On a Midnight Clear...

Quieted and Overwhelmed.

I had started writing a blog thinking about all the things this year's Christmas was making me think of. Mary was super high on the list. But, then my friend Bessy Bear sent me an email with a link to this blog that I haven't read before, but loved her rendition on Mary and her pregnancy. Check it out if you are interested.

I tell, ya, being a new mom at Christmas is the way to go. Things I wondered about as I watched my little girl...

* Did baby Jesus blow spit bubbles?

* When he found his tongue, did he roll it like davey love does?

* Did Mary struggle with his sleep schedule? Her milk supply?

My two favorite people on God's green earth. Davey's pose. Spit bubbles. Again.

Just amazing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, baby Jesus.

4 Months.

No, THIS is most favorite.

Each new month has brought with it the above phrase over and over again. But FO REAL this one, cuz it's even Christmas n' such. Baby girl, you are SO. Fun.

This month has brought with it some amazing challenges. Really, just that my little girl is HUNGRY. The combination of several unfortunate things has taken a serious shot to momma's milk supply. Don't worry though, baby. I'm fightin' like stink to get it back for you. Momma is nuthin' if not COMMITTED.

(side note: I think I'm typing 'western speak' b/c the hubs and I just watched the John Wayne version of True Grit in prep for seeing the new one. I be goin' all western on ya'll.)

ANYHOO. YOU, my little bit, have continued to grow and thrive. You are this amazingly expressive, strong, talkative little pooka shell. You are quick with a smile and a laugh and in general have one of the most amazing dispositions I know. You are going to be like your daddy. Who cares if you still wake up as many times during the night as you did when you were 2 weeks old? You are just giving your working momma some good ol' faith testing. Sleep, I've decided, is subjective. If you focus on, "Oh, I got 4 hours, or 6 hours" you are so much more miserable during the day than if you don't count the hours, count it all joy, and just move on. (And take a nap when you can. :) )

Some noteworthies for your 4th month of livin':

* You have learned to suck your thumb a bit (methinks b/c you are SO hungry.) :)

* You have found your tongue. It beautifully progressed from just spit bubbles to a full role. Now every morning, it is the FIRST thing we do when we wake up.

* Dec. 20, 2010 - You successfully rolled over BOTH ways! AND you went ahead and were a diva about it and took care of doing it both ways for the first time on the SAME day. Below is the celebratory pic we took right after the immense accomplishment.

* You have gotten so stong that mommy LITERALLY has to straightjacket you into your kiddopotomus at night. We tried letting you fall asleep without it, but you are just too dern enthralled with your hands. Which leads me to...

* Sometimes I catch you staring at your hands up in the air, like they are little space aliens. I can tell you are just about ready to start reaching for things. Meanwhile you just beat the tar out of your little hanging animals in the Baby Einstein floor toy.

* Your great-grandparents, Mamaw and Papaw, love you so much that they gave you some money for Christmas. Now you MIGHT get to go to college. :)

* When you get REALLY excited, you breath in REALLY fast and then cough. It's silly.

* You are more beautiful every day, and your daddy and I simply adore you.

* You got your First Official Stocking this year, with your very own name on it, and you were so beside yourself we had to take a little picture. :)

* Momma also happened to purchase you an INCREDIBLY ridiculous yet incredibly gorgeous Christmas dress. Let's just say we went for MOST poof possible. AND frilly, don't forget frilly.

*You got some REALLY fun presents. Christmas was just awesome.

* We got to have a fun Chi-O Reunion lunch this last week, and you got to see some of your favorite Auntie Hooties. You had decided to be a monkey that day.

Julie, Kasey, Kim and Linds. You are the mascot.

Well, little one, let's raise a glass... of breastmilk of course.... and salute to your health and continued delightfulness in the coming 2011. (If you get embarrassed by this blog when you are older I won't tell people the address. Promise.)

Love you, Querrida chica.

Yo Mamma.

Happy Baby and Merry Christmas!!

I wanted to get this logged for the future delights of my chilluns.

This is our beyouchus Baby Birth Announcement.

If you didn't get one I'm so sorry. I sooooo didn't order enough.

And here is my awkward/turrible attempt at a christmas card. Used publisher. oh well.
Going to try and send these out electronically through the world wide web.
Merry Christmas!

Blood Moon Rising.

Absolutely amazing. We had something occur last night - a blood moon on a winter soltice- that hasn't occured in over 400 years, and won't occur again for at least another 100. Missed it? Check out this time-lapsed video:

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Happy 3 Mos, You Little Pickle.

Dearest Pickle Pants,

Happy 3 month birthday. You are my happy little slice of sunshine. You have grown and changed SO much this past month!

* You have TOTALLY found your fingers. And methinks they taste like chicken to you, cuz you LOVES to be stickin' em all up in yo mouth. :)

* You have gotten silly silly when you nurse. Let's just say you get distracted and try to cartwheel out of my arms.

*You don't fit sideways in your crib anymore!! You are too tall so we have to make you sleep diagonally. :)

* You like to have sing-offs with Mommy. We don't know yet if God gave you a voice, but he cetainly has given you the pipes!

* You laughed for the first time over Thanksgiving! It was a full out, serious laugh. LOVED it. Normally you have the shreik down, but this was a hearty girly laugh.

* With just the teeniest amount of help, you are FINALLY starting to try and roll over. We think you are going to be jogging before you like to be on your tummy.

We had an amazing Austin-Thanksgiving with Ryan's parents in early November. Cue seriously awesome Nixon photo shoot. Thanks to MW, our amazing photog, and you know you know you want to see the Christmas pics.

A Momma and her two loves.

Big Daddy and His Great Grand.

My Mommy and Me.

The whole fam!

Get. this. flower. off. my. head.

jeff and riley. 2 of the most photogenic men I know. :)

Daddy and his girl.

And then Thanksgiving Mac-Style at Firewater Ranch with ALLLLL the Macfarlan Family. My heart just got filled up to overflowing catching up with all my cousins and their cute spouses. Those pics to come next. :)

FALSE ALARM!!!!

Wahoo!!! The beeeyotch is NOT pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO puppies were had over the break.

Kenna is getting BACK to NORMAL!

Ok, I know you are asking, "Calpal, how in the free world can you be mistaken that your dog was pregnant?"

Promise kiddos, she had ALL the signs. But, apparently dogs can go into a 'false pregnancy,' and all the physical symptoms of pregnancy can STILL be happening!!!
Weird! If you want to know more, you can read about it here. <- BTW almost ALL of those were happening. Well, praise the Lord and Glory-Be for no un-wanted pregginess. To those of you who were actually interested in one of the puppies, I have two things to say:

1) Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
2) Shame on you for liking ugly pups. :)

With a heart that's thankful, and a dog that is NOT a single parent.....
I'm out.

Dear Kenna, You Are a Hussy.

So, I think my dog is pregnant.

Yes, you heard me, pregnant.

Yes, my one-and-a-half-year-old dog is pregnant.

This precious beautiful little puppy, once just a little chocolate bug sitting on my lap, may have lost her innocence.


AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT.
The story you ask? Sit down, young padawans, and I'll tell you a fetching fable.

Once there was a dog whose owners were the greatest owners in the WORLD! They took her on walks every day, ran with her, took her to the park, their ranch, Colorado, and gave her so much love she thought she would burst.

Then one day, everything started changing.

There was a new puppy in town. She wasn't brown and furry like Kenna the dog, she was bald all over except on her head. She didn't do ANYTHING. She couldn't even walk, and mom had to carry her everywhere. She cried at night, during the WHOLE day, and all times in between. She took up so much of her parents' time crying, sometimes Kenna's mom would forget to feed her or let her out to go to the bathroom. :( So one day, when the yard men left the side gate open, and mom let Kenna out (without her normal watchful supervision) to go to the bathroom during her special time, she knew to run for all she was worth!

45 minutes, a screaming baby in the car, and a terrified mother later, she was found. Was it a compassionate, loving neighbor that picked up the beloved pup? Nay, it was a full-blown animal rights activist. With her firey red hair blowing in the September Texas wind, she told Callie and her mother the following:

-"She's SOOOO thin"

- How can you have a un-spayed dog running around in the neighborhood when there are SO many dogs in the world and over 4 MILLION are put down every year!

-I was emailing around trying to find out whose dog it is!!

- I imposed upon my gracious neighbor to keep your dog in their back yard.

- She has been back their hanging out with their American PIT BULL, Tito.

Errrrrkkkkkk!

Her AMERICAN PITBULL? Now, I was gone by this time, to go satiate the screaming baby. Mom quickly scooped up Kenna and left.

She went back by later, and gently asked if Mr. Frito the American Pitbull was neutered.

Mrs. Animal Right's Activist choked on every last word she had admonished us with.

"Oh.... you know..... that is a GREAT question... perhaps I should find that out."

Well folks, I've been by 2 more times and STILL haven't heard.

And my dog grows by the day. Sigh, alas, anon.

If anyone is in the market for some pit-bull-lab puppies.................

Call me. We'll see - she's due over Thanksgiving week. What a Christmas present for you and your family to enjoy!!!!! Go google pit lab puppies. A-Dor-Able. (I'm lying.)

and yes, they will BE FREE.

This is how Kenna sleeps. How can you resist this adorableness?

PLEASE BUY OUR PITBULL LAB PUPPIES.