Big Boy

Dean had his 4 month check-up today. Closer to 4.5 months, but whose counting? He turned 4 months on the 19th, but I wanted to wait to give him his shot until after Christmas.

Anyway, he's a big, healthy boy! Are you ready for this?

Weight- 17 lbs, 13 oz (95th percentile)
Height- 26.5 inches (95th percentile)
Head- 17.5 inches (90th percentile)

So- he's still on the charts- barely!
And apparently, pretty proportionate....and BIG!!

Tree Tour

It's hard to believe that Christmas 2008 has come and gone...
The presents have all been opened & the food has all been eaten.
The pictures have all been taken & the songs have all been sung.

Thank you to our family for everything! We are blessed in so many ways. To All~ Enjoy the merriment of the season in your hearts & in your homes.

But, before all the lights and decorations come down, I wanted to share a few of my favorite "non-homemade" ornaments that adorn our Christmas tree. A little tree tour, if I may...

"Our First Christmas Together (married), 2003"

"Parent's To-Be, 2004"

"Baby Belly, 2004"

"Baby's First Christmas, 2005"

"Baby's 1st Christmas, 2005"

"New Home, 2007"

"'Twas a Very Good Year, 2007"

"Stone Harbor, 2007"

"Baby's 1st Christmas, 2008"

"Avalon, 2008"

"The G Family"

"Grandaughter"

"Grandson"
"Ava"


"My Sister, My Friend"

Look closely....HO HO HO, Merry Christmas!

To You and Yours...

"Fancy Cookies"

Ava is very proud of her "fancy cookies."

Time is ticking...

Countdown Clocks, Christmas Countdowns at WishAFriend.com

Golden Age of Babyhood

"Your infant is just entering what might be considered the golden age of babyhood - a period of several enchanted months when good humor reigns during the day, more sleep is happening at night, and independent mobility has yet to be achieved (which means your baby will continue to stay pretty much where you put him or her, limiting mischief and mayhem; enjoy this while it lasts)."

(excerpt from What to Expect the First Year, Fourth Month)

Let it Snow...

4 Months

Dean Douglas is 4 months old today! WOW!
I feel like he is growing up so fast. He's now rolling over from his tummy to his back. So cute!

Dean loves his jumperoo! He's really been getting a workout in that thing lately. He gets so excited and is so proud of himself. It's adorable. I've tried to post a video multiple times but I can't get it to work. Dunno why?

He loves his big sister! If there are 3 faces looking over him...he's looking at her. He loves her attention and can't get enough. I have a feeling the whole sibling thing is going to be so neat to watch.

As I posted earlier, he has been sleeping through the night in his nursery. He tuckers out around 7:30pm and we don't hear from him again until around 7:30am. We're very grateful for the sleep. Now Chet and I have our evenings to ourselves again.

Little D is actually pretty big. He's wearing 9 month clothes and has been for some time. His 4 month check up is scheduled for later this month and we are anxious to see what his stats will be. He's in size 3 diapers and eats 5 times a day.

That's all I can think of. We are all enjoying our little man so much. He has stolen our hearts. He's the best Christmas present we could ask for.

Rollin'

FIRST THERE WAS THIS...

THEN CAME THIS...

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THIS...

OVER & OVER & OVER! FUN!

Why my husband likes cookie swaps...

Ice, Ice, Baby

Well- where do I begin?
We had a bad ice storm roll in on Thursday night, as you probably know. We were woken up at 3am Friday morning when our carbon monoxide detector alarm started going off. The power was out. Great. Well, actually, not great. Especially not great with a 3 month old in the house. Even more discontent when we realized we had no water. No water means no flushing, no showers, no rinsing, no washing, no brushing.... zilch.

I'll just say that Friday was a long day with the kids in the house. You can go ahead and let you imagination run wild with that one.

There were reports of major ice damage across the Capital District. Not good. We heard it could take up to a week to restore all the power. All hotels in the area were full. So, Friday night we headed over to Gram & Papa's for the long haul. Thank goodness we had a place to go, I'm not sure what we would have done without them.

I failed to mention that Bridget was in the hospital giving birth through all of this. Baby Aidan was born Friday morning, 2:50 am. Ironically, just about the time our alarm started going off. hee.

Because of the widespread power loss, I sadly missed a fabulous wedding on Saturday night. Chet's cousin Brooke & John married at St. Mary's in Albany. Their reception was at Franklin Plaza in Troy. Everyone had a ball and the wedding was gorgeous. I really wish I could have been there.

Anyway, we finally got our power restored yesterday afternoon. We kept calling our house to see if the answering machine would pick up. Well, it finally did! Yea! I should mention that many, many people still have no power.

Now it's time for me to play catch up, with just 9 days till Christmas! I'm just grateful to be in a warm home, with power. I'm grateful for Gram & Papa. I'm grateful that baby Aidan is home safe and sound. I'm grateful that nobody was hurt in all this mess. Ice, Ice, Baby! =)

Prayer for Aunt Judy

Please take a moment to say a prayer for Aunt Judy. She is in a hospital in Costa Rica with some medical complications. The more prayers the better, so please pray for her speedy recovery. Thank you.

Congrats Brooke & John!

Congratulations Brooke & John!
We wish you a lifetime of happiness & love!
xoxo

Welcome Baby Aidan!

Congratulations to the Graber family on the birth of their precious baby boy! Baby Aidan arrived with a bang on the biggest, brightest, full moon of the year! On top of that, he made his entrance in the midst of the biggest ice storm the Northeast has seen in many years. This little man is gonna be a force to recon with! We truly cannot wait to meet you!! xoxo

Aidan Hugh Graber
12/12/08
2:50am
7lb, 14oz
20 inches

Snow in TX!

Weird, wacky weather!
I had at least 10 people tell me that it was SNOWING in TX yesterday!
Yeah, you heard me right, SNOWING! Not just a dusting either...there was enough to make huge snowmen. Huge, dirty snowmen, but snowmen all the same. Here's a pic my sister sent me of my 3 nephews enjoying their glimpse of a winter wonderland. She snapped a picture of her neighbors snowman too! FUN! I'm so glad they got snow! Funny that they've had more than us this year!

'Tis the Season...

I just love this time of year. Even though it's so busy, it's so cozy too! There is nothing like sitting in the family room with a fire and watching the Christmas tree lights twinkle. I think it brings everyone closer together and that's always a good thing.

The other night, Ava and I drove around our neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights on all the houses. She loved it! She's been asking me every night before bed if we can go again. I told her we'd wait a few days and then head back out. We'll definitely have to take her back to the Lights in the Park again this year for sure.

Here's a pic of a toilet-paper-holder-reindeer and a sock-snowman that Ava made at school. So cute!

Transition

The transition has been made from "bassinet in our room" to "crib in the nursery." I knew it was coming. The signs were all there. Dean had been sleeping through the night for weeks. He was dropping his midnight feeding. His naps were showing signs of pattern.

These are all good things, believe me, I know.

So why do I feel sad? I don't know why. Well, maybe I do. I was the exact same with Ava. She moved into her crib right at 3 months and I really missed her being right next to me. I missed peeking into her bassinet anytime I wanted to see her. They are just so adorable when they sleep. It's so comforting to be able to listen to the hum of their breathing. Fleeting moments, really.

Maybe it's a Mommy thing. Who am I kidding, it is a Mommy thing! Chet is very happy to return the television volume to it's normal levels. Nice.

Dean took his first "crib nap" last Tuesday, the day after we got home from TX. We didn't want to transition him before our trip, but we knew it was gonna be time when we got home. So, that's that. He's been in the crib ever since. I guess it'll be a week tomorrow. No problems, no glitches.

I guess I'm proud of the little guy. I can't believe we're already at this stage. He's already growing up. And for those who've seen him lately- I mean growing up! =)

On a positive note, it does feel good to have our bedroom back and I think we're all sleeping better. I miss him though. Thank goodness for baby monitors!

Thanksgiving 2008

Back North

We're back in NY after a week in TX.
The plane ride to and fro was uneventful, thank goodness.
We had a nice visit with everyone.
The girls did some shopping.
The guys played 2 rounds of golf and took in a Rockets game.
The kids played like crazy kids.
Dean flirted it up.
Ava didn't want to leave.
We took incriminating photos of Ava & Seth in the bathtub.
We went out to dinner a lot and ate way too much.
Thanksgiving Day was 80 degrees.
Thanks everyone for a great time, we'll miss you all! xoxoxo