A Note from Tommy

In my four short months, I have made several observations...

1. God DOES have a sense of humor - have you met my parents?
2. Watching laundry being folded is HILARIOUS!
3. My two favorite sounds are the vacuum cleaner and the hair dryer - so you would think our house would be spotless (at least the floors) and mom's hair would be done all the time...
4. As a boy, if I'm mad, I either want: a) food, b) a clean diaper, c) to be naked, or d) a nap. This seems to be very similar to the adult male...
5. 7 year old girls are very weird.
6. Parents do not listen to their children...I HATE being on my tummy, and I've made this perfectly clear to mom and dad, and yet they insist on putting me face down to play.
7. I move my legs CONSTANTLYand yet I never seem to go anywhere... maybe I have Restless Leg Syndrome
8. My favorite songs are the jingles from the FreeCreditReport.com commercials

I wonder what I will learn in the next four months...

What do second-time mothers know

So there I am giving Tommy a bath this morning, and I'm talking and he's smiling. Then I see something white in his mouth on his bottom gum, and I go to wipe it away with my finger, but it doesn't come off, and it's hard... he cut a tooth! Seriously? He can't be cutting teeth yet! So I had to check it again three more times. It's a tooth. And so it begins. Better break out the Jack Daniels for those sore gums. ha ha

He's been drooling a lot, but his gums haven't been swollen, and he hasn't been overly crabby. Plus, the doc said they can show signs of teething (drooling, etc.) for months before any teeth come through, so I didn't really think much about it. What do I know?! You'd think I had this stuff down considering I have another child and have been through this before. Apparently when you wait seven years to have a second child, you forget everything, or I least I did.

4 Months Old

Thomas turned 4 months old yesterday and had his appointment at the doctor today. Before I go into his stats, I need to vent for a moment...
As I am filling out the Infant History form which asks questions about his eating habits, sleeping habits, temperament, etc., I come to the question that reads, "Are there guns in the home? Then it goes on to ask, "are they well locked?" and "are they stored loaded?" This struck a nerve with me. First of all, I am sure I have read somewhere something about the fact that I have the Right to Bear Arms, or something like that... so what right do they have to ask if we have guns in our home?? Anyone who knows us and has ever been to our house and seen the bear, antelope, moose antlers, etc., hanging on the wall would have a pretty good idea that we own a firearm or two. Now, I understand that these people don't know us from Adam, but why do I feel that if I answer yes to the question, Child Protective Services is going to pay us a visit? And, if I answer no, then I'm lying, and for what? Because I've done something perfectly legal and that's my right as a US citizen? So I decided not to answer the question at all, because like I said, it's none of their business whether we own guns or not.

OK, I'm glad I got that off my chest, although I'm sure at his 6 month appointment when I come to that question again, I'll be irritated once more... Anyway, on to other news...

Tommy weighs 16 lbs and is 24 3/4" long, which puts him in the 74th percentile for weight and 60th percentile for length. This may not seem like a very big deal to some of you, but for us - it's HUGE!! We actually have a child ON the growth chart, and not just on it, but above average! Hanna has NEVER been on the growth chart, even now, she'll be 8 years old in a few months and is the average height for a 6 year old, and the average weight for a 5 1/2 year old.

Last year at her orientation before she started 1st grade, we met her teacher, and she took one look at Hanna and then looked around the room asking "where is your first grader?" Even after I told her it was Hanna, she said, "SHE is old enough for first grade?!" Of course, after she talked to her for a couple of minutes, she realized that although Hanna may not LOOK her age, she certainly speaks and acts her age and then some.

So I guess we'll have a petite girl and a big boy... maybe he'll take after his Papa (Jim's dad) whom he is named after - Tom was 6' 2". OK, I guess I shouldn't get ahead of myself... for now I'll just be happy he's on the chart!

Christmas at our house

As promised, here are pictures from Christmas at our house. Thanks to Rachel for the slide show tip. Definitely the way to go when there are lots of pictures to share. (click on the side show to activate my comments on the pictures)

The first few pictures are of us in Durango, Colorado, where we rode on the Polar Express to the North Pole. We drank hot chocolate on the way there, and Santa and his elves were waiting when we arrived. Jolly Ol' Saint Nick even took time out of his busy schedule to ride back with us on the train and gave all the kids a Christmas bell. We had a great time, and may have to make that a yearly event (as long as we're stationed in NM anyway)

As you can see, we had lots of fun with my family over the holidays - my mom (aka Grams), sis JoAnn (aka Joni), brother-in-law Dave, nephew Matthew and niece Ellie. We laughed, played games, opened gifts, ate - oh my did we eat!! I should've taken pictures of all the food we had!! We are paying for it now, but it was worth it! We had good weather - especially compared to some other parts of the country... my family had lots of snow to shovel when they got home New Year's Day! But that's all part of the fun of traveling during the holidays right?! (Easy for me to say since we weren't the ones doing the traveling this year.)

Happy 2008

2008.. Really?! Already?! I am told that the older you get, the faster time flies by. If that is the case, I am in big trouble, I can't keep up now!

I hope every one's holiday was as wonderful as ours was. I plan to post pictures from Christmas, but there are so many, it's hard to choose... they are coming though, so stay tuned... Santa was good to us this year, he brought us a Nintendo Wii. We are completely addicted, it is so much fun. Jim and I even let Hanna play from time to time... :) Tommy has to sit and watch for now, which, trust me, is highly entertaining, but I'm sure he will get into the action as soon as he can.

Other than that, we are just trying to get back into a normal routine. The kids are doing great. Hanna was anxious to go back to school today, and Tommy, who will be 4 months old next week, is growing like a weed and talking (I mean yelling) all the time. I'm sure it makes the people at restaurants, the grocery store, church, etc. a little crazy, but apparently he has something to say, and everyone is going to know it. I remember when Hanna was little, if someone did not speak or at least smile at her, no matter where we were, she would yell "HEY!" until she got their attention, and then smile and say "hi" in her sweetest voice. I guess it was a little much to expect that I would have quiet children, even just one. (poor Jim)