Christmas Day

Matt and I had a nice, quiet Christmas Day at home this year. I was certainly not about to fly anywhere at 35 weeks pregnant, so we enjoyed the day together with our little tree and the animals. It was a beautiful sunny day, so we took Sunapee out to Fort Funston for his favorite activity.

The sunny day also highlighted the streaks on the living room windows, so Matt went to work, with an audience.

Unexpected Family Time

Matt and I did get one last trip in before Baby W arrives. We joined my mom's family in Beloit, WI, to remember Bob Taber. Grandpa passed away in December just a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday. The extended family gathered in the cold midwest to share memories of Grandma and Grandpa. Making the best of the occasion, a group of 25+ including Tabers, Lawsons, Whitings, and a great number of the Perkins clan (friends of the Tabers since they were in high school) gathered for dinner - and nearly took over the restaurant for 4 or 5 hours.

Lauren's presence certainly helped lighten the mood. Everyone enjoyed meeting the newest addition to the family.

Of course, the Midwest trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to Culver's for a butter burger, fried cheese curds and frozen custard.

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Thanksgiving 2009

For the third year of this new tradition, my parents spent over a week in California for Thanksgiving. This year they started in LA visiting Betsy, Evan and Lauren then drove north to San Francisco. After a two-night trip to Lake Tahoe, they returned to San Francisco for the big meal.

Posing with the hors d'oeuvres plate

Matt was assigned the turkey carving role. Dad observed and coached, trying to figure out how to coach a lefty.

Sunapee dutifully sniffed the feast, didn't touch anything, then kept Mom's feet warm under the table while we dined.

West Coast Baby Shower

On November 22nd, my friend Becca hosted a wonderful baby shower for me. In addition to local friends Lisa, Anne and Robin, special guests included my mom, Toby and Matt's aunt Vicki. Aunt Vicki's appearance on the West Coast was a well kept, well orchestrated surprise. A weekend of parties, Matt and I threw a party for Becca and her fiance Kevin at our home Friday night, so another buzz of the doorbell did not raise suspicion. Only when Matt answered the front door did he see Vicki and stare for a moment registering who she was!

Becca kept everyone busy at the shower with a create-your-own onesie station, guess the baby's stats (TBD of course) and number of diapers in the diaper cake (79) competitions.

Getting inspiration from an animal book.



Becca also outdid herself with this amazing 6-tiered, chocolate and vanilla cake. Each slice barely fit on a plate! The talented Ms. Fox is contemplating baking her own wedding cake. If it comes out as well as this one, it may be the best option out there.

Surprise East Coast Baby Shower

Matt and I planned a quick weekend jaunt to New Jersey to see the updates to the Woodards' house and spend some time with Aileen and Jack (Simone and John, too). Toby took advantage of this plan to throw a surprise baby shower. Her plans were all set. The one thing she did not count on, however, was the appearance of swine flu in Matt. Although Matt hadn't felt well the day before we were to leave, we dutifully awoke at 3:30 am for our 6am flight to JFK, got all showered, dressed and ready but Matt simply could not make it out of the house. After a phone call to Toby and Delta, we got back in bed, and spent the day quarantined from each other after a quick trip to the doctor. Poor Matt spent the next week bored silly stuck in the house.

So, Saturday morning arrives and Matt hands me the computer saying Toby was trying out Skype video conferencing and wanted to say hi. I take the laptop and see not just Toby, but all of her wonderful friends and family, many of whom are donning large hats. I was the absentee honoree at the tea party.

Steve was on hand to snap some photos of the gals and forwarded them on so I could see what I missed.

Boy or Girl? Register Your Forecast

I've added a poll to the blog so you can register your vote on the gender of Baby Woodard. Add comments if you want credit for being right!

More of Our Visit with Lauren

Betsy sent some photos of our visit to So. Cal from her camera. Some demonstrate the challenges of holding a newborn while 6 months pregnant!

My favorite baby knitting pattern definitely is not sized for this age. Maybe it will fit better when hats are more necessary - perhaps for Lauren's first trip to New Hampshire in December?

I can relate to Lauren's desire for frequent naps.

Weekend with Lauren

Matt and I took a trip to LA last weekend to meet our little niece Lauren - and celebrate Betsy's birthday. We had a great time cuddling with her while also enjoying the local take-out fare (mmm, Snax), walking along the Strand and catching the last few innings of Evan's baseball game.

These photos are all from Sunday when I realized I hadn't taken any pics yet and the big adventure of the day was a trip to Target.

Here are Evan and Lauren in a common scene. Lauren looks adorable as always in Fall Outfit #1: Candy Corn

Evan went out to mow the lawn and Matt took over snuggle time, learning how to use the sling in the process. This was key, as I plan to use this sling and plan on Matt using it as well.

Lauren had some tummy time, now in Fall Outfit #2: Pumpkins. More important, however, is what Lauren did just after this photo! She raised herself up a little higher, let her head fall ever so slightly to the side and she rolled onto her back! I called Betsy over, placed Lauren on her tummy again and Lauren performed an encore rollover performance for Betsy's enjoyment. Triumph!

Family photo with matching pumpkins.



Finally, Lauren (and Betsy) changed into one more Fall Outfit after Candy Corn and Pumpkins found themselves retiring early to the laundry basket.