2009 comes to a close

In a nutshell, parenthood has been unlike anything else that we have ever been through. At this point, I think the most important virtues of parenthood have included patience (lots of it!), understanding, communication, multi-tasking and a good sense of humor. Despite the frustrating moments (of which there have been many), we love life with our baby girl. Some days we hold Liana in our arms, staring into her eyes and say to each other, "Can you believe this is our baby?" And then that fleeting moment is over as she turns beet red, scrunches up her face, takes a breath and belts out a "Wa wa waaaa!" - reminding us that "Yes folks, I'm yours. Get over it. Now get me some food!"

Lia is just starting to sleep longer stretches at night (much to our delight!), and pretty much doing all that a 6-week infant is supposed to - which unfortunately still does include quite a bit of crying. Par for the course, I guess! Although she hasn't yet cracked a smile, we anticipate that will come soon. Guess our jokes just haven't been funny enough yet, need to work on our material. :-)

It's hard to imagine that 2009 is quickly nearing an end, given all the things that have happened this year. We are so thankful to all the family, friends and neighbors who have helped us through this recent adjustment in our lives, and look forward to repaying the favor. The Meals on Wheels program (i.e. the delivery of delicious meals to frazzled new parents by great folks) has made us feel like we've had personal chefs a few days a week, and has truly been appreciated. Liana recently enjoyed her first Christmas in Portland, even though the thrill of opening presents was a bit lost on her, as evidenced by this photo. Ah well, there's always next year! Anyway, here's to 2010 and the upcoming adventures that undoubtedly await us with Liana (our little gnome).