Pics, Cooking with Grandma, and a Difficult Separation

These are our current favorite pictures of Becca. She smiles so much now. We love it! Being a parent is so much fun!The picture below is Becca in a special backpack Kyle bought while he was still working at Sportsmans Warehouse. She looks so cute in it. We're hoping to use it while hiking later this year (when it's not so horridly cold).


We went to Idaho for Thanksgiving this year. It was very fun. We stayed with my Grandma and Grandpa Green. The evening we got there, we attempted to make pumpkin pie bars. I say "attempt" because we used freshly prepared pumpkin, rather than canned pumpkin, which resulted in a dessert more of a flan consistency than a cookie bar. However, it was delicious and I believe Kyle expressed interest in making it again sometime.

Thanksgiving day was spent at my Aunt Lisa's house. The food was fabulous, of course. I used the family gathering as an excuse to get Rebecca comfortable with others. I thought that babies were typically a bit older before they got too clingy, but Becca decided to become a Mom/Dad girl a few weeks ago. Since this isn't tons of fun for anyone, I tried to hand her off to others as often as possible. She did very well, and though she still fussed occasionally, I deem the attempt successful. It was really fun to see my aunts, uncle, and cousins.

The biggest emotional hardship I've faced recently occurred Tuesday, as I prepared to leave Becca with someone other than Kyle for the first time. My team at work had our annual Holiday dinner at The Roof in Salt Lake City. We left Becca with our friends. I spent the afternoon leading up to the separation in complete panic. It was a bit irrational and ridiculous, but I couldn't help it. After a conversation with my mother, I felt slightly better, having discovered that she went through much of the same when she was preparing to leave me at 10 months to go to a music workshop. As my mother said, either our behavior is completely normal, or lunacy runs in the family. The evening turned out well. Becca was reportedly very fun, with lots of smiles and gurgles. That was a relief, as Kyle and I had both cringed at the thought that Becca might cry for any length of time. I enjoyed the dinner, and even took time after dinner to look at the lights on Temple Square, rather than rushing home to Becca (though it was a close call).