The Holiday Season

This is the week that begins the holiday blur. Thanksgiving plans have been fruitbasket-upset in the past week, and we are spending 2+ days in Barnum instead of going to Michigan now. My sister's family is making the trek to Iowa again (Sorry it always seems to come down to you guys doing the driving :( ), and we're having Johannsen Thanksgiving at my house on Saturday. It should be a very fun few days, with lots of family and free time to socialize and enjoy each other.

And then, it's on to Christmas! I always have mixed emotions about Christmas, because although it is a fun holiday, I dread all the hullabaloo that goes along with it. I prefer things to be simple, and there's a lot of details that go along with Christmas. But, the anticipation does make December go quickly, which is nice because it's a miserable time of year anyway. And, I think it will be really fun to start being Santa.

Emily has a case of the boogers today, and took an early morning nap. Last week she was thinking she didn't need any morning nap at all, but she is apparently not a cold-turkey kind of girl! I don't mind at all - this weekend she slept in my arms each morning. Now that I am watching her tear around on two feet, I will gladly take any chance to sit and snuggle my baby!

Walking and singing!

So, I guess technically, Emily is walking now. There's a video of her at her picasa site, if you'd like to see her Frankenstein imitation. She still prefers crawling if she's sitting down and wants to go somewhere, or if she wants to go somewhere far away, but if she's standing she'll start off walking, at least until she falls. :) Each day, she gets a little further, and is a little better at regaining her balance. I guess the kids at daycare are really excited whenever they see her take a few steps - so excited that they frequently knock her over. I guess that's good practice too, right?

This weekend was the last home ISU football game (thank god that's over!). This season has solidified my impression that I really do not care to tailgate anymore. It's not that I don't want to hang out with my friends, but that I want to do so in a setting that isn't centered around a bunch wasted of 20-year-olds - or wannabe 20-year-olds - and a football team that continues to break my heart. I guess I grew up. Isn't that sad??

Emily has a favorite song now. We have a singalong book for Baby Beluga (Raffi), and she likes it so much that she actually requests it! She learned how to say "baby," because we like looking at all the birth announcements on our refrigerator, so I'm not sure if she understands why there's a bunch of whales and other aquatic life in the book when we're singing about baby beluga. But, this weekend she requested a book, and started saying "baby" and a few other things in the same rhythm of the song, and when I started singing the song she sang along!! It was the sweetest thing!! I know it sounds like I'm being one of "those moms" and I'm probably projecting my interpretations as her true desires, but she really did sing along with me. Now, I'll warn you that if you don't know the song, you could look it up on YouTube and see a nice little video of belugas swimming along with the song, but then it will be stuck in your head for weeks and weeks. So, spare yourself the insanity that I am living in right now and DON'T learn the song unless you have to. It's like the song that has no end - it just keeps circling over and over and over. But Emily likes it, so as soon as it's out of my head, she wants to hear it again. I guess, I'll do anything for her, even drive myself insane with a catchy little tune!! :)

Already???

In case you didn't know by now, it's Christmas season. How do I know? Is it the red bows and wreaths and velvet red dresses in Kohl's? No. Is it the Christmas music I heard playing at the jewelry store that cleaned my ring? No. Is it the freaking cold wind and rain coming down? No. All that can be dismissed as just jumping the gun a bit. Nono, I know it's Christmas because I saw my first commercial for engagement rings tonight. *sigh*

A weight off our nation's shoulders!

So, I hope all of you enjoyed Tuesday night as much as I did! Doesn't it seem like there's a new spirit in the air? I mean, for a while there, I was SO nervous, and every time I'd hear the news in the car or on TV I would just get a tiny twinge in my stomach that it might all go horribly wrong. But it hasn't! I'm so happy! I may be imagining things, but it feels like there's a different tone to the news now, and everybody is ready to see big things happen. I really think they will! Yay!!!!!!!

I was quite surprised to feel just how cold it was today. I have forgotten just how cold 30-degree temperatures are. I shouldn't be surprised, considering winter lasted clear until May last year, but it's still a rude awakening nonetheless. I need to get Emily a winter coat, because I don't think she's quite big enough for the one I found super-on-sale a few weeks ago. But she will be next year! She's so darned cute with a hood up, framing her face. OK, she's cute regardless. :)

We are really starting to get in a groove with this whole part-time work thing. Emily still takes a little morning snooze, but I'm okay if I want to take her somewhere and we skip over it. She's really mastering some of her toys, so we'll have to get some new things for her soon to keep her interested. It's fun to see her work on her puzzle. It's six pieces, cut apart with wavy lines, that fit onto a little board. Of course she doesn't get any of them in the right place, but she does put them face up all in the center of the board. And then she picks one up and turns it around and places it carefully in a different spot. And over and over and over again. She works so hard at it, and she's so focused! It's so neat to watch her learn.

p.s.

I forgot to mention one of the highlights of the Halloween party. Since we were also celebrating the election and the fact that it's FINALLY almost here, we were very much in the democratic spirit. When it came time to choose the best costumes, we turned our selection process into a caucus. It was hilarious, especially considering how many very large, bulky, cardboard costumes there were! Like I said, I have some pretty interesting friends. :)

Punked

We have the most insane friends here in Des Moines. Although, the more I think about it, any of my friends from around the country would have eagerly jumped at participating in the surprise last night: "I Got Burgled '08", the theme for the Halloween party this year.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sullyjava/IGotBurgled08

That's right, everybody chose an item that was stolen from us, and came to the party dressed as it. There are a few more that I don't have pictures for just yet, but they will be posted when I get my hands on them. I can't believe how clever the costumes were!!! Incredible. I totally did not see this coming.

So, as you might have guessed, the party was a ton of fun, as once again Johannsens hosted the social event of the season. Emily had a good time being a Tiger one last time, and she seems to have successfully switched to the time change (thought I might be speaking too soon). She took her morning nap early enough today that we went to church, and she was just an angel throughout. At first she just cuddled with me and sucked her thumb, but then she got comfortable and started looked at books, smiling at strangers, and was really quiet except for a few very happy shrieks. I mean, come on, who really minds a few happy baby sounds here and there? About halfway through, she made the sign for "milk," and I got out her sippy cup and she was very happy to see it. I am so thrilled to be able to communicate with her, and for her to communicate with me!

And, I think in a few days time, we may be done with crawling altogether. Again, I may be speaking too soon, but she was working on taking a few steps last night, and she's gotten more confident today. I figure that some day this week, I'll drop off a crawler at Amanda's and pick up a walker!!