back from virginia

So I flew to Virginia to visit Jessica and family on Thanksgiving Day. I did manage to keep the tears under wraps, even though I kept having waves of immense sadness over leaving Britton. And there were a surprising number of people flying, including "Miss Optimism" and her friend, who both complained about the other one complaining from Oklahoma City to Baltimore. Apparently the meaning of the holiday was lost on them. But I got away from Debbie Downer and Laura Loser and headed over to the baggage claim. My suitcases were filled with presents for Jessica and the kids and I absolutely intended to abuse the Southwest deal of getting two checked bags for free. A sneak peak in the suitcase revealed that security did not wish to make an example of me and unwrap all my gifts! I got my rental car and proceeded down 301 to Tim's parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner.

Other than Thanksgiving dinner, not much was planned, and that's the way I like it. With a new baby you can't fill the day with errands, because frankly, getting dressed is a chore. And I volunteered for the early night shift, which meant that I held Emily from her 10:30 pm/11:00 pm feeding until her next feeding, usually around 1:15 am, so Jessica could get some rest. Now, Emily doesn't like being put down, she requires snuggling or feeding at all times, so this was my bonding time with just me and her. And on my last night of duty, Emily decided to eat every hour on the hour, so Jessica and I stayed up and watched "The Family Stone" three times in a row (of the six times TBS was showing it). By the last viewing we were going a little crazy because Emily kept teasing Jessica with falling asleep for twenty minutes, then demanding to be fed once again.

On Saturday Jill, Stephanie, Kristen, Alexandria, and Gavin came to visit. I haven't seen them since I was last in King George in April, so it was great catching up. And on Sunday we met up with Jen to have lunch and bring each other up to speed on our lives. She is due in March with another son and we're pretty sure Emily and Baby D Deuce are going to be an item once they hit middle school.

Here are some of the pictures of our fantastic visit. We took tons of pictures of Emily for Jessica and Tim's Christmas card, but it really defeats the purpose if I post those here. Plus, I'm pretty sure Jessica wouldn't be too happy for spoiling the surprise of her card. So, enjoy Emily as much as I did!





Emily's first bath! She kept it all cool and collected at first, then realized that I was taking photos and threw a fit. Meanwhile, Jessica and Tim just goaded her on by saying how these were the pictures that were coming out for any prospective boyfriends to see.




A cross-stitch picture I sewed for Emily.





Passed out on Cammy's shoulder. I hadn't seen my mom since August (for Britton's first birthday), so this really did end up being an incredible trip of seeing my whole family.




Another round of our favorite game "Where's Emily?"

coloring with daddy

The hub picked up a floor pad for Britton to color on. When her canine teeth start giving her a tough go, and the day has just been too mean to her, Britton likes to blow off steam by coloring fiercely and hogging the brown crayons. Throwing her arms around coloring on a pad bigger than herself puts Britton back into a good mood. And when Daddy colors with her? Doodling her name and Christmas trees and flowers? Well, that's just icing on the cake.

dueling heart

Thursday morning, bright and early, while others are prepping Thanksgiving dinner and leisurely sipping coffee, I will be on a plane headed for the east coast. I am flying in to BWI to visit Jessica and the new baby, as well as all my family, and I get to do it for six days. And I am so excited to see everyone all in one place. I haven't seen Jessica or my mom since Britton's birthday, haven't seen my nephew Garrett or my niece Caroline or my brother-in-law Tim since April. Not to mention my aunt Jill and cousin Stephanie. It's a visit that's long overdue.

But as excited as I am, I am also overwhelmingly sad to be leaving Britton for those six days. Yes, I will miss spending Thanksgiving with the hub - more than two days off work (in a row!) are a luxury for us, and we do love spending that uninterrupted time together. But he isn't 15 months old. He knows where I am going, why I am going, and more importantly, the fact that I am coming back. And as impressed as we are with Britton's ever-changing vocabulary, she does not know what I am saying to her when I tell her that I am leaving. She doesn't understand.

I've never been away from her this long. But the reality is that if Britton comes with me, I will be taking care of her instead of Jessica and Emily. And in the end won't both parties be disappointed? I need to be there for Jessica as she was for me when Britton was born - willing to pull the 2:00 a.m. shift, helping me take Britton out of the house without being terrified something would go wrong, teaching me to breastfeed and burp and how to swaddle. Not out of obligation, but out of the need to be a part of my sister's life.

So, yes I know it will be a long time away. And I know I will be missing out on every little thing Britton does while I am gone. I hope that her time is spent having fun, drawing and coloring, "cleaning" everything in the house with baby wipes, running outside, putting a blanket on Sadie, eating cold fruit to soothe her gums. And I can't write a list of how I do things because I won't remember the little stuff - like kissing Britton softly on her right temple while carrying her to bed, or humming "You Are My Sunshine" when she cuddles for a hug, or knowing she is whimpering for Winnie when she can't say what is wrong.

I can't let this ache in my heart interfere with my joy of meeting my niece for the first time. There is room enough in my heart for ache and exuberance. But it doesn't mean I won't cry on the plane.

welcome emily allison!

Emily Allison arrived today, November 18, 2010 at 2:25 p.m. in Fredericksburg, Virginia! She weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and is 19 inches long. She has a little fuzz of red hair, which is not surprising since both of her parents are redheads. I am so excited that she is here!

Jessica was supposed to get induced yesterday at 4:00 p.m., but the beds were all full so she went back later that evening. When I talked to her this morning she was only 2 cm dilated. Well, apparently after I got off the phone with her she had her water broken, the pitocin cranked up, and an epidural! She pushed for all of 3-4 minutes and then Emily was born!

Congrats Tim & Jessica, and Garrett & Caroline! Can't wait to see you all in one week!

say cheese

I won a silent auction at work for a photography session and 11x14 portrait, valued at $760. Seeing as I didn't spend nearly that for the package, I gleefully called up the photographer and booked a session for this morning. We met up with Katy at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens at 8:30 this morning. While I thought I was doing well factoring in Britton's morning wake-up time and nap time, I didn't account for the 42 degree frost-covered morning. Luckily, we had planned to put her in a sweater and a pea coat for her pictures, so it worked out.

We thought about doing a portrait with Britton and Sadie, but to do the portraits at the Gardens you can't bring dogs during weekend hours. Something about more visitors then so it creates quite the disturbance. Though I could have been a smart ass and mentioned how I didn't think the Botanic Gardens at 8:30 on a Sunday morning rivaled Disney World during spring break. She did say we could photograph Britton and Sadie in the studio instead, but I specifically wanted outdoor pictures. If I want a plain white studio background, I'll go to Target and save myself some money.

After her photo shoot (which involved many many many rounds of "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to get Britton to smile for the stranger with the giant camera) we let Britton run around at the Gardens, then treated her to breakfast at McDonalds. I know, I know. But the girl needs some sausage and hot cakes every now and then, and she was the trooper putting up with Katy and her freakishly big camera and temperatures that Texans believe are considered "freezing."

Here are some pictures of Britton at the Botanic Gardens. You'll notice her Winnie hanging out of her mouth (though Winnie was hidden for the photo shoot), as chewing on Winnie is the only thing that relieves her teething pain. Somehow a pacifier addiction isn't seeming like such a bad thing, especially when I have to smell that Winnie after a day of fierce chewing.

for sable

It is with great sadness that I announce a loss in the family. Sable Mabel Nagle White Drinks, black lab extraordinaire, passed today. She was 12 years old, wise beyond her species, gentle to all, and a true joy as a pet and friend. I have been there since she was brought home by Jessica our sophomore year of college. "She has good hunting stock" was all Jessica knew of her, quite a find in Blacksburg. But she was more than that. She loved to swim, went off for hours on her own to check on the neighborhood, made everyone fall in love with her awesome trick of balancing a milk bone on her nose, just for her to whip her nose around and catch the falling milk bone.

She will be missed greatly. I can't really think about it and not tear up. And I know Jessica's family misses her terribly. But there is comfort in this eternal truth - all dogs go to heaven. And maybe, just maybe, we'll meet again.




“I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren’t certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying."
~ George Bird Evans

15 months old

Notice the hand-written sign? Yeah, our computer mouse broke in the move. So, Britton turned 15 months old last Tuesday! She is growing like a weed, and getting very good at walking. She has taken a special interest in our stairs now, and actually does a great job going up and down them. Her vocabulary is growing too, as she now uses "up" and "down" correctly. She is getting more teeth, which irritates her to no end, but she's a sweetheart and tries not to let the pain ruin her good times. Grandma and I spent an evening hemming her pants, which she promptly outgrew a month later! She's now in 2T and 3T pants! She also has four pairs of shoes, and she tries to put them on at random (and usually gets the correct foot!). Britton is always willing to try new foods, but she sometimes doesn't eat much because she is too eager to get out of the highchair and go play. She has a ride-on zebra scooter which she can push with her legs all by herself. She is also very much into art and drawing with her crayons and markers. Grandma and Grandpa bought her tons of craft supplies, and even taught her the art of finger-painting. She is in love with Sadie, and switches between "Sadie" and "dog" when referring to her. Lately she has been into books, and pulls them into her lap and "reads" them by stringing together sentences of sounds as if she is actually reading the words!

Likes:Cold plums (for her teeth), climbing stairs, Sadie, singing "Wheels on the Bus," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "When You're Happy and You Know It," her new room, running, being tickled/wrestling with Daddy, apple juice

Dislikes: milk, getting dressed, staying still for anything, having her hair put in barrettes or a ponytail, not being able to verbalize frustration

happy halloween (one week late)

Halloween is my favorite holiday, though moving got in the way of celebrating it in a big way. No problem though, as we still found time to eat tons of candy (ok, that was just me) and dress up.

Being my favorite holiday may have something to do with it being my birthday was well (October 28th), but turning *ahem* THIRTY-TWO this year was nothing to celebrate! However, I did get to spend my birthday at the closing on our house, so I count that as a huge birthday present! My friend Whitney sent me these beautiful flowers for my birthday and to celebrate the new house...



We wanted to find a costume that Britton could wear all day and be comfortable. The costume section of Target was overrun with scratchy tulle and glitter, so that was out. I decided to make her a costume instead. So, here is Pebbles Flintstone!




And Grandma and I had a Halloween party at work and got to bail out early, so we crashed Britton's Halloween party at daycare. It was also her last day there, so it was a little bittersweet. More info on the daycare situation later, but let's just say we're playing musical chairs with the centers in our new town!




It was also Britton's daycare's Fall Festival, so I made cupcakes for the bake sale. They are ghosts, and were so easy to make. Enjoy!

we've moved

We spent all last weekend moving, unpacking, stressing out, and finally figuring out our way around our new house. Now, if you know me, you know I'm a little instantaneous. As in, boxes unpacked and pictures hung before the moving van is pulling out of the driveway. But, this time, that was not the case...



And, to top it all off, the internet didn't work and since we had everyone coming out yesterday (garage door guy, bug guy, etc.) I just added them to the list. So, finally, the last box has been unpacked (I'm not counting the garage because that's not my domain and therefore not my responsibility) and I have internet, so all is right in the world.