Merry Christmas!

Its Karis' first Christmas! She was not very interested in it at all. She got clothes and toys. On Christmas Eve she wouldn't sleep even after Mommy and Daddy told her Santa was going to skip our house if she didn't go to sleep. She just didn't care. Christmas morning Karis we opened presents. Karis was somewhat interested, but had more fun pulling on the handles of gift bags.

It was a quiet day for us. We enjoyed each other's company and also prepared for our trip to Illinois. Here are some pictures of our Christmas...

Blizzard

On Sunday and Monday we got 18 inches of snow here are some pictures...

The Living Room window

Our Cars

The front porch

This is how Karis spent her snowed in weekend.

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Last weekend we went to a Christmas party at our neighbor's house. It was nice to get to know our neighbors better and meet new people. Karis charmed everyone.





We decorated the tree last weekend. This is what Karis did while Mommy and Daddy worked. But we got our revenge! We found some antlers in the bottom of one of the bins and...

This weekend Karis and Mommy went to a music class with some other mommies and babies. It was a lot of fun. Karis liked all the other babies. Some of the older kids really thought Karis was interesting, and sat with her for part of the class. All the playing made Karis nice and tired. She slept in her stroller while Mommy and Daddy did some Christmas shopping. We went out to lunch. Karis flirted with the people around us.

Today is a quiet day. We are wrapping presents and watching TV. Daddy's still in his PJ's, but Mommy and Karis are dressed. Usually its the other way around!

Thanksgiving Vacation

So we made it back from Pennsylvania alive, although I still have a cold 8 days later. My voice still hasn't come back completely. It was really fun seeing the family. Thanksgiving was at my parents' house this year so needless to say I was put to work preparing food and decorating. Let me tell you, cooking a Thanksgiving meal for 22 people is not easy. There's a lot to keep track of and lots of tastes to accomodate. Things went off without a hitch and everyone enjoyed themselves. That was Thursday.

On Friday we had another really busy day. In the morning I helped my mom and John tear down from Thanksgiving and put up Christmas decorations. Not just a few things here and there, but about 10 or so large plastic storage bins full of lights, balls, noisy things, and miniature villages. Every year my mom hosts a house-lighting party for friends and colleagues and family. Guess who was in charge of watching the ovens while 100 people came to visit? Some came a hour early-that was a surprise!!! That afternoon Karis met her Pappy Burns for the first time. My dad had us over and my Grandmother and Aunt Kel came over to meet Karis for the first time too.

On Saturday I started to get my cold and I had no energy. Despite that, I did something that I had never done before. My niece, Haley, was having a birthday party at a climbing facility and I got to rock climb. Haley was a pro. She climbed the walls like she did it for a living. I had a little trouble because I really didn't have the energy. We had a great time there and I think if I have the chance I'll probably do it again.

This is a video of Karis rolling over.

This weekend Karis and I went to our first playdate. It was very much more for the moms than for the babies. We had a good time and got a lot of attention. We met in the cafe of the Belfast Co-op, and many people stopped to comment on the babies.

On Sunday we took Karis to have her portrait done. She was once again such a good girl. She was so patient with everything. The pictures came out wonderful.

This is Karis on her three month birthday. This was immediately after she rolled over for the first time. We were hoping she would do it again, but that hasn't happened yet. As you can tell she was pretty frustrated that she couldn't figure out how to repeat the feat.

Video post

Updated the blog to put on another little video of Karis per a request from Grandma Bullis. Karis was a bit chatty and was telling us about her day.

Halloween and the election.

Karis was not very impressed with Halloween. She went to daycare dressed as a ballerina, and in the evening she was dressed in a Halloween snuggley. We only got two trick or treaters. I was emptying the dishwasher and looked up to see a goblin head in my front door window.

Last night Karis went with us to vote at the town office. She smiled and entertained everyone in line while we waited. I could hear her from my booth telling her Daddy how to vote in his booth.

While we were watching the election results last night Karis also learned something new. She learned to sit herself up from a laid back position. She can't hold herself up, and if left on her own folds herself in half, but spent a lot of time leaning back and then doing a sit up. She seemed to think she should sit up on the couch with us, not lean back on her pillow.

Lots of Things Going On

Since the previous post was just a few pictures of Karis at 2 months, I've decided to write another one to fill everyone in on what's been going on since the 12th. The day after our trip to New Hampshire, Shannon's grandparents came out from Wisconsin to visit. They haven't been to Maine in a few years, and wanted to see their first Great-grandchild. Karis, of course, was a doll, and Dan and Shirley had a good time.

While they were here we took a couple little trips. One was to Pemaquid Point, where a colonial cemetery overlooks the harbor. It was fun. And of course, no trip to Maine is complete without a jaunt to Freeport and the L.L. Bean flagship store. That's where the great-grandparents bought Karis her first Adirondack chair. That pic is in the previous post. Dan loves to haggle and got that great chair at an unbelievable price.

Last weekend we decided to go pick out some pumpkins. In Camden there's a small pumpkin patch that we've driven past many times. This was our first time stopping, and I'm glad that we did. Karis wasn't really interested though, she fell asleep in the car and wasn't really awake while we were there. Shannon and I had a good time. It's been forever since we did something like that.


Shannon started back at work this past week. Fortunately she started back part-time so that we could get used to Karis being at daycare. There are three little boys at the daycare that are very interested in her and announce her arrival every morning. Sam, the daycare provider, says that storytime is Karis' favorite part of the day. She sits in her bouncy chair in a circle with the boys while Sam reads them a story. The whole time, she's locked on Sam and is moving her hands the entire time the story is being read. Karis is really talkative and a loves to make people smile. I think that it's going to work out well there.

Karis went to the pediatrician earlier this week. She had to get her shots- 4 of them- two in each thigh. Ouch!!! I expected her to be a little cranky or tired, but she took them like a trooper. Her official 2 month stats... 11lbs 5 ozs and 23 3/4 inches long.


This weekend we're just staying home. The weather isn't terrific and we have tons of stuff to do around here. This morning we gave Karis a bath, this afternoon we ran to Wal-mart and the dump, and this evening we're just sitting around enjoying each other's company.

I'm trying to upload a video of Karis talking, well, making noises anyway. I think she's the smartest baby in the world.

More Pics of Karis

Fall in New England

Let me start off by saying that Shannon and I are so lucky to have a happy and beautiful baby. Since Karis has been born we've slowly got her accustomed to taking rides in the car; we know that some day we'll have to take long car trips to visit family. This weekend is our 6 year anniversary and usually we take a day trip to New Hampshire to start our Christmas shopping early. We weren't sure how it would go with the baby, but I'm glad that we went. We actually made a great dent in our shopping and Karis couldn't have been better.

Driving through western Maine and eastern New Hampshire this time of year is spectacular. The maples and birches are in full color. The entire panorama is brilliant with yellows and reds. The craggy mountain sides of the White Mountains and Presidential Range stand out like silohuettes against the bright colors, and the Pines, still green, add another layer to the spectrum. It's disgustingly beautiful.

As I write this I have a pumpkin cheesecake in the oven and we're waiting for Shannon's grandparents to arrive. This morning they called and they had just crossed into Vermont from Canada, so we expect them some time in the early afternoon.

Karis is just about 11 lbs now. She's gaining wait perfectly and everyday proves to be fantastically new. She wakes every morning with a smile on her face and talking to herself. She's also discovered her hands. She clasps them together and holds them up to her face and stares crosseyed at them.

In a few weeks Shan goes back to work, which will prove to be a challenge. We've got a daycare picked out and it seems like a great place. That's about all for now. Enjoy the pictures.

Update

The furniture we bought last week was delivered yesterday. Within five minutes of the recliner being put in the living room Duncan was curled up in it. Right now he is trying to figure out how to lay in the sunshine when it's behind Karis' swinging swing.

I have discovered www.skype.com. I love it!!! I've been able to video conference with my mom and BJ's mom. They both love it because they can see Karis in action. I think it will be great for Karis because she will be able to see and interact with family even if they are far away. Anyone who wants to see Karis in action should download skype and then let me know. Its really easy to set up.

This past Saturday I took Karis to a music and movement class. She was definitely the youngest baby there, and slept for most of it. The parts she was awake for though she was fascinated by. She just sat there and stared intently at all the other babies and tottlers running around and playing with instruments.

Common Ground Fair '08 & New Furniture

We had a great weekend! We took Karis to her first Common Ground Fair and first trip to an apple orchard.

On Saturday we drove to Unity for the Common Ground Fair. The Common Ground is sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Assoc. It is so much fun. The vendors are tons better than those at a regular fair. There are tons of arts and crafts, yarns, aromatherapy booths, baby items, country living, sustainable living, and vegetable stands. There are bands playing, people dancing, children sliding down a hill on pieces of cardboard, sheepdog demos, and parades. One of the special aspects for BJ and me are all the tree huggers. Unity College is also heavily involved with the fair, and it is similar to Northland. The fair takes us back to Northland with all the barefoot people, dreadlocks, hippy dancing, and environmental causes.


We were there for hours. I think I had more fun this time than any other time. Karis took her first ride in a wagon pulled by a tractor. She slept through it. BJ and I took turns carrying Karis around in a sling. I surprised an elderly woman sitting on a bench. She had been ready to compliment me on my purse when she saw Karis' hand poke of my sling. I fit right in with all the other moms there. There were moms nursing comfortably in public with no one looking at the funny. There were tons of organic, handmade, and sustainable baby and children products for sale. I bought Karis a relaxing aromatherapy sachet for under her cosleeper. I could have gone crazy buying stuff for her, but that was the only thing I got for her.

We started our Christmas shopping at the fair. I bought some stuff to create some gift baskets. I also got some Sweet Annie that BJ is going to make a swag out of. It'll make the kitchen smell really good.

The food there, although just like regular fair food, for the most part has to be organic. BJ and I had indian food- Somosas and Palak Aloo. I love Indian food, and hate that there isn't an Indian restaruant nearby. We also got a local Apple cider which was awesome.

By the time we were done we were all exhausted.

On Sunday we went back to the furniture store we had been to in Thursday. It turns out both the table and the lazyboy were both still there AND had been marked down further. We splurged and bought both. We are going to move our current chair upstairs in to one of the guest rooms, and I think I'm going to move the old kitchen table upstairs into my craft room and get rid of my craft table. I'm not sure what we will do with the chairs.

After the furniture store we went for a ride up to Bailey Orchard. Karis is, of course, too little to pick apples so we just went to the stand. We got cider, McIntoshes, and plums. BJ plans on making a pie. We hope to take her apple picking next fall.

Beautiful Day, Beautiful Baby, Missing Camera

It was a gorgeous day yesterday. Courtney, Jake, BJ and I decided that we needed to spend the day outside. After Karis' doctor's appointment, which I'll discuss later, we decided to go to Pemaquid. We took the scenic route down to the lighthouse. Karis was such a good girl! I carried her around in a sling and fed her a bottle. BJ and Jake spent some time climbing around on the rocks, while Court and I enjoyed the warm sunshine. We were surprised by the amount of people there today. This was the first time BJ and I had to pay to get in. I guess we never went in season. After that we went to Fort William Henry, and the Pemaquid Settlement. There is remains from an old fort and several foundations dating from the late 1600's early 1700's. There is also a very old cemetery there that is very interesting. We found a few slightly humorous headstones. Everyone convinced me to stand behind one without looking at while they took my picture. When I finally looked it said SHANNON in large letters. We also saw one of his husband and wife. It read Ernest Wells and Ida B his wife. From there we drove back to Waldoboro. We stopped at Dow Furniture. Their annual tent sale was in full swing. BJ and I found a beautiful kitchen table. We decided that we would go back on Sunday. If it was still there we will buy it, but if not then not a problem. We didn't feel comfortable dropping that amount of money on impulse. I also told BJ if it wasn't there I may let him get his lazyboy. We then had an early dinner at Moody's. Once at home Jake and BJ got a fire going in our outdoor fireplace. We burned a lot of our scrap wood. It was a lot of fun sitting around the fire in the cooler weather eating waffles and ice cream. I think everyone had a great time. The only bummer is that our digital camera seems to have gone missing. I thought I had put it in my purse after we left Fort William Henry, but it wasn't there. It hasn't turned up yet. I actually called Dow furniture and asked them to keep an eye out.
Karis had quite an eventful day yesterday. Besides going on her longest car ride ever, Karis had her one month doctor's appointment. She is doing really, really well. She now weighs 9lbs 10oz. and is almost twenty two inches long. The doctor was very pleased by this, and said I must be feeding her breast cream, not milk. He also told us that Karis's height at this point isn't from genetics, but from being breastfed. Karis has developed some eczema on her face and ears. The doctor said that we can just put some over the counter Hydrocortizone cream on it. The baby acne was starting to get better, but has now been replaced with eczema. She also had a Hepititis B vaccine. BJ held her when she got the shot. She was VERY unhappy, but it made her sleepy, which is part of the reason she did so well yesterday. She is developmentally on target. The doctor has told us to start reading to her to help start increasing the amount of words she is exposed to. He also told us that he is going to keep a close eye on her eyes. This is because I was telling him about my family's eye problems. Its good to know that Karis' doctor listens to us.

cosleeping and naps

I'm writing this with one hand today. Karis is fighting her nap and the swing's batteries died! What did people do before those swings?

So karis and I have basically been attached to each other at night since we came home. I was dead set against cosleeping originally. BJ was afraid of squishing her. I felt that since in my job I told families not to cosleep (usually because of drug use) I couldn't allow that at my home. I was also worried that Duncan and Squeakers would step on her. We planned on having her sleep in a cradle or bassinette or cradle in our room, but naps would be in her crib in her room. Well, she does nap in her crib, but at night sleeps in our bed. We have a cradle, but she is too wiggley and ends up with her limbs hanging through the slats. So Karis finally ended up in our bed, laying on me or next to me. I just got a cosleeping nest on ebay. Its this little plastic thing with three walls that prevent us from squishing her or putting a pillow on her. The first nihgt was great! She slept for over four hours! I actually had to wake her up because I was going to explode if I didn't feed her. Last night, however, was another story. She had a hard time going to sleep,and was only down for an hour. She wanted to snuggle up to my chest. She didn't want to lay down in her nest. It was finally around 6Am that she was willing to sleep in her nest. Today I haven't been able too down for a nap. She falls asleep on me, but only stays asleep for five minutes in her crib. UGH!

Some pics of Karis at 4 weeks

Here are some pictures of Karis at 4 weeks.

Karis' First Month

So it took a little bit of adjusting to having a new creature in the house. Especially one that requires constant attention. But, we're settling in and even got to go out on a few errands-albeit short ones.

For those new comers to our lives, Karis Garnet Burns was born on August 13th at 6:37 a.m. Shannon's labor was over 12 hours long, but from her sprung our little girl, just about as perfect as one could be. Karis weighed 8lbs 1oz at the moment of her birth, but was down to 7lbs 7oz when we left the hospital. Since then she's put back on all of the weight she's lost, plus a few more ounces for good measure. Her first doctors appointment was good and he gave her a clean bill of health.

We've been home for a few weeks. Shan is staying home for about 12 weeks, while I work two jobs to keep us living in our beautiful home in the country. It's all good. I actually enjoy both of my jobs.

A few days after Karis and Shan came home from the hospital, Shan's parents came out to visit. The timing couldn't have been better. They had planned to come out that week regardless if Karis hadn't been born, but they got lucky and we had a new baby by the time they got here. We always thought that having company right after having a baby would be kind of hectic and a little uncomfortable, but boy were we wrong! It was so nice having people to take the baby for a few minutes and to work on the little things around the house that just weren't going to get done with what little time I had free. I think that Mike and Cindy enjoyed themselves. We even got to go to the Union Fair.

My mom and step-dad came up over Labor Day weekend. They too were welcome guests because they worked a little on the house and helped out with the baby.

This week Shan's sister and brother-in-law are here to visit. I like having them around because they're our age and like to just hang out. Jake is really helpful around the house and Courtney used all of our tissues. Overall, it's been a great week. It seems as if each night the baby is sleeping a little more. (Knock on wood!)

So that about takes you up to speed on the first month of Karis' life.