A Rockin' Christmas Party Overload

With the risk of copying my sister-in-law Lauren's blog, I will recap our past week of Christmas fun in the most organized manner I can muster and I will try not to leave out too many details. Overall, we've had a whirlwind time, ever since coming home from Texas last week. We've enjoyed ourselves immensely, obliterated naps and bedtime and are all still standing.

Let's start with Tuesday, December 23, shall we? We started this week of fun with a trip to the OB office for another ultrasound to check on little Speck's growth. Let's just say so far, he is aptly named. He's a little on the small side, but as we know from our experiences with Reina, we don't necessarily grow 'em big. No worries, just keeping tabs. We did discover that he has enough hair already that it can be seen by ultrasound! Upon returning home from our appointment, we were reunited with Bill's brother Andrew and his family. "Baby" Milo is almost as big as Reina and is such a sweet little buddy. They really enjoyed each other's company (and toys) and yes, Lauren, we found the saucers...Milo had actually put them away in the toy box! We then set off for Uncle Anthony's for the annual Christmas celebration (this was around 4:30pm) coincidentally during rush hour and right when the freezing rain hit the pavement. It took us nearly 3 hours to get to Ant's, who only lives a few miles away. Poor Milo was screaming from lack of sleep during most of that time and poor Reina joined in so she could air her grievances also. It. Was. Miserable. Fortunately, we made it safe and sound and got to see some of the extensive family on Gina-mom's side for some holiday cheer.

The following day was Christmas Eve and Bill had signed up to take stroke call from home, so we had made very little plans pending his need to leave on short notice. We made it to church in the afternoon (after some hygiene and grooming with Milo as seen below). We then went home to prepare for our dinner guests. Unlike most of my Christmas Eves in the past, we weren't celebrating with our family, but we had invited another family to join us for dinner. Our good friends Jordan and Andrea brought over their son, baby Jonah, and Jordan's parents, Anna and Irv. Another thing that was different about this Christmas Eve was that this family is Jewish and therefore were celebrating Hanukkah at the same time. They brought their own Menorah and we had a lovely co-celebration of faiths followed by a dinner that I may go so far as to say was delicious!

On Christmas Day, we had a leisurely morning, listening to music, opening gifts and preparing to leave for the rest of the week. Although we personally did not provide Reina with many gifts to open, she somehow acquired a lot thanks to friends and grandparents. At one point she got a little crabby and made a self imposed trip to the corner for a time out (below).

Generally, her temper is still pretty good for being two years old now, but the holidays can be a little overwhelming, I'm sure. Among her favorite gifts from us, the $3 barrel of monkeys I picked up weeks ago at the grocery store. She seems to have moved on from boxes and packaging being a favorite, but not by far. In fact, she now adores bubble wrap, or "snaps" as she calls it.

Christmas Day part II. Wrapping cleaned up and bags packed, we head out to Gina-mom's and Michael-dad's to spend the rest of the day and following morning. When Andrew and Billy could tear themselves away from the Wii guitar hero to give Katie and Austin a turn, we ate well, played some more and tried to keep the dogs (all 6 of them including our city-slickers) from rolling the either the dead skunk or disembodied deer leg they found outside.

By the next morning, this was Reina:

Later on the 26th, we found ourselves up at my parents home, washed the skunk off the dogs and had some low-key fun, opening presents and playing with Reina's new toys. We also enjoyed a silly new game with my parents, a family tradition, which basically was about who was more full of BS than the rest. Hilarious.

I might add here that Reina was the lucky recipient of so many nice new things this year. Lots of great books to replenish her boring old library, some really cute clothing and not one but 3 new and realistic baby dolls to get her into her impending big sister role. She loves those babies! Also, she now has more cell phones that I can even conceive (I think last count was 4), each one with unique gizmos and cherished by her so much. The fact that both Bill and I got upgraded phones this year helps, she has seen us playing with our new toys much more than usual and therefore is all about having her phone with at all times. Another favorite gift was her first bike (or trike I guess) from Gina-mom and Michael-dad. It has a handle for the parents to help with pushing and steering and I think Bill liked the test drive as much as Reina!

With her birthday so close to Christmas, Reina has been opening presents non-stop for about 2 weeks. She certainly has honed her technique. Somehow I don't think she's going to help much with the thank-you notes, however.

On the night of the 27th, we celebrated Christmas with my extended family, a crowd of close to 30 attended and Mom pulled off a great show with way too much food and so many different types of cookies, I lost count. It was good to see almost all of my cousins, aunt and uncles, as well as Uncle Matt and "Uncle" Jen for the festivities. The family sing-along led by Uncle Denis was especially enjoyed by Reina, who asked "more singing, pear tree, Uncle Denis?" after each song ended.

By the end of the night, we were all wiped out and we made it home yesterday to get back to normal for a few days before New Year's and friends Jamie and Brian's wedding. I think by mid-January I may have all the laundry done and Reina may have caught up on sleep. By then we'll only be a few short weeks until we add Speck to the roster.

Merry Christmas to everyone and an early Happy New Year, too! May 2009 bring health and happiness. I'll leave you with this video for now until we have more parties to report on (not long).

Birthday Girl in Texas

Wow. It has been awhile since I've posted an update...sorry to leave anyone hanging. We've had a very busy week, having just got home from a pre-holiday trip down to see Bill's Dad, Gerlyn, Andrea and brother Ryan et al in Texas. We missed out on Nana, who had left the week before for an extended visit with the rest of the family in California. While down in Texas, we had weather ranging from 80 degrees down to the 40's one day. We celebrated not one but two birthdays, both Reina's and Bub's. We played with cousins Lizzy, Ava and Casey and went out to eat quite a bit. We also dined on fancy things at home like fresh lobster, homemade shrimp bisque and a Bub classic, standing rib roast of beef. Fabulous. Not making my OB very happy, I'm sure, but Speck didn't mind it.

On the flights down and back, Reina was as good as gold, more than to be expected from a two-year-old in a confined space. Travel was a hassle free as possible and the direct flight certainly added to that luxury. As usual, Reina learned some new things from her "big" cousins Liz and Ava, like it's cool to use the potty. Ava, who is still learning, had a cheerleader with her every time she had to go. Reina even made some of her own attempts at times. Baby Casey got an extra big sister for the week to smother him with hugs and kisses and all the kids really seemed to enjoy each other's company.

Bill and I got taken down memory lane as we "helped" Andrea study for her high school exams. Once we did the math to discover how long it had been since we had our own high school exams, the memory lane trip was less appealing. I'm not sure how much help we were with her tests, either. Billy's descriptions of Civil War General McClellan as being "3 foot five and riding a Shetland pony" stuck in her head, but alas were totally fabricated.

The three of us enjoyed a pre-birthday trip to the McKenna Children's Museum and I was amazed at Reina's unwillingness to leave! She loved painting on an easel for the first time, shopping in the play grocery store and especially taking care of the babies in the miniature hospital's nursery. As we were leaving, she tried to keep one of the baby dolls and expressed her displeasure at not being allowed. She also tried to get back in the museum once we left...looks like we'll have to start checking out our local activities. I had no idea she would love it so much already!

For her birthday, she got a realistic and cuddly baby boy doll from Bub and Gram. He also came with his own stroller, bouncy seat, play mat and travel crib. Looks like we're all set for when baby brother arrives. Right now, "other baby" doesn't have a name, but I suspect he will get one when Mr. Speck does, too.

Now we are home and it is cold, and time to think about Christmas again. A few more things to wrap before the fun starts with family get-togethers. Back to work for Bill, a little bit of laundry for me and some catching up on naps for Reina. Enjoy the pictures and videos!

Daddy and Reina with "Mono y Yo" on the plane ride down. Although Bill actually slept the ride down since he had worked the night before...we watched Tinkerbell's new movie until he woke up. The open seats around us were especially nice.

Cowgirl Princess in Gruene's General Store.

Reina, Ava and Elizabeth look disappointed at the selection of "Fantasia". Just because Mickey Mouse was on the DVD cover doesn't mean kids like it.

Reina and Bub taking a spin around the house. Only Bub gets to honk the horn.

A frazzled young mother in the play emergency waiting room at the Children's Museum. (Her baby only had the sniffles.)

Picking up some necessities at the store. Note the Cheerios, can't get through a day without them.

Bill showing Gram and Reina what's for dinner. What two-year-old doesn't want lobster for her birthday? Other than the dissecting part, they were delicious!

Reina specifically asked for strawberries on her cake this year, it was a yummy ice cream filling!

Little Mommy's pride and joy

She may be two now, but she's still my baby. Oh that binky. When will we be done with it?

Bad lighting, we only see her face at the end...but check out the wicked dance moves and shoulder shrugs. This girl loves to boogie.

Santa's Little Helper, just try to say Bah Humbug to this grin.

What Not to Wear

Along with developing her language skills, hand-eye coordination and small motor abilities, Reina is developing her own sense of style. While I fully support her in making her own clothing descisions, as long as seasonally appropriate (until she's like 13, then we'll pick our battles), I can't help but laugh at what she comes up with. Mainly, it's the accessories right now. I have to wrassle them from her at bedtime and whenever we go anywhere, sometimes making exceptions for only one necklace to be worn while we're out.

Those stinkin' beads, all day long I can hear when she is, just like a tag on a dog!

I wonder what goes through her head when donning all these baubles, as most of you know, I am not a particularly over accessorized role model. In addition to her starting the dress-ups phase, which I love, she has started interacting with her dolls and stuffed animals in a more imaginative way. She uses a special voice when she talks to them, asks them if they want something to eat or drink, then answers for them. She teaches her purple monkey to play patty cake, Curious George to play peek-a-boo, and changes baby's diaper. She pretends to take their pictures and to sing them to sleep. It is so heartbreakingly sweet to watch her mother these toys, I can't wait to see her (on the good days, I know there'll be others) with little Speck. I hope they grow up to be good buddies.

I had nothing to do with this outfit...including the stripping out of the jammies it took to create.

On another note of particular importance, Reina had a successful visit to the potty on Friday night before her bath. For the first time, she took off her diaper by herself so I asked, "do you want to sit on the potty?" She said yes and went tearing down the hall, climbed up with help and went! I was so surprised but played up the good jobs and high fives, we even called Bill on his way to work! I am sure it was a fluke, I don't think either of us is really ready yet, but hey, I have faith she won't be attending kindergarten in diapers!

Opening books with Daddy on St. Nick's Day.

Reina has also begun to notice that things are different around here now that the Christmas decorations are up. She plays with a nativity set and likes to read stories about "Baby Jesus" but has also discovered snow when it was "nosing" the other day and has shown some interest in Santa Claus as well. At least enough to recognize him and say "Ho ho ho!" Maybe if/when she meets him this year there won't be wailing an gnashing of teeth. Maybe.

On Saturday morning, we celebrated St. Nick's Day and indoctrinated Reina into the fine art of tearing into presents. St. Nick's Day, for those not aware, is an actual holy day, however it has become the "can't wait 'til Christmas" day for kids to open something small from St. Nick. It isn't actually something I grew up with, but Bill did, so now it has become one of our family traditions. What with that, her birthday next week and Christmas the week after, Reina isn't going to be able to see a wrapped gift and NOT try to open it. We'll have to work on that one.

Turkey, Touchdowns and Tough Luck

Hopefully everyone had a nice and plentiful Thanksgiving. I'll tell you right now, I have no photos from the actual day, but hopefully the rest will make up for that. Now that it is December, I'm trying to get myself organized doing the Christmas shopping and decorating, not to mention figuring something out for a certain little girl who is about to turn two-years-old!

So far, so good. Our cards arrived and Bill says he plans to write his annual letter to fill everyone in on the past year's activities. Our indoor decorations are up, sans tree, which we will hopefully get tonight when Bill gets home from work. I've been doing almost all my shopping online (making sure to utilize the free shipping as much as possible). Santa drives a big brown truck, not a sleigh, right? We've got our family get-together dates squared away and things are falling into place to celebrate the holidays rather effortlessly. Hmmm. I sense the potential for a snag. Maybe it is the same feeling of impending doom heart attack patients get, the feeling that something might. not. be. right.

Perhaps our flights will get horribly screwed up to/from Texas. Perhaps I'll shop online to the point where I spend Reina's entire inheritance. Perhaps someone will suffer some bodily injury making it difficult for them to walk without pain. Perhaps I am being melodramatic. Oh wait, someone DID suffer a bodily injury! Here's the scoop.

While enjoying a lovely sunny and warm Thanksgiving day down in the hollers of Kentucky with Bill's mom's family, Bill and the rest of that spry bunch went outside to play some non-tackle, non-running football. Basically, stand around and throw the ball while everyone else tries to intercept. Somehow, my marathon-running, super-fit, body-of-an-18-year-old husband got tangled up in his own feet and ended up breaking a bone in one of them. Yes, Bill has finally broken a bone, only took him 31+ years to do it! And did he sit out the rest of the game? Noooo. Should he really be using a cast shoe and crutches? Yeeessss. Is he? Nope.

Apparently, the break, although dramatic on xray, requires little intervention. He can bear weight and walk without crutches, but it can be pretty painful. And while I am sympathetic to his injury and pain, I'm glad it isn't worse. Hopefully this is our biggest snafu of the season. The outside lights aren't up yet, and as neither of us is getting on the roof this year, they might suck a little. Tough luck. Reina has also been attentive to Daddy's boo boo. Kissing his foot (ick) and showing great concern regarding his single "boo boo shoe" or cast boot.

The rest of this past week was great, if busy. Eric H. and his daughter Emma were in town, Melissa was greatly missed. Emma only has a couple of months on Reina and came over to play a few times. The girls really had fun together, and even ate better due to the competition! Bill attended "the worst football game in recent memory" on Sunday with his cousin, in the rain, with a broken foot. We enjoyed a couple of nice evenings with Brian and Jamie, as well as Reina's favorites, John and Natalie and their great dane, Max. Max and Hermes are now engaged.

Speaking of Hermes, we had some sad news from out at Gina and Mike's farm. Poor Sparkle, Hermes' mother, lost a fight with some large toothed creature. Apparently the culprit is the beaver that lives in their pond. Revenge for Sparkle's gruesome death is inevitable, and somebody's going to have to pay. No word on how well Katie and Austin are taking the news. I was pretty sad, however. At least Hermes' two sisters (Chewy and Bear Noel) and step dad (Bubba) are still around.

On a lighter note, enjoy these pictures of our little clown. She loves the camera, but only if not in a studio, apparently. Her latest birthday/Christmas card photo session ended just short of disaster. We did walk away with one OK pose, but it doesn't truly capture her personality. Oh well, she's gotta act two sooner or later, although she's been practicing for a long time!

Ready for her own wheels at Red Robin

hamming it up on the basement "playground"

Reina and Emma LOVING apples and milk

Eric, Emma and Reina. You can't tell by their faces, but they're actually watching Sleeping Beauty, not something weird or scary.

Please, no "Girls Gone Wild" references. Bad enough she likes to show her tummy AND wear bead necklaces.

Our Happy Big Girl

Just Click Your Heels...

Well, we've clicked out heels together three times and said the words "there's no place like home" and it worked! We will not be moving anytime in the near future, Bill will remain at the job where he is currently (albeit with a different title and a little bit better schedule) and all is right with the world.



Now for those of you still in the dark about what this was all about, I'll fill you in. You may or may not know that Bill is currently STILL in the training portion of his career, i.e. he hasn't had a REAL job yet. No worries, this is normal, he's not a slow learner. Anyway, his training ends this June and therefore the job hunt began. While staying seemed to always be an option, it didn't hurt to look around to see if the grass was greener on the other side. Bill had some very encouraging interviews and discussions with a few places and we've been contemplating the future since about August. After weighing all the (sometimes tempting...beach) options, it occurred to us (I mean Bill, I had the power all along) that there was indeed no place like home. After following the yellow brick road for what seemed like an eternity, Bill put on his snazzy red shoes and here we are and here we'll stay. I'm relieved and happy and think Bill is too. Hopefully he won't wonder what could have been. It'll be great to be around so many or our friends and family and good for the out-of-towners since you'll still know where to find us!

To celebrate, we busted out the Play Doh for the first time. Do we know how to party or what?

Another bonus to sticking around, Mr. Speck will not have to compete with the stress of trying to sell our house and move to another city. He'll get to revel in being the primary source of stress this spring...just kidding. Although it is a relief!

Anyone with a uterus or a child knows this room. Reina waiting patiently at mine and Speck's monthly weigh-in. Surprisingly, the disappearance of our Halloween candy was not reflected on the scale. Awesome.

Parrot Wars

Let this be a warning to you, or an invitation depending on the persuasion of your favored shoulder advisor (angel or devil?). Reina has officially entered the "Parrot Phase" of her language and behavior development. While this often funny and remarkably charming phase has been long awaited by mischievous uncles and childless friends, let me warn you, it's not all fun and games for your almost-two-year-old to repeat everything she says. No harm has been done as of yet, but the time is ripe. The worst of it was when in the middle of church she said "cock-a-doodle-doo!" Not too bad and one could overlook it.

My Dad, the reluctant "P-Ga" has decided since she refused to call him Grandpa despite being able to say words like "dinosaur" and "ridiculous" that he will seek his revenge by teaching her other things to say. When we found out Speck was a boy, the inevitable question arose whether we would name him after Bill, Bill's dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Since Bill is the 4th WAK, little Speck would gain the number 5. Old P-Ga thinks it would be cool (sadly, so does Bill) to call the poor kid "Cinco". Hence, my little parrot is brought into the mix in order to solidify the nickname. This is not to say we have decided on Speck's name, we haven't even discussed it yet. But should he become the 5th, I fear Cinco may be in his future...

In other events, we've been putting all name and holiday discussions on hold until we figure out where we're going to live next year. The choice is down to three with the deadline of this Friday. Wish us luck. I'll make the announcement then.

In the meantime, enjoy some very random photos of the past week. Not captured on my camera were Memere and Uncle Denis' combined birthday party and Bill's trip to New Orleans for the bachelor party of Brian F. (probably good it wasn't on film).

Come back on Friday to see where you can visit us after June 2009. Until then, please don't cultivate ideas on how you can get Reina to say embarrassing things in public (Ryan, Andrew, Matt) because payback is hell...I mean heck.

Reina and P-Ga watching some "fecaball" with yes, my old Cabbage Patch Kid, Trevor Jeff.

Reina practicing her big sister skill with friends Amit and Sarah's daughter, Ellie.

Look, she eats. With a spoon!

A nod to friends Libby and Logan. This is how their daddy taught them to eat cereal.

Eat and Sleep

Since the transition to (or from?) Daylight Savings time, Reina's sleep pattern has been less than predictable. At first, she simply wanted to stick to the same routine, but an hour earlier. Now, I'm finding she's waking up super early (for her), not napping as long and having trouble settling down for bed. Is this normal? Several times, I've been sure she has actually slept on the floor of her room, rather than the big girl bed, as I've found her with carpet marks on her cheek. This morning, I actually went in to wake her up and found her asleep on the floor with binky and baby as if I had put her there last night! Weirdo. It isn't like she can't get back into her bed. Fortunately, we've now rigged her door so at least she can't escape the room.

On a positive note, the eating has been phenomenal! Little Miss Fill Up On Milk So I Won't Be Hungry For Real Food must be growing or something since she's been eating 3 real meals plus snacks all week! Thanks goodness. Mr. Speck will hopefully be a good eater, picky ones are a trial. Of course I'm probably jinxing myself here. She'll be back to Cheerios only tomorrow...

Gotta run, she's awake from her 30 minute nap and crying to get out of her room. Please tell me she isn't trying to give up napping all together!

Reina and horsey-Daddy, getting wound up before bedtime.

Happy Hoppaween!

For as much as I love Halloween, or as Reina says "Hoppaween," we've never really "done it right" like Matt and I used to when we were kids. We'd spend all of October and even September planning how to decorate the front porch, what music to play and designing our own, often homemade/assembled costumes.

Finally, this year, Bill convinced me to have a party. We've made a tradition in recent years of having Mike and Gina and the kids over to trick or treat since they live in a rural area. This year, we invited everyone we know who lives off the beaten trick or treat path to our house for pre and post candy hunting fun. We had a great time, and since costumes were mandatory for everyone, not just the kids, there was a lot of creativity about.

Reina went trick or treating for the first time, and either said thank you or blew kisses to the neighbors in exchange for her treats. She really got into it, probably the "practice" she had taking candy out of our give away stash to put in her bucket. Bill packed Gina-mom's Radio Flyer with a cooler of witch's brewskies and went from house to house with the other kids. Apparently, Reina braved a rather disturbing clown in order to earn a full sized Hershey bar! I'm not sorry I missed it. Clowns are creepy year round, not just on Halloween.

I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story, I'm just sorry I didn't get more pictures since everyone got into the "spirit" of things!

Carving pumpkins with Daddy, Reina "drew" her design on the back of hers.

ahhh, kiss the baby pumpkin

2 toothy grins

Recycled bridesmaid dress from Matt and Jen's wedding, plus a new black widow hourglass for Speck.

My Dad (now officially P-Ga per Reina) obligingly handed out the candy all night...with the help of a fluffy little dog, Ant and Lisa's Juno.

Free Burrito John and Hunter Natalie

Angel Reina and Sandra Dee Nana head back home to dump out the bucket to make room for more candy.

Reluctant Bengals Fan Bill and Bill's High School Prom Date Uncle Anthony. What a cute couple, a shame they broke up.

Another cute couple: Dre as Bill and Jonah as Jordan.

Reina sorting her loot with Gina-mom. Surprisingly, or luckily, she never did taste any candy and just thought it was fun to play with. Now before you think I'm a humbug, she got to eat some cookies and stay up late, so there.

It's A...

Puppy!!!!









No, just kidding. Somehow, Bill thought that would be awesome, however. Frankly, the thought weirded me out a little. According to the ultrasound tech, the child is human and everything looks fine. Come March, Reina will be the proud older sister of a new baby brother!

Now all of you friends of ours with boys can offer advice since very few of you had girls close to Reina's age. Looking at the photos, it seems Mr. Speck likes to suck his thumb, and, despite his slightly alien baby appearance, seems pretty content. (I am assured the alien baby thing is normal development, at least he no longer looks like a chicken embryo). Poor Aunt Katie, this time, Uncle Austin gets another player for his team to join cousins Milo and Casey. Katie's had the advantage for a while with Liz, Ava and Reina.

Incidentally, Reina could have cared less about the experience and would have rather played with the toys in the lobby or the buttons on the ultrasound machine. She does throw her head back and cackle like a deranged little witch when she gives kisses/zerberts to Speck on my stomach.

Final Vote Tally (just trying to get folks warmed up for next Tuesday)
Boy: 4
Girl: 2
Puppy: 1

Jamie voted twice, so gets counted twice (who said the system wasn't flawed?) But if she hadn't, the Girl and the Puppy would be tied. Hmmm.

Place Your Bets

Alright alright alright already! Here's your opportunity to guess Baby Speck's gender. The ultrasound is this Tuesday. Yes, we will be finding out. Maybe we'll share it with everyone else...if you're nice.

Beware of Cousins Bearing Gifts

We've had several fun days this week with Lizzy, Ava and Casey, along with Ryan and Kristin, however, not without a price. One of the realities of having children is that they are ALL walking little petri dishes. Luckily for us, Reina and I not only got to play with the kids, we got some imported Texas gastroenteritis virus to boot! I hope I don't hurt feelings...that's just life. Fortunately, we are both back in good health and ready for what comes along next. Bill escaped the worst by heading to Florida for a conference. The bum. We miss you Daddy. Speaking of bums, we only needed our Bum to make the cousin quorum complete. We missed you, too Bum!

Testing out the new trampoline with Aunt Katie. Reina didn't quite have the hang of it.

Liz and Ava clearly love it, Reina's just trying to remain vertical.

Homemade hayride thanks to Michael-Dad. Going to "Grandma's and Grandpa's Farm" isn't a thing of the past after all.

The elusive Casey! Such a happy boy, although slimy according to Austin.

Three Little Girls on a Tree Stump

Reina meets a real Llama Llama. Mutually not impressed.

The best of 15 photos of Reina with a pumpkin, and she still wouldn't sit still.

Staged hayride photos for posterity. Almost as much fun.