There's this McDonald's in Cleveland, TN...

This is going to sound weird, but there's this McDonald's in Cleveland, TN that might be cursed. Or, at least, we have really bad luck there. Both last January and this one, we stopped there for a bathroom break and a quick snack during the journey from my parents' to Brad's, and both years, sickness has befallen us. If it had just happened once, we'd chalk it up to coincidence, but two years in a row??

Our plan for our time down South went like this:
1. Fly in and visit with Brad's family for a few days at the beginning.
2. Spend Christmas and 10ish days with mine.
3. Drive back to Brad's family for 3-4 days before returning to Boston. 

When we wrapped up time with my family, there was a lot of this going on:

These were taken in preparation for the National Championship. War Eagle, anyway.

We're working on not letting our skirts ride up so much.

We strapped Claire into the car seat- which she came to loathe. And, then we drove to TN, stopping in Cleveland, which is about halfway, to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, and grab a smoothie (Brad) and a salad (me). About an hour after our stop, I told Brad that I felt weird. I slept for a little while, and when I woke up, I felt better.

We arrived at the Boswells', and Tim made dinner for everyone. He made a favorite pizza recipe of Brad's and mine: pesto pizza. Everyone enjoyed it, and we had a great time visiting around the table. Unfortunately, it was the last time all of us were going to be hanging out together for the rest of the visit. Because of the Malady. Or the Scourge. Whatever you want to call it.

I slept fitfully that night. I tossed and turned and felt dreadful for hours. At 2:30, I started with the throwing up and threw up every 20 minutes until a little after 6:30. I timed it. It was awful. And, sadly, I don't think I'll be eating pesto pizza for a while. 

I banished Claire from our room for the day and spent the rest of the day resting and trying to hydrate. Brad had a somewhat milder version of the same virus that day, and we spent a chunk of the afternoon just crashed and pitiful.

Around 4:00 am Saturday morning, I heard someone being sick down the hall and thought, "Oh no...it's going to get everyone!" <very dramatically...it was the middle of the night, after all> Tim, Brad's brother, had caught the Scourge and spent the day in bed, recovering. We were holding out hope for Brad's parents and the friend staying with them. 

Brad and I emerged from our room that day, seeing as how we were no longer on Death's Doorstep. I still ended up taking quite a few naps throughout the day, but overall, it was a much better day. 

Our plan for getting back to Boston involved someone driving us to the airport (2 hours away) and dropping us off. This changed a little on Saturday night, when the forecast started calling for ice and snow. To get to the airport, we were going to have to drive through the mountains, and we started wondering if we needed to readjust our plans to drive Sunday night (before the ice coated the mountains), rather than Monday morning. We made plans, hoping that it wouldn't really be necessary.

Around 2:00 am Sunday morning, I heard more rustlings in the hallway, and when we awoke a few hours later, we found that Brad's parents and the family friend had all succumbed and were down for the count. Obviously, this meant that we had to keep Claire away from everyone and readjust our getting-to-the-airport plans. 

Sidenote: I started panicking about Claire getting the Scourge. There were quite a few calls to my pediatrician dad. I was imagining Claire getting the virus (she's never had one before) and being sick for the entire journey to Boston. On a plane! I had Brad stock us up on pediatric rehydration salts, and I packed about a bazillion extra diapers and wipes and spare outfits. I also started quarantining her toys. You can roll your eyes and say "first-time mom," if you'd like, but honestly, I'm like this in my life without kids, too. I do not mess around with airplane preparedness. Why would I- with the horrible luck I have with air travel? 

So, Brad and I ended up renting a car to take ourselves to South Carolina to the airport. We also ended up having to leave without anyone getting to give Claire hugs and kisses, which I felt bad about, but we were on high-alert. It was rather an anti-climactic ending to our glorious Southern Stint. But, what can you do other than get in your rental car, drive to South Carolina, get Chick-Fil-A as your final breakfast, and get to the airport? You know...to have a myriad of things go wrong, of course.

Bearsy's first Christmas morning

We got quite a few sweet shots of Bearsy on her first Christmas morning. Here she is in her Christmas jammies:

And, yes, that is a tartan tutu that my mom got to go with her jams. And, no, she didn't sleep with the headband on. 

My Dad always reads the Christmas story before we open presents. Claire really got into the spirit of the morning:

This is my favorite shot. She looks so happy about baby Jesus!

And here she is, checking out the Christmas goodies with Nana.

She had lots of fun with the excitement of the morning. Again, she wasn't too interested in unwrapping or boxes, but she did fixate on a few items. My mom had gotten her a small zippered pouch that matches the diaper bag, and she spent a long time just turning the pouch over and over in her hands. Then, she found the mirror attached to the inside of the pouch. That girl loves mirrors. She is quite fond of the baby in the mirror...you know, the baby that follows her everywhere. She also got a Red Sox jingle bell ornament that she played with for a long while, too. 

Claire was a champ, not getting fussy until the very end of our present-opening time (a fussy that was easily satisfied by some yogurt). She seemed just to enjoy watching everyone doing things. Told you...she just loves to be around people. Bless her.

All in all, she decided that Christmas is something she could get used to.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

...and all through the house,
Everybody was stirring,
excited about this little mouse (er...bear...):

We were all pretty excited about Bear's first Christmas. We headed down to Alabama a few days before Christmas and got to spend time visiting with lots of friends and family. This is Claire's favorite thing; she is SUCH an extrovert. She just soaks up all the energy from a crowd and is in her element. This was so evident on Christmas Eve. 

The church I grew up in does a sweet Christmas Eve service that is comprised of some singing and the pastor inviting all of the children up to the platform for a reading of the Christmas story. He sits in a rocking chair and all the kids crowd around him. It's adorable.

When we arrived at the church, Claire was incredibly fussy and tired. I was really bummed about it, because I knew there were going to be a lot of people that wanted to see her, and they were going to want to see a happy Bear...not a fussy one. I was prepared for the worst. No one wants for people to meet a baby that they think is going to be adorably sweet only to find that she's in a MOOD. 

However, as soon as we walked into the sanctuary and she saw all the people, she morphed into a completely different creature. She bounced up and down during the songs and "sang" along (pews and pews of people were watching...it was pretty funny. She can't carry a tune yet.). I was really pleased that she forgot her tiredness but was wondering how long it would last and how bad the fallout would be when she remembered she was tired.

Amiee took Bear up for the story, and I went and sat on the front pew so that I could take pictures like the new mom I am. Claire had a great time being surrounded by so many little friends. My favorite thing was that the little boy of a friend of mine from high school was actively trying to befriend Claire. They were definitely carrying on some sort of conversation that was solidifying a friendship. I took about 50-60 pictures and two videos during the five minutes it took for Bro. Jimmy to read the Christmas story. 

Taking in all of the people. 

Listening so intently. Good, Bear.

Please notice our friend, Luke, to Amiee's left. Typical.

"Let's be friends."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Ok! Let's play now!"

It was so fun to take my baby to the same service that I went to year after year. She had a great time, and we were all pretty content just to watch Claire experience her first Christmas. I'm sad that she's growing so fast, but it is really exciting to see her taking things in and beginning to figure out what's going on in this world. Oh man. She's going to be such a ring-tailed tooter.

With Bro. Jimmy

Claire was, apparently, very excited about this picture.

Attempt at a family shot. We've had better ones.

With my Granddaddy.

Meeting Mrs. Song.

Chilling with Mr. Kevin

Epilogue: Her enthusiasm gained from seeing all of the people did eventually wear off, and we saw the Return of Fussy Bear. Thankfully, though, she waited until the sanctuary was almost empty and we were back in the car. Whew. Close call.

Duckmen and Playing Cards

One not-so-awesome thing about living in Boston is that we live really far from all of our family. I know that seems really obvious, but you really feel it around the holidays. We choose to make holiday travel a priority, so we've logged quite a few miles in the sky recently. Since we spent Thanksgiving in Tennessee with Brad's family, we spent Christmas in Alabama with mine. However, we chose to fly into Tennessee (well, technically, we flew into South Carolina <Hi, Kylie!>, and were picked up by Tennessee family) and spend a few days with the Boswells first. We had a nice few days visiting with everyone. Claire has really enjoyed all of her southerly trips and seems to becoming familiar with our families and their homes, which makes everyone really happy.

We did the Brad/Erin/Claire part of Christmas with the Boswells the night before we headed out to Alabama. It started off fabulously for Claire, as one of her gifts was wrapped in a Duck Dynasty gift bag. Claire loves watching the Duckmen, so seeing their bearded faces on a bag that was right at her eye level was very exciting. Uncle Tim picked out that bag and did equally well with the gifts inside: a board book with protruding reindeer antlers, as well as a pack of Duck Dynasty playing cards. Claire definitely held onto that pack of cards for about half an hour. The cards are still in the cellophane, and she still loves holding them. Who am I to argue with that kind of love?

Such a great idea of Uncle Tim's.

The ever-popular pack of cards.

She loves that Uncle Tim. Don't be fooled by this face she's making.

She was kind of into opening presents but was more into the presents themselves. You know how everyone tells you that for a baby's first Christmas, you really only need to give them boxes because they like those best? Not exactly the case for Claire. She loved playing with the Duckmen bag, but she was actually rather interested in her gifts. Much to my delight, she got a lot of books and puzzles. Those happen to be her favorite things, so it was delightful for everyone. She also got extra-absorbent diaper inserts for nighttime. I was thrilled! 

Bear and Gran.

My friend, Breanne, gave Claire a fantastic Melissa and Doug zoo-themed puzzle when she visited in October. It quickly became a favorite. So much so that when we traveled at Thanksgiving, I tucked the giraffe and alligator pieces into the diaper bag for in-flight entertainment. That was a great move on my part, if I do say so myself. Well, for Christmas, Claire got several more puzzles from the same line, which was GREAT! I waxed eloquent about Claire's love for that puzzle, and the family took note. On top of that, my mother-in-law got the puzzle stand to hold the puzzles. That has turned out beautifully. Bear has already figured out how to get the puzzles out of the stand for herself.

Hangin' with Aunt Rachael.

We had fun getting to see some family friends and participate in Boswell family traditions, like fudge eating, puzzle assembling, and egg nog drinking. The only ripple to disturb the waters is that Sadie, the family dog, does not like sharing attention with Claire. She's not aggressive or anything dreadful like that, and she'll actually interact Claire a tiny bit; she just mopes something awful. It's really sad. She tucks her tail and hangs her head and makes us all feel very sorry for her. Poor Sadie.

Grandpa had this idea. Sadie was less than thrilled.

Boswell Family Christmas was jolly and merry. We were sad to miss the extended family shenanigans, but we were so glad to be able to spend the time that we did! 

Stay tuned for the saga of the Boswell Family Stomach Virus. Let me tell ya: that was a rollicking good time.

Welcome, 2014.

We're now 13 days into 2014, and I haven't written a post yet (I don't count the Letter to my Little Bear that was published on the first...I started writing it about two days before that and just didn't get it finished until the first). It's not from a lack of desire...just lack of time and/or energy. The plan is to go back and blog about our visit South for Christmas (and I probably should write about Thanksgiving, too), but it will probably take a few posts; I have about one jillion pictures to sort through. There are a lot of cute Claire pictures. I'm sure you're shocked.

Before the month of January is over, my goal is to post about Thanksgiving, Boswell Christmas (and family stomach virus), Brassart Christmas, visits with friends, a typical Erin airport/flight story, and a few regular ol' Boston posts. That's a minimum of six. Hopefully, I can put on my big girl pants and get it done. It will probably depend on whether or not Bear has actually, officially recovered from the Reduced Staff Syndrome.

That past few times we've returned from visiting with grandparents (and aunts and uncle, for that matter), Claire and I have had days of misery. I think the misery lasts longer each time, too, which very well might do me in before it's all said and done. 

Claire is truly a delightful baby. She is very personable and fun and loves being with people. She's excellent on airplanes and in large social settings. She always gathers a fan base for herself. All things I'm proud of.

The problem is that, eventually, reality comes crashing down on her...and she is simply not equipped to handle it. When we return from southerly visits, reality is that Daddy goes to work/school, and Mommy is the only staff on hand. 

<earth stops rotating on axis>

It boggles her mind that- all of a sudden and without warning- her staff and fan base have all but disappeared, and she is expected to ENTERTAIN HERSELF from time to time. She can't understand that, occasionally, I have laundry to do or Christmas decorations to pack up or a kitchen to tend to and can't be reading books to her as my full-time job (note: I'm extremely proud that reading books is one of her favorite things to do, and by George, I read to her a lot). 

This results in me having to practice tough love while playing music loudly, in an effort to drown out the sobbing taking place on the floor. It's really pitiful; she'll just droop her head and slump her shoulders and wail if I walk away. She pokes her lower lip out and cries actual tears while looking at me with a look that says, "How could you, Mommy? I thought you loved me."

Sigh.

We're both worn out from a full seven days of this trauma. Today, though, it seems that we might have turned the corner. I'm hoping that's the case, because I'm *this close* to losing my mind.

All that to say, I'm going to do my best to get blog posts up. Soon. 

Love to you all.

Letter to my Little Bear

Dear wee Bearsy Bear,

In an effort to write your 10 month letter before you're halfway to 11 months old, I've steeled myself to face the fact that yet another month has zoomed by, and it's time once again to think back over our past month.

You have been a busy Bear. December always brings so much excitement, and there was no shortage of excitement for you. Right after we got back from Thanksgiving with Gran, Grandpa, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Rachael in Tennessee, I took you in for your 9-month doctor's appointment. You decided not to show your doctor all of your tricks (even though I begged you to), but you did put on about half a pound since your 6-month visit. Good girl! Your head is still measuring big, but it has sort of become your trademark, so we're all cool with it. At the end of your visit, you did something I'd never seen you do before, and while it was funny at the time, I really really beg of you not to make it a habit as you grow. You had just gotten two shots, and I stood you up on the exam table to pull up your britches. As I was doing this, you looked squarely at the doctor, and in very indistinct baby language, told her EXACTLY what you thought of her shoving needles in her leg. You furrowed your brow and gesticulated and everything. She snickered a little and said, "Well, look at you...you're not going to have any trouble standing up for yourself." 

It WAS funny at the time, but it most certainly won't be tolerated when you're a teenager, Missy.

You still don't have much hair, but what you do have is getting a taddy bit longer and ever-so-slightly darker. It's very cute. You even have a microscopic version of bedhead when you wake up. We admire it every morning because we're weird like that (don't roll your eyes...you share DNA with us, so it's only a matter of time for you, too). Also...you still have no teeth. Don't look at me- I have no idea how this works. Despite your lack of teeth, you're eating like a champ. You can eat just about anything if it's small/soft enough. You started eating turkey last month (you know, at Thanksgiving), but this month, you've also had ham and a few bites of lamb (out of my gyro...you are SO lucky I was feeling generous). You'll still eat pretty much any vegetable, minus green beans and apparently, asparagus (that's ok...I'm not really much of a fan, either. At least you tried it.). 

You still refuse to crawl. Absolutely refuse. Nothing can tempt you, either. We can literally put your favorite things (i.e. my phone or the remote) out of reach, and you still won't move. You cry and cry and roll onto your back. You will have none of it, you little stinker. I asked your doctor about it, and she said that we can just stop trying to get you to crawl and work on standing/pulling up instead. 

Our quality of life got infinitely better. Gee whiz.

Thanks to our southerly trips for Thanksgiving and Christmas, you have been on 4 airplanes in the past month, and have visited or touched down in 5 states (Massachusetts, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama). You are a well-traveled baby. You are a great flyer, and everybody loves you. I hope you can keep this up as you get older. I've grown rather accustomed to being hailed as an awesome mom (even though I have absolutely nothing to do with it).

You grab your toes all the time, laugh a lot, jabber like it's your job, and sleep like a pro. You like all of your grandparents' pets (Sadie, Ted, Bingley, Robey, and Gracey), and you've decided that Christmas is your thing. Clapping is one of your most favorite things to do, and zippers, zipper pulls, and tags (like on clothing or stuffed animals) are some of your favorite things to discover and play with. You still adore your books (we couldn't be prouder!) and are proving to be quite the little extrovert. Thanks to Nana, you are one of the best-dressed babies in all the land. I have to say...I do enjoy playing dress up with you. You're a really good sport. Thanks for that!

We love you more than a hobbit loves second breakfast. And more than Dobby loves socks. And more than Puddleglum loves complaining. 

Basically, we love you the most ever in the world. We're so glad you're ours!

40 weeks

41 weeks

We have been going through a tongue out phase...

42 weeks and rockin' her Huntsville Space and Rocket Center shirt

10 months taken in Huntsville with a matroshka stand-in, Fawkes the Phoenix

"Huh...he's not a matroshka...the question is whether or not he's planning to steal my spotlight..."

"So far, so good. Not upstaging me yet."

"Oh boy! It's so fun!"

"He's telling me secrets, Mom."

Chillin' with Daddy

Claire's take on snow.

More lettuce love.

Watching Ratatouille. So worried about Remy!

Lunching in the airport. Strapped into the stool via the Baby Bjorn.

Happy New Year!