We spent Thanksgiving up at Shanti and Aimee's and it was a blast! Good food, good family and good friends made for a great time. We missed our family that could not join us, but enjoyed the great company that we had and wish everyone a happy holidays!

We have been very luck and thankful for all the help that we are getting from our family! Andrea's mom came up and helped us cook and clean and she watched Emory so that mommy and daddy could go out for an adult dinner and that was very nice. Aunt Aim and cousin Shilah visited while Shanti helped us lay tile in our kitchen and dining room. Even kitty is helping by lying on me.

When hungry babies attack!

After the feeding frenzy.

Gabe and I got two pumpkin pies when Dad and Karen stopped by today. They had each baked one and wanted us to choose the best one. Gabe wisely claimed to need more pie before making a final decision.

Emory and I had a good time at the zoo. By the end of the time Emory had had enough and went into a small meltdown...but it was still very enjoyable to get out. The giant lizard is Castor the Komodo Dragon. You can see by the way Dad is petting him that he is really nice. The komodos are AMAZING animals. In the wild the will bring down and eat full grown wildebeasts!

I have completely fallen for baby clothes. Here is Emory's new bath robe. He also has a new sleep sack. In my defense, I can only say that it was on sale and he won't let me dress him like this when he's 13. Today, we are going to go to the zoo with our friends Harold and Lauren.

I was just looking at Aimee and Shanti's blog and found this picture of Shilah when she was very young. Here are Shilah and Emory at about the same age.

Gabe and I continue to work on fixing the kitchen floor. Shanti is coming down again this weekend to help, so hopefully we will have the tile down by Thanksgiving. There is a lot to be thankful for this year. But I will certainly be thankful to have the kitchen done so that we are no longer walking around on gluey floor boards. Last night I got to help by laying down the mud. Playing in mud has always been one of my favorite pass times!

Emory's first bath

We went to Dad's yesterday to take out some branches. The dogs were so excited to see the baby. They LOVED him. They couldn't get enough of looking at him and smelling him. Pandora followed me from room to room trying to adopt the new "puppy". Gus just tried to drool on him!

Here is a portrait of Emory at two weeks. He gained 11 oz last week and now weighs 6.9 lbs! He is starting to show glimpses of a personality. He loves to be held and hates to be missed with. He likes being naked but hates getting sponge baths. He will sleep in lots of places but likes best to sleep in-between us. I like this too, because not only is he fun to cuddle with, but he sleeps for 3.5 hours at a time that way! He is now awake for about 3 hours total a day. During that time he mostly just looks around. He loves music and of course his favorite activity is still eating.

Here is Emory with Gabe at Celestial and me in the kitchen. I really feel like our lives have adjusted to having him here. He is a great little presence in the house. Having him here is much much much more fun than being pregnant!

Emory is great company for me when I have to finish my last min. grading. This was all the stuff that I was supposed to be doing when Emory suddenly appeared in our lives. I have to say though that I used to be much faster at grading. Now I grade a paper and look at how cute the baby is, grade another paper...take another picture of the baby. I finally got them all done though and dashed into school this thursday to enter the grades before the term ended.

As Emory much prefers to sleep with us (Or on us), we use the crib to store lots of stuffed animals and Emory's laundry.

Our microwave broke the week before Emory was born. This last week for me has left me wondering, what did people eat before they could heat leftovers in the microwave? This is our new appliance and the handymen ready for the big game.

Emory and Gabe had a hard night as the Patriots lost a tight game. Emory showed his disapproval by a rare fussy period. Gabe dealt with the disappointment by going grocery shopping. We are all hoping Emory will grow up to be like his dad!

Emory got a sponge bath today and hated it! He turned into a loud squaller for a few min. But Gabe was able to calm him down very quickly and everyone was happy again!

Emory's day

Emory's Friday

12:00 am- I finally go to sleep after catching up on some Mythbusters episodes.

3:00 Am- I wake up for some food and then go back to sleep in the bassinet in the bathroom. It is very warm in there.

5:00 AM- I have another snack and then get to cuddle in bed with mom and dad. Dad goes to work at 6:00. I'm so cute he can never get up in time to shower and shave! After Dad goes to work I take a long nap with mom in bed.

8:30 AM I get up for breakfast, and then I'm UP! I like to look around at the lights. Mom carries me in the sling as she frantically tries to get ready, check email, eat breakfast, and find the car keys.

11:00 AM Today we had a hospital appointment. I have gained 2 OZ and now weigh 5 lbs 13.5 oz. Also my jaundice has gone down even more. Everyone is very impressed with my cuteness.

12:00 PM Mom and I have lunch with Dad at Celestial Seasonings. Mom seems quite happy to let everyone else hold me while she eats. (I'm supposed to be the one eating!) Dad gives me a snack that mom brought with us.

2:00 PM We get home and I take a nap with mom and the new quilt. It is so beautiful and warm. (See picture) The quilt was made by Nola Hartman. Thank you so much Nola! I will get to use it everyday!

4:30 PM Dad comes home and now its time for me to eat again. This evening I am going to watch some football with dad and maybe a movie. And of course I am going to eat a few more times. hmmm. ...I spend 9 hours a day eating. I guess that is my favorite hobby right now.

We were worried about how the cats would react to Emory. At first they completely ignored him and us. Now they have moved to ignoring him and still trying to sit on us. Here is Socks just moving in on Emory's space. Hopefully, this sibling rivalry will end soon! (Before they squash the baby.)

This evening Emory and I watched my favorite show (Sex and the City) We both fell asleep. Daddy Gabe had an early night at pool and got home in time to see Emory in his active period.

Right now Emory is sitting with me awake but calm. He already loves to listen to Dylan and John Denver.

Here I am with Emory in the sling. It is fabulous. Everyone was super amazed at the hospital and they are now thinking about featuring them at the Nursing Nook Store.

Our hospital visit was very fun. There really is nothing like having all sorts of people come up and tell you how cute your baby is. Of course I totally agree.

Today I realized that I am now very stupid. I got into the car and couldn't remember how to start it. I did a few things that seemed appropriate and then couldn't tell whether the car was on or not. Finally I pulled myself together and said, "Is this an automatic?" Quick check because I couldn't remember. "No, Ok clutch in....turn key...car on." I then drove a sedate 15 mph to the hospital and muttered angrily about all the crazy drivers passing me at 50. We try again on Friday when we have lunch with Gabe at celestial Seasonings.

I am now completely obsessed with the Harry Potter books on Tape. My friends Elizabeth, Ginney and Nola have been telling me for years how wonderful they are! I listen to them while nursing and pumping and it is amazing now how fast the time flies. Emory will probably become a little chunker just because I can't stop listening to the Dvds.

Happy Birthday to my good friend Deb!!!!