The rest of the pages I've photographed-and-uploaded!

More to come as I complete them & get them photographed ... but for now, here's the 25th through the 28th!

Christmas was fantastic! It was hard to pick just one photo, but this one shows her joy, and her Santa pajamas!



Here we all are, playing Red November. Alexandra was quite intrigued ... and patient ... and chose to nap through half of it!



Blurry photo, but I wanted to document Daddy sharing his Christmas gift with Alexandra



And ... all dolled up in one of MANY cute winter outfits! I love that hat!



More to come, as I get photos printed! I think I will most likely do the book through the 31st or maybe the 1st.

A few more uploaded. Still slogging through the whole upload/edit process!

A few more entries. My husband's keyboard is very stiff, so striking the keys really hurts my fingers and wrists after a while. Dang.

More JYC entries!

Slowly but surely, I gain the work-around skills to get my photos uploaded to the internet!





More later!

Panic not!

For all the people who've inquired ... yes, in some form or another, almost all of Alexandra's photos have been saved. I'm missing about 3 days' worth. Yeah. That's it. Call it a miracle. Call it my compulsiveness. I'm just happy. And tomorrow I may get those 3 days' worth back, too. Booyah!

Computer fried

Well, my computer fried very early the morning of the 22nd, so although I've been keeping current with my pages, I've had time for very little else, like puzzling out how to upload things to my husband's computer. Lucky for you, dear readers, I had already uploaded pages 14 & 16, so I'll share those with you now:





It seems like both the mixes and the ornaments were a big hit...and the jams we've made 3 years running are now becoming a bit of a staple, so I think we're expected to continue those!

Until I can get the computer fixed or replaced ... or figure out how to get the printer installed (it has ports for the camera card) ... or find the cable for the camera, I'm limited to what I can do with my phone. To tide you over, here are a few pictures from Christmas Cuteness:







Wish me luck!

Where did the week go?

Oh, yeah ... I know. Cleaning up from Cookie Day. Distributing cookies. Packing away the gear we use only once a year. Rearranging furniture in 3 different rooms. Sending out the last few Christmas cards. Working. Caring for Alexandra. It's all coming back to me, now. I also have been able to stay pretty current with my JYC pages, just not having much luck getting time to photograph them, upload them to the computer, crop, and then upload to the web to share. But now, during some quiet moments, here I am!

The page on the 11th was sorta about Christmas trees ... or at least about Alexandra helping decorate ours.



And rather than write about Christmas Past, let's write about Cookie Day Present!



And no comment on Christmas Music ... much more fun to show Alexandra holding this year's Christmas Journal while sitting at my scrapping table!



The 14th is about Alexandra being patient while we made a LOT of homemade gifts. I don't want to post it for fear that some recipients will SEE what we made! You'll have to wait.

*grin*

And I've written a lot in the last 5 years about visitors ... so I'd rather comment on Alexandra's continued fascination with the tree & include the tag that was on the tree when we bought it.



The 16th is on a subject that would also reveal some gifts ... so you'll have to wait for that one, too, until after the 25th. *grin* Alexandra was an active participant in that one, too, not just a mere patiently-waiting-and-entertaining-self- baby!

I switched the topics for the 16th and 17th, inadvertently, so the 17th is now about Christmas Gratitude. It should've been about the Perfect Gift, which would've fit just fine, too. *grin*



I'm feeling a lot of happiness right now, let me tell you. I read through entries from my adoption/baby journal from the beginning of 2010 until just recently. Profound life changes & more joy than I can accurately convey through the written word.

The journal continues ...

I've actually been managing to do a page every day or 2 pages every other day (bless you, my little angel!), but actually photographing them in decent light, uploading them, and then posting ... well, that's a whole 'nother story!

I'm going off-topic a lot ... 'cause I want to capture little moments and "firsts", like her first encounter with Christmas tree lights



And my "sight of the season" is Alexandra in her first holiday sweater:



Resurrected tradition ... a visit to Santa*



Another off-the-rails page ... just can't have enough pics of cute Alexandra in my album.


Okay ... pages 11 (yesterday) and 12 (today), MIGHT get done tonight ... but we have to pack up everything from Cookie Day, plus move furniture, so, yeah ... maybe not. That's okay. We're having loads of fun!


*okay, I snuck to Santa's house last year & left a letter in the mailbox, asking for a baby for Christmas ... but I didn't sit on his lap, so that doesn't count!

Let the journal begin!

I've begun my 6th Journal Your Christmas project.



This year, we have so much to celebrate.


I'm sure to no one's surprise, it's dedicated to my Alexandra.


One of favorite entries is day #2.


I used one of the Christmas cards I made for the 3rd daily entry.


When asked to journal about what would make a Christmas perfect, the answer was short & sweet.


I am going a bit off-topic from the prompts, but I'm enjoying documenting other things instead.


Here's another off-topic page ... but I couldn't resist.


I actually did entries 7 & 8 this evening, so I'm caught up ... but will have to wait to photograph them at a later date. Busy, busy, busy ... Cookie Day is only 3 days away!!

When did it get to be time to start Journal Your Christmas?

Been looking forward to doing this particular year's Journal Your Christmas since I started the album for 2008!!! Now, just to carve out the time to do it! Wish me luck! I'm already feeling frayed at the edges with life changes that have nothing to do with the holidays or Alexandra!

She is not leaving without a fight

So, my car. My car's been with me for over 18 years. She's performed admirably. Sticker price was $9,995 and she is worth every cent. Now, however, it's time to let her go. I don't want to. I have some unnatural attachment. Apparently so does she.


I listed her for sale on Craiglist a few days ago, feeling somewhat like a traitor. I mentioned this & was teased. My reply? "Just wait until we actually try to sell her."

She's been reliable & wonderful for almost 2 decades. But now, she needs more work than I'm willing to invest. She needs a new windshield wiper assembly ($200 part), first and foremost. New brakes and tires would be on the list for next summer. A serpentine belt is also probably on the horizon. Essentially, if I am willing to invest $1,000 of parts and labor, she'd be in tip-top shape. We don't have the $1,000, and if I had $1,000, I have several other places it'd make more sense to invest it.

When we purchased our other car, it was with the understanding that buying one mid-sized vehicle, we'd eventually go down to 1 car. We both work less than 10 minutes from home. Now that my office has moved, my work is actually on the way to DH's work. Heck, I could walk it if I wanted to dodge some traffic on a busy street for a block or so.

So, for every reason I can name, it's time to get rid of her. So, a lady contacted me yesterday & we talked this afternoon. She wanted the car today. TODAY. Dang. Okay. She arranges for a ride ... and then everything goes downhill.

(1) I can't find the key to the lockbox that houses important papers, like, oh, the title to the car. Eventually I find the keys (in a very odd place, mind you, NOT where I would've said I ALWAYS keep them), so we're good to go.
(2) She has difficulty cashing the money order she has (I told her I would only accept cash). She has to speak to a manager, etc., and is delayed in getting to me by almost 2 hours.
(3) Just before she's supposed to arrive, I go to move the car from the garage to the driveway (keep in mind I've not driven it more than 11 miles in the last 3 weeks) ... and the battery is dead. DH gives me a jump start & I lap the block a few times to make sure it charges up.
(4) She finally gets here with cash, the battery is reasonably charged up, I've made sure there's enough gas to get her home (she lives 26 miles away), I've found the title and read the directions, and ...







she doesn't drive stick.




*face palm*




I clearly listed that in the Craigslist ad. *deep sigh* So ... I've resolved to take her to a mechanic who's expressed an interest, and quoted me a price. I'm just not telling her. If I can set up a time, I'm not mentioning any of this in front of her. I'll just tell her I'm taking her out for a well-deserved joy ride.

Why does it feel like I'm taking a friend out into the woods with a sordid plan involving me coming back alone?

Anyone want to buy a 9 month sized pinafore?

So, funny story .... I bought to make a pinafore for Alexandra. I bought it in 2 sizes: 12 month & 18 month. My aunt, who is quite industrious, agreed to give it a whirl before she came to visit from Minneapolis. WELL. She printed it out & later that day I received an email that she'd made "more than 1." When the dust settled, she'd made EIGHT reversible pinafores & brought them last weekend. They were awfully tight on Alexandra & she thought maybe the pattern was wrong. I'd also bought a finished pinafore from the same seller, so I did some comparisons & deduced that somehow my aunt resized the pattern when she printed it out! A consultation with the pattern maker revealed that the pinafores ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifre actually closer to a 9 month size! So, I am awash in pinafores Alexandra can barely fit into, including 4 beautiful Christmas designs! BUMMER. I'd like to be able to recoup the cost of the fabric, at least, and cover shipping - so if you're interested, make me an offer!! Feel free to pass along to others, too!

More baby scrapbooking

I actually did these pages in fits and starts over several days ... then it took me for ever to take pictures of them ... and longer to upload and crop ... and now to share! It's been busy with my aunt visiting & with DH out of town at his brother's wedding!

I have decided just to document random elements of Alexandra's life, so it allows me to skip around & pick different things that strike my fancy -- like realizing these two pictures showed how some things have changed and some things have stayed the same!



And this page is just a fave photo of mine. Huge eyes, very contemplative ... and gnawing on her links, which is a favorite past-time.



And again another one of those milestones -- didn't even get pictures of her first tooth coming in, because it came in with nary a whimper, but the 2nd one was a bit more documented. It's only been in photos taken earlier this month that you can actually SEE the teeth in any pictures, but at least it's documented!

Milk and Cookies and a Book

I am about to retire for the evening. I currently have the house to myself (okay, I'm sharing it with Alexandra and a couple of cats), and I've really enjoyed the peace & quiet this evening. It's amazing how much I can get done in just a few hours if I have the run of the place. I need to change the little girl & give her a bottle (she only ate 12 oz today ... I'm surprised I didn't hear whimpering!), then time for me to curl up in bed. I'm going to enjoy some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, a glass of milk, and a good book (Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson). Good night, all!

I had some fun this weekend ...

And managed to scrapbook some random photos of Alexandra's. This first one was completed with pictures taken by an acquaintance (a professional photographer) who visited us when Alexandra was just over a month old:


And these photos were taken on an impromptu stroll with my Blackberry. Not bad shots ... and it shows our adventures, including smelling flowers, and falling asleep.


And this documents my inviting over some yoga buddies to spend time with Alexandra in September. They threw her a shower in April & I thought they might all like to see her a few months later!


And these pictures I took after we had our professional photoshoot. Seemed appropriate to use the whole "punkin" thing. I've been calling her "pumpkin bear" lately ... now shortened to "punky bear." I'm weird. I know.


And these pictures were e-freebies done by the professional photographer -- small pictures intended to be emailed to loved ones for Halloween (which I certainly did!), but I decided to print them out as 3x4 images & make a Halloween page for her while it's still fresh in my mind!