It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas

After four years of participating in Very Large Yuletide Decorating Projects at my places of employ, it was lovely to decorate square footage in the four digits.

Especially lovely when "decorate" is defined: burrowed on the couch while directing, "hmmm... a few more lights on the right."

Have I mentioned how much I love the Mister?

pretty twinkle lights and doily snowflakes.

festive lanterns and mistletoe.

quirky elf that the mister thinks is creepy. 
i love you little elf.

pretty sparkles. 
why hello there, self in reflection.

the prettiest advent calender you ever did see. 
thank you aunt rachel and uncle jeremy!

when in doubt, add more twinkle lights.

candles in mason jars with a mistletoe-scented candle.

cheerful ornaments and bows.

Howdy Pardna'

The weekend after Thanksgiving, the Wren Bird met her 
Uncle Ben from Texas for the first time.

He began the relationship on her terms...



But it wasn't long before he was teaching her to say "Yee Haw!".

One Month

7lbs 6oz
20in.

Our life at one month:

Victory: We have yet to be late anywhere.

Recount?: We've only committed to being three places
at a specific time.  

Two of them were the Wren Bird's doctor appointments.

Victory: The Wren Bird rolled over twice.

Recount?: Both occasions were during Tummy Time and it was just a serendipitous coordination of her enthusiastic flapping that sent her rolling to her back.

Her astonished blinking was priceless.

Victory: The Wren Bird slept through the night twice last week.

Recount?: I suspect that she was just begging for relief after days filled with errands.  Her cooing on the monitor implied she just needed some peaceful time with her thoughts.

Amended Victory: The Wren Bird didn't cry during the night twice last week.

Victory: The Wren Bird recognizes the Mister's and my
face and voice.

Recount?: Some articles and nursing books say your little one will begin to gaze adoringly at you while you're nursing.  
The Wren Bird does recognize me, but the look she gives me most often is a furrowed-brow, suspicious, sideways glare that says 
"What took you so long?!?"

Victory: We have established an orderly routine.

Recount?: The extent of that routine?
Every time the Wren Bird burps or pooters (delicate mommyspeak for flatulence) we clap and crow like she graduated valedictorian.  

Every time she flings both arms wildly from her swaddle and stretches her little seven-pound body, we giggle, throw our hands up and cry, "SOOO BIG!"

Every time she falls asleep on someone or does tummy time, we know we have time to accomplish one thing on our list... and yet we choose to take more pictures.

We are the picture of dignified consistency.

The Birdie's First Turkey Day

In order to celebrate with us on Thanksgiving, my brother and sister-in-law, loaded up their three little people and took the long route to our house.

It's a wonder they keep coming - their travels south always seem to spark some travel-devastating natural disaster or bureaucratic notion of improvement.  This time was no different.

I'm so thankful they persevere though because I grew up believing God consulted my older brother when hanging the moon, and the best decision HE ever made was choosing my sister-in-law - moon notwithstanding.

Wren's Maca and Papa, Auntie Em, Aunt Heidi and Uncle Colby joined us as well.  With nine adults, four little people, and five dogs it was a full house, but since I remained burrowed on the couch committed to my role as an all-you-can-eat-buffet, I had a front row seat to laugh at the busyness and be very, very thankful for the joy in our home this year.

The Wren Bird met her cousins for the first time.

Getting used to a new little one is a learning experience, but I can't imagine the learning curve had the Wren Bird had an older brother.  

Each time I went to change the Birdie's diaper my little Mini Man nephew (right) would bolt into her room crying with glee, 

"Is it poopy? Is it poopy?"

Upon his arrival, her Big Buddy cousin (left) solemnly informed the Wren Bird that he was Batman, Mini Man was Spiderman, Little Lady was Wonder Woman, and the Wren Bird would now join them as Catwoman.

While their little boy preoccupation with all things gross and heroic made me laugh, there wasn't anything quite as precious as Mini Man running in saying in distress 

"Baby 'When' is crying!"

or Big Buddy sitting beside me and comforting her, 

"It's okay little Birdie, it's okay."

Mini Man was certain the Wren Bird would love pumpkin playdough.

 Hattie and Pippin realized that little human snack time is their new Mecca.  

Suddenly, the Wren Bird has a future purpose in their lives.

It was a nontraditional but oh-so-fabulous Thanksgiving feast.

The Mister takes his grilling skills very seriously.

"Girls like guys with skills."

 

 Five years ago I was seduced for the first time by the mysterious allure of Black Friday shopping.  

My sister-in-law and mom were there for my tragic lapse in judgement.  

I think we sought solace at Starbucks while I gazed unblinking into the distance and asked if I could sit on my mom's lap.

Never again.

I swore it.

But then...

This was enough to pull me from my air mattress at the 4:00 that still has a "0" in front of it.

It was one of my proudest moments when we stood, first to arrive, in front of the Anthropologie store at 5:20a.

Thank goodness Maca came!

While I was ferociously sifting through ruffles, lacy granny-inspired knits, and whimsically insect-adorned apparel, Maca and Wren protected our treasures and carried our bags.

While trying on clothes three weeks post-baby is about as much fun as spending a summer day in rubber pantyhose, we spent a delightful hour and a half in the Anthropologie dressing room.

We spent the rest of the weekend cuddling on the couch, slowly putting up Christmas decorations, reading books with Big Buddy and Mini Man, listening to Pandora Christmas stations, and working on some fun projects.

The Wren Bird and her Uncle Colby - one of her favorite buddies for warm snuggles.

Chillin' with Auntie Em.

Maca Days

The Mister had to return to that place that puts money in our bank account.

This whole business of keeping a little human alive was still very daunting, so my mom - the Wren Bird's Maca - arrived to ensure there was dinner, clean laundry and nap time for the Mister and myself.  

It was wonderful to have company and happy chatter as I adjusted to the new rhythm of life with three hour feeding appointments, but we also managed to fill our days with JoAnn Fabrics trips, preparations for Thanksgiving, and random gallivanting around town.

The Wren Bird and her Maca.

A trip to see Auntie Em on her farm.
It was too cold to see the ponies.  
We were sad.
 

 The Wren Bird's first girl's lunch with Auntie Em and Maca.

Happy trip to the mall to see the 
Christmas decorations.  
I came to terms with the fact that most of my time at the mall will now be spent in the Mother's Room at Von Maur.

 

 Thanksgiving grocery shopping.  

Because we have to put the infant seat in the cart, it's the Wren Bird's job to hold the cereal boxes.

After two weeks of eat.swaddle.sleep. (bestseller of how it changed her perspective on life coming soon) we took the Wren Bird for her newborn photos.  

She ate, but then we expected her to lie naked and asleep on various furry contraptions.  

The Wren Bird's world came apart.

There was great weeping and gnashing of little, gummy, someday teeth.

 10:30p 

Five hours and three photos later, we put the overwrought Birdie into her seat while she maintained her protests at my inconsistent parenting.  

Please note the nakedness - even a onesie was too much to ask at that point.

We arrived home and I noticed she was fanatically clutching her pacifier (right hand), her last link to the world as she'd known it for two weeks.

What I Didn't Know

I call myself a pessimistic optimist.

I fixate on prepare myself for the worst case scenario and every related contingency like I'm the love child of Cassandra and Eeyore.

Because the mutant nightmares I conceive rarely happen, I generally walk around with the awed delight reserved for Disney movies and Narnia.

True to form, while preparing for the Wren Bird, I was certain my days would be merely a parade of staggering zombie marches from a warm bed to a screaming baby.

I think people tried to tell me I might like having a little human around the house, but I was staunch in my conviction that a mandatory purgatory of lost control and sleep were the sum of my new reality. 

It's been two weeks of awed delight.
  
I didn't know I would love:

...the Mister diving to turn off the radio when a classic Father|Daughter song came on because he "really can't think about her wedding right now."


...seeing her sleep with her little booty in the air.

..little baby kisses on my neck.

 ...her furrowed brow and straining little chicken neck when she is So.Sure. she knows where dinner is.

 The Mister says she gets her confidence in her disorientation from me.  

Apparently you can never live down one upside down map in Dublin.

 

...stretches that are SO. BIG.

.

...those first stares that seem like a moment of recognition.

Evidence a Proud Daddy Lives Here

I love being in the other room when the Mister is spending his "daddy time" with the Wren Bird.
All I hear is him laughing at her various faces.  
Then he sighs and tells her he can't believe how pretty she is.

I sigh tenderly and smile. 
Hallmark will be knocking on our door any minute.

We send out those kinds of vibes.


Then I open the computer and see the photo stream of "daddy time"...

Hallmark probably won't be knocking.

Evidence of a Newborn

Looking back over this past week, there are some decisive clues that a newborn has brought drastic change to our little home.

1. Stumbling in from a 3am feeding, I saw the Mister sleeping with his face smooshed into the pillow and I almost woke him up in hysterics because of his high risk of SIDS.

2. I allowed a 25% off a sale-priced purchase coupon to JoAnn's expire.

{{I didn't realize it was expired until I tried to use it.  Then I cried.  And blamed hormones.}}

3. When the Mister asked if I was excited to get my new iPhone I responded with despair, "I don't want an iPhone, I just want to sleep."
{{I recovered when I heard Siri could sleep for me.  The iPhone is ordered.}}

4. My pretty magazines remain unopened.

5. Multiple loads of laundry remain in various stages of completion.

6. A trip to the Yankee Candle store was pure pleasure instead of desperate and fearful sniffs to find the candle that wouldn't make me ill.

{{Which is more "Evidence of Not Being Pregnant Anymore" than "Evidence of a Newborn"... eh, semantics.)

7. We now think "milk drunk" is just about the funniest thing that ever did happen.

 

NFL Sunday

Earlier this week, we tried to initiate Wren into the local religion culture, for her first NFL Sunday.

Unfortunately, with an 0-9 start, Wren was not convinced this was the fan base she wanted to join.

We'll keep working on her...

In other news, what a happy difference a week makes!

Scenes From the Week a Birdie Flew In

Wren Louise Strycker

10:58p | November 2nd

6lbs 8oz | 19in

A few of the moments from this past week.

We went to the hospital Tuesday night.

After a night of Dexter, I spent Wednesday morning crunching ice, reading blogs, and Pinteresting with our fabulous nurse, Carmen.

After the epidural, visitors were fabulous.

After a week of knitting frantically, I still had to finish ONE MORE hat.

There were a few scary moments through the day, when the doctor was about to take us back for a c-section because I wasn't progressing but Wren's heart rate was decelerating.  At 9:15p, the doctor told me I had until 10:30p to progress or off to surgery we'd go.  She left the room and told the anesthesiologist that we'd be heading back to the OR in an hour.

I often struggle with procrastination because I tell myself I work well under pressure. 

Apparently that is still true.  

At 10:35p she looked at me in surprise and said I was ready to push.

Thankfully, once the Wren Bird was ready to come, she was READY.  Within 10 minutes of leaving the room, the doctor was back in the room, while Carmen urged frantically, "Wait! Wait! Don't push anymore!"

Healthy, safe, and squishy - even her little cone head was perfect and beautiful to me.

Watching the Mister hold the Wren Bird and tell her how beautiful she is, have been some of my favorite moments in the last few days.

Our first family photo!

Just a few of the wonderful visitors we've had.  We are so incredibly blessed to have so many dear friends to share in our joy!

Uncle Jim

Aunt Jennie

Grace and Emma - Future Babysitters!

Aunt Emily and Wren Bird in matching hats.