Happy New Year!

I've enjoyed my little break from blogging, BUT it's the new year and time to get back into the swing of things. We had a great holiday, and Hubby had a little time in between Christmas and New Years, so we were able to relax just a little. The Munchkin was spoiled rotten, as were the rest of us, but more on that later.

We weren't sure what to do this year for New Years Eve with the Munchkin being a little too young to leave with a babysitter for that long. We decided to have some people over to our house, and it turned out really well. We sat around and gorged ourselves on appetizers for the first little while, and those not pregnant or nursing started in on the wine. We broke out the Trivial Pursuit, how lame are we, and ended up having a really good time. I didn't win.... no surprise there. Then the boys headed down stairs to play video games and us girls hung out for a while until we broke down and indulged in Scene It. I kicked butt, obviously. We paused the fun for the midnight kiss and drank our bubbly (non-alcoholic for me!)

We had such a good time, and it was a good group of people, that we would actually consider doing it again. That's saying a lot, since Hubby isn't a huge fan of entertaining.

Christmas Tree Lighting

I love everything to do with Christmas, but Hubby isn't as much of a keener. Don't get me wrong, he's a big fan of Christmas, *especially* the warm indoor activities. That is why I was blown away when he suggested taking the Munchkin to the Christmas Tree lighting down town. I've lived in this town for 9 years now, and have never been. Hubby has lived here his entire life, and thinks he may have been once or twice. We figured it might be something we could do with the Munchkin every year it's fun.

As you can see from the picture... it was cooold. Fun, sure, but mostly cold. A bunch of the downtown businesses had free hot chocolate and coffee, but the lineups were ridiculous. There were things going on all afternoon, but we just showed up with enough time to meet some friends and watch the switch flip. It was a little crazy weaving through the crowds with a stroller, but it was manageable. We will likely try again next year when he's old enough to understand what's going on a little me, then decide if it's a tradition in the making.

Two more sleeps until Christmas!!

Swimming Lessons

As a kid, I was a water rat. I looooved swimming, in the pool, in the lake, even in the ocean. We used to go camping for 2 weeks every summer, and I spent the entire 2 weeks in the water. Hubby hates the water now, but as a teen he was the star of the swim team. The love of water must be in the Munchkin's blood. He enjoyed bath time from day one, and splashes like a champ. Our local rec center has swimming lessons for babies starting at 4 months old, so he was registered for the first set of lessons that started after he was 4 months. I was a little anxious on his behalf. Pools are super bright and loud, so you never know how he will react.

He loved it! The Munchkin was a little tentative at the beginning, but was calm the whole time. The lessons are great too. A lot of it is teaching the parents what to do, how to hold them, how to get in and out of the pool with a baby, baby CPR, lots of good stuff. They also had 'games' to help with their motor skills and build their comfort level in the water. Yesterday was our last lesson :( He has to be 18 months to move up to the next level, but we'll do this level again in the spring. I really want to keep him in the water as much as possible. Both Hubby and I want to make sure he is comfortable in the water and learns to swim ASAP. My parents have a summer place on the lake, and we stay there for a few weeks every year so it's important that he learn to swim.

I didn't get any pictures at the pool, maybe I'll remember when we go to the pool to 'practice' our swimming after Christmas.

Christmas Cookie Exchange

I love to bake, I'm sure I've told you that before. I've always wanted to do a Christmas Cookie exchange but have never had enough time. It's a lot of work making 6+ dozen cookies. This year, being on maternity leave, I knew I'd be able to get some baking done, so I put the offer out there and had 8 people interested! A few people had to back out due to some reason or other, but in the end there was 6 of us in the exchange. We all did our baking and then met at my house Sunday afternoon to hang out and munch on some cheese dip (unbelievable dip mmMmm).
At the end of the day we each took home 6 dozen amazing cookies! No bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal, chocolate peppermint sandwiches, sugar cookies (those were mine!), lemon wreaths, carrot apple shortbread and black forest cookies. Sooooo good!

5 Months!

5 Months old! How did that happen? It feels like just last week I was getting up every 2 hours to feed him...oh wait.. that was last week. This has been an interesting month. It started with a Doctors appointment for the nasty eczema on his cheeks. He got a prescription for hydro cortisone cream that helped for a few days, and then seemed to do nothing. At about the same time he stopped sleeping through the night. (*sob*) He had been doing so well, it was a bit of a shock to my system to be getting up every few hours again.

On the plus side, he's sitting up for longer periods of time, but not long enough that we'd leave him without his backup pillow. He's still teething with nothing to show for it, but can put the teething ring in his own mouth now. He's still a happy little guy, even though he's only pooping every couple of weeks. Just a week or so ago we had to move him up a size in clothes. He is growing out of everything fast and furious!


17 Pounds 26.5 Inches.

Oh Christmas Tree.

I love decorating for Christmas. Unfortunately my budget has never really had room for any quality decorations. Our tree, for example, is a hand-me-down. My first year on my own, my manager had brought her old tree to work with her to throw in the dumpster. Her family had just bought a great big new one that came with the lights already in it. When she found out that I wouldn't be getting a tree that year, she gave me the dumpster bound tree.

Growing up, we had a real tree every year. I was so disappointed that I wouldn't be able to have my own real tree, but at least I had a tree! In the years since I acquired the dumpster tree it had managed to stick around. I just haven't been able to justify buying a new fake tree when I had one that did the trick. This year may just be the last year though. It's looking pretty sad.



It curves to the right, and has some pretty substantial bare spots. Plus, in only holds about a quarter of the decorations I have for it :P Maybe next year when the Munchkin is old enough to appreciate it, we'll get a nice big one. With the light already on it.

Bath and Body Works

I have an affinity for soaps and lotions and all things that smell pretty. We have 3 bathrooms in our house, and every one of them has a pretty smelling hand soap. I have a couple of different ones in the bath for bubble baths and showering. I have a bottle of lotion next to my bed, my computer, and on the coffee table. I have 3 different perfumes in my medicine cabinet, and a dozen more in the linen closet. Each one of these is a different scent.

One of the stores that always makes me spend the most money is Bath and Body Works. They have everything all in one place! Lotion, bubble bath, soaps, hand sanitizer that actually smells good, perfumes, and sooo much more! The closest one to me used to me across the border, so I could only get there every once in a while. I'd stock up pretty well of course, but when I ran out sometimes it was like going through withdrawal until I could get across the line. Recently the built one about an hour away! But even better......it's in the same building as my mom's office! Now I just have to go online, make a little list of what I would like, e-mail it to my mother, and it's at my house by the next weekend! Sure she's here to see the Munchkin and not deliver my crack ( ahem ) I mean goodies, but it sure feels like my birthday every time.

I was running low on hand soaps so last week I 'put in my order' with my mom. My all time favorite scent from Bath and Body is Country Apple. The name has changed over the years, but the luscious scent has stayed the same. I still have at least one of those in reserve, so I thought I'd live dangerously and skip it this order. Instead I got the seasonal apple scents :P
And then a wonderful citrus scent.
Another Christmas one.

And the last one is a total random one for me. I usually can't stand floral scents. I find them way too overpowering, and not at all fresh. However, my mom has this one in her bathroom at home, and I love it!

MMmmmm. I want to go wash my hands now.