Merry Christmas

New toys

Christmas picture

Photos

The Week Before Christmas

Adam caught a cold last week and had to stay indoors for several days.  He missed out on MyGym class on Saturday, but he didn't seem to mind or notice.  We did our best to try to keep his cold from spreading, but Aurora came down with it on Monday.  She is now seeming to feel better.  Other than the colds, our little family is happy and doing well.

Christmas Pajamas

Playing with Christmas Little People

Bed-time Bottle

First Gingerbread House (aka Gingerbread Man House)

Adam's Wreath and Matt's Ristra

Yay for Christmas!

Christmas Mad Face --  What a comedian!

Winston-Craig Friday Afternoon

Bath

Project

Ah-goo

It's that time of year...

Courtesy of Autie Shell...  this picture pretty much summarizes the Craig-Winston household when the holidays roll around.

Aurora Video

Babies!

Babies!

Having a new baby girl does not mean we don't still baby our first baby.  Adam loves to cuddle, especially after waking up from his nap.  In the photo above, Adam is waking from his nap and Aurora is starting hers.

Our baby girl is doing really well.  She is growing and developing.  She is on a pretty predictable schedule now, with feedings every three hours.  During the day, she has a 4 oz bottle, then cuddles or sits in her bouncy chair for thirty minutes (so she doesn't spit up).  She spends the next half hour to hour doing various things while she is awake, like watching the mobile in her crib, doing tummy time, playing on her play mat being carried around the house to look at different things.  Finally, she'll nap for an hour to two hours until her next feeding.

Each day, Aurora is more and more social.  She loves attention especially when Mom and Dad talk to her.  She laughs occasionally and smiles tons, even when she's still struggling to open her eyes from sleep.

Tuesday Night

Tuesday night at the Winston-Craig house, this is what we were doing...

playing with Play-Doh

cooking

working late

napping

Halloween

Two pirates and uh, just me wearing black

This year, we took Adam Trick-or-Treating at the zoo on the Sunday before Halloween.  The place was crowded and not quite as family-friendly as we'd hoped.  It was basically a long, packed line of people trying to push from one candy dispensing zoo employee to the next.  

The express lane

Adam was a trooper waiting in line for us to get into the zoo.  He had a fun time seeing different people/kids in their costumes.  The highlights of the evening for him were seeing the waterfall in the tiger exhibit and getting to dance with ladies dressed as cows in the farmy section.

"Mommy?"

 Unfortunately, Adam cut both his fingers by sticking them in the giant pencil sharpener that the zoo was giving out with giant pencils.  Oops!  Neither of us expected him to stick his fingers in the sharpener, but since he has never seen on before, we should have recognized that it was not good to have it within reach.  Parent FAIL!

two bandages

To decorate at home, I bought several pumpkins to carve.  Adam picked out a white pumpkin to paint for Halloween.

Painting a scary pumpkin

Doc McStuffins, flame demon, ghost, toothy jack and spooky window

On Halloween night, we took Adam trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.  I was dressed as a ghost with a sheet over my head and so, Matt carried Aurora in her cute Halloween outfit.  Adam hit a few houses then wanted to go home and dig into the candy he got.  He had a little rubber mouse in his shoe that he didn't complain about and we didn't know was there until I was taking his shoes off.  Kids! 

Handsome knight

The highlight on that night for Adam was doing puzzles with Matt and passing out candy to trick-or-treaters.  He was really good at it, too.

Our lovely girl

Family

Family Time

Halloween Ready

Handsome Knight

Last week, Matt went hiking in Madera Canyon.  Adam was so excited to go, he kept trying to get Matt to hurry.  Adam was strapped into his car seat, yelling, "Daddy, hurry up!  You're letting flies in!" and calling "Matt!" over and over.  The apparent highlights of the outing were climbing up and down the steps leading to the picnic area, seeing a fallen tree that resembled a horse and spotting another tree with roots resembling spider legs.  Once Matt explained that the second tree was more like a "spooky old tree" (reference to one of Adam's Berenstein Bears books), Adam was spooked and wanted to go home.  He was likely tired from the hiking and ready to go home whether he was spooked or not.

Later that night, Adam told me about the cashews he accidentally spilled and how a squirrel or another animal will find the snack and say, "Oh, thanks, Adam!"

While the guys were out hiking, I went on a quick shopping trip to buy Adam a couple of costumes (pirate per his request) and a knight's outfit (for play); a couple of pairs of shoes (to grow into); and t-shirts (he's out-growing his current shirts).  Aurora stayed home with the sitter, so I was able to get all the shopping done in an hour and a half.

We are almost ready for Halloween.  We have to add the spooky streamers to the windows, add the rest of our Halloween lights, stuff a scary dude on a chair, buy and carve pumpkins, trim and sew those outrageously long fingers on Adam's gloves.  Our fun plans (tentative) are to take Adam trick-or-treating at the plaza where MyGym is located (this weekend) and out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood on Halloween night. 

What the family was doing last night...

Dishes

Laundry

Relaxing

Videos

Adam Play

Adam play

Lightning McQueen is towing big truck and carrying little purple low-rider truck.  Now, that's cool!

Basik Ramens

Puzzles!

This post is likely the first of many quick posts about our family.  We have been so busy keeping up with the house and child care that we have run low on blogging time.  We'll try to upload pictures each week and give a quick blip of how we're doing.  Thanks for sticking with us!

Last Thursday was our first outing as a family of 4.  We wanted to treat Adam to something special since he's been such a sport about all the changes going on at home (baby sister crying, sleep-disruptions, etc).  We decided to take him to Baskin Robbins (aka, Basik Ramens).  Adam ordered mint-chocolate chip ice cream.

Aurora slept in her carrier the entire time and received many peeks from customers passing our table to get to the ice cream counter.  Adam sat with us at our table and was really great about minimizing the ice cream drippage.  When he finished his mini-cone, Matt took him to see all the ice cream cakes in the freezer.  Wow.  The combination of sugar and seeing rows and rows of ice cream cakes caused him to go into several minutes of excitement.  He kept saying, "Oh, look at that [Daddy/Mommy]!"

When it was time to leave, Adam refused.  We were pretty sure he'd have to be carried out.  Matt took Aurora out to the car so that he could come back for Adam.  I am still healing from the c-section so I can't carry the baby's carrier OR Adam.  Luckily, the car was parked just outside the storefront.  As Matt was getting Aurora in the car, I suggested that Adam say good-bye to the employees.  Instead, he said bye to EVERYONE in the store.  By this time, there were two large families there.  He certainly got a lot of waves and smiles and goodbyes from the crowd.  Then Adam realized that after you tell 10+ people bye, you kinda have to leave and he headed for the door.  Phew!  Crisis averted.

2nd Check-up

4 weeks and 1 day

Aurora's check-up on Friday went very well.  The doctor put silver nitrate on her belly button so that it could speed up healing.  Aurora weighed in at 9 lbs 12 oz.  Our baby is growing very fast.  Dad and Mom are so grateful for her good health and development.

Late night television

Belly Button

Aurora's umbilical cord fell off on Saturday, September 29.  Tummy time begins!

Playing with Grandma Clara

Feeding Aurora

My feedings with Aurora start out like this:  I put the bottle nipple to her mouth.  Aurora refuses the bottle, scrunches up her face and sticks her tongue out as if to so say, "What the f-- is this?"  I laugh and say, "It's the same thing as last time, Sister."  Aurora opens her mouth and starts eating, no problem---until she falls asleep, bottle half-finished.

Aurora and Mobile

Photos by Adam

Window stickers

?

Week 3

Aurora Eyes

Dear Aurora,

You are 2 weeks old today!  We cannot believe how quickly the days have gone by.  So far, Adam, Richelle, Selesia and Grandma Clara (Cho) have gotten to meet you.  We are looking forward to introducing you to the rest of your family.  Grandma Clara and Auntie Lesia have been helping care for you and Brother as we settle in as a family of four.

My sweet little girl, you are such a happy addition to our family.  You spend a lot of time sleeping and making dirty diapers.  You wake up to eat every 3 hours or so and you often fall asleep before you've finished your bottle.

You are a mellow baby and only cry when you are pooping or hungry.  And if you are both hungry and poopy, you get very, very mad and insistent.  Instead of squeaking and cooing while you sleep, you are calm and quiet.  Well, you do grunt and occasionally make goat sounds when you're stretching your arms and arching your back. 

We love you so very much and we look forward to all the days (and nights) ahead.  Thank you for coming to us, Baby Sister.  We are so grateful to have you!

Love,
Daddy, Mommy and Adam  

Adam and Aurora

Adam Faces

Aurora's barrette

Stickers!

Lesia's shoes

Well, Hello!

Top Hat!

King Adam

Silk Sarong

Pirate Adam 2011

Shell's hat