Dear US Airways

Dear US Airways,
We don't like you. Still. You're attempt to smooth out our relationship by giving us 2 $100 vouchers after our Paris debacle was marred by how difficult you make it to use such vouchers. Should I really have to spend 2 hours on the phone with customer service reps to book 2 one way tickets. I don't think so. Is to too much to ask that those customer service reps speak English? I don't think so. Should I have to pay $30 for every bag I want to check? I don't think so.
I'm not so sorry to say that we've booked our last flight with you and that's only because you wouldn't let us give those vouchers away and we don't like waste.
Sincerely,
The Paxman's

for my mom

I'm thinking Aladdin...

The Diaper Genie- sounds somewhat magical, doesn't it? As if you throw your diapers into some deep abyss and the Diaper Genie takes care of them for you. Wrong. There is nothing magical about pulling out and throwing away a 3 foot long plastic sleeve stuffed with a weeks worth of dirty diapers. Nothing magical at all.

Gaining and losing

In three weeks Cohen has gained more than 2 pounds but has lost a good chunk of his hair. He's gone from fauxhawk to mohawk. Poor kid. There's still a hint of the Paxman hairline but I'm sure it will be gone soon. Here's a few pics from the last 3 weeks, in no particular order.

Perfection

Perfection looks like this at the Paxman house.

John Cohen Paxman 7lbs 1 oz, 19.5 in.

Our little man apparently didn't want a Christmas birthday (or a tax break for his parents) so he held out until New Year's Day.

Cohen is doing great and we couldn't be happier.

We love every little bit of him.

And yes, Scott is changing diapers.

The Griswold's

I did not marry Clark Griswold. Or at least I didn't think I did. It's not so much the lights, we have an appropriate amount on our roofline. But the tree, that's when I begin to question. There's that one scene in the movie when they are out in the middle of the forest and Juliette Lewis appears frozen as does the rest of the family as Clark finds the perfect, albeit slightly ginormous Christmas tree. I relived that moment in recent history. Minus being completely frozen because let's be honest, I live in Portland, and while it has been cold in recent weeks, it's not cold enough to frost your eyelashes.

Scott's idea of the perfect tree resembles that of Clark Griswold, the bigger the better. I like Christmas trees, I even like tall Christmas trees, I just have never thought that an eight foot tree would be considered shrimpy. This is the beauty that Scott and I ended up with. It's about 11 feet and somehow my husband feels like we should have gone taller, after all there is still a good 5 feet to the top of the ceiling.

Scott is 6 feet tall, just for reference.

Scott cut down our manly tree with an equally manly saw, or at least that's the story we're telling.

Then he strapped it to the Rodeo and we headed home, losing only minor branches and pine needles.


Merry Christmas.
love,
The Griswold's

Fall, Fetish and Fetus

3 F's that really have nothing to do with each other. However, since my posting is sporadic I figure I may as well fit as many things into one post as I can.

This fall was a great one. Oregon provided beautiful weather for September, October and even the first week of November. It was better than I could have hoped for. Unfortunately, Scott and I didn't participate in too many fall activities but we did go to a pumpkin patch. Well, it was more of a big space that had pumpkins strewn about and some fun kid activities. We walked away without a pumpkin but with two bags of homemade donuts instead. We have our priorities straight.

I tried to match my belly to the pumpkins. Not too bad, eh? This pic was at 31 weeks.

On to the second F. Fetish, as in shoe fetish. Zoe's shoe fetish that is. Zoe loves my shoes. She will find them wherever they are in the house and then take them to her bed or wherever it is that she wants to lay down and snuggle with them.

This is what we came home to the other night, not a record but pretty close.

And yes, she just lays right on top of them.


On to the third F. My fetus. He's growing, and he never stays still and I love it. It's bizarre to sit and watch my stomach look like an alien is trying to pop out of it. I don't feel like I've been pregnant long enough to be done in six and half weeks. I'm sure I'm going to want to retract that statement in a few weeks but for now it's the way I feel. I've enjoyed being pregnant.