It's officially Christmastime! Even though Target and Walmart try to force it onto us in early November, we Snyders don't believe it really starts until the day after Thanksgiving. Or maybe once Thanksgiving dinner's been eaten (we turned on our outside Christmas lights Thanksgiving night, so I guess we have to adjust the timeline a little). But either way we've been enjoying the time. Brandon went back to work the Monday following Thanksgiving, so Kate and I have been hanging out at the house with Copper. I'm really enjoying the time with her, and I think she likes spending her day with me too (although by the time Daddy gets home, I think she's ready for a break from Mom).
We've gotten Kate onto a bit of a rough schedule at night, which is nice for us. She usually goes to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00...I'm still a little appalled by this, but she definitely runs the show. Sometimes she'll sleep before that time, but it's really just a nap. She likes to eat before she goes down for the night, and that final feeding usually happens around ten. Before that she gets a bath, which she LOVES, and lathered up with lotion. Then she's rocked and cuddled for a while before she gets fed. There's usually a great deal of fussing and crying that goes into this routine (the fussing from Kate, the crying from Brandon and I...I'm kidding, but not by much!) but we're hoping it will start to improve. Once she goes down she sleeps until about 4:00 am, which is a nice long stretch, but every time she wakes up, I just think "REALLY??" I almost wish it was an hour earlier--3:00 am is early enough for me to go back to bed and get some good sleep--or an hour later--I could feasibly be up for work or the gym at 5 am--but 4:00 am? The only people that get up at 4 are doing it because they have to catch a flight! It's too late to go back to bed and too early to start the day. So we'll see if we can work on that.
Once we're up and moving for the day, we spend our time listening to music and dancing, doing tummy time, and of course eating and changing dirty diapers. There isn't nearly as much napping happening as I wish there was, but that's ok. We try to venture out once a day or so, even if it's just to Target or to Starbucks to walk around a little. Kate really enjoys music and she doesn't seem to mind my horrible singing voice. I have lots of fun dressing her up in various outfits and taking pictures of her. Some days we'll meet Brandon for lunch, and I know he appreciates the chance to see her during the day. I'm scheduled to go back to work on January 2nd, and when I think about how quickly December is speeding by I get upset. But then I realize how lucky I am to have the opportunity to spend as much time with Kate as I have and I know that I shouldn't worry about that just yet.
We received Kate's social security card in the mail and were able to pick up copies of her birth certificate, so she's official! We've hung her stocking up (along with Copper's...it's his first Christmas with us too!) and she's watched all the DVRed Christmas specials with me. She's a real little person!
Here are some pictures of our most recent adventures...
-- This is how I look every night from about 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm...it's my cranky face! --
-- I learned to smile! Well, I always knew how to smile, but I learned how to smile when I'm not pooping! --
-- This is my happy face :-) --
-- Sometimes I help Mommy in the kitchen. She cooks and I take a little nap in the Bjorn. --
-- Showing off my fabulous Thanksgiving outfit one more time! --
-- It sure is hard to lay down in this puffy tutu --
-- Tummy time by the Christmas tree --
-- This is what happens when Mommy spikes my hair after the bath and lets me sleep like that! --
-- Nap time at the Snyder house --
-- Playing photo shoot with Mom --
-- This giant bow sure makes me look skinny! --
Check back soon for more pictures! We'll be taking a field trip to the mall to meet Santa (we have to get there before 6:00 today...that's when the African-American Santa is available for photos...seriously!!) and we should have some super cute photos taken by our dear friend Robin to share with everyone.
Until next time...love you all!
