Am I supposed to be overwhelmed?

Tonight I put together the crib, it all seems a bit surreal. Is there a point before the actual birth that makes you realize your life is going to be completely different?

I rationalize it, I know the baby is coming only a mere 7 weeks from now, but even after assembling the crib I cannot grasp the reality of having a child. I feel like there is something wrong with me. Is this normal? Am I in denial? Is it that I understand what is actually coming, and cannot mentally prepare for it more than I already have?

It isn't normal for me to be as laid back as I have been the last 7 months. Normally I worry, worry,and then worry some more. This situation has been completely differnt, and that worries me!

Here are the pictures of the crib and the "Pirate Bear", he has been protecting this room for many moons, Cheryl wants a Jungle theme in the room, what about a pirate theme...hmmmm?

Killington Vacation

After Christmas, we headed to Killington, VT. It snowed alot on our way up, and the high temperature was 2 degrees Farenheit on the first day. That reaffirmed our commitment to continue living in Tucson, but it was fun to see snow.

Unfortunately, we were sick so we didn't partake in the outdoor activities, but we still had a great time. On Tuesday, Art, Tyson and I checked out the Long Trail Brewery. Here's an explanation of their brewing process:

These are the fermenters:

The bottles get filled, capped, and rinsed.

After the tour, Tyson and Art each sampled six of their beers.

Alas, my sampling wasn't nearly as exciting.

As we finished our lunch and drinks, we were called to join the troops at the ski lodge. To ski or not to ski was the question. At 1 degree Farenheight plus strong winds, the three little Johnsons opted for a ride back to the condo.

My sister Jonell toughed it out for another couple of hours, but even she packed up her skis before the lifts closed. At night we played cards and games.

 On Wednesday, everyone but Tyson and me spent the day skiing. We returned to Long Trail for lunch, then checked out some neighboring towns, before heading back to the ski lodge for hot cocoa and live music.

We flew back to Tucson on New Year's Eve. Just before we left, Tyson got a couple more games of Rock Band in, and it started to snow.

Thanks Jonell, Art, Payton, Cole and Shelby, for making this such a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas in Danvers

I love spending Christmas in Danvers with my sister's family - her kids really "get" the spirit of Christmas, and they keep so many wonderful traditions. This will probably be the last year we'll get to go for a while. We flew (first class! courtesy of Anne Marie's miles) to Boston on Christmas Eve, and despite delays, we amazingly made it to the 5 o'clock church service just in time to see our nieces Shelby and Payton sing in the choir. This was followed by the annual Christmas Eve party at the Soper's house, where Tyson served sparkling and still versions of our apfelwein.
Another Christmas tradition in the Glass Johnson house comes from Art's mother, Peggy - matching Christmas pjs for the family. I think we'll start implementing that tradition in our own household next year.

My mother helped prepare the annual gingerbread house. Most years, we  leave out milk and cookies for Santa, and magic oats for the reindeer. I can't wait to share these traditions with Godot.

As for his/her first flying experience... Godot was unusually still during both flights, and extremely quiet the rest of the evening. But he/she made up for it that night - while I lay huddled against Tyson for warmth in bed that night, Godot repeatedly kicked Tyson with the biggest kicks we've ever felt.

Christmas morning started early - the kids rang sleigh bells outside our door around 6:40am, but then decided to go open their stockings. The official wake up call came a few minutes later.

Here's the favorite gift received this year:

 

 This turned out to be a great game for the entire family. Tyson and I also joined in at times, usually with me on guitar or bass, and Tyson on drums.

We went to the Patton house for Christmas dinner. My cousin Brad decided to torture us by dressing himself and his son in Scum Devils attire...

Jonell and Lili cooked an amazing dinner, followed by poached pears for dessert. What a great Christmas!

New addition to our circle of friends.

This post is definitely overdue, however, it's better late than never. Our friends Dan and Sarah gave birth to their son, Leonardo Timshell Mcnamara, on December 4th 2009. He is a healthy, happy baby boy. This is Sarah's first child, and Dan has two other boys 10 and 11 who are great.

Here is a photo of the proud father and happy son! (Sarah was readying herself for bed and we were trying to get out of their hair before it became too late, so unfortunately we didn't get the photo-op of the parents together.)

-T