Holiday Message 2006

As 2006 draws to an end it is once again time to reflect where the last 12 months have gone.

Of course the big news is that Kyla is going to be a big sister! Her little brother is due April 26, 2007. Becky and Brett have not yet been able to settle on a boy name though Brett has been diligently compiling all possibilities into a spreadsheet. In the interim we're referring to him as "Fetie." At our last appointment the doctor was unable to get an accurate heart rate because Fetie wouldn't stop moving around, which is making us nervous that Kyla will prove to be the easier of the two. Regardless, we're all very excited for the new arrival, but we've got a lot painting to do and boy clothes to buy in the meantime.

Kyla is now a two-year-old with a lot of energy and a mind of her own. She works very hard at putting bedtime off as long as possible and has mastered a number of stall tactics. She enjoys going to two toddler groups, exercise classes, playgroup, and the library with Becky; swim class with Brett; and gymnastics class with Grandma Linda. She can sing her ABC's as well as identify several letters, count in both English and Spanish (thank you Dora the Explorer), and ride a tricycle.

Becky had heard that every pregnancy is different, so she had high hopes that this one would not involve the acute morning sickness that Kyla's did. She did not get her wish. Fortunately she's in the easy phase now after the nausea of the first trimester but before the discomfort and sharp kicks of the third trimester.

Brett turned 30 this year ending his plausible deniability about the gray hairs that have been showing up on his head. By day he has mostly done contract work this year, which he used as an excuse to convince Becky that he needed a new laptop, but recently took a full-time consulting job with Two Degrees. By night he continues to blog, organize pictures, and create home movies on his Mac.

We've started to settle into the house now that we've done a little painting and bought a lot of furnishings, though we've barely made a dent in Becky's to-do list. We've met a few neighbors with children Kyla's age that we've become fast friends with, and two of these families are also expecting babies close to Fetie's due date. You may not want to drink the water the next time you come to visit us.

This year was Becky and Brett's fifth wedding anniversary. After five years of marriage (and seven years of being together) they've been through planning a wedding, several job shifts, a layoff, two real estate transactions, two pregnancies, and one birth. How this phase in one's life came to be known as "settling down" is beyond us.

We hope this message finds you enjoying your holiday season. Have a wonderful new year!

Brett, Becky, Kyla, & Fetie