it? I'm only a partial single mother and I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed! We are counting the days till November when he gets an easier rotation.

Last Prego Pic... 39 1/2 weeks