December Arrives

Along with December, comes snow. These are a few photos of our first trip out with Amelie & her snowboard. She was ripping down the hill, getting cheers from all the other kids. But it was the other parents approaching us, asking where she learned her skills, how old she was, and if I was "recording" her that really had us laughing. I could see Craig's chest puffing out with pride.


I must say, Amelie is a natural - she gets down low, leans on her front foot and points it. Plus, the girl seems to LOVE it. Here we are, giving high fives, after one of the first runs that she flew straight down!



Can you see that huge smile under her balaclava? Seriously, loving it. If I don't hurry up and learn to snowboard, I'll definitely be left at home during the winters. This is the year that Amelie AND I learn to snowboard, I don't want to be left in the dust by an almost four-year-old!

Oh, my lover girl.

Whoa.

Time really flies, eh? It seems I've neglected the blog for the last two months. Here is the long story, shortened:
- January = brrr, snow.
- February = brrr, snow with bar exam mixed in there.
- March = so far, brrr, cold with Vegas trip mixed in soon.

Amelie is progressively becoming more & more hilarious, spouting out important advice and musings. Such as:

"mommy, why doesn't booboo speak Spanish?" (I tried to explain she doesn't really speak English either...)

"mommy, can I always be with you and live with you and love you forever?" (I melted on the spot)

"mommy, I am going to buy you matching outfits so you can dress cute like me." (I asked where she'd get the money, she says Daddy - I'm okay with that.)

Recent photos from a snowy night walk we took. I cannot wait until we're wearing sandals.

The First Real Snowfall!

Well, we woke up this morning to see a dusting of snow on the driveway. This is a big reason why I love winter - I just love surprises, even a surprise snow! I am thrilled for the wet sloppy snowfall that causes branches to droop and pants legs to drip.

The last few weeks have been quite uneventful, although Little A has had her first bought of sickness. A gross fever of 102, swollen eyes, and then a funny red rash took the place of the fever almost immediately... good news though, she is a healthy bugger once again. We're hoping those two days strengthened her immune system enough so she doesn't get another bug for the rest of her life!

Here she is just before we were leaving the house the other day. Indie is in the background, very sad & depressed that she isn't getting to come along. All at once now, "Ooooh, poor booboo-baby."

Let the countdown begin!

You all probably thought I meant the countdown to Bho, huh? Well, I'm actually talking about a few very important countdowns:

1. the baby shower, 5 days & counting (t-th-thr-thrilling)
2. the final birthing class, next Monday evening (we're delivering the placenta tonight folks)
3. end of classes, four weeks (law school)
4. End of Quarter (last week of November) at work, usually high stress, late nights
5. DUE DATE = BHO! (December 1st - 3rd; but I say November 27th)
6. final exams, 1st week of December (ha!!)

First, the baby shower: I hate the thought of family and close friends staring at me while opening gifts, eating food (I plan to save that tiny bit of room for cake actually), and playing a rousing baby-themed game during my "fatty stage." Don't get me wrong, I'm plenty thankful to have a great family & group of friends... and to get together and appreciate their thrill & kindness re: the plan that Craig & I are having a Bho. However, the timing is just not my preference.

Second, birthing classes. Okay, we learned that my pelvic bone moves, that I will try to squat during delivery, and I am keeping an open mind re: epidural/drugs (I'm against drugs - I learned that from my parents and DARE). You know, a handknit uterus and birthing canal is cool... but did we really have to spend five weeks together for three hours a pop?

Third, my law classes end on November 18th. Although, I do have a make-up class on December 2nd. Hmmm, being that they moved the due date from December 3rd to December 1st - I'm not sure I'll make that class. Hope the prof. doesn't mind my missing class in order to avoid going into labor during a discussion of the Erie Doctrine.

Fourth, end of quarter/last day of November is just plain old poor timing in the scheme of Jho's life. Being that I cannot convince my company or the B.O.D to delay their earnings/GAAP reporting, it seems I might be missing out on the busiest week of the quarter. I just hope that if I do come in to lend a hand - my coworkers are ready to follow my orders of "drive fast, drive fast, drive fast to St. John's hospital."

Five, Bho. Yes, that's inevitable.

Lastly, finals. I'm not sure when I'll get them done or how... but knowing me, I WILL DO IT! At least that is what I've been telling myself over & over again.

So, these are my major event countdowns for the coming month & a half (maybe longer, depending upon those finals & Bho's imposition). Ohhh, and poor Craig is just counting down to the first snow so he can make a few snowboarding trips. As you can tell, that just isn't on my list of priorities. Go figure.