Ryan is 5 Months

Dallas Arboretum - Fall Festival 2010

Life is good because Ryan is in our lives. Five months ago today, I gave birth to this little sweetheart. As you can see, Ryan is well fed and well cared for. I'm pretty certain he is the chubbiest of our kids. Last time we checked, he had almost reached 18 pounds and doesn't show any signs of discontinuing that trend. To put it all into perspective, Laurel weighed 20 pounds at the age of 2! He loves to eat and loves to be held, especially by his mommy. One of the big events of this month is his first introduction to solid food (rice cereal). Although it was messy, he was more than willing to practice his techniques during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now anytime I pull out the baby spoon and his little bowl, this little chunk starts to squeal with such delight. I wish I got so excited about flavorless paste!

As for other developmental accomplishments, we're slowly getting him used to tummy time. Ryan would much rather be on his back side looking at a fan or smiling at anyone interested in playing with him. He seems to be pretty close to sitting up on his own, which I'm really looking forward to.

Ryan is an absolute joy to have in our family. He sleeps most of the night, he's good natured, and he just loves his family. We love him, too, and are thankful that he is such a big part of our family.

Happy Thanksgiving

Life is good, because our family had a fantastic Thanksgiving this year! Although our plans were changed at the last minute, we recovered and put together a fabulous Thanksgiving feast, Christensen style.

Per Madrian tradition, our day began with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from NYC. As a child, I have many memories of watching that parade as my parents prepped food in the kitchen. There was always something so festive and comforting about watching that parade each and every year. This year was no different.

Dale and I prepared roasted turkey with fresh herbed sausage stuffing, sweet potatoes with pecan streusel topping, rolls (I cheated and bought the Hawaiian rolls, which I will do again because they were tasty), homemade cranberry orange sauce, gravy, fresh green beans, salad greens with blackberry vinaigrette, brussel sprouts with browned butter, and homemade pumpkin pie. It was truly a feast and could have fed a large army. My freezer is full of leftovers ready to be eaten on those future lazy Sundays when I don't feel like cooking.

Here I am sitting in front of our festive table with some of the people I love most in this world (one of which is behind the camera lens). Laurel helped me set the table by writing each of our names on the name cards we purchased at Hobby Lobby. Laurel loves to be involved with anything remotely related to crafts or art.

Right in the middle of the day, our family took a much needed break to visit Tetco (our favorite gas station here in town). As you can see, the kids are holding Thanksgiving themed coloring sheets which can be redeemed for a free Icee at Tetco. I was amazed that the kids wanted an Icee, especially considering our Dallas temperatures had dropped into the 40's. Mom and dad enjoyed the trip to Tetco with our usual caffeinated mix du jour and a nice fat copy of the Dallas Morning News, which was stuffed with all of the Black Friday ads. I'm happy to report that even after salivating over several of the large plasma screen televisions that were on sale, as well as other fun toys, we maintained discipline and saved our money.

We are thankful for so many things this year, mainly our family, our health, and the many friends we have. We look forward to a beautiful Christmas season.

7 Years Ago

Seven years ago tonight I was on my way to the hospital to give birth to my first child. At the time, Dale and I lived in San Jose. I remember stopping at Safeway (off of Montague Expressway) on the way to the hospital to buy some Swedish fish and gummy bears to get me through labor. Little did I know that I would be in labor close to 20 hours and that they wouldn't even let me eat.

I remember feeling the anticipation and excitement that comes with new motherhood. I also remember the fear I felt as I was asked to go into the bathroom and change into my hospital gown. The strangest feeling came over me as I realized that there was no turning back. Oh, and the pain . . . it certainly took my breath away, but not as much as when Dr. Hill handed me Laurel for the first time. That moment will forever be embedded in my memory. Such a sweet, sacred moment when you hold your first child for the very first time. Oh, and she was beautiful with a sweet, almost pathetic cry.

Now here we are, seven years and two cities later. So much has happened over these years since Laurel joined our family. So grateful for Laurel and the strength she is in our home. She is a sweet, loving child who loves to have fun, make crafts, and play outside with her brothers. One of her greatest traits is her desire to share everything she has. If she has one piece of gum, she'll either split it in half and share with you, or she'll just give you the entire piece. And the best part about it is that she'll do it with a smile because she loves you and wants nothing more than to show you her love by sharing. Such a wonderful trait will serve her well throughout her years on earth.