Baby's First Christmas!

We have had a wonderful first Christmas with Mason! I know I will always treasure this special holiday. Mason has had a little cold for the past few weeks, so he was fussier than normal, but I think several days at home are exactly what he needs to recover. On Christmas Eve, Mason's Mimi, Dee and Uncle Lamar drove up for a delicious lunch at our house. It was great to see them and Mason always enjoys his grandma snuggle time. Then we had a very relaxing Christmas day at home. Santa was very good to us and even brought us a WHITE CHRISTMAS!! I think it is a record in Georgia! I'm watching the beautiful white snow fall as I type and I hope we'll have a little accumulation by morning so I can get a few pictures. Finally, Mason's Nana and Grandpa are driving up from Florida tomorrow, so I'm sure we will have more pictures from their visit.

Mason with his Mimi on Christmas Eve. Who needs Santa when you have a grandma?
My attempted Christmas eve photo session in his cute Christmas outfit. He wasn't in the mood to smile as you can see.
OK, mom, I've had enough...
Mason decided to nap while we opened our gifts on Christmas morning.
Our beautiful tree and all of the gifts!
More pictures in front of the tree.
There's a smile!

The Christmas Card

Every year, I look forward to Christmas cards from our dear family and friends. I especially love the picture cards so I can see the little ones grow throughout the years. I stressed over our first Christmas card with Mason and thought I would blog about the oh so fun experience since they have (finally) been mailed.

I really wanted to get that perfect family picture. Unfortunately, finding a photo-op when all 3 of us are nicely dressed, Mason is in a good mood AND we have someone to take a picture doesn't happen very often. We did get these great pictures 2 days after my deadline for ordering the card. Oh well...


So then I decided to try to get a good shot of Mason with the pets. You can see how well that turned out (Beau cat wanted nothing to do with it).

About 5,000 pictures later (what did people do before digital cameras?), I finally got a few cute Christmas-y shots of Mason. And he really liked Santa, so we used one from our visit with him. The finished product:

And it didn't help that Walgreen's messed up round 1... now I know better and will stick with Shutterfly for all of my photo needs. And, no, I missed their free card blogging promo, but I will still mention them since I was impressed with their quality and service! I can't imagine how difficult it is with multiple children!

First trip to see Santa

A few weeks ago, my friend Misty and I took our little boys to the Marietta Square to meet Santa. Unfortunately, it was a drizzly, cold winter day, but we strolled around the square for a little while and met the jolly old guy. I was very impressed with the 'quality' of Santa. Especially since it was free and you took your own pictures. It was very funny to see the different reactions between Mason (6 mos) and Kieran (1 year). Here's a few pics from our fun day!

Waiting for Santa to return from lunch. It was COLD!
Mason did great with Santa and we even got a few smiles!
His buddy Kieran was not as impressed. I completely expect to have this kind of picture next year. It was hilarious!
After seeing Santa, we went to check out the big Christmas tree in the square.
Mason and mommy hanging out in the square.
Kieran just 5 minutes after seeing Santa. As you can see, it doesn't look like he was permanently traumatized.
Then we went to visit the Rueckel's and got a few cute pictures with Laura's Coca-Cola Christmas bear. Mason was in a very good mood that day!

Happy Holidays!

Look what I found under the tree? He's the best present ever! We are having a very FUN and BUSY holiday season so far! Hope you are enjoying yours as well!

Happy Half Birthday!

I'm 6 months old today!!

We are so thankful that Mason is a growing and healthy boy! People don't even believe that he was a preemie. His pediatrician had no concerns at his 6 month check-up and wants us to start him on solid foods. Developmentally, he's pretty much on track with his adjusted age. He's not quite sitting up on his own or rolling over, but he's very close! Daddy and I really want him to learn how to hold his bottle, so we're practicing that as well.

6 month stats:

• Weight - 15lb, 5oz (10-25th percentile)
• Height - 25 inches (10th percentile)
• Eating 6oz of formula, 6 times per day (no more breast milk as of today). I met my goal of breastfeeding him until 6 months, but we had to supplement with some formula for the past month. I'm anxious to start real food!
• We started rice cereal a few weeks ago. Some days he eats it and some days he doesn't.
• Sleeping - sleeps about 9 hours at night. We stopped the overnight feeding a few weeks ago, so if he wakes, he usually goes back to sleep on his own.

Current likes:

• Peek-a-boo! It always cracks him up - it is truly precious!
• Reading books with mom and dad. It is part of our bedtime routine and he loves looking at the pictures.
• He's a little ticklish - especially on his tummy.
• Loves diaper changes now (this was a former dislike). He smiles and talks the whole time.
• Likes baths, but hates getting his face and head washed.
• Watching football! I know, I know, babies shouldn't watch TV, but we make an exception when there is a big game on. He really does like watching the action and bright colors.

Current dislikes:

• Napping - his teachers are working to get him to nap in his crib, but he still sleeps better in his swing (or in some one's arms).
• Tummy time - He is getting better and will now tolerate it for a few minutes.
• Bumbo Seat - He'll sit in it for a few minutes, but prefers his bouncy seat (or better yet, being held).
• Just being bored... he is definitely at the stage where he needs entertainment.
• Shots :-(

Happy Half Birthday sweet boy! Mommy and Daddy love you more each and every day!

Christmas Program

On Friday, Mason's school had their annual Christmas Program and I'm so glad I was able to attend! The teachers and children spend several months preparing for the big production. Each class (the infants to the after school program) does some sort of performance, whether it be singing, dancing or a little play. You may ask, what could the infants possibly 'perform' in the Christmas program? Well, the teachers carried the babies across the stage dressed as little Christmas trees and 'danced' them around to 'Oh, Christmas Tree'. Yes, basically, they just looked cute :-)

Mason is the third baby from the left
And here are the older children performing the play, 'The misunderstood Christmas'. We love Mason's school and I am looking forward to many more DCA Christmas programs in the years to come!