An Oregon Christmas

We just returned from a week in Oregon with my family. It was wild. 13 adults, 3 babies and one three-year old under one roof. Meals were a major production, showers were short, games were played, and it was a white Christmas to top it all off. We had a wonderful time. We took loads of pictures and video footage - my nephew Asher had Harrison laughing the hardest he has ever laughed. We loved it. Thanks mom and dad for a wonderful week. We love Ashland and can't wait to come back!

Major Milestones

Last week I was cleaning the kitchen and listening for Harrison to wake up from his nap. All of a sudden I heard a scream through the monitor (my heart skipped a beat) and I raced back to his room and threw open the door. What did I find? Harrison gripping the sides of his cradle with his hands and one leg jammed through the wooden slats on the side. He was stuck. His kicking game had ended abruptly and he was VERY unhappy about it. It was a serious situation that I couldn't help but laugh at. Jordan and I had been leisurely shopping for cribs for several weeks - but I realized then that the search had to intensify and a new crib needed to make its way into our little man's bedroom. We decided we wanted black furniture so we ordered a crib and spent the next two days sanding, priming and painting the other furniture we already had in the room to match the crib. Is it insane that my 6 month old has the nicest room in the place? After shopping for a few minor accessories (bedding!) the room is almost totally done and looks fantastic. Harrison is free to toss and turn as much as he pleases!

Another major first....Harrison (much to my sadness is losing some of his chubbs) and has discovered that he has feet. He can grab them and especially likes to suck on them in the tub! It is so fun to watch him change every day. Life is getting better and better. My mom has been telling me over and over 'Just make it to 6 months and you will see major improvements.' She was right. He sleeps better and is lots of fun in the evening ( a MAJOR change). I think I am going to make it!

Eat your heart out Martha

A culinary triumph on my part to be sure. I made 9 pies and one mixed berry cobbler for two different Thanksgiving dinners this year. I thought Jordan's favorite day of the year should be stretched out as long as possible! Martha had great ideas in her magazine for November, so I decided to try my luck. Let's face it, hers were a little more perfect but I had a great time trying to be a domestic goddess.

We spent Thursday up at my sister Emily's house with her husband Tim and their little girl Claire. Emily, being the creative genius that she is, had the table beautifully set. Great Turkey Tim! We loved it. Harrison and Claire finally acknowledged each other and played quite a bit. What fun to have a cousin close in age be so near. We couldn't resist the thigh comparison between the two. I think Harrison has several inches of chub on her.

Friday we went up to Jordan's parents house for dinner with his family. The spread was insane to be sure. I think that we could have eaten for days and not polished off all of the food. It was delicious. Harrison got to spend time with his cousin Jackson, his aunties and uncle, his grandparents and even great-grandparents. I love the holiday season and the chance we have to be with those we love!

As my brother Matt says......."Commence weight gain!"

Late Night Nintendo

Setting: Dark bedroom, Holladay Utah, 11:30pm last night

Jordan: Honey, are you OK?

Annie: I am NOT asleep. I am never asleep. I am exhausted. Why can't I sleep?

Jordan: Do you want to play Nintendo?

Annie: Yep.

A couple of years ago, Jordan and I were walking through the mall and stopped at one of the little kiosks that was selling a game system loaded with all the old school video games. We played Super Mario Brothers, the original, right there in the mall. It was hilarious. We played for a few minutes and all of the sudden hidden extra lives, warp zones, secret coin bricks -- it all came back to me. It made us laugh for the rest of day.

Well a few weeks later, for my birthday, Jordan gave me said game system. It is loaded with all sorts of games: Mario Bros., Contra, Tetris, etc. You know you remember how to play them! Anyway, I had forgotten all about it until last night. We stayed up for an hour laughing and getting competitive. We tried to remember the secret code for infinite lives in Contra, we tried not warping and then warping in Super Mario Brothers, and we played Tetris until our eyes were blurry. It was great fun.

I am sure we won't play again for another few years - but it made for some good bonding time after the babe was in bed.

(For the record...I got to level 8-3, but I have yet to save the elusive princess)

Solids? Bring 'em on.

Every night I crawl into bed totally exhausted (I know I know, I only have one child, but hey! I am new at this). Every now and then I muster up enough strength to read a couple of pages from 'What to expect the First Year' which just happens to be on my nightstand. After reading, I realize that my child does everything exactly opposite of what he is supposed to be doing. Last night was no exception. The following is an excerpt from the book describing the first feeding of solids to a baby:

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"Baby's mouth opens, then, as the food makes its bizarre first impression on inexperienced tatstebuds, screws itself into a knot of displeasure, and spews the alien offering onto chin, bib, and high chair tray. Cut!"

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I have to admit...this is what I was hoping for. Jordan had the video camera rolling - Harrison was decked out in a freshly laundered bib and propped up in his brand spanking new high chair. I was ready. I was ready for spitting and a scrunched face. As the first spoonful of rice and banana made its way into Harrison's open mouth (on his Anaheim Angels plastic spoon - yes I still call them the Anaheim Angels) I waited with great anticipation..........he gulped it down, spit NONE of it out, and opened his mouth for more. That's it. No crying. No swatting the spoon away. No spitting! Not one morsel escaped his mouth! The bib I suppose lives to see another day without being laundered. I guess I should have known, after all he is in the 98th percentile for weight (21.5 lbs and counting -- see thighs below) and has probably been starving for real food for months now. Maybe tomorrow I will introduce green beans and hope for a more colorful expereience......

Side note....after eating he slept 8.5 hours straight. Got up, ate a little more, and slept three more hours. Oh happy day.

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5 reasons to love my 5 month old

1. A steady stream of drool escapes his lips all the day long

2. He barely even cried getting his shots today (check out those thighs)

3. I can put him in ridiculous outfits and he still looks cute

4. He only gets up once during the night (usually) -- sometimes he misses me so much he gets up many many times

5. He looks like my hubby and that's OK with me

To cut or not to cut

Business in the front......party in the back. I wonder how much longer and thicker Harrison's little mullet will get..

The Boston Pumpkin Sox

Our little 'H' was too cute with his cousin Claire as the Boston Red Sox. Thanks to my sister Emily who exercised her domestic talents and sewed the socks! Later that night - our little pumpkin made his debut and was just as cute!

Ha -- Jordan here, and I have seized control of the blog (for a moment, until my lovely wife sees this post and gets mad at me). Now I will attempt to describe Harrison's first Halloween. First off, I must make it clear that I am not a fan of Halloween on the whole. Don't get me wrong, I love candy, I love candy corn (that deserves its own mention), I love a good scary movie, and I love the lore of Halloween with the frankensteins, draculas and werewolves. What I do not like, however, is the actual day, when people cake on stale-smelling make-up, coat their hair with aerosol-sprayed dyes, and wear costumes made of materials of the same consistency as most toilet paper. But the day seems different, as a lot of things do, with having a child to make it cool and fun. My gorgeous wife and her sister Emily came up with the 1st costume of the day for Harrison and Claire -- a matching set of baseball apparel, with each child stuffed into a large red stocking. Together they were, of course, the Boston Red Sox (cue laughter). Both babies were brought to our work party, and they were a hit; until Harrison started chewing the lint off his stocking and had an epic meltdown. I got home from work a few hours later, and was greeted by my wonderful wife holding a jack-o-lantern bedecked Harrison, ready to greet any trick-or-treaters. Whether it was our building's code-key door, or our reputation as unkind individuals, we had absolutely no trick-or-treaters come to our door. A shame, really, because I had purchased some excellent candies. Only fun-size ones, though. Soon enough we'll be that cool family that gives out the full sized Snickers and 3 Musketeers bars. Well, I suppose that's enough of a Halloween recap for now. Excuse me while I go wash the Aquanet out of my hair.

That car baby....

I just returned to Salt Lake after spending a week in Oregon with my family. Traveling with a baby is a whole new world that I was thrown into full force on the trip out to Oregon. This picture is exactly what Harrison did for two straight hours on the plane. From gate to gate. A newborn cry would have been tough to listen to for two hours but tolerable. But my child's sweet newborn cry disappeared weeks and weeks ago, and a full scream has replaced it. I think at one point on the plane I was both pouring sweat and crying right along with Harrison. My parents were there to pick us up at the airport and as the first man came out of the gate my mom heard him say...."That was brutal." Right then and there she knew her grandson had had a complete meltdown.

The meltdown continued on the drive all the way to Ashland and then some. My dad the 'baby whisperer' as he is known, finally got him to calm down enough to fall asleep. I am going to go on record and say that the evening of October 12, 2007 was one of the worst of my life. Good thing my baby is so darn cute.

The next morning when Harrison was down for his morning nap in his blue & gray car pj's, my nephew Asher (who's favorite thing in the world are cars) asked his mom: "Hey mommy....where's that car baby?" I knew then that the trip to Oregon was worth the plane debacle.

Harrison had a lot of first's this week. His first trip to the Clark farm to pick apples. His first high-chair experience. His first swing in Nanna's peach tree. His first trip to Grandpa's shop. All in all I realized even more how wonderful a place Ashland Oregon is, and what a wonderful place it was to grow up. I only wish I would have appreciated it more when I lived there. I am looking forward to spending Christmas there with my awesome husband and our sweet little car baby.

Harrison and I at the Clark Farm

Aunt Toria, Nanna, Cousin Asher and Harrison

Cousin Asher on the Farm

Harrison in Nanna's peach tree

The first High-chair experience