Update

Shannon is growing everyday and either she's getting easier to take care of or we are figuring this parenting thing out! More likely it's a combination of both. Here are some fun pictures of her in her most common mood-happy.


Smiling at Daddy



We are also selling the scooter if you are interested! It made sense to have this before we had Shannon, but now there really isn't a time when we'd ride it because we also have great city bikes.

More fun pictures of our little girl.



We also had a chance to get her out in her "Chariot" and she really enjoys relaxing in the infant sling. I know I'd like to have someone push me around Glenmere Park a few times while reclining in a comfy hammock-like contraption!

Shannon says, "I've got them wrapped around my little finger! He he he..."

Funny Faces Once More

Mom, these are for you.

Variety of Pictures

We had some severe weather roll through tonight so we all headed to the basement. Here's Audrey peeking out from her hiding place after a particularly loud clap of thunder. We had 3 or 4 tornado warnings and lots of hail but nothing as serious as the Windsor tornado two years ago.



We spend a lot of time holding Shannon because we know soon enough we'll have to get tough and have her go to sleep on her own. For now we are enjoying rocking her to sleep and holding her in our arms while she naps.



Shannon is a good sleeper. Even though we often rock her to sleep and hold her, she stays asleep when we put her down in her crib or the co-sleeper. She's up to occasional 4-5 hour stretches of sleep at night, though most of the time the magic number is 3 hours and she wants some food.



Deborah was watching Shannon and decided to take the kids-ALL the kids, to the library. Erin, as you can see, ended up sitting on the stroller handles. Grady and Shannon were snug and shaded in the double stroller.



Eric's favorite treat and traditional birthday "cake." Erin was in charge of putting the candles on!



Erin helping Eric blow out the candles.




We celebrated Eric's birthday a second time on the weekend with this cake. No, he's not 40 but sometimes we give him a hard time about being so "mature" for his age.

Distracted Driving

Since I've been home during the day for the last few weeks the TV has been on quite a bit more than usual. I'm caught up on current events in the news (very depressing) and all my favorite reruns. One show I flip to at 4pm is Oprah. I know, I know. But last week she aired something worth paying attention to- an entire hour dedicated to showing the dangers of distracted driving. I'm guilty of texting and talking on my phone when I'm driving. It's a habit (maybe even a borderline addiction) to use the time I have in my car to make phone calls and keep in touch with people. But not anymore.

Over 6000 people have been killed and many more injured due to texting or talking on cell phones while driving. Oprah interviewed families of people who were killed by distracted drivers and had people who were disabled or otherwise injured on the show to tell their stories.

I watched mothers and fathers talk about their children who were killed because someone thought a text or a call couldn't wait and was more important than paying attention to the road. Now that I have little Shannon I can't imagine how I'd go on if I lost her, especially to something as senseless as texting and driving. Think about this- how many times have you seen someone do something stupid while driving, only to look over and see they were on a phone? How many times have you done something stupid when on your phone?

Many public service announcements are being aired to inform about the consequences of texting and talking on your cell phone while driving. It reminds me when I was in grade school and states began passing laws mandating seatbelts or MADD (mothers against drunk driving) showing graphic images of mangled cars. It seems silly to us now that there WOULDN'T be a law requiring seatbelts or serious consequences for drunk driving. There are laws against texting and driving, but only in a handful of states and most people know it's tough to enforce. We see it as our right to talk on our phones or text while driving even though it's just like getting behind the wheel intoxicated.

Oprah is heading a campaign called No Phone Zone where you sign a contract that you will no longer text and drive. I haven't physically signed the paper, but now I keep my phone in the diaper bag in the back seat. There is no reason a phone call or text can't wait. I look in the backseat at my little girl and realize there is nothing more important than making sure I'm focused on keeping her and everyone around me safe by driving without any distractions.


So, if you call or text me and I don't respond, I'm probably driving so leave a message and know I'll get back to you as soon as I get home.

We've had a wonderful week. Eric and I are getting a little more sleep now that Shannon is sleeping in her own room, therefore we've had more energy to get out. Eric's birthday was this week so we had a small celebration Wednesday and then a larger one on Friday with our friends. Mark had his annual get together at his house in the mountains so we took Shannon on her first visit above 7,000 feet. Here are some pictures from the week.

Normalcy

It will be 5 weeks tomorrow. "It" of course being when Shannon joined our family. Our lives have glimpses of normalcy these days, like more than 3 consecutive hours of sleep, taking showers, going out and about, and even exercising. Every day she becomes more expressive and her sleep patterns more regular. She is a content baby, checking the world out when I place her on her back for 30 minutes or so at a time. She will fall asleep in your arms and nap with you and it's rare that she fusses or cries, which only happens when she's hungry or needs to be changed. This is a huge change from the first two weeks of her life. Those were tough and we are glad that she is so content and happy.

Another cute picture