The Best Christmas Gift Ever (Besides the Savior and our first born child of course)!!

Michelle outdid herself this year with two gifts that rocked my emotions (exquisite joy on one end of the spectrum and extreme anxiety on the other)!

As we sat down around the tree, giddy with excitement, Michelle handed me the first gift. The large bag was full of tissue paper and at the bottom, there was a small red card with a typed inscription that read:

                    "Good morning my dear and Merry Christmas to you

                    This gift is the start of clue after clue

                    Almost a crossword and scarce on the rhymes,

                    Prepare for a stretch of detective work time!?

Before I go on, I have to pause and say that Michelle is the most thoughtful, creative, woman I know. She invests more of her time and of her self into the gifts she gives than anyone I know. I can't tell you how many hours she spent assembling this gift and others that she gave this year and years past but I will say that by the time I reached the gift I was a little teary eyed and very full of love. Anyways, attached to the inscription was a clue:

                   Clue #1: Greens Crisper

While I like to think I am good at puzzles and games (I love the NY Times crosswords, and am a sudoku champ), the very first clue had me stumped and I definitely had to play a little "hot and cold" to get to it. "Crispers" was the brand on the vegetable drawer in our fridge. >Tangent, as I read this outloud to Michelle she said "It's just called a crisper drawer on any fridge." Duh Garrett, get with it. :)

Michelle may have forgotten that I visit that drawer somewhat infrequently but she patiently guided me to the next clue:

                   Clue #2 Natural luminescence

Now this one was much easier. Can you guess? A window of course. The bedroom window to be precise. 

As you can see, Michelle gleefully documented my hunt, laughing along the way as I stumbled over clues and exclaimed in surprise as I found each one. At the window I found the following clue: 

                   Clue #3 Do not immerse!

At first this one had me stumped. I thought, the bathtub? The baby, don't immerse the baby in the bath tub? Michelle gave me that look that says, slow down turbo. She then gave me a hint that I had often expressed related to this clue. I instantly remembered, 'The hair dyer' of course. 

I always fear that when Michelle sets the hairdryer down in (not on) the sink (empty of course) when she is done (still plugged in but not running) that she is going to get electrocuted (what an awkward word to spell). Hence, don't immerse.  

                    Clue #4 American Anorak

Your guess was as good as mine with this one. I racked my brain and couldn't think of anything. Was this another word for a flag. American flag? Nope. Michelle, seeing my consternation said I could use google for this one. 

An anorak is a basically a warm winter coat. 

In the pocket of my coat I found the following: 

                    Clue #5 I suck at work

At first I thought this was some sort of criticism of my work or perhaps an act of self-deprecation on Michelle's part but then I thought: I know! The vacuum! It sucks while it works. 

And the next clue:

                    Clue #6 Osculation

Not to be confused with oscillation or oculation (not a real word but I thought it was; the word is inoculation). I had to look this one up as well and was confused when I did. 

Here's what google gave me: 

               There is also a mathematical definition of osculate, which is almost like a math                    kiss: when two surfaces or two curves touch in at least three points. The Latin root                word is osculum, kiss, or literally little mouth.

I am a little slow to the up take so I thought. Math? Geometry? And then I started to make progress, or so I thought...'where do two curves meet?' A butt? No. The key here is the second part of the definition...kiss! I kissed my beautiful wife and another clue materialized out of her pocket.What a treat!

                      Clue #7 Garment Locker

This was another easy one. Clothes, obviously, and fortunately we only have one dresser, relying on boxes and bins for our other clothes. To the closet!

On top of the dresser I read the following:

                     Clue #8 Changed frequently on a bottom

Having changed hundreds of diapers over the last three and a half months, this was probably the easiest of the clues, though actually finding the next clue in the mess of diapers (in the dark room while Anderson napped) was another story. 

Michelle was kind enough to retrieve this clue for me.  

                     Clue #9 Full Length for one

This clue could have gone in a NY Times crossword puzzle and most certainly had me stumped. I've heard Michelle use this word dozens of times but kept getting stuck on the word movie. The operative word here was mirror. Full length mirror. 

On the mirror I read: 

                     Clue #10 O after X

I was a little quicker on the up take here and quickly hugged my wife. Soon another clue magically appeared in her hands. 

                    Clue #11 Pooh's Love

Pooh? Like poop. Poop? Winnie the pooh! Honey. Yes that is exactly how my mind works. 

On the honey jar, I found this:  

                    Clue #12 Tangible laptop output

Printer! Done! The clue was the easy part. Slinking sneakily past our sleeping baby was the challenge. 

                    Clue #13 Beauty Consultant on the wall

Another mirror!  

Can you see what I see reflecting in the mirror? The mirror clue was the second to last and another doozy. 

                    Clue #14 I get damp as I dry

I struggled through this one as well, and definitely got hung up on the word damp. Dishwasher, washing machine, tub, sink...uhhhhh...with Michelle's coaxing I was able to finally guess towels (such a clever woman) and found what appeared to be the last clue.  

                   

This one said:          

                  "Congratulations my dear, you've come pretty far

                    But there's still a bit of work before you're the star

                    Oh the places we've gone, oh the places we'll go,

                   This is where we muse on which roads we'll soon know"

                  

                   Clue #15 ____ Talk

I know this one! PILLOW talk! I ran to the bedroom unsure of what I would find, peeled back the blankets and saw a large framed object face down on the bed. 

I suspected what it might be and was thrilled to turn it over and see a beautiful aged world map. Something I had been wanting for ages. We had talked about pinning all the places we'd been and would like to go but hadn't gotten around to getting the map. I was so ecstatic! I began to tear up a little (I know I am a softy...she worked so hard on putting together such a fun, creative trail, showing that she knew me so well, and culminating in a gift that she made, in part). We embraced and I just sat and held my wonderful wife. And to think, this was just the first gift. Merry Christmas Michelle! I love you so much.

Oh ya, the other gift. The last gift I received for Christmas made my cortisol levels and adrenaline spike (Michelle realized after the matter that she should have reordered the gifts so I didn't end with heart palpitations). I opened the box and found within it the same pink, pencil length box I had opened last year when I found out Michelle was pregnant. I chuckled and acted like I knew this was just a joke but my heart was racing and palms sweating as I opened the box and saw not one but two pregnancy tests. To this day, I still don't know how to read or interpret those tests so I looked up at Michelle, a little too wide eyed and said "Wait, so this is negative right?" It was negative (no baby) and if it weren't I would have been able to appreciate and celebrate the news after I woke up from passing out a few hours later. However, I think one little man is enough for me for the next little while. Way to start and end with a bang my dear. :) 

Dear Little Man 12/25/2015

My Sweet Little Man,

I've been meaning to start writing these little letters to you, documenting your advancements, quirks, and happenings. Most recently you've developed greater eye/hand coordination. As in, once something is in your hands, it goes directly to your mouth. You are also doing better with tummy time and developing your arm muscles. For the longest time you HATED tummy time. You developed neck strength early on, but had a hard time utilizing your arms for support. Because of your neck and head control, we were able to start holding and propping you upright at about 6 weeks. We got a bouncer for you at about 2 months, and you've taken off. You LOVE your bouncer. It is hilarious to watch you careen side to side with bounding marshmallow steps, or to spring, both feet in the hair, several inches off the ground like a Highland dancer (I should know!!!). I feel sorry for our downstairs neighbors, but they haven't said anything yet. And you are developing some incredible leg strength, so we'll continue to let you explore and challenge yourself. It's so fun to see your interest in the world around you and your desire to be involved and hands on. You are such a strong, sweet, and inquisitive little boy and we love you so much!

You've also started growing out fuzzy hair again. You were born with what the midwife called a "rat tail" (I found this highly unflattering but had to agree). You had some light reddish hair all over your head but it was about an inch longer and darker in the back. The back kept growing, so I took the liberty of shaving it. Twice, in fact. And then when you were about two weeks old I gave you a bath that washed your adorable little fuzzy hair off. I was devastated the rest of the day. You had an adorable fuzzy little old man cul-de-sac before you grew the faintest fuzz on your head. It stayed like that for a few months, until just a few weeks ago (the beginning of December) when your hair started growing. It's now about a centimeter long and I LOVE rubbing my face on your head. Which inevitably leads to smooching your adorable cheeks. You, my child, have the most smoochable chubby cheeks I've ever seen. I kiss you more often than I smooch your Father, and that's saying something! Your hair initially came in a blondish red, and I think you're trending more toward blonde now. We're excited to see how your coloring will progress. 

You began smiling real smiles (as opposed to gassy/dream smiles) the last week of September, and began regularly smiling in earnest the last weeks of October. You have the cutest wide mouthed, gummy smiles. Your first laugh was around the middle of November, and you began laughing more regularly the first weeks of December. You often laugh and cry at the same time when you're tired and it's again, just adorable. You are most ready to laugh when you first wake up and we keep you on your back in your crib. You like hearing me say "bugaboo" and dad say "chicken tikka masala". I'm pretty sure you just like it when we talk really close to your face and make faces of our own at you.

You are also a heavy little dude! You've been off the charts since you were a month old. At 3.5 months, you are just under 19 lbs and 25" long. Most people assume you are around 6 months old. The Pediatric GI doc called you Godzilla and just laughed and laughed when he saw your adorable chunky thighs. We love your rolls, but they are quite the challenge to clean at night and during your bath! You also have my feet. You are able to flex your feet and toes individually. It makes trimming nails a little more challenging. We are also pretty sure you're teething, since you launch toward things and start gnawing on them ravenously (even shortly after feeding). And Little Man, you have quite the jaw strength! 

One huge improvement that your daddy and I have been working on is sleep training. We read so many books with different ideas and theories, but eventually we found that letting you cry at graduated intervals has been the most successful and gentle for all of us. You are so much happier when you sleep! And consequently, so am I. Last night you slept from 8pm to 4am, with only some minor squawking throughout the night. AND we can now put you straight to bed without getting you to sleep first. We just lay you down awake, and you're usually quiet and asleep in five minutes or less. What. A. Blessing! 

Most of all, I love how you gaze at your Papa and me. You melt our hearts. And as frustrating as working on your sleep schedule has been, all it takes is a steady gaze and smile from you to melt us. We love you. So. Stinking. Much.

Smooch!

Christmas Eve, Eve

As our family continues to grow we often find ourselves thinking about what routines, rituals, and traditions we want to incorporate into our lives. As Christmas approaches traditions have been especially prominent in our minds. A few things we really love to do around Christmas are: drive around and look at Christmas lights (we miss temple square in Salt Lake City!!), make yummy treats, serve in the ward and community, read Christmas stories (thanks to Gerry and Janice for sharing a binder full of them), and sit by our cozy netflix fire while we open gifts or watch a Christmas classic.

With Christmas only a few days away, we've made good progress. Surprisingly, Christmas lights are hard to find in residential neighborhoods around here, and we are not inclined to spend $20 to go drive down an overly decorated street or raceway that resembles a blend of Disney's "Its a small world" and the Vegas strip on steroids. However, as were searching for things to do in the area we stumbled across a little Bavarian themed town called Helen (about an hour and fifteen minutes from us) that was decorated for Christmas and full of eateries, chocolateries and so on.   Here are a few shots from our trip.

                             

As an aside, Anderson has become increasingly more fussy in the car and we can hardly drive an hour before he is whooping and hollering in t he backseat. Most drives get extended because he only seems to want to eat when he is starving, even if mom offers at an earlier time. Our pleasant drive through the mountains of Georgia was slightly marred by the sound of the screeching eels in back.

Together, we decided we would cook three of our favorite treats that we don't often make: Lemon bars, Walnut Squares, and Muddie Buddies. We also decided to get a little more frugal and creative about our Christmas decor. See our escapades captured on camera below.

               

Santa Clause v. The Tooth Fairy

Remember that time we said we were going to be really diligent about updating our blog...

Rather than try to play catch up on all that we haven't documented since our last post I am just going to post about our morning today. We just got back from the pediatric dentist (aka the Tooth fairy in our title) where Anderson had has frenectomy done. What is a frenectomy (aka frenulectomy, frenotomy) you ask? It is when your lip or tongue are 'tied' via extra skin to your mouth which limits mobility of the lip or tongue and you have that tie cut or freed up. In our case, his tongue and lip were tied which was affecting his ability to breastfeed, keep in a pacifier, and otherwise control his flat flabby tongue. Our visit today was actually a follow up appointment to ensure that everything healed appropriately, didn't re-tie, etc.

To our surprise they had a Santa in the office waiting room which was a stroke of sheer brilliance for a place that is super busy right before the holidays. It was fun to watch each new kid walk into the office and yell 'Santa' with a grin. That said, Michelle and I both actually have mild fear/aversions to Santa Clauses so we sat across the room from him and didn't approach, disregarding the open seats next to him. He did his job well of course and came over to give Anderson attention. Anderson decided that he was still tired and would much rather try to fall back asleep then entertain Santa. When Santa asked if Anderson wanted to have a picture with him, he spit up all over himself (he must have inherited our Santa aversion).

After we cleaned him up we did in fact get a picture of Anderson with Santa. Despite our disliking of Santa's helpers, we have to admit this was hands down one of the best Santa's we've seen (see below). He had a great suit, amazing Santa voice, and was just invasive enough to be pleasant but not overbearing. He also was appropriately handing out toothbrushes (it is a dental office after all) and little bells (harking to the 'believe' concept from the film the Polar Express).

 

Side note, how do you make small talk with a Santa? Do you ask about his 'real life' or do you ask about what part of the world he will be traveling to next and what he feeds his reindeer? We didn't know the answer to that question so we sat in awkward silence and avoided eye contact, which of course encouraged an impromptu singing of a Christmas carol by Santa. Perhaps he needs a nice Christmas book to keep him busy in between pictures with patients...

Returning to the purpose of our post, our visit went well and, as it turns out, Anderson healed perfectly. On to the next great oral adventure—teething!