Nathan's First Christmas!

This year was our very first Christmas as a family of three and I must say it was pretty wonderful albeit moderately stressful!  As with most married couples, holidays do not encompass just the big day, but typically the week before and/or after as well.  Similar to Thanksgiving, we made a trip to South Texas and then celebrated up here too.  We'll go in chronological order even though I am so excited to get to Christmas day!  Get comfortable...this may take a while.

It wouldn't be Christmas without decorations making the house look at least a little festive. Anyone who knows me understands that I am not a craft queen and my house pretty much looks like we just moved in a few months ago.  But I do have a few decorations that I have accumulated through gifts from the last several years that I like to put out.  You might notice a recurring theme...

Yes, my decorating is a little snowman heavy...but aren't they adorable!  The best part is that they are a winter theme and so can stay out longer than the Christmas tree!

Alright, on to the main event(s). On Friday the 16th Cynthia and Bill came over with some yummy pasta and the presents for us to take down.  Nathan got to open his present early (Cynthia said it was so he could practice unwrapping) and it was a big hit!  He even helped with the wrapping paper...sort of.  Saturday the 17th we packed up the car, including Nathan's present from Cynthia and Bill, and headed down to Mathis for Christmas with my immediate family at my grandmother's house (dad's mom).  Our little family was there along with Kimberley, Kevin, Breydon and Chance; Kelley, Allen and Tyley (Chris had to work); Mom (Grammy), Cantrell, Grandma Bryan (Gigi) and Grandma Sheila.  My sisters and I agreed that we would just buy for the "kids" which includes my brother (because he is still in school) and mom and grandmothers (unwritten rules).  That eliminates 6 adults from the buying pool, which is a relief!  Jimmy and I somehow managed to fit presents from us, Skipper and Dayle and Cynthia and Bill in the trunk along with our luggage and Nathan's paraphernalia. Granted, we were only staying one night, but you'd think we were coming for a week!  We made it to Mathis in time for a late lunch of which I ate too much and sadly can't actually remember what we had. Shortly after the lunch clean up we all settled into the living room and got ready to open presents.

Nathan got a new winter wardrobe and also enjoyed spending time with his cousins. 



Tyley "reading" to Nathan...how sweet!



Tyley loves the princess dress we gave her!





Kevin as Captain America



Cutest babies in town!





Here are Nathan's presents from Christmas No. 1


One of the best presents of the day was Breydon's Captian America mask and shield (good job, Aunt Kelley!) and one of the funnies moments, besides Kevin sporting said Captain America mask at Breydon's request, was when Allen didn't open the shirt box of books I got him because he assumed it was clothes.  Now, before you "tsk" me for getting my 8 year old nephew books, he put books on his Christmas list...so there!  But let this be a lesson to all Aunts...don't buy your nephew clothes because the box won't get opened, haha!  Another classic moment was Mom crying because we gave her framed pictures of us and Nathan and a snowman plate that Nathan made for her.

Speaking of the plates, that was an adventure in itself!  We went to a ceramic studio in West Houston one Sunday after church and painted plates for us, Mom, Lori and Jimmy's grandparents (Momo and Popo). We only got a few in-process pictures and only one of those was clear enough to use here.  And I somehow managed to forget to take pictures of all the plates and only took one of mine...shame!  Mom and Lori got snowmen (let me see your shocked face) with Nathan's 2 footprints while Momo and Popo got a round plate with Nathan's 2 feet and a string of lights where we used his finger tips to paint the lights.  They all turned out super cute and were worth the child wrangling and 7 year old's birthday party happening at the studio while we were there.  After doing his part, Nathan slept in Daddy's arms for a while as I finished up the snowmen's scarf and hat.  We were all exhausted when we got home but I would do it again in a heartbeat, especially when you see how happy it makes the recipients.  I know I still smile every time I look at "mine" which we have kept on the kitchen island.



Paint tickles!

My precious reindeer plate! Love it!!!!

 Ok, back to Christmas weekend numero uno.  We spent the night in Mathis and after Nathan's morning bottle packed up and headed to Sinton for a few drive-by's before heading back home to Katy.  We spent a few hours with Lolo, Momo, and Popo then went a few blocks down to visit with Grandmama and Jimmy's dad and Egda.

It bears mentioning that before we left Lolo's house we packed the trunk with some of Nathan's gifts ("what was already wrapped").  I joked that it was a good thing we were taking some up otherwise grandma wouldn't fit in the car when they came, but I was reminded that they were bringing two cars.  This was the first sign that Nathan's first Christmas was going to be a doozy.

Jimmy and I decided months ago that Nathan's first Christmas was going to be at our house and I am so glad that we made that decision.  Thankfully all effected family members on both sides were okay with the plan, or at least didn't do their grumbling in front of me, which amounts to the same thing.  So this year Lori, Ashley, Grandma and Grandpa made the trip up to be part of Nathan's first Christmas in Katy.  They arrived on Friday morning and I think it only took them 30 minutes to unload the car. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but this is what the tree looked like after they arrived...




View A (from the front)



View B (around the side of the couch)



Ashley helping Jimmy with his last minute wrapping.

 Can you tell that Nathan is the first grandbaby on that side?  I thought not.  Jimmy's family always goes above and beyond for Christmas, but they really outdid themselves this year.  To be fair, there were two presents under there from Aunt Lindy, one from Aunt Dayle, two from Grandmama and one from Aunt Finity.  Oh, and one from Mom and Dad.  I know, I know, that still doesn't explain the madness...but it helps!

Before opening presents from family on Christmas eve, we made a very tasty lunch for everyone to enjoy.  I didn't get a picture of the desserts, but Ashley made sugar cookies and little chocolate brownies with Santa "hats."  I borrowed a picture of them from her Facebook.  We also had apple nut bread, pumpkin spice bread and banana nut bread from various friends and neighbors. Oh, and pumpkin empanadas from the Sinton bakery. For appetizers we had ranch dip with chips, fruit salsa (made by Ashley), a cheese ball a la Margaret Davis' recipe, and ratatouille with toasted baguette rounds and goat cheese...mmmmm.  For the main course we had ham, roasted asparagus wrapped in proscuitto, green beans with garlic and red bell pepper, sweet potatoes (made by Lori), roasted red potatoes with rosemary and scratch made rolls (thanks, Ashley!). Me being a sweet potato novice and Lori being busy feeding Nathan, my oven is now generously decorated with dollops of marshmallow that flowed over the side of the baking dish.  Oh well... 

We all ate entirely too much then cleaned up the kitchen and took a brief nap in preparation for some serious unwrapping time.

Nathan got right into the spririt of things with his first present, which happened to be from Aunt Ashley.  He held on to that green ribbon for most of the rest of the evening and I finally had to give him his pacifier so he would stop eating it!  As you can see from the photo evidence below, we almost lost him in the sea of toys and clothes that he got!  What a lucky baby to have family that loves him so much.  Where are we going to put all this stuff!!! 



Can you spot the baby in this picture??



Winter wardrobe part 2



As I knew he would, Santa visited us on Christmas eve and Nathan woke up at about 6:15am anxious to see what was left under the tree.  Mommy and Daddy were pretty tired still since Nathan had also woken up at 2:00am with a fever that hovered around 101 degrees all of Christmas day. We had given him Tylenol during the night to bring it down, so he woke up in a great mood and played with his new activity table for a while before having his breakfast. Jimmy and I "opened" our stockings and everyone (minus Ashley who had already left for the airport) had a breakfast of assorted fruit breads and tamales.  Jimmy and I had intended to make it to church, but Nathan's fever kept us at home, which was very disappointing. Lolo, Momo and Popo left for home shortly after lunch while Jimmy and I enjoyed the rest of the day and tried to get the house back in order (aka find a place to put all those toys!).



My favorite Christmas present from the hubby!



Playing with his star stacker the day after Christmas

 Despite the fever, Nathan had a fantastic first Christmas and I hope we have many more like it in the years to come.

One final note...this is what happens after company leaves and the little human goes to bed after a long weekend of strangers taking over their house...poor attention starved kitties!  Merry Christmas!

Count Your Blessings

There is a song we sing in worship that says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your blessings, see what God has done."  God has certainly blessed me in ways too numerous to count, however I thought I'd name a few here in the spirit of the season!

To add some structure (and what accountant doesn't like structure?!) we'll call this my top twelve blessings.  I considered a top 10, but my Aggies are currently blowing away Kansas University 61-0 right now, so 12 seemed more appropriate. [Editors note, clearly this was started before the Thanksgiving Day game...sigh]Here we go, in no particular order...

12. My church family: Just before we moved to Katy in June of 2009 (wow, has it really been 2 years already?!) one of the first things I did was start looking for a church home.  We were very fortunate to find the Katy church of Christ and the wonderful second family that came with it.  I have come to know and love so many families, especially the other young moms who are helping me muddle through my first attempt at motherhood.  With our real families so far away, it has been an amazing blessing to have our second family so close.

11. The Simmons:  Joe and Annie Jo Simmons (or Papa Joe and Boo to Nathan) are our parents away from home and the most important part of our extended church family.  Joe baptized Jimmy and we have weekly Bible study at their house where Annie Jo cooks us all a wonderful meal and we enjoy spending time together with the others in our study.  I know that if we ever needed anything they would be right here for us without hesitation.  I am especially thankful that Nathan will grow up with other strong male Christian influences.  We love you, Joe and Annie Jo!

10. My job:  Just to be clear, I don't hate my job. I hate the hours that my job requires.  We are encouraged by the firm to think of the profession as our "career" and I used to, until approximately Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 5:16pm.  However, this job does enable us to live in a beautiful house and enjoy a comfortable life while Jimmy finishes getting his PhD.  I feel blessed to be good at my job and have the ability to earn the respect from the firm that allows me the flexibility to get there when I need to, leave when I have to, and work where I want to.

9. My wonderful husband: Jimmy is such an amazing father to Nathan and a wonderful husband to me.  Even when there are rocky patches to navigate we are in it together.  See this post for more.

8. My mom:  I tell my mom pretty often that I hope that I turn out to be even half the mommy she was to us, and I mean it every time.  The house wasn't always immaculate, and dinner was sometimes from the drive thru window, but we always had exactly what we needed and most of what we wanted.  I won't say that she spoiled us exactly, but given the choice, she clearly sacrificed of herself for her kids.  She raised us to be independent and confident.  She is always proud of our accomplishments and here at a moments notice when I need her.  She is also the one that took us to church and set the example of what being a Christian mom means.

7. My friends:  I am the type of person who has a few very close friends rather than a bunch of acquaintances. Most of my current friends (besides the best friend I married) I made in college or met through the Katy church.  All of them, near and far, are incredibly special to me and have been so supportive this year as I struggle to balance my life.  They give advice where needed and unconditional love at all times.  I hope I am as much a blessing in their lives as they are in mine.

6. My mother-in-law:  I am of the fortunate few who love their mother-in-law, which is a good thing since we have been seeing quite a bit of her since Nathan was born!  My only regret is that I wish she loved her grandson more.  She should really try to step it up!  But seriously, she will do anything for her family and from the time I started dating her son back in 2003-ish (we'll only count college) she has welcomed me into her family with open arms.

5. My smiling sunshine boy: Nathaniel is the sunshine light of my life.  Even in the middle of the night his smiles make everything okay.  He is a wonderful happy baby, which is a blessing because I really don't know what I would do with a "challenging" baby trying to navigate work and home. We took him to the pediatrician today for an 'ear check' to see if his ear infection was gone and the doctor commented that we could clone him and make a ton of money: "A cute, easy baby...you could make a fortune!"  She also offered to take him home with her (this was the first time we saw this particular docter in the practice since our normal doctor wasn't in).  I love my precious angel more than words can say!

4. My family:  I know you probably think you have a great family, but mine is awesome!  Even the people that marry into my family (i.e. my sister's husbands) are great.  My sisters and I are closer than ever now that we all have children (yes, I was the last one).  Of course my family has its fair share of drama, but who doesn't?! All in all I we are very fortunate to all love each other and support each other in life's decisions.

3. My health:  I am very blessed to be in pretty great health.  I don't count the back to back to back colds I've gotten since my immune system became compromised (read: got pregnant and now live in a perpetual sleep deprived state).  I mean my more broad overall health.  I don't have any major illness or condition that a little time on the elliptical and a few less trips to Whataburger wouldn't fix, and the same goes for my husband and my son.  I know many families are dealing with things a lot scarier than the common cold and ear infections, so I consider myself very lucky!

2. My home:  As mentioned above, we live in a beautiful home that is big enough to have a house full of company and for Nathan (and future siblings) to grow up and run around inside (okay, the running should happen outside, but you get the drift).  But even if we were in something much smaller and less permanent I would consider myself blessed.  I try to remember this when spending a small fortune on home repairs.

1. Nathan's pediatrician: I looooooooove Nathan's doctor!  We went off of recommendations from other mommys at church and am so happy we did.  Granted, we can count on spending no less than 2 hours at the office when we go to see her, but the time and care she spends is well worth the wait!  I know Nathan is in the best hands when we see her.

Thanksgiving 2011

This year our Thanksgiving plans were somewhat amended due to Nathan catching some kind of virus on Tuesday.  We were supposed to travel down to Lolo's house on Wednesday morning and come back to Katy on Friday morning. I got called by his school Tuesday afternoon because he had a fever and, sure enough, when we got home he had 102.6.  We called the nurse and she suggested we take him in for an appointment the next day since they would be closing for the holiday...just in case.  Of course by the time we went to the doctor his fever was down to 100.1 and he had no other obvious symptoms.  Our awesome pediatrician suggested we wait til morning to decide what to do (as far as travelling down to South Texas).  His fever went up to 103.6 that evening, but by morning it was down and he was acting like he was feeling much better.  Soooo, in the interest of family harmony (and so Nathan could spend his first Thanksgiving with his Lolo, Momo, Popo and Aunt Ashley, among others) we left Thursday morning and made it in time for Thanksgiving lunch (which was amazing!!!).  Ashley made the turkey (moist and yummy), homemade rolls (from scratch) and the pecan pie while Lori made the stuffing (particularly good this year), sweet potatoes, macaroni, giblet gravy and green beans (with appropriate supervision from Momo). Later that afternoon we went and spent a few hours with Jimmy's Grandmama, who also lives in Sinton. Nathan had a great visit with his Daddy's side of the family, so I was really glad we made the trip. Of course I forgot the camera, but borrowed these pictures from Lori from the visit.


Lolo reading Santa Paws!



Popo with Nathan



Grandma and Grandpa with their grandkids


Friday afternoon we drove back to Katy and arrived at home just ahead of Mom (aka Grammy) and Cantrell. This was the first Thanksgiving in years that my dad's side of the family has all come together for the holiday.  Usually at least one family unit (including us some years) is missing due to scheduling conflicts, so it was so wonderful to have everyone under the same roof!  We all got together at my Uncle Skipper and Aunt Dayle's house in west Houston on Saturday for a late lunch and some good family time.  The food, as usual, was fantastic!  Uncle Skipper fried a turkey and there was also ham, stuffing, sweet potatoes, fresh fruit salad, brocolli and cauliflower salad, homemade rolls (grandma's), cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffed celery, deviled eggs (Kim's), chipped beef cream cheese ball (Margaret Davis' recipe) and cheddar-jalapeno dip (Aunt Dayle's).  On the dessert bar there was pumpkin pie (Cynthia), pecan pie (Skipper), apple-cranberry pie (Cynthia), burbon balls (Kevin), snickerdoodles (Kevin) and macaroons (Cynthia). As the little ones ran around and the less mobile ones got passed from person to person, we all kind of marveled at the number of kids that have been added to the Bryan family brood in the past few years. My mom now has five grandchildren...crazy! Even with all the people and noise and activity (and picture taking), Nathan did really great and we were all exhausted when we made it back to the house.  This has been the best Thanksgiving I've had in a long time.  I love my wonderful family!



Cynthia and Bill



The Shirley's (Grandma Bryan and Shirley Scroggins)



Kelley and Uncle Skipper



Cody and girlfriend Sydney

 

Kimberley getting ready to play Sorry! (waiting on me)



Tommy and Shirley



Tyler being a social butterfly



Nathan wants to play Sorry! with the big boys!



"Fine, I'll play with my blocks."



Cantrell




Jill, Dayle and Cynthia looking beautiful




Kelley and Chris...awwww




The chef (and host) Uncle Skipper




What is left of the spread...mmmmm




Dessert bar...heavenly!




Aunt Dayle's stunning Christmas tree




Grammy, Aunt Kelley and Nathan




Enjoying dessert while playing Sorry! with Berley and nephews




Kevin and Chance hanging out with post-dinner coffee




"Aunt Kelley, let me help you with that hair...and earrings!"




Jill and Travis with daughter Chloe




Tyley-bird




Nathan with Uncle Chris



Travis with his girls: Chloe and Sophie



Breydon and Allen




Grammy with all her grandbabies...Take 4
Breydon, Chance, Tyley, Allen and Nathan




Grammy with grandbabies...take 12




Grammy with grandbabies....take 27 (we give up!)




Chance giving Aunt Shelley smiles!




Chance showing holiday cheer




Dayle with granddaughter Sophie




My son sampling his cousin Chance's sock (and the attached foot)



Mommy Guilt

This is the cause of mommy guilt.  That sweet smiling face looking up at you, depending on you for, literally, everything!  The reason you get up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to feed and comfort or just play.  The reason you go about your day in a haze of exhaustion, refusing help from loved ones, because everything has to be the best for your baby (and obviously only mommy knows best!). Mommy guilt is potent stuff.  It causes tears, sleepless nights, more tears, self doubt, depression, financial stress, uncertainty and super-human mommy efforts.  Mommy guilt is usually unnecessary, especially from the child's point of view, but ultimately a universal fact of mommyhood. 

Somehow I don't think there is such a thing as "daddy guilt."  Dads worry about providing for the family leaving moms to worry about....everything else!  Now, I know this is a blatently unfair and mostly untrue statement.  Nathan's daddy worries about plenty of things.  And, unreasoningly, those things make me feel guilty too!  For whatever reason, I feel like I have to not only go happily off to work, leaving my precious angel in the hands of strangers, but I also need to manage to:

• excel at work
• pick Nathan up from school every day,
• make dinner for the family,
• keep the house clean,
• the laundry done,
• the dishes washed,
• the husband happy and
• the groceries bought. 

Sleep happens in there somewhere. This causes major problems for me because while I am very good at my job, I do not go there happily every day and generally can't wait to leave.  I don't pick Nathan up every day because I can't always get away from downtown in time.  I don't make dinner, clean house, do laundry, wash dishes or go to the grocery store on any kind of regular or timely basis.  The only reason the house stays semi-clean is because we have professionals come in every other week.  As for the rest, I tell myself that it doesn't matter if the dishes go unwashed or the laundry unfolded for a few days if it means I spend more time with Nathan.  I fool myself into thinking I'll do it all after he goes to bed, however, no sooner does he go to bed than I eat whatever is available the quickest and go to sleep myself.  I am so tired of being tired all the time! 

So, needless to say I am still having a hard time adjusting to being back at work.  I work with plenty of other working moms.  These moms are mostly partners at the firm or senior managers, although there are a few seniors and managers.  The partners and senior managers have somehow fooled themselves into thinking that their work-life balance is good and they spend enough time with their kids over the course of the year.  A few of them are on a reduced schedule, and so make that claim semi-legitimately.  They have a schedule worked out with their husband, nanny, mother or mother-in-law that allows them to be available to the firm but still fulfill their family commitments. It works for them.  So, why can't I be happy with the same?

The first problem I run into, and one they don't seem to get, is that I don't HAVE a nanny (nor do I want one) or a mother or mother-in-law available to pick up Nathan and help with the household.  Even if I did, I doubt it would ease the mommy guilt. They tell me, "Oh, if my child is sick I'm always the one to pick him up," or, "my husband and I are partners and we share the responsibility of parenting."  Well, guess what, I also have an amazing husband who does his fair share of parenting (proof below).  However, when we decided to start a family at no point did he agree, nor did I intend for him, to become a single parent for a quarter of the year.

Unfortunately, single-parenthood is what he is going to semi-experience here in a few months.  The ever dreaded (but never more than this year) "busy season" of the audit world.  Yes, it co-incides with tax season.  No, I do not do taxes.  Yes, this confuses people.  For those who are unfamiliar, this time of year stretching from January to April generally involves me working between 60 and 80 hours per week, 6 or 7 days a week.  Can we say mommy-zombie?!

We've had a small taste of the busy season to come already this fall.  We are behind at work (shocking) and in order to get caught up the entire team works late at least twice per week.  In the past this was par for the course for me, but now if I work past 6:00p I will miss putting Nathan to bed (I have a long commute and he goes to bed early).  Most nights I compromise and leave work at a reasonable time and just boot back up after I get him put to bed.  Frankly I don't get much done those evenings because I am so tired I don't last but an hour or so before calling it quits. So some nights I stay at the office.  And it is awful! 

I guess I just want more from motherhood.  I want to experience teaching Nathan the "hard" things rather than letting a day care do it for me.  I want to be home with him in the evenings and have dinner on the table so we can eat as a family.  I want him to make it to Bible class consistently so he learns about and comes to love our God.  I want more than just the weekends or holidays to spend time with him.  I want a date night with my husband!  I want to just be a good auditor and a great mom and wife!  Is all this too much to ask?  Maybe so.  After all, life is rarely fair.

I'm not lion...he's pretty cute!

Nathan's awesomely talented Aunt Ashley made him a lion costume for Halloween this year.  Have you ever seen a more adorable lion!  I have never been much into Halloween (as an adult), probably because I lack the creativity to make a good costume and I generally prefer to be in bed no later than 9:30 or 10:00pm.  I certainly do not welcome hooligans, er...uh...children, knocking on the door late at night begging for candy.  But I digress...

This year Halloween fell on a Monday and, as Jimmy and I are both working an hour away from Katy, we didn't really make it home in time for Nathan to go trick-or-treating.  However, we did get him all decked out before he got ready for bed for about 20 minutes.  Our neighbor across the street took a picture of the family picture for posterity.

Here are a few more pictures of our ferocious lion.  He's such a good baby and humors his Mommy and Daddy!  You can tell he was tired during the outside photo shoot.

Thank you again, Aunt Ashley!  Next year Jimmy said he would dress up as Paul Bunyan and Nathan could be  Babe the Blue Ox!  Perhaps I can be a tree?  We'd better start looking for a pattern now!