Thanksgiving 2008, Part 1 (Cleveland)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year ... and this year was the first time I have not been at my parents' house for turkey day. Instead, we celebrated with the Altmans in Cleveland. Thankfully, Carolyn was an angel on the airplane, hardly even making a noise. Knowing that I was a little homesick on Thanksgiving morning, my dear husband went out and bought me noodles (an Utz family tradition), but that turned into a fiasco when the car would not start!

Steve and I were especially excited to show off our beautiful daughter to her cousins, aunts, and uncles in Cleveland. It was their first time meeting her and she loved all of them. It was nice to have so many helping hands. And, Carolyn enjoyed the attention from all of her cousins. We had a great time with the Altmans on Thanksgiving day. We also enjoyed the visit with Katy and Dave in Hudson. It is too bad we don't get to see the Cleveland crew more often.

One more thing -- Steve and I each cooked a turkey in a slightly different way to see if it made a difference. I cooked my turkey with the breast side up covered in foil. He cooked his breast side down. 45 minutes before they were supposed to be done, I took off the foil and he flipped over his bird. Both tasted great, but I admit, the breast meat on steve's bird was juicier than the breast meat on mine.

This holiday was all the more special with Carolyn around. We have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Carolyn's Friends ... Oliver & Maxwell

Julie, Heather, and I got together this week at Heather's house before we took the kids for a walk. It was one of the only occassions that all three kids were awake and out of their carseats. In the picture on the right, Carolyn and Oliver were having a conversation with one another. One would say something and then the other would respond. We only have about 7 more weeks of maternity leave, so we need to take advantage of it and get together more often. It is nice for Carolyn to have friends who are exactly her age.

Football Saturday

Every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, college football teams face their biggest rivals. Most of you are probably thinking that I abandoned my Michigan allegiance and dressed Carolyn in the color red to support the Buckeyes (that would make sense, since Michigan is so sucky this year). But, that is not the case. This year, Carolyn is rooting for Utah - who by the way, is better ranked than Ohio State or Michigan. Go Utes!

Yes, this sweater is hand-knit by one of the very talented knitters in Centerville. Mary Anne Smith made this one.

Christmas Spirit

Kristin inspired me to get into the Christmas spirit when she posted her family's "Elf Yourself" video on Facebook today. Click on the links below to see the Altman clan celebrating the season.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/bAc8xbSuBRAsiwjM3QWy

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/Ui58Nwt6epjTfuW2fWrw

UPDATE: Steve saw the videos this evening and was creeped out by Carolyn dancing ... so we made one more video of just he and I. This one may be my favorite.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/qCE9PU586bKpFE5lUke0

5 Months Old

Let's see ... at 5 months old, she can roll over. She can scoot herself across the floor to get a toy. She chuckles out loud. She sometimes sits by herself. She notices everytime Leo comes in or out of a room. She likes playing with her toys, especially the ones she can put in her mouth. She can make loud screeching noises (like a terradactyl). And, sadly, she has been pretty crabby and not sleeping all that well, probably from the stomach flu, cold, and ear infection that she has had. Oh yeah, she is a drool monster, but still no teeth.

Poor sad sick Carolyn

Plain and simple, she is just about the cutest thing we have ever seen. We love her. More than we could have ever imagined.

A short video of Carolyn on her 5 month birthday

A Fun Weekend Visitor ...Kristin from Chicago

We went to the zoo, shopped around town, baked soft pretzels, took Leo hiking, and spent a lot of time just playing with Carolyn. Carolyn LOVED all the attention auntie Kristin showered her with. I was especially thankful for Kristin's visit because she and I got to see a movie, which I have not done since Carolyn was born... and thanks to Kristin's willingness to watch Carolyn, Steve and I went to the pub to meet some friends on Saturday night and I was able to cook us all a big Sunday dinner from scratch.

Thank you Kristin for coming out. You are a great friend.

An Ear Infection

I was ready to pull out my hair because Carolyn started waking up almost every hour ... I was so tired and she was so crabby. Although she has had a cold for a couple of weeks, my intuition began to tell me that something else was wrong. I hoped it was her first tooth, but still there is no sign of a tooth coming in despite her obvious drooling and constant chewing. Then, I began to suspect an ear infection, but I thought she would have had a fever or there would have been some other more visible symptoms. After she screamed an entire night and looked utterly pittiful, I called the nurse and told her what was going on. She also suspected an ear infection and told me to come in. The doc confirmed it after looking into her ear. She is now on antibiotics and was given some numbing drops for her ear. She slept much better last night, only waking up once. What a relief. Hopefully, we get back our well-sleeping baby now.

Moab Camping Trip

We just returned from our first family camping trip. We, along with several of our friends, went to Moab, Utah for a weekend of camping, biking, and hiking. Steve challenged himself mountain biking on the Slick Rock trail, while Carolyn and I enjoyed short hikes in Arches National Park with Heather, Oliver, Lukas, and Kim. The overnight temperatures dropped below freezing, but we managed to stay warm and toasty in our tent, thanks to an air mattress and a couple of down comforters in addition to our sleeping bags. Carolyn woke up a few times in the middle of the night, but I think it had more to do with her having a cold than being cold. If anything she was too warm with all of the layers we put on her.