I have to say, I didn't think that it would be quite this difficult to find time to blog! This entry alone took me two days. Thanksgiving was last week, and it's taken me this long to write about it! Anyway, the holiday went very well. This year we told everyone that we were having Thanksgiving at our house, and if anyone wanted to come, they could feel free. Of course, with the draw of a new baby, everyone wanted to come. So we fit twelve family members into our little house, and, even more amazing, around our table (we added a rubbermaid table to the end, but even so, I was amazed!). I had farmed out most of the food, leaving very little for me to do. Plus, with everyone else holding Iris, I lost the usual role that I've become accustomed to. Yay for being just me sometimes! However, much as I enjoy being a separate being from my baby, I was aching to hold her at the end of the night. So after everyone left, we cuddled and watched ghost hunter shows together (so much for the Christmas movie tradition!)
I really haven't had it that bad. I've determined that I'm going to be an out-and-about stay-at-home-mom. I rarely go two days without getting out of the house, and I've even had some girl time mixed in there--going out to Olive Garden with friends from high school, shopping with Mom on the day after Thanksgiving, and Josh and I even went out for a really nice dinner date together on Iris' one-month birthday! Having our freedom for five years really encourages us to cultivate our own relationship, as well as incorporating Iris into the life we've enjoyed. Plus, on top of all that, I start class again in January, and have been getting calls for jobs already. While I love staying home with Iris and would never choose to work full-time during her first year, these little things have been helping me to maintain my own life.
Iris has been going through a growth spurt this week (which basically means that our routine that was working so well flies out the window, and I am stuck in one place nursing her for what seem insanely long periods of time). However, this new phase of growth has brought with it some fun new developments. For one thing, her movements are beginning to become more coordinated. And, the most exciting for me, she's smiling at me. Though she began to smile at Daddy and Uncle Andy last night, she's been smiling at me and me alone for the past week. Now, these aren't those gassy smiles, these are the real deal. A big full-on, wide-mouthed grin. If only I could get her to do it for the camera! Everyone tells me that her first word will probably be "daddy", but hey, Mommy gets the first smiles!

Thank goodness for slings!

I have to say, if you have a baby and don't have a sling, you are really missing out! This wonderful scrap of fabric has the magical capabilities of making your child feel as though they are back in the womb. We had a couple of seriously grumpy days this week, but the sling is the savior of my sanity. For instance, Mommy had the bright idea this week of making sure that Iris is flexible with a schedule, and can live the happy-go-lucky life that Mommy wants to live, i.e. going out whenever we feel like it, rather than figuring out a schedule based on feeding times. This, obviously, resulted in an unhappy baby who got perhaps two hours of sleep during the day. Hmmm, smart, Mommy. The only thing that would calm her in the evening is being worn around in the sling. So the next day, Mommy was a bit smarter and scheduled her errands for just after feedings. Other than the fact that being strapped down in a carseat makes Iris very unhappy until the car starts moving and Diana Krall is playing (I wonder why feeling completely immobile and attached to a bulky seat would do that!), this was a good plan. However, by the time we reached the post office, Iris was still awake. Thus, I adopted the sling, which makes her go (usually) almost instantly to sleep. However, this meant that putting her back in the carseat after finishing in the post office would wake her up and make her mad, so we had a lovely jaunt around Downtown Corvallis, ignoring the "30 minute parking" signs, and visiting Daddy at work. All of which Iris slept through.
Now I am making dinner and cleaning, wearing a baby who doesn't want to go to bed, but who is perfectly happy in the sling! The picture is a mommy's-eye-view of the sleeping beauty. Thank goodness for slings.
Oh, and I forgot to say that Iris has had her first artistic experience last week. We went with Poppy (my dad) to a lecture by Bernard Malamud's daughter. For those of you who don't know one of Corvallis' most praised notables, Malamud wrote The Natural among many other novels, and was a professor at OSU for several years. Iris was quite good and listened intently, and I'm sure, is blossoming into a genius right before our eyes!

Happy (late) Halloween!

So I'm a bit slow on the uptake here, but it's pretty crazy with a new baby! Josh went back to work last Thursday, so I've had my hands full, quite literally. However, late as it is, I had to show off the picture of the cutest baby in the world. This was taken at two weeks (I can't believe she is three weeks old already. She's growing up too fast!), and her shirt (which, like all of her clothes, is too big for her) says "Mummy loves me". We got to spend the evening with Aunt Rachael and Uncle Andy, making cupcakes and cookies, and basically overdosing on the sugar. This time of year makes me miss our friends Chip and April, though. I miss Chip's excitement as he opened our door and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters. I'm just finding that I'm not friendly enough!
I keep saying it, but it's shocking how different life is for me now. I'm not someone who sits still well, and, up until I got into the nesting stage of pregnancy, I don't think I had ever had a day where I had stayed inside for the entire day unless I was sick. Now, however, I have been getting out about once every other day. It helps being in a house--for some reason there is so much more to do than in an apartment. But the hassle of getting out is still a little overwhelming. I know it will get better and feel more doable, but for now, getting out to see Daddy and take a walk in the park is quite an event. I've also noticed a change in what we listen to and watch. Not that we watched anything terrible before, but swear words certainly stand out in movies a lot more than they used to. And my Diana Krall and Reliant K standby CD's in my car (the two that seem to cover every mood) have been replaced by Raffi. They aren't bad changes (personally, I love Raffi, and drive Josh nuts singing Baby Beluga), it's just different. Even now I'm realizing that I have to wrap this up, as Iris' nap has bought me free time to get a couple of things done! My time is no longer my own!