Baby It's Cold Outside

The temps were freezing and the wind was whipping, yet it was a perfect day to take a family walk on the beach. The waters around the Sandwich Boardwalk were overflowing. Where you can typically see marshy grasslands was now pure ocean.

Kristin and Heather, with their pups Beatrix and Rooster, Grandma and Pep and our clan bundled up for some fresh air. Dogs played Frisbee, Sadie did wind sprints, the rest of us meandered. It was the first time we let Maggie off her leash - she overcome with happiness.

Holly Jolly Christmas

We've waited 3 long years for Sadie to "get" Christmas. And our time has come! It was awesome.

I wanted to start some traditions that we can carry on each year, and what we've come up with are sort of typical, but still sweet. We baked cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve morning, bought new Christmas PJs to cozy up in, and penned a note to Santa to go along with his snack.

Sadie was so excited for St. Nick, but the thought of him being somewhere in the night sky was a little much for her to handle. We looked up for any sign of him, and Sadie became frightened that he was going to snatch her up. She couldn't get in the house fast enough.

We spent lots of quality time with all of the grandparents, and got presents galore. Best bets were finger paints, several dress up gowns, her own umbrella and a collection of Princess Barbies.

Sadie didn't really care what she received, though she was very grateful - I'm already impressed with how we've raised her! She was more content with opening all of the gifts. It didn't matter if they belonged to someone else, it was just the adrenaline rush of ripping the paper that overwhelmed our baby.

Keeping Christ in Christmas

We live in a little town in Metro West that's off the beaten path. It doesn't boast anything too spectacular, though we love it. Tiny, quaint and friendly. It does, however, have a few oddities: the Legend of Balancing Rock (which involves some history with George Washington and his troops), the Mudville neighborhood (which claims to be the location of the 1888 Ernest Lawrence Thayer poem, "Casey at the Bat", and maintains an ongoing rivalry with Stockton, California, which makes the same claim regarding the poem's setting) and the Fatima Shrine that boasts with world's largest rosary (see blue chain below for just one link).

We'll get Sadie in front of the other places one of these days - but tonight we tackled the Shrine. They do a festival of lights during the holidays, which is quite impressive (and free!). I wish I had a better camera for night photography. There are just some things that can't quite be captured on film. This is one of them.


Sadie got a quick lesson on the key players in the Christmas game - Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the wise men. And from this, she had a lot of questions and comments. 1. When contemplating a manger display, she took a look at the plastic figurines and wondered out loud, "what are they waiting for?" 2. At a more elaborate display, Sadie spied the ceramic Jesus' kicking legs and did her own dramatic rendition. 3. Studying one of the statues of a woman kneeling before a large angel, she petting the woman's shoulder and said "I like her dress."

Whatever one's religious belief or the extent of spirituality, it made for a nice night to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Presents, shopping, wrapping and all of the obligations aside, it reminded me that I am a small piece in the grand scheme of things and I have this one life with my perfect little family.

Holiday Card 2011

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Sharing our 2011 card, courtesy of Shutterfly. Some of you may have received a different version of the Fosters holiday card - one with Sadie smiling, with the subtext of "Happy New Year." I blame this on Sarah Reagan, who gave me a complex of using a photo of Sadie not smiling. This is still my favorite though. It's so...her.

My Sisters

I'm grateful to have my sisters in my life, and now share them with Sadie. I don't think it's a big secret that Kristin and I took about 18 years to really get along. But since then it's been pretty great. And Kendra and I, being 13 years apart and never living under the same roof, are embarking on a whole new kind of relationship now that we are grown up. And Heather - my sister from another mother - is new(er) to the family but I consider her the same, and just as important.

We've had the opportunity to squeeze in some quality time over the past few weeks to strengthen our bonds. We brunched together, spent some time at the Cape goofing around and just today celebrated the "Lohr Christmas".

Sadie cuddled with Kendra and watched the Wizard of Oz and gave her pony rides on her back. Kristin and Heather built Sadie's new Ikea bed and played silly games all day. It was pretty awesome watching them all with her. And because of that - I love them even more.

Progress Report

In addition to this report, I'll include pictures of our Christmas tree decorating for 2011. It was sweet, but nothing out of the ordinary. Sadie really wanted to help this year (and of course broke the first thing she picked up, which shattered glass everywhere). You'll see where she strategically placed her ornaments. Apparently clustering is in this year. Last, notice I've posted one from when she wanted us to sit on her lap so she could pretend she was Santa. She granted all of our wishes, without hesitation.

Now on with the story: I wanted to give an update on how our little girl is doing. She's growing up so fast, I feel like the changes are happening even more rapidly now than when she was an infant. First, the potty training is awesome. Yes we have accidents - but mostly when we can't make it to the toilet in time or she's so engrossed in an activity that she "forgets". We still do diapers at night for three reasons: 1) she doesn't really wake up currently, 2) I kind of don't want her to wake up for my own selfish sleep reasons and 3) I have a ton of diapers to use up.

Height/weight - I kind of don't know. She hasn't been to the doctor in awhile, but I'd guess she's hovering around the 30 lb mark. She still looks on the tinier side to me, but perhaps averaging out.

Likes and dislikes pretty much change every day. She LOVES spaghetti & soup, playing dress up, egg nog, signing to the radio and playing games that involve imagination. She hates anything I serve her for dinner.

Swimming is still going great. We have two weeks left. We've gone from having her draw blood from having her claws in my arm to telling me to let go cause she can do it herself (of course). Last week the instructor watched her leap with glee from the side of the pool (jumping in is her fave) without fear. And I mean big leaps - she kept telling me to back up. A good four foot long jump. The woman told me that Sadie was ready for the next level already - Pike A. And parents aren't in the pool for that class. I'd either need to not be present or get some serious meds, as having her around water freaks me out. I'd constantly want to dive in and save her.


And finally we received her official progress report from school yesterday. They handed me the thick envelope with such reluctance and discretion that it instantly made me nervous that something was wrong. In the end, it's pretty much as I expected but I'd like to talk to the teachers on how we can, at home, work toward improving some of her skills and milestones. Here are the highlights:

"Sadie is busy while in the classroom and appears to really enjoy the dramatic play area. Sadie has mastered dressing in the dress up shoes and clothes with very little assistance from her teachers. While dressing up, Sadie chooses to take on the role of "Princess Sadie" and take care of her babies."

"There are times when Sadie becomes very involved in what she is doing and she can have difficulty ending the activity when it's time to transition from whatever she's doing. She's often not willing to compromise and will respond with "no". While we appreciate Sadie's enthusiasm, we are working with her to recognize when things are not negotiable."

We are quite close to closing out the twos, which weren't so terrible. Now everyone likes to tell me "Oh! Threes are the WORST." I don't buy it. She only gets better in my eyes.

Santa in Sandwich

Thanksgiving seems to melt into Christmas more and more. Meals are similar, Christmas music is played in early November and the rush is on for gift giving. I felt it more this year than any other.

I suppose it's partially my fault, as I planned Christmas-related activities Thanksgiving weekend too. There are a number of events related to Sandwich's Holly Days, so why not check them out as a pseudo-townie.

The first was Gardens Aglow at the Heritage Museum and Gardens. I thought it was awesome. It's an evening event that features beautifully lit trees and gardens, carousel rides, marshmallow roasting and photos with Santa in a Ford Model T.

Sadie did fantastic on Santa's lap. I thought for sure she'd be all talk and then clam up at the big moment. But she went in, guns blazing, rattling off her list. When she hopped off his lap - she turned, looked him dead in the eye and said "well, where are my toys." I clearly needed to explain the process of Santa a little better.

Round two was this weekend. This Santa visit incorporated a ride on the Polar Express. We hopped the old Cape Cod railroad in Sandwich and sped off to the North Pole (West Barnstable). I didn't like this as much as the gardens, but it was still sweet. Besides, Sadie had another shot to confirm her demands with the old man.

Typical Thursday Night

There's seldom a night that the ball gown gets some rest in our house. Pair that with the draping jewels and heels, and it's a full on party. This little girl lives for routines and fairytales.

Daddy Dearest