Santa's coming and he doesn't deliver to cry babies

He's made his list and checked it twice. He (and everyone else) knows if you've been sleeping and knows when you're awake, so you'd better be good for goodness sake! We'll just have to see if it'll be lumps of coal or a cool new toy for lil miss sparkle pants this year. On Saturday we'll have our first big test -- flying to the promised land. Please cross fingers, toes, and paws for us! Of course there are a few pix leading up to the excitement...you might note that Lady looks less excited.

Becoming a social butterfly

With baby happy hour, movie dates with moms, outings in the park with the pups, and a stream of awesome friends coming to visit, Miss A is becoming the social butterfly we knew was within. A few pics, although we haven't been as camera crazy lately. Thanks for the super cozy blanket Heather!

Thanksgiving Potluck Jamboree

One day before Arabella came along we thought it would be a good idea to host Thanksgiving -- come one come all! Wow, I'm so glad Auntie Anni and both sets of grandparents came to help out. It turned into sit-down potluck dinner for 20 + 3 wee ones. It was a blast! And the leftovers continue to satisfy. For some, it was perhaps their first turkey-free t-day and I dare say they didn't go hungry and I heard no loud complaints. We forgot to take enough pictures as usual but there are some and a few of the family trying to pose gracefully with the latest turkey in the coop.

Hangin' in Hagerstown

Our first trek outta town! We headed out to Hagerstown with Arabella and Lady to visit Christian's relatives and a number of friends. She met her Great Grandma Kline, Great Aunt Barb, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Mary with cousin Brook, and her Aunt Jackie. It was a huge day! Calista escaped for a bit to Seth and Juliet's baby shower over the border in PA. Some day we'll get all these kids out on the motorcycles with us and really hit these roads... Until then, the latest pix.

Photo shoot Take II

We tried another photo shoot last week and the expressions Arabella had to offer were priceless. This time, we kept the diaper on and didn't have any soaked bedding. Enjoy!

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet

Halloween is clearly the best holiday of the year. When else can you dress up like a freak and get candy for your trouble? I love it! Always have and now we've got a daughter to dress up and fetch candy for us. Brilliant!

We've got a bunch more pictures here. Some are from a photo shoot we tried -- Little miss pees-a-lot did just that when we liberated her from a diaper on our bed. Eeewww. Then there are the pix of her in her official costume, a peanut. I made her a little outfit to fit over her fleece get away suit so needless to say, there was room for 3 of her in it. We packed her in the stroller and made it to the halloween block party for the general public to make faces at her and oggle. There are also a number of pictures where her grandparents sent us halloween sleepers so we need to show those off too. Arabella was a star in her halloween sleeper and fancy sweater with knit moon boots that Grandma Renee made at our visit to the surgeon that rearranged her GI tract.

The doc visits have been going well -- there are many visits though! This week we also had her frenulum clipped (part under the tongue that was keeping her tongue tied) so it's easier to eat and make noise. Good news of the week is that she's gaining weight like a champ -- just shy of 9 lb now!

Life is good, and even better with Halloween.

Miss Fussy Pants

They say these days go by fast so we'll snap lots of pictures. Besides, she's so cute it's hard not to. Trust, these pictures don't capture just how awesome she is. Thanks Grandma Renee for knitting the super cool yellow poncho, hat, and booties!

Queen of the Crib

Miss Arabella Quinn Redmond made her grand debut on October 9, 2006 at 1:30am -- prime time. She's a chunk at 8 lb 11 oz and 21.5 inches long. After much ruckus involving surgery to un-tangle her creatively placed intestines and 9 long days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit she came home with us. Unfortunately, our home is less of the lights and sounds of the NICU casino she became used to -- we're all adjusting and beginning to look more human by the day. More pics online.

The Brink of D-Day

Wow, 9 months have flown by fast!! Here I am, a mere 4 days ago. Today is officially my due date and no baby...yet. We're finally ready and moved back into the house. Well, as ready as we'll ever be! Besides, we need this baby to come now so we have a good excuse to ignore the piles of boxes and other more worldly activities. The house has turned out fantastic. There are a few details to unravel in the main living areas like a kitchen sink that works, but those are luxuries for the more civilized. We'll have the contractors around for another couple of months working on the basement (now locked off from the rest of the house) and the exterior work. For now, our baby girl will have the coolest room in the house.

Christian's Family Gave us an Awesome Shower

Wow! Christian's folks pulled off an incredible shower to welcome peanut into the clan. His relatives came out from all over western MD, southern PA, and eastern WV to help us celebrate. They're a great bunch of people to spend the afternoon with -- not to mention incredibly generous. This is already one well-dressed little girl! Thank you for all you did to pull this together for us. Thank you also to my own parents for coming out for the weekend to both help us put finishing touches on the house and to join in for the shower extravaganza. Check out the pix!

We have the coolest friends!

WOW!!!! Thanks to Alison, Leena, Berit, and Lindy, we just had the most awesome baby fiesta a preggo chic could dream of on Sunday Aug 6! I can't believe you guys pulled one over on me. Thank you so much to everyone there -- something in the 20+ people -- for giving up a beautiful sunday afternoon to celebrate the wild child Christian and I are about to unleash. The very best part was the chance to catch up with everyone and play silly games to get us in that playtime groove. Check out the pics and if there are more to add to this, email them on over and I'm happy to share them here. Thanks Alan for the cd of pix!!

I can't wait for us all to meet our little girl, she can't help but shine in all this hoopla! And may such hoopla carry on for a very long time.

NYC Escape Hatch

Get outta town while you still can! There's no better place to relax and meditate than New York City in the depths of July. We did a lot of nothing and learned the limits of my pieces and parts holding together several degrees above the comforts of air conditioning. It was excellent to break free of the house project for the weekend. Pics online!

Checking in with Dad

Dad popped through town last weekend on the tail end of a business trip. It was awesome to see him! We checked out a groovy little jazz club, had a birthday breakfast since his b-day is in late July, and did a drive by the house.

Enlightening the inner hill billy

Fourth of July weekend in West Virginia. What more can life offer? Tucked in a mountain town called Berkeley Springs, a dozen of us plus a few dogs rented out a house to practice the art of slothology. I'm still in slow motion now. We did make it out of the house for some hiking in the woods, a few trips to the swimming pool, and an adventure at the bowling alley. Something about the counter balance of my belly helped my game...

Check out more pix online.

There once was a house on Kansas Ave

Wow! When you leave the country, things seem to happen!! Check out the new pics of the house under destruction. They've ripped out almost all the old and have already begun framing for the new. Electrical and plumbing are also underway.

Before life complicates itself... the Dominican Republic

Christian and I headed off to the DR for 8 days of third world charm, awesome beaches, and getting as far from reality as we could. Save for the mosquito buffet and understanding that living like the locals can sometimes be a bit rustic, it was fantastic.

Check out the pix!

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You can totally tell it's a girl

The ultrasound pics are in, the mystery peanut in my belly is a little girl. She seems to have Christian's hairline...hopefully that'll fill in later. We're totally thrilled the reports indicate she's healthy as can be with the current set of vital signs and measurements.

Saab Story 2006 pics available

The great Thelma and Louise road rally has sadly come to a close. Pictures available online at http://members9.clubphoto.com/calista1059938/owner-1a8c-1.phtml

Cool! Anni posted her pictures too.


Also available here are a number of other albums including pics of Lady, the last hurrah of MBA life, and the ultrasound of the peanut.