Sending 2005 Out with a Bang! (Bang!)

We left Austin at 4ish yesterday and rolled into Liberty a stir-crazy 4 hours later. It's officially 223 miles, but there wasn't much traffic so it wasn't that bad. Along the adventure, I read the crossword puzzle clues aloud to Don and filled in the blanks with his answers. He's a crossword genius. Por ejemplo, words like "abed" roll off his tongue to the clue "sleeping." Not everyone can be a crossword-meister.

Don went out on his first full-emersion duck hunt at the crack of dawn this morning. That's right... he waded out to the middle of the cold, flooded field. On the way out, he wants us to know, that the water was up to his thighs with just an inch to spare protected by his hip-boots. Very, very carefully he troded to just the perfect spot to take down the duck that crossed his path. They called him "Dead-eye Son-In-Law." He had a blast with the other five men and all told, they took home 13 ducks. A very good hunt. Especially since the day before Dad reported there were some 1,000 ducks a-flying. Mom and I thought they would have all flown away come the day of the hunt just like they did last time.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, RJ and I had a great morning. Honey and I bathed Rosa Jane in her first big ol' kitchen sink bath and I think she genuinely liked it. We went to breakfast at Casa Don Boni's with our favorite friend, Mickey. Post breakfast, Mom and I went shopping and now we're back home updating their new computers.

Rosa Jane turns 14 weeks today. She's talking and singing a lot these days. She is singing right now as I type and I wish that I had a recorder to share it with you. It's so cute! On the other side of the cute coin, she wakes up in the middle of the night -- much to our dismay. I suspect it might just be the lack of our usual routine. The bad news is that she has "outgrown" her miracle blanket, but in its place, sister pixie gave us a leopard-printed baby sock called a Cozy Cocoon. I have to say, Rosa Jane looks ADORABLE in leopard print!! For the past two nights I've had trouble walking away from her crib after placing her down because she looks so cute. I just want to stare at her.

We don't have big plans for tonight -- just more of the same -- updating computers. I wouldn't even bet that we'll see the clock strike twelve. In his Christmas note to me, Don referred to 2005 as a crazy, scary beautiful year. I have to agree. It was such a scary, full of doubt rollercoaster that has concluded with overwhelming joy, love, excitement and hope for the future and all that will be in 2006. I can't wait to find out what's next. We're definitely starting out on the right foot -- our good friend, Robyna, is coming to stay with us for a while. Let's hope for good health, good friends, more peace on earth, more joy, more ducks, more laughter, less house in Boston and more baby steps.

Happy Birthday, dear friend Laurie Zuehlke!!!

Feeling Rich in Richland

Feeling Rich in Richland

We got back yesterday afternoon from a wonderful long Christmas weekend in Richland. It was a weekend marked by my first duck hunt (and I got a BIG one), Sara's first hunt of any kind (too cold, too early), Kristen regaining her rightful place atop the flower hill (which is an inside joke only the family will appreciate), Hank's first time in a 300+ acre dog park (no comment from laid back Hank), the Wrangler's first time off road (it lived up to its Trail Rated badge), sunny skies and very warm temperatures, and the usual Richland family love and laughter.

My two daughters bonded like superglue over the weekend. You can see the proof in Kristen's amazing pictures. There was never any doubt that it would happen, but it was great to watch. RJ is well out of her infancy and into her babyhood. She sits in laps, pays attention, serves up normal expressions, smiles, burbles, shrieks, sucks on her hands (when she isn't rubbing them together, plotting baby schemes) and does a good job overall of appearing to be a little human. Which, of course, made her all the more endearing to an older sister who was meeting her for the first time. It also afforded RJ considerable forgiveness for the many times she unexpectedly spewed half-digested milk over Sara and the rest of us.

The hardest part of the weekend was putting the Pixie on her plane back to New York. The air always goes out of the balloon when Sara is gone, and KB and I need a day or two to figure out how to fill the void. It's a lonely, sad time. We just hope that we showed her a good enough time to convince her to come back to Texas, often. Because Texas looks good on the Pixie...

Little Pixie is Ready to Meet the Big Pixie

Click on the picture to see more...

Never Mind Santa. Sara is Coming!!

I'm so excited I can barely stand it. Sara comes to Austin tomorrow. I haven't seen my older daughter since July. Normally we'd have gone up to Ann Arbor sometime this fall to see her, but a little wrinkle we refer to as Rosa Jane made that trip impossible this year.

For those of you who haven't had the huge pleasure of knowing her, Sara is a brilliant and beautiful woman about whom I could write all day. She hasn't seen my magnificent wife since the summer. And she has never met her little sister Rosa Jane, but she will tomorrow. I imagine magnetometers around the world will register that event, when these three feminine titans come together for the first time. I know I'll be happier than I've been in a very long time (and just so you know, I've been plenty damn happy for the last few months).

I can't wait to show Sara around our new locale. And if Texas is smart, it will do everything in its power to impress Sara while she's here. Texas could use some Sara for a while...

Rosa Jane at 12 weeks and her best clean-up pal, Hanky 

704 Babywipes later... Rosa Jane Hits 12 Weeks

I wanted to follow up on an earlier post -- back in the day when we didn't know how long 704 babywipes would last us. The answer is simple: 12 weeks. Our best guess is that she weighs somewhere in the 14 pound range. She's starting to laugh a little more when we bend over backwards trying to entertain her. Whatever we have to do, it is worth it! Keep on laughing, little girl.

Guess How Much I Love You

This afternoon Rosa Jane and I shared storytime. I read to her two books that were given to us in a sweet package from our Boston friends, The Averys. The first book was called Guess How Much I Love You and the second was The Runaway Bunny. Guess who ended up crying through both books? I'm wondering -- in all seriousness -- can a mother ever get through these books without crying?

Cutie-Britches Rosa Jane

Click on the picture to see more happy, smile-y pictures of the most adorable baby in Texas and let's be honest -- quite possibly the entire planet... though it makes it tougher to boast when your friends are the competition.

Equivalents

It's all downhill from here... Rosa Jane is quickly approaching 3 months or as Don prefers (because it doesn't sound so old) 12 weeks. I like to convert to months because that is what the lay person can understand. There is no math involved. I've been on the receiving end of many of those conversations where the new mom proudly says, "he's 17 weeks old!" And there I am left struggling to do the math as to what that really means. Weeks meant nothing to me. Don and I agree on one thing: the counting of days at this point is for the crazy people. Nevertheless, as of today, RJ has been around for 80 sunrises and sunsets.

Back in the days of the early KB and Donr courtship, quarters meant something to us, too. In our business life, we would plan budgets and conduct regular marketing performance reviews at the end of each quarter. When we were first married for a full quarter, we couldn't resist the urge to do a performance review over a sushi dinner. And now come the weekend, our little Rosa Jane will pass the Q1 mark. We look back on her progress both in her newborn-ness and as a contributing member of our family and match it up to those goals and predictions that we set for ourselves.

(Don't worry, Rosa Jane, this won't hurt a bit. We do this out of love.)


Like most newborns, Rosa Jane required extra coaxing to sleep at night during those early days. Sweet Daddy would let her sleep on his chest night after night so that she and Momma would get some good zzz's nevermind the effect on darling Daddy. Though we've always been smitten with Miss RJ, lately, I'd say we're both incredibly and overwhelmingly in love with her. The way she converses with us and is starting to respond to our jokes, it's clear that we are big fans of each other. We predict in early Q2, she'll be full out laughing and will properly respond to "flooffing" on her belly. Rosa Jane holds her head up very well and has begun to find more interest and interaction with her playmat kicking gyms.

It's funny to realize all the changes that have happened within me, too. For instance, as a studio photographer I saw many, many infant babies and I always recognized the baby's uniqueness and specialness. I admired the pride and love each new mother exuded over her darling one. However, I was always convinced that the little one was really just a blob who couldn't do much. True, infants can't do much but stick to where you put them, but there is so much more to an infant that I now recognize and appreciate. I just want to squeeze Rosa Jane all the time and pushing her smile button brings great joy.

The facts are these: Rosa Jane is cuter than cute and stronger than strong and smarter than smart. In short, she's our pride and joy. It's amazing how I find my emotions tied so closely to hers. If that evil Gas Monster has a frightening hold on her belly and causing most discomfort, then I, too, won't rest until we rid ourselves of him. I hurt when she hurts. I find delight where she finds delight. I can only imagine the number growing up with Rosa Jane will do on my nervous system. No doubt, I'm looking forward to every moment, but I'm just wondering if we could skip some of the heartbreak and live happily ever after in Utopia? Pretty please??



Meanwhile, Don is busy teaching Rosa Jane to say, "My name is Rosa Jane. Who are YOU?" And that makes me laugh. He has a way with words and I love the way he is with our daughter.

Overheard at Target

A spatula will not get ice off your windshield.

Burr! Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Yesterday turned freezing in Austin. I wasn't too worried and headed out the door with my little baby girl. We had to get to the post office and later headed to Old Navy for some cheap fleece for somebody special. Burr Rabbit! Was it ever cold out! While we were shopping, the windows and mirrors on our car froze and I thought, "oh, boy, are we in trouble!" People here don't know how to drive on ice, nor is the city prepared with loads of trucks to drop salt or sand. What's more, my tires were reading low pressure. Thankfully I made it to the Jiffy Lube to get everything checked out and we arrived safely at home. Since then, we've been homebound with no internet or phone service -- I ain't mentionin' no names--Time Warner-- until just now. Would there be a better time to take more pictures? I think not...



I have to admit after living in Boston for so long, I kinda liked feeling the chilly air and wearing my warmest downcoat. Don't tell donr the reindeer. I think I mostly just liked the weather because I know that come the weekend, the skies will be blue and the highs will be in the 60s again. This is definitely the good life.

The other morning I awoke before Rosa Jane (a rarity). Before I slipped downstairs to make coffee, I poked my head into her room. There she was sleeping soundly and I was genuinely struck and taken aback by her beauty. There is something really special about watching your peacefully sleeping baby. It seems like there should be a word for it, but nothing comes to mind.


I listened to some of my favorite Christmas music and decorated our tree earlier this week. I had so much fun unwrapping the ornaments and recalling all the sweet stories that go with them -- like the frog ornament from Sally's mom, Linda. She said "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the right one..." I had just met Don when she gave that to me. I love this time of year. I've been trying to stay away from the malls, watching too much TV, and other commercial areas because they just ruin it. They make you think if you don't spend money, your holidays will never be special. The truth is that it is all about family and spending time with the ones you love... even if it's just sending a card to let the ones you can't be with know that you love them. I hope we can all keep this perspective and remember the REAL reason for the season.

Tuesday's Cutest Infant

I didn't see any other entrants, but I think Rosa Jane has to win Tuesday's Cutest Infant contest handsdown. It's not that I'm so biased. I mean just look at the photo and ask yourself, have you ever in your whole entire life seen a cuter baby today?? If so, I'd like to see a picture.

2 1/2 Months: Time for a SkyDome Cruise Around Town

Miss Rosa Jane had a very lucky day. It was her first convertible ride in the wrangler. Temps were in the 80s today and it was just gorgeous. There was never a better time to be a happy baby and nor a better day to enjoy the sweet sunshine. It's all good in Austin where the main slogan is "Keep Austin Weird."

Don and I both think that Rosa Jane's eyes have turned a lighter shade of baby blue. We think it happened today during her afternoon nap, but who can really say for sure?

Wednesday morning held another first for RJ. She laughed in her sleep. It was so funny and so surreal at the same time. I haven't been able to get her to do again. Or at least I haven't caught her in the act. Sometimes though she is so giddy that she coos and smiles almost to the point where you think "her cheeks have to be hurting her," kinda like after a sorority rush party. We got the camera out a little too late and weren't able to capture all the fun. There is always tomorrow.