Babies' First Christmas...

It may have been a moderately warm and sunny day for Christmas this year, but we were having a winter wonderland of our own-- with two active, darling, and unique 7 month olds dressed in their reindeer pajamas (their xmas gifts from last xmas, before they were born!).
I'll have to let the slideshow speak for itself, but Willa Rose and Christian were the stars of the show-- with their grins and giggles lighting up every room they entered. . . Willa in particular is a bundle of sunshine, and will flash a smile to anyone and everything that calls her name or looks her way. Christian is more sober and serious, a studious observer, and one who takes some coaxing, but once he's amused will applaud both you and himself with claps and coos. I love how different they are, and how fun it was to watch them interact and discover one another and the world around them.

For Christian, the highlight of Christmas morning was his Radio Flyer push cart from Gramsy and Poppy, which we were thinking may come in handy a couple of months from now when he's learning to walk. But he decided that a couple of months was too long to wait. He was pushing it across the room unassisted by the end of the day! So much for crawling. . . now all he wants to do is stand and walk. Oh boy......


*oh, and the cutest part -- he kept stopping to pat Willa on the head while pushing her across the room in the cart! *

We loved every minute of our time together -- and will miss seeing Willa Sunshine until we are together again!

Winter Day Play

If ever there were a child who needed NO more toys, it's this one... A box and a cup are more fun than a barrel of monkeys! (or a room full of stuffed animals)

Resolutions Reached!

It's been almost a year since Amy persuaded me to blog. And I'm not sure how to repay her :). I have loved not only recording the little moments and reading back through them, but I am thrilled to be able to say that I've done something consistantly for an entire year!!!! Usually I can't remember what my New Year's Resolutions were back in January... But this time I have them recorded for posterity-- and I think I've accomplished all of them-- with the exception of a few frames that still have yet to be hung.... but once our basement is finished (hopefully in the next few weeks), we'll have a lot of bare walls to decorate.

here's the list :

1. Enjoy the simple pleasures of life
2. Savor every moment of being pregnant
3. Take in the awesome wonder of our baby's firsts
4. Blog
5. Finally get Wedding Album completed
6. Hang Pictures
7. Discover some new talents

I indeed enjoyed every moment of pregnancy.
I'm obviously loving every little 'first' of our baby's first year.... and in doing so, I believe I've savored the simple pleasures of life... I've grasped onto as many fleeting moments as possible... or at least lived in the present as much as I could. I'm continuing to learn the art of living in the moment and enjoying it as it flees into the past.
Got the wedding album out of the way...phew.
Hung a few pictures...
And perhaps I am learning some new talents along the way. . . like how to change a diaper in the middle of the night without fully waking up. . . and how to close the car door and the basement door with one foot, while i carry 7 bags of groceries and balance a baby on my hip. I'm also getting really good at speed cleaning the house... and showering while singing loudly to Christian who is starting to fuss in the Johnny Jumper. No wonder God gave women the gift of multitasking. It's a beautiful thing!
I normally would wait till Dec. 31 to start thinking about the year which lies behind me. But doing it a week or so in advance is OKAY! In fact, I think it's a good thing. It gives me more time to ponder, and not have that usual last minute-- 'WAIT, i'm not ready!' feeling. I've always struggled with change. With feeling a sort of guilt about not being prepared for the new year... or not having reflected genuinely or well on what the year has brought... or how i've grown or not grown. But perhaps this year i have grown in being able to be ok with being who i am, and where i am in life. i realize that i've slacked in areas of growth and probably could have tried a lot harder to pursue a more in depth walk with God and others. I know i'm far from where i should be on a lot of levels. But i'm also more keenly aware of how quickly life moves-- and how each day is an opportunity for either worry and regret or enjoyment of the good.
So all in all, i am beyond grateful for the blessings of 2008. Though i'm not where i could be, i am thankful to be where i am. And if nothing else, i've learned this year that sometimes, that's the best place to be.

sound of silence

I had my first taste of that "wow it's really quiet in there" moment a couple days ago. . . quickly followed by the "uh oh" feeling. I was only a few feet away in the kitchen, but when I popped my head around the corner to see what all this silence was about, my little "stationary" son had somehow inched his way over to the tree and discovered the Christmas Cat ornament perched on a lower branch. He was both proud and enthralled with his conquest. He then alternated between eating it and trying to put it BACK on the tree. SO adorable, I could hardly stand it! A while later I found him on his stomach, with his feet under the tree, as if he'd figured out how to scooch backwards. So much for letting him out of my sight for a minute! This morning I watched him scooch backwards again, this time kicking one of the Christmas books beneath the tree, creating a domino effect with all the others, just as I was saying, "Careful, you're going to knock over the......."
It was classic!

Trimming the Tree

Since we put our tree up last week, Christian goes back and forth between wanting to touch it and recoiling when he gets close enough to do so. I think it's the first time he's ever been slightly afraid of something. I'm not sure why. But this morning he started getting more comfortable with at least the lower branches... and ornaments. At one point, he reached out and snagged a rocking horse, as if it were his goal to swipe it in one fell swoop.
Simply Adorable!

Christmas Brunch

A fun day with some fun girls...and a cute little boy :)
A few things have changed since last year's brunch...
3 babies were born, and 2 more are on the way-- yay! (not mine)

by leaps and bounds

3 milestones in one day--

1. He went from 9:15pm to 6:30am without eating! woo hoo! And with the exception of a crying spree around 12:30am, he slept rather soundly. It was magnificent!
2. Poppy and Gramsy taught him how to clap-- it's just the cutest thing ever-- and really the first coordinated motor skill, other than reaching and grabbing, that he's learned. i wish i had it on film. he gets so excited. at first he just banged his fists together. Then one fist and one palm. Then finally both palms open. And he's been doing it all day. Mostly spontaneously, but sometimes he'll mimic. It's so amazing to watch him learn.
I just put him in bed (exhausted from his day-- gotta love that!), and as he lay down, rolled to his side, and put the binky in his mouth, he gave a few final claps (eyes closed and on his side), and drifted off to sleep! He's a clapper. He claps!
3. He can now pull himself to a standing (however wobbly) position without assistance. For a week or two he's been obsessed with standing and being upright. For days he's constantly asking to be picked up so he can stand and bang on the couch cushions or whatever he can reach from a standing position. Today Gramsy had him in the "mini crib", and after several failed but determined attempts, he was on his feet, grasping the rail. At one point he even scooted along the edge, sidestepping a few times before he fell (into the crib, not out!).

Just 7 months ago he was 5 days old!

a couple of flirts

Molly came for a visit today. She's still 2 months younger and 2 pounds heavier than Christian. They were so cute together... I think he asked her to be his girlfriend. I think she said yes...


"Molly, you have such a round and beautiful head!"

"Has anyone ever told you how pretty your eyes are?"

"Molly, will you be my girl?"

"Well, ok, but let's take things slowly."

Neat Freak Friday

I know it's probably not the best reason to have people over, but it really motivates me to clean my house. Today I got really into it. I actually dusted! Using an old sock like a dusting glove is really quite fun :). It's amazing what clean surfaces can do to boost your morale. Having cleared countertops and all the toys put away, and vacuum lines in the rug felt so good it was almost addictive. I couldn't stop. So I think I'm going to start having dinner parties on a regular basis. I rather enjoyed preparing the meal throughout the day, having the time to do that (thank you very much Christian for taking a 2 hour nap!!), and clean, and have a lunch guest, and throw in a load of laundry, AND take a shower-- it was a rather successful day! I never thought I'd ever say that I enjoy cooking and cleaning. EVER. but, at least for right now, I'm giving myself the June Cleaver award.

His Feminine Side

Ellie came over to play with "Baby Christian", as she calls him. She introduced him to blonde curls, sparkly shoes and purple blankies. Of course he was smitten. He learned the words "Pretty", "Barette", and "Pink Bow".

Watcha readin?

Can I touch your hair?

Tickle, Tickle

Purple Blankies are really the best, Baby Christian! You should get one!

And you thought LUNCH was messy!

Since I really love to gnaw on things, Gramsy told Mommy about Teething Biscuits. . .
Thanks Gramsy!!!!

Lunch!

Learning to eat is fun! Especially when Mommy lets me use my hands to help her feed me. Usually she tucks them under the tray of the high chair so they "stay out of trouble". But today she let them out to play... i mean... help eat.

Tummy Time! At Last!

Finally-- A child after my own heart! I put him in the crib to play, and a few minutes later, this is what I found:

A Cozy Sunday Afternoon

With the cold rainy weather, and a couple of stuffy/runny noses, we had a cozy afternoon by the fire with coffee and naps...

and a little toe-munching...

on our new rug!

Reading all those books sure tires you out!