Return to the NICU

Dave and I have finally found a donation that has a special meaning for us -- doing something nice for families in the hospital during the holidays. When we spent out time there, little gestures and words of encouragement from other families really helped, and we resolved to give something back.

When I found some stockings online that said "Baby's First Christmas," the project hit me immediately! We bought 30 stockings, and Leslie helped by making popcorn balls and cookies all week. I also confiscated a couple boxes of Moon Pies from the office for a better cause. Last, we enclosed a letter of encouragement, and a couple highlights from our experience.

We picked the perfect day to go back; we got to see our primary nurse and doctor, Alana and Mark De Marie. There weren't too many people around so we could set up our little assembly line without disrupting anyone. Leslie was especially touched to see the tiny babies, and what a tentative start Logan and Ada had in life.

I was so thankful to be paying a happy and healthy visit, and to encourage the families we met.

Kindle For Christmas

For my birthday and Christmas, my darling husband bought me an Amazon Kindle! I've been wanting one for more than a year, so he didn't need a whole lot of guidance on my wish list. This is a very cool gizmo, but the point is not to do twenty million things like an iPhone - it won't be as fun if you're not a serious reader; it's really for reading, and that's it.

So here's my review:

Cons:

• It's not a paper book, which is a bummer because readers tend to have a thing for the paper book experience. And I flip back a lot, so I miss that.
• It's pretty expensive.
• It encourages impulse buying. A lot.
• If you read in the tub, you might want to put it in a ziplock.

Pros:

• If you buy books, it will pay for itself over time because the books are much cheaper in digital form. A few days ago I bought Bullfinch's Mythology (500 pages) for a dollar.
• No more waiting in line at Barnes & Noble, or waiting for Amazon to ship. Books download in 60 seconds. (See "impulse buying," above.)
• If you use the library - no more trips to the library! And no more waiting in line for a book.
• It's lighter and smaller than a book. And definitely easier if you're reading several things at once, it holds 200 books without a memory card.
• It's environmental - no paper required.
• The screen is gorgeous, it doesn't glow, it's flat like paper.
• The font size is adjustable, and I do find that large print comes in handy.
• You can get newspapers too. I'm going to do a free trial of the Sunday paper for Dave, and see if I can convince him to go paperless too.

Meet Uncle Dave and Aunt Lori

Ada and Logan had a great time meeting Uncle Dave and Aunt Lori over beers and football. :)

Lazy Sunday

Resolve To Do Something Green

My sister-in-law sent me this link, reminding us to be aware of all the plastic bags we consume. Going into 2009, think about something small and easy you can do to help the Earth!

If canvas bags aren't sexy enough for you, my little tote gets attention everywhere I go, and it holds a TON.

Ada's New Noise

~ 60 seconds...

Happy Holidays!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Thanksgiving

I've been remiss in not mentioning Thanksgiving sooner! We had a great day of family, friends and food at our place. Dave did a magnificent job with the turkey and stuffing, and everyone else contributed a great dish; we had appetizers including homemade hummus, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, Jell-o salad, and pumpkin pie cake for dessert with cool whip. And the leftover sandwiches were fast on the heels of the meal!

Everyone had a great chance to chat, eat, and play with babies; then in the evening we sat by the fire for a while, and wrapped up the night watching Planes Trains and Automobiles. It was a great day, and confirmed Thanksgiving as my favorite holiday.

All Dressed Up