Just hanging out

Hi.

So here are 2 things.  A picture of Lena and Aunt Sheryl (notice the hair... Lena's, not Sheryl's... although Sheryl's is quite lovely too)  and a video of Lena being silly.

Enjoy!

 

new things.

The little munchkin is doing some new things.  Most notably, eating food.   AND she needs a haircut too.  Her bangs are so long.  They're all in her eyes.  She's such a big girl now!!! She'll be 5 months old on the 15th which is Wednesday already!  craziness.  Here are 2 shots of her first sweet potato encounter:

So yes, 5 months.  In five months I've learned to do some things I never thought possible.  Change diapers.  Do everything one-handed.  Drive while holding a pacifier in a baby's mouth so she doesn't keep spitting it out and shrieking.  etc.   It's been quite an adventure.  Nearing this momentous 5 month mark I've also recently adopted a new approach to parenting:  throwing out the books.  I like systems.  I like rules.  I like X plus Y equals Z (although I do hate math, go figure).  I like to know that if I do something  the right way, I will get the desired result.   Parenting doesn't seem to be one of those things that can be reduced to a system.  For example:  Book A tells me that 97% of babies whose moms follow their structure sleep through the night by 12 weeks.  (HAH.)  Book B tells me that if my baby still isn't sleeping through the night by a certain time all I have to do is trick her by giving her a pacifier instead of a feeding for two nights and by the third night baby wont even bother to wake up (HAH again... 6 nights of hours of screaming proved otherwise).  Anyway, all these books were ruling my brain and making me feel like I must be doing something wrong if Lena's not cooperating with the systems.   Anyway, now I'm doing things my way.  It seems that for centuries people were parents without these books, so they can't be necessary, right?  Hopefully I won't ruin her...

note:  not that the books were totally un-helpful, they definitely were helpful especially at the beginning when babies were foreign beings to me.  They only became unhelpful when I tried to "systemize" Lena and then doubt myself when things didn't go as written.  So yes, if you gave me a book, thanks, it's not you, it's me.   ;-)

Lena's first Christmas tree

Today was our 4th Annual Christmas Tree Chopping Extravaganza.  Everyone should participate in an Annual Christmas Tree Chopping Extravaganza.  It's awesome.  The day begins with friends coming over for coffee and homemade cinnamon buns with rum-cream cheese icing.  Then everyone piles in cars and drives to Bryan's Christmas Tree Farm out in the PA countryside somewhere.  Ladies in one car, fellas in another.  Mike may or may not forget his boots and have to wear plastic bags over his crocs.  First car to make it without getting lost wins.  Once there you hop on a wooden wagon pulled by a huge tractor and ride up the hill to pick your tree.  It's always freezing.  It's always ridiculously muddy.  After finding the perfect tree, chopping it, and riding back down the hill in the tractor you buy 15 chili dogs for your party of 6.  3 for the guys, 2 for the girls.  YUM.  With full stomachs and freezing fingers and toes you pile back in the cars and head home.  Today Sheryl brought her fantastic camera and fantastic camera skills which resulted in the following fantastic shots of our day.  Enjoy.

Yay for Christmas trees. Yay for traditions.

a video and 2 pics

Just a quick video...

and a quick picture or 2...