Three Little Birds

Christmas 2010 has come and gone.  And although the tree hasn't come down yet, I am still a little sad.  My little baby will not be so much a baby next Christmas!  We had a great one, traveling between family gatherings.  We are hoping to stick close to home next year since he will be just over 14 months and not do so much traveling but we actually did less this year than usual and loved spending time together. I guess Z's Christmas gift to us was SLEEP! :)  He slept through the night in his own crib without much intervention (otherwise known as paci-replacement) on Christmas Eve & Christmas night!  We are hoping for another good night tonight.  Here he was earlier today - he is now able to hold his head up for a good little while and can sit up pretty well in the corner of the couch by himself!!  Getting sooo big! We have had the most SNOW I've seen in decades here in NC.  Too bad it missed being a white Christmas by about 4 hours her...

I am sooo excited that my gorgeous niece "E" is a finalist in the American Baby magazine Cover Contest!!!  Please go vote now & every day!  She's just beautiful, inside & out!  :) Click HERE to VOTE!!!!!

That's what the top of our Christmas card (aka birth announcement) says this year!  Because it's all about Zane!! ;)  Special thanks to Jared & Amanda Grantham of J+A Photography for the pic from our newborn photo shoot!! This was a scanned version, so the picture and wording were actually centered for the real deal.  Gosh, I really need to work on my scanning skills!!

I'm still super sick with what I thought was a cold, is now convincing me it might be a sinus infection :(  I hope it's better tomorrow.  If not, I'm calling for an antibiotic!  Geez.  It stinks to be sick when you have a baby & work & housework, etc! I guess Zane knew that I was having a rough time of things.  For the last 2 nights, he has slept through the night!  WOOO HOOO!  It's been nice to get more than a few hours of sleep. Sorry so short but just wanted to share about Z sleeping through the night!  It's a wonderful milestone to hit, let me tell you. ;) Oh, PS - I am done with my Christmas shopping!  I was actually done in October, but had this one last gift to buy!  Feels so good to be done!

This is kind of a summary of things that are going on in the McLamb camp lately! :)  hence the title. I have signed a contract with a physician's office in town!  Hooray!!  I will begin my new job on January 3, 2011 as an Adult Nurse Practitioner, doing primary care (mostly walk-in appointments and new patient evaluations, and some physicals and follow-ups).  I am so excited for so many reasons.   One, I will be working alongside my good friend Cassandra, who is also a NP!  Second, I will be working alongside some of the smartest doctors I know.  I have grown to respect them after working with them for years in the ICU (they are also the ICU intensivists).   Third, I will be doing what I love, which is educating people on how to make themselves healthier, prevent disease, and manage their health problems responsibly.  I know I am fresh and therefore sound naive about the lovely little world of healthcare... just humor me, ok?...

 The Christmas tree is UP!  Got a great "deal" on a live one (that is slender!) - thanks Bethany! ;)  I went much lighter on the decorations this year (less ribbon, fewer ornaments) but still lit up like the Griswolds!  I just love a beautifully lit tree.  Forgive the iPhone-quality pics (again!  I know.  I'm lazy). Yes, that is burlap as a garland/ribbon around the tree!  Usually I go with the same lime-kelly green & red polka dot ribbons but had a bunch of burlap sheets on hand this year from a project I stunk at lost interest in.  :)  And I'm an earthy kind of girl so this was right up my alley! I also mentioned in a previous post how I wanted a unique topper this year for the tree.  Since the outside decor is only going the way of a cranberry wreath on the front door, I used one of my grapevine balls that I usually put in my urns on either side of the door as a topper!  I love the way it turned out!!  And it g...

I love being crafty but being crafty does not usually love me back!  HA!  Nah, sometimes I do pretty good in making things.  I have been collecting my favorite Christmas ideas lately, and these 3 wreaths are so beautiful & intriguing!  Want to try all 3, but know I don't need all 3... but could use the 1st & 3rd year-round!  What do you guys think?? Burlap Wreath from Nannygoat ! Coat Hanger & Christmas Ball Wreath by Eddie Ross ! Book Page Wreath by Living with Lindsay ! Also would love to make a tree topper that is totally unique and non-traditional.  Every year I've had the same ol' "bow-n-ting ting" stuff at the top.  Have been looking a feather topper but have only found one and am not fond of it... it sells at both Grandin Road and Frontgate.com I would make mine with maybe white feathers, maybe some peacock feathers??? What are your Christmas crafts & projects?

Wanted to share our birth announcement / Christmas Card with you all since we got a limited number but all of you are so special in praying this little guy (and us!) home just over a month ago. Merry Christmas from the McLamb Family!

I have been wanting to decorate for the holidays for a couple weeks now, but consistently run out of time every. single. day. Usually I go all out for Christmas in my home, inside & out, but with little man, it's different this year. I just want to spend my time with him instead :) I've come to realize that most of what we do in our homes is really just fanfare... done to impress others... to get an oooh or an ahhh. At least that is what it has been for me in the past. I have found myself this year not so much fighting my Martha Stewart/Eddie Ross OCD decorating self, but basically just not caring as much! haha! Here is the tree from last year... But now I am starting to get an inkling for some Christmas spirit around here, especially since we attended our first Christmas cantata together as a family today at our previous church where we still have many friends.  Wasn't Zane just too handsome?? The plan was to go get a tree this afternoon... for the last 3-4...

Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people.   1 Chronicles 16:8 I am a little behind in blogging, and this Thanksgiving blog post is a little late coming, but I have been extraordinarily busy loving on a little bald guy :)  Please forgive me... This year, we obviously have so much to be thankful for.  Not only the warm home, our jobs, my being able to realize my dream of becoming a Nurse Practitioner & being blessed to be able to pursue & succeed in becoming one... our amazing marriage full of laughter, affection, & true teenage-style love... a fantastic supportive family and group of friends, and a church family that accepts & loves us as well as challenges us to become humble followers of Christ and to tell our community of His love... the list could go on & on.  And this year, we give thanks for our little tiny blessing.  Zane is ours to love, to teach, to guide, and to be called parents of!...

Many of you have already seen these pics on Facebook, but I wanted to be able to post them here for my bloggy friends and be able to go into more detail about the various elements. Because I'm kind of a designer at heart, I guess I like to pay attention to detail and share my ideas on decorating with my friends for inspiration.  I'm really proud of how Zane's nursery turned out.  And I think he likes it too!!  Every time I put him in the crib (if I'm cleaning or working close to the nursery), he falls right to sleep & likes to watch his turtles spin on the mobile.  And he LOVES his changing pad - it's his favorite spot. I wanted it to be a reflection of us, him, his heritage, and have a touch of vintage and nostalgia.  We painted the walls aqua before we knew it was a boy - I just knew I wanted a light blue because it's so soothing.  Just not a fan of "baby blue" so had to find a color that I liked.  But we will get there in a minute... gettin...