Dallas White Christmas

We woke up Christmas morning to a White Christmas... the first in Dallas in more than 80 years. Dad took Cadence outside in just her jammies! She didn't quite know what to think of it. We then came inside and did stockings and presents. Cadence got a little people dump truck and a table and chairs that Mom redid herself (Dad helped with quality control).

After our family Christmas we went to the Walsh's for brunch and gifts and then hopped on a plane at around 3pm to head to Kansas City for Christmas with my family.

Gullickson Christmas

Grant, Cadence, and I flew to Kansas City on Christmas Day to spend time with my family. We barely made it safely with wintery weather in Dallas and KC. It took an hour and a half just to get our luggage in KC because of all the snow. We are sad that my brother Eric isn't here, but it is still a very full house!

I love my baby doll from Grandma Nicki!

Can you give cousin Samuel a kiss?

Grandma Jack (my mom's mom), Grandma Nicki (my mom), sister Bethany and her son Samuel, and Cadence and I.

We got around 8 inches of snow in Kansas City!

DD/Dawna's mother, Dorisnel, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday. Dorisnel, who we fondly called Mama D, was one of the most kind, gentle, and loving souls I have ever been blessed to meet. She was a true southern lady who was always beautiful and always had a kind word. She was beyond thoughtful and gracious and was a true example of Christ's love. I was priviledged to know her and be a part of her family.

MiMi's Christmas Party

We had a wonderful Walsh Family Christmas party at Mimi's last night. It was great to see family that we don't get to see much, there was delicious food, a fun secret Santa gift exchange, and of course, the best part of all - the box of Christmas wrapping trash!

"If I am really good this year, do you think Santa will bring me a box of trash? That would be the best gift ever!"

Parent Peaves

Does every parent have a few things they just can't help but feel judgemental about? Maybe judgemental is too harsh, maybe just things that we see other parents doing that cause us to internally say "I would never do that!" I am sure there are a few things I do that are like nails on a chalkboard for some of my parenting friends. A few potentials pop to mind:

1 - Sugar - should I really be letting my 14 month old eat sugar cookies and other treats? (see previous "Christmas Cookies" post in which Cadence can be seen eating M&Ms and also with icing smeared all over her face). Maybe it should bother me, but it really doesn't. She generally eats very healthy foods and a little sugar sweetens life!
2 - Clothing optional - Cadie runs around naked all the time- hanging out in her birthday suit during the evening, swimming with her nudie bootie, etc. I am frankly jealous, but maybe someday I will feel differently when I pick her up from a birthday party and the parent pulls me aside to explain that I should probably talk to my daughter about keeping her clothes on as it seems she decided that "pin the tail on the donkey" would be more fun in just her panties. But for now I am 100% on-board with a little clothes-free time.
3 - Germs - is it really safe for Cadence to eat the fallen Cheerios off the floor? Now that I am thinking about it, that is probably the best case scenario in our house. I once saw Cadence swallow an acorn in our front yard that she dug up from the dirt, and I think she once found a snack in the backpocket of an airplane seat. The actually is kinda gross, but the bottom line is that she is incredible healthy and I try not to get too crazy about watching her every second so that she doesn't put something germy in her mouth.

I can think of at least 3 more things that I am positive have caused my super-mom friends to cringe, but anyway, you get the picture. Right or wrong, there are just some things that trigger my "What are you thinking?" reflect. I realize that every family, parent, and child is unique and I have no right to judge, and I try to quickly correct myself. But I can't pretend it doesn't happen. A few things on my personal list include toddlers with pacifiers in public, infants and newborns watching TV, taking babies to movies, and over-the-top babyproofing. I guess we all just have to remember to be gracious to each other and realize that no parent is perfect and neither are we!

First Haircut

I took Cadence yesterday to get her first haircut at Snip-Its for Kids. Miss Nancy was great and Cadence was perfectly happy with a graham cracker and sippy cup. I have gotten mixed reviews on the haircut as I think a few folks were sad to see her little curls go. But I am very happy to see her in a cute bob vs. a mullet with a few baby curls.

Cadence tends to be rather serious so I just adore this pic of her big smile.

Christmas Cookies

Who had the most fun decorating cookies last night? Cadence, Uncle Austin or Big John?

Cousins

While we were in DC Cadence did great, but she really didn't want me to be too far out of her sight. I think being in the unfamiliar environment made her just a tab more nervous and she felt better when I was close. This was her looking at me through the glass of the front door with her "Don't leave me" face.

Cadence really seemed to love her cousin while visiting him in DC. Every night she would give him a hug and a kiss. She took him lots of toys and liked to try to hold his hand. Samuel seemed to be fascinated with her as well. It is pretty much impossible to get to kiddos to pose for the camera, so here are a few action shots.

Cadie and I are in Washington DC visiting my sister Bethany, her husband Nathan, and their adorable son Samuel Thomas. We are having a great time and decided to brave the chilly air and go see Mt. Vernon today. We made it out of the house with babies in Christmas outfits and high hopes of some cute cousin pictures. Cadence couldn't sit still enough to get one of the kids together but I think we got some great shots of the 4 of us. We forgot to take 2 strollers, but we improvised and made quite a functional contraption out of our scarves that allowed me to carry Cadie really easily.

We have only had two small bits of drama which is awesome considering that we have two babies in a three story row house in the middle of winter. On the first night we had trouble getting the sleeping arrangements quite right so we did a bit of musical beds before we got the setup figured out. Cadence ended up in a pack and play in their laundry room/bathroom which has ended up suiting her just fine. Then, last night she fell and busted her lip. There was a lot of blood, but in the end she was fine.

I have LOVED spending time with my sister and her family and seeing the babies start to become friends. Samuel loves to grab Cadence and Cadence is sweet to give him hugs and bring him toys. I sure wished we lived closer.

In Love

I checked my phone log and I talked with my mom yesterday for 18 minutes and 41 seconds and I gushed the entire time about Cadence. I am so thankful for a Mom who is willing to listen to me talk non-stop about my child.

Here is a bit of Cadence gushing via the blog format...
- Yes and No: Cadence has learned how to shake her head yes and no and it has opened up a whole new world of communication! It makes things so much easier. She isn't talking a ton, but she understands so much and if I ask her any question she will let me know her answer.
- She is getting to be so helpful! She can walk into the house by herself from the car and will even shut the back door after I walk in. This sounds small, but I am usually carrying a briefcase, diaper bag, purse, lunch pail, and often groceries. So having her shut the door while I lug everything into the house is great - plus I don't have to carry her. It has kind of become her "job" to shut the door and I think it keeps her focused on getting into the house and not getting distracted with fun things like leaves, acorns, or whatever.
- She knows her body parts and will point to nose, eye, mouth, toes, etc.
- She has recently started to "sing" - I know it is singing, but the casual observer might not be able to tell. Anyway, she will sing a few notes which sound like "la" but with a "w" so "wa." She will sing a few notes and then she wants me to sing a few notes. This came can go on for quite a while. Hopefully someone with a better singing voice will start to play this with her soon because she doesn't have a chance if she learns to sing from me.
- She has started to try to get dressed by herself. She gets frustrated because she can't quite figure out getting the socks on her feet. She holds the top of the sock open, puts it down toward her foot, but can't quite make the foot to sock-hole connection.
- She has been growing literally inches over the last few weeks. She has been eating a ton and sleeping a ton (which is great). She has been sleeping 13 hours at night and 3 hours during the day. She is growing so fast that she will wake up and her clothes will be too small. She has outgrown her favorite pair of shoes and Grant put a shirt on her this weekend that fit last week, but was a midriff baring shirt on Sunday.
- She continues to LOVE animals. This is clearly "nature" because neither Grant or I have "nurtured" a love of animals. She will stand at the front door and yell "woof" just hoping a dog will walk by. I took her to Petsmart on Monday evening and she went nuts looking at the mice, fish, cats, and dogs. I ended up buying her a small stuffed dog that petsmart was selling to raise money for a shelter, and she has been carrying it around all week.

I could go on and on and on about Cadence. Basically, I am totally in love with her.

Cadence likes me to give her a kiss and her frog a kiss when I go get her in the mornings. She is SOOO good in the mornings. She plays with all her toys in her bed until we come get her.

New Job

I joined Accenture on Jan. 18, 2001 and I thought that Jan. 31, 2010 might be my last day. My current role is ending and I needed to find a new role by Jan. 31, 2010 or I would be laid-off. I have been so thankful for my career at Accenture. It has provided security, growth opportunities, friends, and adventure. I worked for a year on the backlot of Universal Studios, have traveled across the US, have visited the Philippines multiple times, have been to the Taj Mahal, etc...

I decided to go back to work after my maternity leave, but was expecting the worst. I wanted to give it my best shot because I have invested so much in my career, network, etc. that I didn't want to assume I couldn't achieve a healthy balance, but I was skeptical because I know the system. Accenture has high rewards and even higher expectations. While I have had amazing opportunities, I have also slept on a cot at the office because I didn't have time to sleep at home, I have worked all night many many times, and I have gotten on a plane to fly around the world with only 48 hours notice. That doesn't really work with a baby at home. God is good and I was able to come back to work in a role that didn't require me to travel and I also had a pretty flexible work schedule. With that role ending, I was again hopeful, but not super optimistic that I would be able to find a role that allows me to put my family first.

God had a plan though and I start a new job within Accenture on Jan. 4 that will allow me to work almost 100% from home with minimal travel. I am very excited and thankful. Cadence will continue to go great-grandma Mitzi's just like normal, but I won't have to drive 45 each way to my office in Las Colinas. I am looking forward to learning a new part of our business and still being able to be the Mom I want to be.

Buying pearls during my first trip to Manila in the Philippines.

In the Philippines and 4 months pregnant! This is a dinner and baby shower that my great team hosted for me.

The Taj Mahal is even more beautiful that I expected.Attending an Indian wedding in Bangalore.

Santa Claus

Meeting Santa Claus for the first time can be quite scary. Cadence didn't cry, but she wasn't too excited about being dumped in the old man's lap. He tried to sway her with a candy cane, but she stood strong in her distress.

Tell me again, who is this Santa guy? And why did I have to dress up to meet him?

My acceptance of this Candy Cane does not change anything! You are STILL a scary old man.

Seriously, mom, it is time to jet.