happy New Year

What’s New Year’s without an adorable New Year’s baby?

2011 in review

Chances are I’m either typing this with a baby on my lap, or in the few and far between minutes baby is asleep (or on someone else’s lap, which is a lot more common), so who knows if it’ll actually get finished by New Year’s… but I’ll try!

Wow… I kind of can’t believe it’s over (well, almost… technically I have three more days, but I’m really doubting anything significant is going to happen.) The time didn’t exactly go fast (except for the past two weeks which have flown by!) but it seemed more, I don’t know, cohesive than other years – everything flowed together. Or maybe I’m just crazy and sleep-deprived. On to the review.

My beautiful little family <3

Highlights:

• The obvious one: meeting (and getting to know) our beautiful and amazing son, Damien Isaac. In fact, I’d even say being pregnant for most of the year was a highlight… weird, I know, but I like being pregnant. (The gestational diabetes, however, I could do without.)
• Dan getting a job, and in graphic design too! (Technically his degree is in product design, not graphic, but we were just happy he got a job in the art field and didn’t have to stock shelves at Walmart or something.) (Which may be what I’m doing in a month so I shouldn’t knock it, lol – see below.)
• Being able to work at the high school I used to attend – unfortunately my job ended in December due to budget cuts so I’m now on the lookout for a new job (well, I will be when I’ve recovered a bit more from Having A Baby), but it was fun while it lasted.
• My sister moving back to town – I know this isn’t necessarily a highlight for her (it’s not exactly a happening place, lol) but I love having her closer :)
• I would be remiss if I did not mention that 2011 was the year I FINALLY (oh holy crap after 10+ years of trying FINALLY) beat Minesweeper on Expert. Sure, it’ll never happen again, but once is enough.

Lowlights:

• We experienced a lot of loss this year. In January I had a miscarriage at 8 weeks pregnant, which was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. I’m actually experiencing a lot of the same emotions now after Damien was born, because now I know how a pregnancy can equal a real baby, and it makes the loss even more real. On the other hand, it’s hard to reconcile the idea that if that baby was born I’d never have Damien… but I think I can love them both and wish there was a world where they could both exist.
• We also lost my maternal grandfather (died the day before Damien’s baby shower) and Dan’s aunt (died on Christmas eve), and in both of those situations the awful timing contributed to the pain of loss I’m sure. I feel bad that neither of those very special people got to meet Damien, and it’s hard to imagine that they’re not around anymore. Obviously we’re still dealing with this and will be for awhile.
• General angst and anxiety from still living at home/not being able to provide for my kid/not being a real family/etc etc… my goal for 2012 is to improve on this!

Fun things:

• Overnight trip to Mt. Shasta for Valentine’s Day with Dan (and Ripley, hehe – we stayed in a KOA so she could stay with us)
• Went to several Giants games in San Francisco
• Trip to Arcata for Dan’s and my 3rd anniversary/our ‘babymoon’ (I was 20 weeks pregnant)
• The first time we heard Damien’s heartbeat (at 11 weeks)
• Seeing Damien for the first time at 13 weeks, and finding out he’s a boy at 19/20 weeks
• Baby shower! (It was co-ed and fall themed and 10x better than any shower I’ve ever been to – thanks family!)
• Is it crazy to put giving birth as a fun thing? But, in a way (a stressful and painful way), it kind of was.
• Thanksgiving wasn’t anything to write home about, but Christmas was fun

Songs that remind me of 2011:

• Three Days Grace, “World So Cold“
• Seether, “Country Song“
• Evanescence, “What You Want“
• Korn (feat. Skrillex), “Get Up“
• Bush, “The Sound of Winter“
• SheDaisy, “Baby Mine” (lol @ the link, it’s the only version they have on YouTube! And it doesn’t play the whole song either… but you get the idea)

Favorite new things watched:

• The X-Files… every season, plus the movies (I am more fangirl about this show than I have been anything since perhaps high school, lol – just a decade or so late!)
• Dexter season 4 (and I just bought season 5 for $15 at Target, so now I just need to make Dan watch it with me!)
• Waking the Dead (a BBC-produced cold case show with great characters)
• Buffy seasons 1-4 (I get really obsessed with watching, get burned out, and get back to it a few months later
• Witchblade (the anime version – LOVED this show, and since I watched it while pregnant the end made me cry)
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo/The Girl Who Played with Fire/The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (I LOVE Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth and am a little hesitant about the American versions, but will give them a try. I really like Daniel Craig so that should help.)

Books read: See this list, which isn’t complete (especially for November/December), but it’s the closest I’ve ever came to keeping track to what I read in a year. Next year, I’m afraid, the list will be significantly shorter – I always vowed I wouldn’t be THAT MOM who never read, but holy crap, it’s hard to read with a newborn who constantly needs your attention, and when he doesn’t, you’re so sleep-deprived you can’t focus on anything (or there’s something else you need to do.) That said, my MIL gave me a Nook for Christmas, and I’ve found I can sneak a few minutes of reading in during night feedings (when I’m not playing Sudoku or checking my email…) Though paper books will always be my first love, e-books may be my saving grace as a reader and a mom.

Goals for next year:

• Be the best mom possible to Damien :) (and the best wife possible to Dan, too!) (and pet-parent to my furkids) (you get the idea)
• Become more self-sufficient – even in a crappy economy, you can only live with your parents for so long…
• Find a job of some sort, to help with the whole self-sufficiency thing
• Take a few classes, so I can 1) finish my degree (FINALLY) and 2) not have to pay back my student loans!)
• Experience as many new, fun things as possible!

 

one more christmas outfit

I forgot about this one… the pose is classic!

Whatcha thinking about? I dunno, baby stuff.

Damien’s 1st Christmas

(cross-posted from Baby Birdet… because with an infant I can barely accomplish one non-baby-related ten-minute task a day, and this was it!)

 

Damien got his first major holiday in really soon – at 9 days old, in fact. He slept through pretty much all the festivities, but he was really cute doing so!

On Christmas Eve, Damien went to church for the first time. He decided he absolutely HAD to eat the second we put him in his carseat, so we were a half hour late, but at least we made it! :) (We’re discovering that being a half hour late is being on Baby Standard Time.) A lot of people were excited to see him, so it was worth it, even with the shortened service.

Family picture after church - check out the tiny Uggs! *squee*

That evening we went over to Dan’s mom’s house to celebrate Christmas with his side of the family. Damien’s great-grandparents and great-aunt were there too, and we enjoyed yummy food and presents together. Dan’s mom spoiled me wayyyy to much with a Nook Tablet – seriously, I don’t think I’ve even ever handled such an awesome device. I absolutely love it already! :)

Back at home, my family opened one present each (it’s our family tradition) – I got adorable nursing PJs, and Dan got a DVD made by my little sister of Damien’s birth pictures and videos set to music. It was super sweet and will probably make me cry every single time I watch it (even when I’m not as hormonal/exhausted as I am now, lol!)

Damien 'helps' Dan unwrap his DVD

Christmas morning, I woke my boys up (they both wanted to sleep!) for stockings and presents. We really get into stockings in my family so that was fun. My sister had to work that night so we expedited present unwrapping a little bit, but we were all so exhausted I think that was a really good idea. I had already unwrapped my ‘big’ present – my awesome glider which I’ve already spent many hours in! – but was surprised to also receive a 4″ memory foam mattress cover (to make the little sleep I get as comfy as possible!) and a membership to a local museum/garden/mini-zoo combo (I’m soo excited to take Damien… and, okay, myself!) That evening we went back to MIL’s to watch The Grinch.

Damien is very interested in his stocking, lol! PS I crocheted him this blanket, when I was pregnant and bored!

Now for some cuteness… Damien’s collection of Christmas outfits (yes, we all went a little overboard!)

Baby's 1st Christmas sleeper, from Grandma Marcia

Santa's Little Helper outfit, also from Grandma Marcia (featured: Damien's true love, the Boppy Newborn Lounger)

Back of the Santa's Little Helper outfit, hehe

My Auntie Knows Santa onesie, from Auntie Kaeli

My First Christmas onesie, from Great-Grammie (my paternal grandmother)

And finally, an adorable reindeer sleeper from Auntie Kassi - this one was a Christmas present

This actually isn’t even all of his Christmas outfits – he also has a Merry Christmas penguin onesie (which I bought from the 99 Cent Store, lol!) and another Baby’s First Christmas sleeper (from Great-Grama, my maternal grandmother.) Oh, and two Baby’s First Christmas bibs (one from Grandma Tracy/Uncle Kyle, one from Auntie Kaeli)… PLUS his newborn picture outfit, which while not specifically Christmas-y, is still pretty winter-y.

OMG he's so tine-tine! Damien, one day old, in the hospital

The sad thing is, I really don’t want another December baby – sorry Damien; you’re the best accident ever but if I was planning it I’d choose a different birthday for you – so we’ll probably never use these outfits as hand-me-downs. (Unless we end up with a small November baby… or a REALLY small October baby… but yeah, probably not.) Oh well, he was cute enough to make ‘em worth it, even once! :)

random Thanksgiving post

Hello world! Happy Thanksgiving! Granted, it’s after midnight now, but I haven’t gone to sleep yet but it still feels like Thanksgiving to me. In celebration of the holiday, here is me with a bunny ball:

Those are some 'sploring ears

Dan found a box of plushies in the garage that included this little guy. I really have no memory of buying him, but he’s pretty freaking cute, am I right? :)

Other things:

• I’m 37 weeks pregnant today (technically yesterday; see opening paragraph) which means I’m officially full term – yay!
• I have an ultrasound on Wednesday, which I’m excited about. Except that the reason I need the ultrasound is because baby looks big, which is not so exciting, especially for my nether regions. In all events, I’ll find out in a few days if Not-So-Little Baby will be born close to his due date or will be induced a bit sooner (unless I randomly go into labor, which could happen, but I’m not betting on it.)
• There is a jar of peanut butter behind me in the photo. What; you don’t have jars of peanut butter on your bookshelves? (This is Dan’s Special Peanut Butter and he likes to make sure it’s always available, lol.)

happy halloween!

Ripley and me in our ‘costumes’… although I guess technically it’s Damien’s costume, since he’s the one making the pumpkin shape:

Love Ripley's expression :)

Kaeli and me answering the door:

My bumpkin is kind of taking over the picture

Dan didn’t dress up, as always (although he did change into a skull-themed tshirt, which is about the best we’re gonna get…) He did, however, carve one kickass pumpkin:

(The 'pumpkin' is actually a craft pumpkin from Michael's)

It’s Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill! He also carved this Clocktower pumpkin (which I don’t get, since I haven’t played it, but it’s still creepy…)

Run, little girl...

I actually carved a pumpkin this year, but it didn’t show up very well in pictures (it was a SUPER thick pumpkin, and the holes were pretty small) so…. maybe next year? : P

this week (random post)

My parents are taking the juniors and seniors to Washington, D.C. this week. While they’re gone, I’m subbing for them (there are going to be weird combined classes because of all the missing students) and Dan, Kassi and I are holding down the fort. The dogs are already going through separation anxiety. Right now Kassi is in southern California for a handbell festival, so they were already abandoned by one person, but now three? Ripley and Jethro pretty much haven’t left my lap (and the only reason I can type this is because some small animal went in our backyard, and the dogs had to run outside and bark at it. lol!)

Also on the agenda for this week: cupcakes! 48 of ‘em! (Well, maybe not exactly 48, but close.) Dan’s birthday is Wednesday and his request, as always, is birthday cupcakes. Then for St. Patrick’s Day, on Thursday, I’m making these cupcakes (I actually got the idea from an entirely different website, but I happen to have the exact same supplies – brand and everything – as this blogger. Weird, huh?) (Actually, my cupcake cups are white, but everything else is the same.) I’ll bring the rainbow cupcakes to school, either for TLC or just regular class, and we can eat all the birthday cake ourselves. :)

I’m hoping both Dan and I recover enough from our nasty Attack of the Sickies to enjoy the birthday fun (and so I don’t feel like dying while I’m subbing) – we stayed home from church to day due to Feeling Like Crap, and although I’m a little better Dan is still afflicted. (To my credit, I’ve been sick since the end of January. I have to get better eventually, right?)

Confession: I am SO freaking addicted to printables. For decorations, for parties, for gifts, for school (I’m going to be a real teacher someday, right?) … my external hard drive is filling up fast. I printed some cupcake toppers, straw flags, and coloring pages out for St. Patty’s in the TLC, and I’d probably do more but I’m running out of colored ink so I guess I’m on hold for a few days. :P

More serious note: all the photos, footage and news from Japan makes me so sad, and though it’s not possible for us all to personally help, there are great organizations (like the Red Cross) who can. Here’s what you can do to help them help those who need it most. (That and pray, if you are so inclined.) And stay safe out there. It’s a scary world sometimes.

a Christmas meme!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Both. For boxy gifts (or kids!) I’m all about wrapping, but for fragile or unwieldy things I go for bags.

2. Real tree or artificial? I prefer a real tree, but I have an artificial one because it’s Teh Cheap and it’s fine for just Dan and me. When we have kids who’ll remember Christmas (unlike our fur-babies who don’t care, lol) we’ll get a real tree.

3. When do you put up the tree? Fake tree can go up Dec. 1! Real tree, not so much – more like 2 weeks before Christmas. (This year it was only one week, because we waited until our whole family was in town, then went up to the mountains to cut it.)

4. When do you take the tree down? A week or so into January. Trying to get it down the day after New Year’s is just too stressful for me.

5. Do you like eggnog? Nope. Coffee, cider, hot cocoa are all nice, but bubblegum-flavored cold beverages just don’t fly.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? This is sad, because I really did have many wonderful Christmases… but I can’t think of one gift in particular. I remember one year our family got a new computer, and I was so excited I sat in the computer box while we unwrapped the rest of our presents. (And… I was 14 at the time, lol!)

7. Hardest person to buy for? My papa (mom’s stepdad), because he pretty much has everything he wants. I usually come up with one good gift to put under the tree, but his stocking is always sadly anorexic compared to the rest…

8. Easiest person to buy for? My little sister, because I’m a lot like her, plus she makes a very detailed list :)

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? One year my step-grandmother (now ex-step) gave me a Baby’s 1st Bible and an off-brand ‘Barbie’ with her leg broken and her top half off, both from the 98 Cent store. Oh, and I was around 13 at the time.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail! Mail! I LOVE getting Christmas cards and I like sending them, too (although it’s better in a year when I actually have something positive to say, unlike this year, when I’m embarrassed for anyone to find out how much I suck. But still. I like cards.)

11. Favorite Christmas movie? I love Love, Actually and A Christmas Story.

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November at the earliest – it has to at least be wintery outside, or it’s just too weird.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember. I would probably keep something I didn’t like out of guilt…

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My dad makes an AWESOME Christmas breakfast every year. It’s not always the same, but it’s always delicious. I’m also a big fan of mashed potatoes (later in the day of course!)

15. Clear or colored lights on the tree? I like colored lights personally, but we have a lot of kid-made, memory ornaments. If it were a more elegant tree I’d be all for clear. I do prefer clear outside the house, most of the time.

16. Favorite Christmas song? Can’t pick, but my favorite CDs to listen to at Christmas are…

• Rebecca St. James, “Christmas” (I don’t know why, but I really love this CD)
• Amy Grant, “A Christmas Album” (It may be ’80s/early ’90s, but I grew up with it, and I still love it)
• Trans-Siberian Orchestra (it’s not a real CD; my family made a mix of all their best songs)
• Either “Nightmare Before Christmas” or “Nightmare, Revisited” (because you need some fun silliness too!)

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like home Christmases the best.

18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and commercially-added Rudolph. Right?

19. Angel on the tree top or star? Star – we have a really pretty one that came from, yep, the Dollar Tree. (I get all my holiday ornaments from there, the Dollar Spot in Target, or the sales racks at Joann’s – but I find cute stuff!)

20. Open the presents Christmas eve or morning? We open one present Christmas eve and the rest Christmas… well, it’s more like afternoon because we like to sleep in, and have a big breakfast, and stockings take awhile… :)

21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Trying to drive anywhere! Having that person you simply CANNOT find a good gift for.

22. Favorite tradition of the season? Christmas morning stockings, breakfast, and presents – one at a time, from youngest to oldest. Yes, it takes forever, but it’s fun!

23. Do you have a Nativity scene? No, but I wish I did. I can’t find a pretty one/cute one that I like; all the ones I can afford just look cheap (and, well, they are.) So maybe someday.

24. Family member you try to stay away from? Not really

25. Favorite color of poinsettias? Just plain red, although I’ve seen some silvery ones that are pretty. (That said, I always manage to kill poinsettias, so I feel guilty even buying them.)

26. Do you attend church services at Christmas? Whichever church service is closest to Christmas, we go to. This year the service is actually on Christmas day, which will mess with our lazy morning a bit, but we’ll get to have a delicious lunch in addition to breakfast, so that’s good.

videos! for you!

1. I’ve seen this song live, and I have to say, this parrot gives Drowning Pool a run for their money!
2. Ladybug, why are you pushing around those sprinkles? You haven’t even tried out for soccer.
3. Finally, in the Christmas spirit – a terrier Making Christmas. (All my terrier can do is Destroy Christmas And Then Take A Nap On It.)

i has things:

TV: I’m watching Baby B.D. Wong (aka 20-something) on X-Files. He is adorable with long floppy hair. I love him. Also: I love X-Files. (And Netflix; see below.) And hold the phone, Baby Lucy Liu as well? Will the cuteness never stop?

I discovered something amazing: Mythbusters is on Netflix. Needless to say, ever since this discovery, if the TV is on Mythbusters is most likely on it. We already own the first and second collection, have watched the fourth and fifth on Netflix, which leaves the third and sixth collection to watch (and we’re making a good start on the third.)

Games: I won’t, however, be watching TV nonstop anymore, because today Dan and I bought All the Video Games Ever. Though this is not the most convenient or auspicious time for such a task, being less than a month before Christmas and all, we were forced (FORCED I say!) into it by amazing sales at Game Stop. The games were ‘buy two get one free’ and we walked away with… seven. (If you take into account I traded in two games, and one of the games is going to be a Christmas present from Dan to me… well, it still sounds overboard. But, eh.)

Games include: CSI: Deadly Intent and Rune Factory (for DS), Darksiders, Alone in the Dark and Silent Hill: Homecoming (for PS3), and The Suffering (for PS2). Unlike a usual game-acquiring trip, three of the seven were actually for me! Hooray! (And I’ll play Silent Hill eventually, too… when I beat 3. And also 4, 5 and 7.)

Christmas: I am actually quite excited about Christmas this year, and I have no idea why. With no house, privacy, steady source of income, and hope for things improving for our little family, I should be depressed about a famously depressing holiday – and yet I’m not. I think my brain just decided I need a happy, and looking forward to something makes me happy, so I’m going to be excited about Christmas. I also love any chance to Give People Stuff, whether I can afford it or not, and whether it’s Awesome Stuff or Small But Hopefully Fun Stuff.

I made a list of all the presents I need to make/acquire/buy, and I’ve started on several of them. The list is about 15 people long, if the definition of ‘people’ includes pets. (I’m going to try to make homemade pet treats – wish me luck!) Dan and I also picked a kid from a Giving Tree in Safeway today. It’s a two-year-old boy who needs clothes and wants Zhu Zhu Pets; I’ll be sure to find cute and fun items to fit both categories.

Books: just finished Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (a satisfying ending to the trilogy, I think,) almost done with John Sandford’s The Night Crew (which started out great but went rapidly downhill…) My next start will either be Blood on the Table by Colin Evans, or the newest Wheel of Time, Towers of Midnight. (I lost my library card AND left my books out too long and acquired quite a debt, so I won’t be using the library for awhile… maybe after Christmas I’ll have extra cash to pay my bill.) :P

Food: I need it. This episode is almost over (Bad B.D. became a hero after all, albeit a dead one) and it’s the middle of the night, but my tummy hurts from emptiness. Cereal time! But before I go…

Pets: My dog is freaking weird.

Granted, I did put her in a raincoat - but still. Ridiculous.

(And for the record, I’m not holding her down, I’m tickling her tummy. She actually rolled over like that on her own, and stayed for about five minutes – until I took the darn pink thing off.)