I Love BC!

There, I said it! I love Beaver Creek. It's expensive but worth every penny for how much joy and fun we have! As promised by Brad, here is the ski trip post. Campbell is officially a flying pro. Before 6 months, he'd been on 4 flights, and traveled to 3 other states besides his home state. Flying to CO was our longest trip so far. I knew if we could just get there in one piece, it would be a great trip.

Amid a massive snow storm sweeping the country and extremely cold temperatures, we left for the airport in a mad dash hoping our flights would be on time! To give a little background, this is what led to our mad dash...

Me: "Brad we need to leave at 10 AM." Brad "Ok!" Me calling Brad at 10 AM: "Where ARE you? You left to take the dogs to the kennel an hour ago!!" Brad: "Oh I'm shopping at Home Depot, we're leaving at 11 right?" ME: "WHAT!!!!????? Get your butt home we're supposed to be leaving now!!!" After showering, packing and getting dressed we raced to the airport. Thank goodness we live in NOLA where a busy day at the airport is more than 5 people in the security line.

First flight to Houston. Easy. Second flight to Denver. Easy. 3 hour drive in 4 degree weather at night through snow covered mountain passes. Easy. Campbell slept through all of it unfortunately. We got to our hotel and had a wonderful dinner at the hotel restaurant. Then to bed - it's important to get a good night's sleep before skiing. 1:40 AM guess who's wide awake.... till 5 AM (and guess who's asleep - in his defense the driving was not easy and he got us there safely - thanks babe). All that sleeping while traveling really messed up our schedule. Oh well. Power on...we get 4 days out of the year to ski, so we better make the most of it.

Day 1 morning nap. Let's hope we make it out of the condo by noon!

Day 1 temperature: 4 degrees at the base of the mountain (for the record that's the coldest we have every skied in). Me: "Hey babe, I think it's going to be cold today. I should wear a sweater over my base layer." Brad: "Every year you over-layer and get hot. Just wear your base and fleece. Trust me... you'll get hot." Me: "Well, I should at least put a t-shirt on over my base layer." 4 degrees is really cold... I heard at lunch it was -9 at the top of the mountain. Wow that t-shirt really helped!

Finally dressed... team Johnson... ready, action. I carried Campbell in the baby bjorn and his bags. Brad carried the boot bags. To the shuttle bus! We were worried about Campbell staying warm so we got a snowsuit from REI. It was a huge hit! I think Campbell was the only infant in a snowsuit in the village that week because every where we went people talked to us, talked about us, and took Campbell's picture. I checked Campbell into the nursery while Brad got our skis. I think we were finally on the first lift by about 10:30. Not bad considering it was the first day.

And the best part of skiing, apres-ski! Beer, huge plate of nachos and fun music!

Skiing with Brad is an experience. Every year I say let's take it easy, we haven't skied in 2 years, and every year we are hitting blacks and moguls before lunch on the first day. I have to admit, skiing at 30 is different from skiing at 20 (age not degrees, but I guess that sentence would apply to both really)! We still had a great time, and skied most of the mountain. Each day at lunch I would ski down to nurse Campbell (thanks Beaver Creek for having such an easy mountain to get on and off of).

On our third ski day, my aunt and cousin who live in Longmont, CO drove over to meet Campbell. We had a great time!! Lunch with aunt Diane, skiing with Courtney that afternoon. Apres-ski at McCoys and mexican food for dinner. It was so fun to see you two!

Our last day of skiing, it snowed all morning and we had awesome fresh powder. Our last day of the trip, we enjoyed walking around the village. Our flight didn't leave until 6:00 PM so we had plenty of time to check-out the art galleries. I think Campbell liked the artwork as much as we did. He squawked away as we looked at all the paintings and sculptures. Then it was back in the car, to the airport for a direct flight home. Historically our flights home from Denver have been delayed, but not so this year. Flight on time, security lines short. Couldn't have asked for a better travel experience... with a 6-month old!!! Way to go Campbell for being such an awesome travel companion. I promise we'll get you on skis as soon as you can walk!!!

One Good Ride

A full post from our trip to Beaver Creek will follow by Katherine because she will do the trip better justice, but here's a preview.

I like to ski, even though I ski infrequently (at this stage of life, every other year it seems). I would ski every week if I could. Furthermore, when I ski, I like to ski well, even if it is only for 4 days. I am lucky because Katherine is such a great skier. I can usually convince her to ski anything with me including double blacks and tree runs, which she usually gets down first.

On my first few ski trips growing up, I usually just took what I got, meaning the basic "sport package", which amounted to smelly worn-out boots that made my shins feel numb after two runs and skis that were like 2x4's. As I have gotten older and somewhat wiser, I have become more discriminating when it comes to ski equipment so much so that a couple of years ago, we splurged for custom foam-injected Surefoot ski boots. The price won't be mentioned here, but they have been worth their weight in gold. That took care of the boot issue once and for all, but the ski problem remained.

To Katherine's shagrin as a financial consultant and someone who is more "cost-conscious", I have always "upgraded" my skis from the sport package to the premium package and sometimes beyond. I have found that historically a 12-pack of Heineken works well in this maneuver. This year I guess I made a good impression on the Christy's manager because he hooked me up with some new Volkl demo skis for the price of the "performance" skis. No beer exchanged hands. I thought I was in heaven, but as I skied on them, something wasn't quite right. Make no mistake, they were nice, but not perfect. It was then I realized that demo skis are not all created equal.

While getting ready to ride up the main lift on the last day, we saw a pop up tent, literally in the process of being popped up, which peaked my curiosity because just the day before riding up a lift I had mentioned how awesome it would be to demo several different kinds of skis to compare different feels. Before clicking into our skis we walked over. It turned out to be none other than a demo ski tent, although it was a company I had never heard of before called Liberty. We started talking to the guy and came to find out Liberty is a local company in Avon (the town below Beaver Creek) that makes high performance, environmentally-friendly skis. The secret ingredient is a bamboo core that is super strong and flexible. After talking for a few minutes he put me on a pair of Helix skis (an ode to Watson and Crick and kind of appropo given my medical training). From that first turn, they were unlike anything I had ever skied on, and I will never ski on anything else! I also convinced Katherine to try a pair in the afternoon, which she reluctantly did. Now, the process of convincing the financial consultant begins...

http://www.libertyskis.com/skis

Reading Time!

During one of our nightly phone calls when I was in Biloxi a couple of weeks ago, Katherine said that Campbell had started turning the pages to his books while she read to him. The funniest part was that he was doing it on cue. I'm thinking yeah, right, but sure enough, he does. It's been amazing watching him develop especially when I'm gone for a couple of days and come back home. He gets so into it; smiling with arms waving. His favorites are Goodnight Moon and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear?

Every night we read Good Night Moon before bed. It's our nightly routine. Sometimes we start reading at 9:00, sometimes at midnight, depending on when Campbell tells us it's time for bed. This picture was taken on 1/9/11, two days before his 6 month "birthday."

Feeding Time!

Just like most other babies around 6 months of age, we attempted cereal for the first time about two weeks before his 6 month "birthday." It was New Year's Eve! Brad was on call in Biloxi, and I wanted him to see the event. So I packed up the car - Campbell and dogs and all their gear - and drove to Biloxi for the holiday.

Campbell is not know for being a great eater. It took us a month to figure out breastfeeding. So I assumed starting solids would be a slow start too! Sometimes he's more into it than others, but it's always fun seeing him eat. And the best part is our clean-up crew. Who knew Waylon would love rice cereal so much. As food goes flying, he's right there to lick it up. Post-meal, he is always ready and willing to start the pre-wash by licking Campbell's hands. And Campbell loves it. Campbell giggles and squeals in delight. A fun time for all. Now we just need to figure out how to get more food in the tummy!

First bites - love that rice cereal! It tastes so good (or not)!

One of our messier dinners. We'll figure this out eventually - I hope!

Christmas Card Photos... Take Two!

This year taking the Christmas card photo was a long process... and the most fun! Brad was home the first weekend in December so we got our tree. I love real Christmas trees, the smell, the feel, the look. Campbell loved it too. We spent hours this December looking and touching each ornament, touching the branches of the tree. Then it took about two weeks to get it decorated! Perfect timing. Brad was back home the third weekend in December, our last opportunity to take the picture BEFORE Christmas!!

Here are some of my favorite out-takes:

Had to get one with the pups. Try getting two dogs and a baby to all look at the camera at the same time!

Wait! I wasn't ready!

Mom - this is exhausting!

That's it - time for my break!

The winner:

Chronicles of a "Single" Working Mom

I'm back - sort of. As Brad mentioned in our last post, he was home from Biloxi on Monday night. I should explain. Brad is on a 4-month rotation at the VA Hospital in Biloxi, MS. It's only 1.5 hours away, but sometimes it feels like a world away. The "normal" schedule is commuting home Monday and Wednesday nights, and every other weekend. But of course, there's no "normal" when it comes to the VA. Brad usually makes it home most Monday nights, but Wednesday is a crap shoot depending on how the day goes. And the weekends have been crazy too. Not hatin' just explain'. So most days it's been Campbell and I since November 1st - thus the lack of recent posts.

When Campbell was born, Brad had just started his research rotation. He worked from home for four months and was "available" to help with everything from late night feedings (Brad's a pro at waking up in the middle of the night!) to grocery shopping. [Wow - you're probably thinking we timed that well - oh wait - we totally planned it that way!] And despite all the chaos of having a newborn, he had a very productive research rotation, completing several projects - way to go babe. Campbell and I were very spoiled getting to spend so much time with Brad, a special 4 months I'll never forget. So the Biloxi rotation has definitely been an adjustment to our normal routine.

November 1st - Brad goes to Biloxi; Campbell starts daycare.

Oh what a day! It's important to know that the company I work for has been great to me - our office is in New Jersey, and I used to travel every week to train agents in our offices across the country. Post-baby, no travel, and I work from home on various projects. It's also important to know that Campbell is a night owl. I thought little babes still slept a lot at 4-6 months. Not so for our active little boy. He loves to play and be entertained and usually doesn't go to sleep till midnight (like tonight - down at midnight!)

Week 1 - shower, make-up, cute clothes. I wanted to look like all the other working parents dropping their kids off at daycare.

Week 2 - shower, cute clothes, make-up optional depending on the day.

Week 3 - no shower, workout clothes, stinky coffee breath

I'm pretty sure the ladies at daycare think I'm crazy - what professional financial services organization would employ a woman who wears t-shirts and jeans every day. Oh well - thank goodness we don't have video-conferencing yet!

If I'm in bed by 1 AM, it's a miracle. So here goes our "normal" routine.

Alarm goes off and dogs start whimpering to be let out. Roll out of bed, throw on clothes, make coffee (that part is essential to my day). Let dogs out. Check on Campbell - still asleep. Let dogs back in (paw check - we live in NOLA, backyard is a mud-pit when it rains), feed dogs. Start to make my breakfast... Campbell wakes up. Change diaper, dress Campbell, nurse. Oh shoot, we're running late. Grab bottles from fridge. Campbell in carrier, off to daycare. Back home, start work, back to back conference calls. Did I eat breakfast? Reheat bowl of oatmeal that's been sitting in microwave for the past several hours. 2nd cup of coffee. 10 minute break to make sandwich. Eat while working at desk. Run to daycare to nurse Campbell on my "lunch break." Back home - work - super, crazy busy year-end and start to new year. 5 Pm - attempt to quit work. Take dogs for speed walk. Then off to pick-up Campbell from daycare. Back home. Feed dogs, feed Campbell. Feed mom! Play with Campbell... nurse... play with Campbell... nurse... did I brush my teeth today?... nurse.... play with Campbell... dude it's midnight, when are you going to sleep.... nurse.... asleep!

Friends in NOLA have been supportive, inviting Campbell and I over for dinner on both weeknights and weekends. Sometimes though, I've politely declined with the excuse that I've already made dinner. I think that sounds better than, "I haven't showered since yesterday, I probably stink from walking the dogs and Campbell is going through a growth spurt, nursing every hour. So if you're okay with a stinky, topless dinner guest who's so tired she might pass out your coach, then we'll be there."

All kidding aside, I'm amazed, inspired and in awe of the real single working moms, who give 100% to their families and careers every day. I've learned that I can't get it all done, so I have to prioritize - yes, my Christmas tree is still fully decorated and it will probably remain that way in our family room for several more weeks. At least it smells good!!! I hope to have pictures from the holidays posted soon. Good night for now!

Christmas Card Photos...Maybe!

I am so behind on my updates!

I came home from Biloxi last night. I always look on our library website when I'm home for journal articles in our literature relevant to patients I'm taking care of because while the super top-secret VA computer system lets one log into Facebook, it is not possible to proxy into the Tulane medical library to educate oneself. No wonder Wikileaks has such an easy time obtaining classified government documents even if they are just making fun of the French.

I digress. To get back to the story, the top line of this blog post is what I saw when I sat down. Our little Campbell has been playing catch-up. Per report, he has literally been eating every hour according to Katherine so I decided to finish this post even if it is not what was intended.

One of the main goals of going to Dallas for Christmas was to introduce C-man to his two surviving great-grandparents, my Mom's mother Pat (Grandmommie) and my Dad's dad Tom (short for Thomas Booker, Grandad). See pictures below:

You will probably hear from Katherine in the next couple of days when Campbell slows down his eating rampage! I know she has a lot to tell you.