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December 31, 2004

Four Months

Naomi is four months old today! (She's being extra difficult for us today, too, just to remind us that we don't totally have this parenting thing down yet) Here are a couple of pictures from her first experience with rice cereal yesterday - not like Rice Krispies, mind you - this stuff looked runny and gross, but that's how you're supposed to start 'em.

Here are the vital stats from her 4-month check-up:
12lbs, 6oz.
25.25" long
25th percentile for weight
75th percentile for height

Don't forget to scroll down to see the final Christmas entry. Happy New Year, everyone!

Posted by teamchandler at 05:35 PM | Comments (6)

Christmas Part III

This entry is the final installment in the 2004 holiday trilogy. Last night we celebrated with Grandpa and Grandma Thomas. Pictures: riding around with Grandpa; chatting with Grandma; gnawing on Dad's hand; playing with the grandparents; all smiles for the camera.

Since proceeds from the first two Christmas entries have more than covered the costs of production, this final "director's cut" entry contains never-before-seen images from the first episode in Ashland:

Posted by teamchandler at 05:25 PM | Comments (1)

December 30, 2004

Christmas Part II

Last night we celebrated the holiday with one set of Calley's parents and some close friends of the family. Pictured here from left to right are Megan, Angela and Dan with Naomi; Allison; Rachel; Naomi in the obligatory '1st Christmas' bib; and Naomi with Grandma and Grandpa Rambo.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's entry: it's Naomi's four-month update, plus more holiday photos!

Posted by teamchandler at 02:34 PM | Comments (3)

December 28, 2004

Christmas Pixels

Here are some pictures from our trip up to Ashland over Christmas.

Left to right: ice in the trees surrounding my parents' house in Ashland; snow covering the Christmas lights in the bushes at my grandma's house; Naomi enjoying watching everyone open presents; the primary tree (my mom has three in the house); an odd holiday-themed walrus (?) at Grandma's place.

I didn't take too many photos last weekend, but there will be more to come. So far we've seen only one of our three families for the holidays - spreading out the visits is one way to extend the Christmas cheer.

Posted by teamchandler at 11:08 PM | Comments (4)

Tragedy

It's currently estimated that over 40,000 people have died as a result of Sunday's devastating tsunamis, millions are now homeless, and the infrastructural damage to these Asian countries will certainly total in the tens or hundreds of billions.

If you want to help, the best way we can do that is to provide funds for the aid workers already on the ground in these areas:

American Red Cross (specify International Response Fund)
India Gospel League (IGL)

The IGL is the organization that Cal and I spent time with during our trip to southern India a couple of years ago. We made many friends there, and this devastation hits closer to home for us than it otherwise may have. I can assure you that this is a highly-reputable organization that is passionately devoted to improving the lives of the Indian people, regardless of their faith. They are already intimately involved with thousands of rural villages across India, and I'm sure any relief funds (which can be specified to help with this disaster) will very quickly be put to use to ease the suffering in these areas.

Posted by teamchandler at 09:07 AM | Comments (4)

December 23, 2004

Level 3

Snow emergency, that is. That means we're not supposed to be on the roads at all, except under emergency conditions. Many areas of Cincinnati have between 12-15" of snow this morning (which is a ton for this area), but the storm appears to have passed. Now we wait for the road crews to catch up. I can't wait to get out in it - I actually like driving in this stuff. I've got a 4x4 with new tires just waiting in the garage.

Pictures added! I tried shoveling for a bit, at least clearing an exit from the driveway. Naomi stepped outside, too, to take a look at the snow.

Posted by teamchandler at 09:16 AM | Comments (5)

December 22, 2004

I'll Watch That Later

Today's been a fun day, like Christmas and a snow day rolled into one. Cal and I decided to exchange our gifts to each other this morning. She got me that Tivo DVR I've been wanting ever since Tony and I moved to separate places of residence! Man, is it fun to get stuff with wires and remotes. Cal is doing a great job keeping me up to date with all the technological gadgets I want but am too cheap to go out and buy myself. I agonized over buying an iPod for about 5 years before she finally bought one for me for my birthday this year, and of course I can't live without that now.

Oh, and it's snowing like crazy here today. There's already about 10" on the ground and we're supposed to get another foot of snow tonight. But since we've no place to go... (you know the rest)

Posted by teamchandler at 06:04 PM | Comments (2)

December 19, 2004

Not Plasma

Naomi has started to watch TV. I think she likes the colors and the movement. Here's a picture of her watching Saturday morning cartoons with Dad (dad not pictured).

Posted by teamchandler at 10:24 PM | Comments (11)

December 12, 2004

O Tannenbaum

Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

I took the day off on Friday and we ventured out to find the perfect Christmas tree. I wanted this to be a memorable outing, perhaps the beginning of a family tradition, so a trip to Lowe's to buy a tree off the rack just wouldn't do. So we bundled up Naomi and drove about 30 minutes north of the city to a 200-acre, cut-it-yourself tree farm. I must admit we ended up opting for a pre-cut tree even here, although it had just been cut from the farm. Juggling a 3-month-old infant, it was just more manageable. Next year, though, I'm bringin' the saw. Here are a few pictures from our outing, with descriptions below:

First row: looking out over a field of new trees (these grow for 7-8 years before being cut down for Christmas trees); our new Jeep tires look much cooler with mud on them; Cal and Naomi go for a "sleigh ride" in the barn; dusty holiday trinkets everywhere; a real live reindeer (they had two)!

Second row: Naomi slept through most of our expedition; Santa's sleigh stuck in a tree; the family tree on the roof rack (I felt like Clark Griswold); Naomi helped me drive home; behold, the finished product!

On Saturday Jon and his girlfriend Kori came down to visit. We had a nice time hanging out with them, although Kori was oddly insistent upon getting her picture taken with the stuffed bear at the chocolate store.

This afternoon the plan is to relax on the couch and cheer on the Bengals as they take on the fearsome Patriots.

Posted by teamchandler at 12:30 PM | Comments (10)

December 08, 2004

Happy Birthday!

Please join me in wishing Calley a wonderful birthday. What a year it has been!

Happy birthday, sweetheart. I love you!

Posted by teamchandler at 08:55 AM | Comments (13)

December 07, 2004

14 Weeks

It's hard to believe that our little girl is more than three months old already. Cal and Naomi picked me up for lunch today, and then I got to show off Naomi around my office for the first time. Everyone was excited to meet her - I was just nervous that she'd start screaming and disrupt everyone (the floor I work on is like a library). She was very good for us - she smiled a few times, fussed only a little bit, blew bubbles and looked around with a rather distant look on her face. Come to think of it, that's almost exactly how I spend my days at work.

It's been a while since we posted pictures (sorry for that). Here's one from Cal's visit to Jackson after Thanksgiving, and a couple from this evening.

Posted by teamchandler at 09:09 PM | Comments (1)

December 05, 2004

Free Food Tastes Better

Our friend Christy got a job at a restaurant opening near our house and invited us to a pre-opening "VIP" night for friends and family. So we got to meet our friends Ben and Kate for a free dinner. Props to Betsy and Brett for watching Naomi for us for a couple of hours.

Naomi has been really fussy for the past few days, and not sleeping through the night (as she had been for several weeks). We hope this phase passes quickly.

Posted by teamchandler at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)