What Are You Doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?

Chelsea was singing that little tune over Christmas and it has been in my head since then...and is finally appropriate.

No champagne, little black dresses, lipstick or dancing tonight. All three of us are sick with colds. But there has been Chinese takeout...and a few movie rentals. And I'm loving this new Macbook that I'm currently toying with.

I will most likely be in bed by 10pm tonight - a thought that fills me with glee!

Oh, Queenie

Well, Christmas has come and gone and so has my laptop's capabilities which are dying by the day. Alas, my posts have become few and far between. But fret not, faithful followers (all three of you) - for the excellent husband got me a new Macbook as a gift and I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

I won't recap the holiday, though it was a good one, but will tell you that our little family was subject to sicknesses on all sides. My dad, who never gets sick, was down with a terrible cold while we were in Ft. Worth. On Christmas day I got a call from Katy telling me that half of her family was sick with the stomach virus that has been plaguing most of Texas (right, Rach?) and they had to postpone Christmas. On Friday Sutton was struck with that same virus so we avoided him with fear and trepidation (sorry, Pages!). Then yesterday both Russ and Davy came down with what seems to be the cold my dad had. I'm ready to invest in a facemask.

But that's not what I want to talk about.

Have any of you seen "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" yet? I saw it on Saturday with Katy. Maybe it was the fact that though I used to be one of those people who saw all new movies the very weeks that they came out and maybe it was that Katy was always my partner in movie-going, or maybe it was that the last time I saw a movie in a theatre was "The Dark Knight" back in September...but this movie really moved me. I think I was crying in the first 5 minutes. I should have warned the stranger sitting next to me, "I'm sleep-deprived, hormonal, and nursing so I will cry for the entirety of this film."

I won't spoil the movie for anyone else. Brad Pitt was excellent. And I'm not talking excellent like "Legends of the Fall." He was wonderful because the movie wasn't about his good looks or hilarity - it was about his outcast-ness; his isolation from people due to his condition upon birth. The minute I saw him born as a baby with the outward appearance of an almost 90 year old man, I started sobbing.

Enter Queenie. Queenie is the precious, tender-hearted, stalwart black woman who finds the baby and cares for him. Would that we all have someone like Queenie in our lives who looks past our outward appearance and simply loves us for being one of God's miracles. God bless you, Queenie! You were my favorite person in the movie!

Anyway, I got to hang out with Katesbuns. A much needed hang out time. Katy gave me some red, Laura Mercier lipstick for my birthday and I forced her to try it out with me to prove that red lipstick is my nemesis - I can never find the right shade. What do you think?

4 months

Yesterday we went to the pediatrician for Davy's 4 month check-up and vaccinations. My big girl held her own bottle while feeding herself (sort of) as we waited for Dr. Becker to come in. Then I worked on my iPhone camera skills as D. just chilled there. Dr. Becker noted, "She seems really laid back." Oh, those words were music to my ears, though there have been times when I was sure we had a high-maintenance kid on our hands. Hmm, maybe I should just be quiet - we all know what happens when I brag...


I opted for a flu shot yesterday. After hearing about the McCroskey family's nightmare with flu hitting both babies and Chris and Erin, I'm not taking chances.
I think the nurse perceives me as a little mean for taking this pic. I had to explain, "It's not because I like seeing her cry! I just feel like someday I'll want to see a photo of her getting vaccinated!" Please don't call CPS!

Davy girl, you have been so much fun these past few weeks. My friend Rachael kept telling me, "something happens after 3 months so hold on!" and I'm glad I did. You now love making motorboat noises, cooing to yourself, squealing loudly from your swing, and grabbing Mommy's hair. You're also a big fan of being tossed in the air, something that used to make me cringe but now I do it daily. Yesterday when we came home from the doctor, I put you on your tummy for "tummy time" and you immediately rolled over. So I put you on the floor to watch you do it again. Good ol' Fatty had to get in on the action and everytime I would say, "roll over!" to you, he would lay next to you and roll over himself...too bad a camera was no where nearby because I was dying laughing.

7 Swans a- breaking into a million pieces on my floor

Yesterday I arrived home from running an errand to find a large box on our front porch. Isn't that one of the joys of Christmastime? I immediately began wondering which relative had sent us something from Williams-Sonoma. As I furiously tore at the packaging I realized it was a gift from Russell's company. Ooooohhh! Nancy Richards has great taste! They had given us the Twelve Days of Christmas plates as our present this year. Having no previous Christmas plates and being very jealous of Johnna's recent acquisition of Christmas Spode, my mind was all atwitter with where I could display this glorious collection.

I was flying around, using some of the plates as a table setting, putting two on the mantle because the Lords a-leapin' and Pipers pipin' were so festive...and then I thought I'd hang four next to a mirror in our dining room.

Folks, I ain't really blessed with the gift of decorating but it is a gift I desperately desire. Having been married to Russ for the past three years, I have learned that when hanging something, be anal about it: measure twice, use proper hanging tools, find wall studs, etc. But I just wanted those cute plates up! And my daughter only gives me so much time to do these tasks in a day!

I thought they looked fabulous. Until last night at dinner an unbelievably loud crash caused me to choke on my peas..."NOOOOOOOOOOO!" The tears immediately sprang to my eyes! Day Seven, the aforementioned Swans a-swimming, was in broken shambles on the floor, much like my desire to have a perfectly decorated house. The nail I had used (alone, with no hook) had slid downward causing the plate holder to shift off...causing my dreams to come crashing down. Sigh.

I was reminded of once hearing a friend's mother lament, "I cain't have nuthin' nice!" about her children's rough-housing (Yankee relatives translation: "horsing around") in the house and breaking something.

Update: Momma Kay just arrived and told me about www.replacements.com - they have it!

No One's Starving Around Here

I put this video here for two reasons: one, because some of my relatives only come here to see updates of Davy, and two, because it is vastly reassuring to me that my child isn't starving.

To explain that last part, I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road this week upon the urging of Rachael. What I didn't realize before I got into it was how gut-wrenchingly sad and depressing it would be and how I would lay awake at night worrying about the End of the World. Thanks, Rach. Seriously though, this book is the story of the apocalyptic journey of a man and his child across a devastated America. It's no Twilight - vampires being oddly soothing versus world destruction.

Really, I've been wanting to put into words for a long time how having a child has changed my worldview. I used to see things like news updates about a school collapse in Haiti and think to myself, "oh, too bad," and just go along with my day. I used to hear about economic crisis or pirates finding radioactive contents being shipped to Israel and respond with little interest or mild curiosity. I used to watch movies about the Holocaust and feel sad but nothing more.

And then everything changes when you have a baby asleep in the other room.

I watched two movies right after Davy was born that had me weeping and fretful: The Pianist and Hotel Rwanda. What struck me most was man's cruelty to man and the fear that I am raising a child in this world where these things really take place. And every forgotten child in those movies could be Davy to me. The first few weeks of motherhood are terribly scary for one major reason: I am responsible for this child. This means I feed, clothe, care for and sustain another human being. That feeling then begins to grow into deeper ones like: How will I raise this person to care about others? In what kind of nation will my child grow up? Will this little one have burdens that I cannot prepare them for?

So, while reading The Road, I began to think about the End of the World and all that is foretold. And I'm just glad that the chubby baby in the other room is okay today. Please don't feel you have to reassure me about the future, etc. Just needed to jot these old thoughts down!

Whirlwind, in a good way...

In the past four days we celebrated Thanksgiving, my birthday, drove a total of 10 hours with a 4 month old, spent time with 3 different extended families (Page side, Meredith side, and Gillham side), and celebrated Russ' birthday. Whew! I'm gonna confess, I barely took a photo over Thanksgiving probably because I was so concerned about my baby spending the night around other poor souls who were hoping to sleep. The rest of the Pages were good sports about it though. Want to see great photos from the holiday? Please go to Johnna's blog. Johnna, I am always jealous of your photo taking and posting capabilities.

I did happen to get a few photos of Davy with both my brother and Katy.


















So yesterday I wanted to post a special birthday post for Russ...alas, I wasn't able to access my computer. But let it be known, I am so grateful for your 33 years, Russell. I'm sure I could get an "Amen" from a few readers out there who know and love my husband. He is simply one of the good ones. Did you know that he was once Bartender of the Year in Lubbock, Texas? Or that he can fix just about anything around the house? Did you know that he has hunted rats under the house...with a headlamp and Bebe gun? Or that if he is making a meal for guests, he never forgets tasty appetizers? (makes his own escargot) Russ enjoys great conversation, yummy food, being outdoors, being with his family, being a boy (hunting, fishing, golfing, etc) and he is also really smart. He will totally disagree with that last one but it's true.

Not to mention he absolutely loves to be the one to wake up Davy. I think he just likes being the first to see her face light up in recognition. What a sweet daddy. Love you Russ! I'm your biggest fan!

Prayer for Hannah

I found out today that one of my old K-Life and Kanakuk girls has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Hannah is 21 years old and a senior at Wheaton College. She is from Dallas and Russ used to work at her dad's law firm. Hannah and her older sister Katie were some of my favorite K-Life kids...I have a memory of them stealing my Blankie from me on a ski trip...so the fact that I still love them says A LOT.

Seriously, wanna see faith in action from a relatively young person? Go read Hannah's blog.

I'm praying especially for Hannah's parents as they allow her to stay in Wheaton next semester to receive her chemotherapy. I can only imagine how scared they must be. Let's pray for comfort for them and for wisdom for the doctors involved. And for healing!

Holy Chotchkie!

This will seriously annoy my Aunt Diane but before I post photos from Thanksgiving & the subsequent birthdays, I was wondering if any of you out there know where I can find a nativity or manger scene that doesn't look like Missus Claus barfed all over it. I'd love to find one that isn't the classic ceramic scene but that also isn't the plastic Precious Moments one either. (No offense meant to anyone who owns the aforementioned...I just have a different idea in mind.) So if any of you out there in cyberspace know of a sweet, simple Nativity that I can buy, please let me know in the comments!

Thanks, internet!

(Davy fix...coming soon)

Update: not long after posting this here and on facebook, I heard back from 3 reliable sources (my sister in law, Johnna; Janet -see comments; and my old running buddy Melissa). All 3 immediately recommended the Willow Tree set. Thanks y'all!