Christmas Came and Went

Christmas always goes by so quickly. Michael and I flew down to Atlanta the Saturday before Christmas, and JD joined us by car on Wednesday (he was supposed to come on Tuesday but had car trouble, taking him an extra day to get there). Meanwhile, Michael and I spent a lot of time with both families, trying to stay quiet and to have a more relaxing vacation. It worked, mostly. I don't think that Michael was put down the whole week! Now that we're back home, we're having to re-train him to spend some time playing by himself. :)
The Pond Christmas tree:
Lindsey and I got awesome vests from the Ponds! Now I'll fit right in with Illinois girls.

Michael got dressed up in several adorable Christmas outfits.

The boys.

We also enjoyed our annual holiday tradition of decorating gingerbread houses. I guess Michael will join us next year...

The Francesconi Christmas tree:

Everyone got hats for Christmas! We joked that JD looked like he was kidnapping the baby.

Now we're spending the next week unloading the ridiculous amount of toys that Michael got from his grandparents. So much for the sticks and rocks we had planned for him!

Christmas Is a'Comin'

School days are counting down (tomorrow is the last final exam I have to give), and it's so cold, we're only leaving the house if we have to. But Christmas is almost here, and we're preparing with friends through gift exchanges, Christmas cookie parties, and Michael's first visit to Santa. He was a very good boy and waited until the moment that I lifted him from Santa's lap to spit up.

First Snow!!

The first snow of the winter has arrived, and it was beautiful. Fat white flakes swirling down made it feel like we were in a snow globe, and when it all finished, we were five inches deep. We tried to get Michael excited about the new weather experience, but he was so bundled up that he couldn't move. Maybe next year will be a bit more eventful...

Constitution Trail in Normal.

Gizmo, now an outdoor kitty, braves the snow and the 21 degree high.

Thanksgiving

What a busy week it's been! We kicked it all off with a suprise visit from Michael who flew into Bloomington last Friday night. JD was so suprised to see him, but he and I knew that the visit was really so that he could be here for JD's suprise 30th birthday party on Saturday. Boy, was he suprised! We had a great lunch at his favorite restaurant and then all went and saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows together. Hopefully, it was a 30th birthday to remember.

I flew back to Atlanta with both Michaels on Sunday night, and JD joined us on Monday night. The week was a blur of family members, delicious meals, visits with friends, and lots of shopping. It was so much fun to watch our family get to know Michael again and to fall in love with him all over again. Every visit reminds us of how much we wish we lived closer to our families. After a harrowing 12-hour car ride home yesterday, we have begun to settle back in, to finish the last 2 weeks of school, and to brave out the bitter cold winter. But then, it's only 3 more weeks until we're back in Atlanta!

Catching Up

Whew, the past two weeks have been busy, but at the same time, I'm not really sure what we've been doing! JD was out of town for three seperate business trips, and Michael went back to both the pediatrician and a pediatric GI specialist. I've been working on a comprehensive exam that I finally presented today. It's been a whirlwind!

To update you on Michael, we tried putting him on a special formula (Nutrimagen) that doesn't have milk protein in it (what he's sensitive to). But after he gaged it up and refused to eat anything else every time we tried to feed it to him, we had to come up with a new plan. He's now on a soy formula because at the same time that his stools started presenting blood, my body also decided to stop producing milk. So, breastfeeding is no longer an option. It appears that the soy formula is working for now, and he likes it a lot more than the Nutrimagen, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

We can't wait for Thanksgiving! It's going to be so great to visit friends and family in Atlanta. And it's Michael's first holiday season.

P.S. JD turns 30 tomorrow!

Halloween 2010

Michael's first Halloween was a true success! It was a busy weekend with pumpkin carving (JD did such an amazing job!), the local haunted trail, and handing out candy in costume. Michael was a real trooper the whole way.

Michael wanted to try a mustache like his Grandpa.

We wore only costumes that we already owned.

In other news, we're waiting to see what's leaving blood in Michael's stool. I'm off dairy in case he's allergic to that, and we're turning in stool samples, which of course is a ton of fun. Poor baby. He's still perfectly happy and gaining weight, but something is bothering him. Hopefully we'll have an answer soon.

Life at the Ponds'

Ahhh, life. Things have settled down a bit for fall, at least until the holidays get here. We've had a strangely warm, dry October; I'm wearing short-sleeves today! The family is doing really well as Michael has started trying some vegetables, and JD is still recording everything within reach on our DVR and then forgetting what he recorded! I'm working on my second comprehensive exam, which I hope to finish before Thanksgiving, and Gizmo is frolicking in the yard, even inviting herself into neighbors' homes! Life is good.

ISU Homecoming

Go Redbirds! This weekend was ISU's homecoming, and our friends and alumni Melissa and Ben convinced us to attend the homecoming parade. It was so much fun! It was more than just a school parade; the whole town got involved too. Michael got in the spirit with a redbird tatoo.

We also biked down to the game later that day and checked out the festivities, but we didn't go to the game. And, I got lucky and never saw even one of my students in a compromising position!

But that's not the only fun we had this weekend. I also got to go to Champaign with some friends for dinner and shopping at the Gap. Michael got some cute clothes out of the trip. We took lots of walks this weekend because fall in the Midwest is the most beautiful weather I've ever experienced.

As for the rest of the week, Michael had his 4-month checkup (even those he's almost 5 months!). He's 14.5 lbs. and almost 25 inches long. A long, skinny baby, even though he feels like he weighs 100 lbs to me! But he's healthy and happy and has started eating rice cereal this week. We've noticed a slight improvement in fussy times and sleeping since then. He doesn't quite get the spoon yet, but we're working on it!

For my Atlanta folk, I bought my Thanksgiving and Christmas plane tickets. Michael and I will be coming to Atlanta on November 21, with JD joining us on the 24, and December 18, with JD joining us on the 22 or 23. Let's make some plans!

Fall Fun

Ahhh, it sure is nice to stay in state for a weekend! And what a beautiful weekend it was. We had a bit of an Indian summer (what does that mean, anyway?) with highs in the 80's. It was beautiful, warm, and sunny - what better weather to go pumpkin shopping?! We met up with our friends Melissa, Ben, and Baby Miles (who is 4 weeks younger than Michael) for some fall fun.

Look how tall our baby is! Two feet and counting...

Michael was more interested in his feet than in the pumpkins.

He couldn't figure out why we were all excited about these vegetables!

He tried to rope a steer and didn't do too badly.

Next year will be a whole new experience! As for the rest of the weekend, we saw The Social Network, thanks to Emily babysitting for us. We both highly recommend the movie. Today we went to church, had icecream with Beth, and actually got some yard-work accomplished. Meanwhile, I've been finishing the grading of 60 student papers, and JD is trying to fight some bad allergies. Still, we'll take this great weather for as long as it lasts!