The Wooten Union has grown by one. This year of 2006 has been defined by Laura in so many ways. As usual, we’re on the late side of the holidays for our greetings. I don’t even have Epiphany as an excuse. My best excuse is Laura. My almost 3 month old daughter likes to be held and leaves little time for typing on the computer. Greetings to all our friends and relatives.
State of Laura
Laura Ann Wooten was born on 11/8/06. Though she hasn’t been in the world long, it’s hard to conceive of life without her. Her most prominent and talked about feature is her hair. She has a lot of dark hair for such a young baby. My first sight of her was a tuft of dark hair. She has round, mischevious eyes that escape description. They look dark grey-green with a slight hint of brown and blue. I think they’ll eventually declare themselves as brown, but could be hazel like her Dad. She definitely has Wooten ears (like Sara) and my coloring (and possibly shape of eyes), but resemblance to one or the other of us is still in play. She looked remarkably like Justin as a new infant.
Sara was a tongue baby; she stuck out her tongue, liked to suck pacifiers with her tongue, and smiled with her tongue. Laura is a hand baby. She rejected pacifiers from day 1 (3 different types). She always has her hands in the way when I try to breastfeed. She’s now gaining more control of her hands and likes sucking on her hand. She’s currently sitting in a bouncy seat hitting some little hanging toys with her hands. She’s also physically strong for a baby. Her hunger drive is also “strong” according to the pediatrician. Laura was 16 lbs at her 2 mo check up (over 100%). While she has been affectionately called ‘chunk’ at my Mom’s Group, my Mom is quick to point out that she is well proportioned.
Laura loves to smile. She gave her first smile to her Nana and started doing it in earnest around Christmas. She’s not overly fussy if her needs are met. If there’s a delay in service, she has a mighty and loud wail. She’s fussy about her sleeping arrangements, snubbing her cosleeper and choosing our bed. Just recently, she’s started sleeping almost through the night. That’s nice.
Laura gets to be a production baby in the upcoming Pixar movie, Ratatouille!
State of Sara
Sara turned 3 years in November. She has kept her wide blue eyes. Her hair is becoming dirty blonde (resembling Wayne’s hair color). Her tight curls are starting to lengthen as her hair grows. Her facial features still resemble Wayne. She likes telling jokes, making silly faces, and causing her parents to laugh. She likes playing with her animals, be they stuffed or plastic. She often puts leashes around some animal and leads it around the house. She got a doll house from her Nana for Xmas. The house was a hit. After 48 hrs, the dolls got kicked out and the house was occupied by dinosaurs and cars.
Sara has been adjusting to being a new sister. Her initial response was one of puzzlement, mild interest, but mostly nonchalance. Gradually, she’s become more affectionate and interested in her new sister. She likes to bring her blankets and toys. She’s happy to “share” her sisters toys (translation: play with them) but doesn’t like sharing her Dad.
Sara continues to attend daycare. I’ve continued taking her on a limited basis during my maternity leave. She’s exploring the alphabet and numbers in a new class. She likes counting to 15 and singing the alphabet song. She ’signs’ her name on every package and card we send out. She continues to be an avid artist, especially drawing.
State of Wayne
Wayne got to snowboard twice this year since his nephew visited. The snowfall has been fabulous and I’ve caught him salivating over ski resort web sites. At Pixar, he continues to wrangle the software Renderman. Wayne took up a new hobby, DAMing. Digital Asset Management. Inspired by an instruction book my Dad gave me for Xmas last year, Wayne took up the task of organizing our photos. With over 20,000 digital photos, it is getting difficult to store and manage them all. He’s done a tremendous job. For 2006 photos, I can pull up any photo taken of Sara and then organize them by quality. He has also resurrected an old love, Zelda. Back in 1999, we discovered a fun video game called the Legend of Zelda. Wayne had fun playing it and I enjoyed watching the story. Then we got busy with kids and video game playing stopped. This year, Wayne purchased a Nintendo Wii and has almost completed the Legend of Zelda (version 13). Sara enjoys watching her Dad figure out puzzles, snowboard down mountains, and turn into a wolf.
State of Karen
I’ve enjoyed becoming a Mom once again. The second time is a calmer, less fatiguing process. Having Sara around provided a nice distraction from my pregnancy. I continue to work at the VA in Seattle running a spine clinic. I’ve been blessed with a 6 month maternity leave to be with Laura. I had to spend 6 weeks on modified rest off work because of hip pain, but it went away after Laura was born. So far, my hip is healthy and I’m able to enjoy long walks. Mostly, I’m thankful I get to be home with my girls. I enjoy the gentle moments of laughter that comes with the everyday.
State of Travel
It’s been a slow travel year for us. Mostly folks have come to us. We went to Portland in February and conceived Laura. We visited the Wootens in their new home in Nashville for the first time in May. Atlanta came to us. David, Amy, Justin, and Skylar came to visit us for the first time in 5 years for 2 weeks. Mom and Dad came for a long vacation over the summer. We visited Mt. Baker, Orcas Island, and Mt. Ranier at Ohanapecosh. Mom stayed with us for 2.5 months and got to be present for Laura’s birth. Shirley, John, and Matthew visited over the holidays. We’re planning to increase the pace this year with trips to Milwaukee, Maui, Nashville, Atlanta, and Tofino British Columbia.
State of Us
God has blessed us. We have two beautiful girls. We will be married 10 years in April 2007. We have a wonderful family and friends. It’s a nice state of being.