I'm jumping on the bandwagon and as we close out 2010 I'm taking a few moments to reflect on what a spectacular year it has been!
In 2010 I have...
1. Carried a baby while working hard teaching for 5 months.
2. Raised $5,898 for CF research ($10,081 as a team!) and walked 3 miles while 8 months pregnant
3. Pushed an 8 lb. baby out of my... ahem... body
4. Immediately fell in love with said baby
5. Watched two close friends get married
6. Remodeled our bathroom
7. Trained for and ran a 5K
8. Been reassigned to 2 new jobs
9. Traveled to San Francisco CA, Tahoe NV, Toronto ON, Nashville TN, Seattle WA, and San Fransisco CA again
10. Watched amazed as my baby boy has grown and changed so much!
How is it that half a year has flown by and I feel I've hardly noticed it?? In just six months Drew has become such a part of our lives that I can hardly remember what it was like without him.
And once again I feel like I suddenly awoke the other day to a new baby. He is so much more interactive now- laughing at silly things I do, playing with toys, trying to figure out how things work.... I can see his personality developing a little more and more each day.
I couldn't get him to stop grabbing the blocks in "six months" so I finally gave him his own
Think he's getting close to crawling??
Believe it or not, my "big" boy checked in at only 37th percentile for weight at his 6 month check up! Doctor says it's time to add some more solid foods (he's just started on rice cereal recently). But would you look at those chunky thighs and pudgy little wrists? If that's what 37th percentile looks like, what does a "normal" baby look like?
6 months passed with little fanfare or celebration as Mommy is a little overwhelmed these days, but we did have a play date with 9 month-old Grace, my friend Marshall's baby girl. Marshall and I went to high school and college together!
Drew was so adorable checking her out. Grace is just as interested in animals as Drew, so shortly after arriving she tried to crawl towards one of ours. As soon as Grace launched herself in Lucy's direction, Drew jumped, tilted his head, and stared with a furrowed brow seeming to say, "what is this creature? It's my size and looks like me, but it moves!" They had a good time playing side-by-side and trying to eat each others feet, and Grace showed Drew all the tricks of crawling and pulling up. It was a great way to spend his 6 monthiversary!
P.S. Don't forget to check out the "Monthiversary" page to reminisce over how little Drew used to be!!
What a fabulous Christmas! And now I'm enjoying some hot chocolate while the hubby and I are in bed watching The Santa Clause and Drew sleeps quietly in his crib. Merry Christmas everyone!
Believe it or not we actually got some snow here in Georgia! Drew had his first experience with "snow" yesterday only to be greeted by real snow today! Really it was just a "wintry mix" with some rain, some snow, lots of wind, and nothing sticking. But it sure was cold outside! It supposedly felt like 22 with the windchill. I say supposedly because to me it felt like -15. But I'm not whining or anything... (there IS a reason I choose to keep my little butt here in Georgia though- heat!!)
But the poor weather did not deter my plans for today! Stacey, Drew, and I went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for an exhibit they are hosting right now, "Chocolate: Seed to Sweet". I usually teach a lesson every year on chocolate as it is very important in ancient Latin American culture. I wanted to check out this exhibit for that reason AND today they were hosting some cooking demonstrations. Stacey and I were just dying to try the "Dulce de Leche German Chocolate Cupcakes". They were almost as fabulous as they sound, but for some unfortunate reason they were topped with coconut, and I'm not really a huge fan.
Thankfully the cooking demonstration was indoors and not in the gardens' "Outdoor Kitchen" because that wind was huffing and puffing! A lot of the actual chocolate exhibit, aside from the cooking demonstration, was unfortunately outside though. Us being us we thought we might just try and check out the outdoor part anyway... we ended up huddled inside a gigantic cacao pod trying to decide just what to do next- high tail it up the stairs with a stroller, or wander around trying to find a stroller-friendly path. We opted for the stairs both for our own cold hineys, as well as for Drew's sake (though as bundled as he was, he didn't seem to notice the cold)!
Though we missed a good part of the chocolate stuff, the indoor greenhouses were beautiful (and warm!).
I've never really had an issue with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season... I suppose a large part of that is because, as a student (and now a teacher) I've always been blessed to have 2 weeks off for Christmas, sorry, Winter Vacation (I'm going to get myself in trouble at school calling it "Christmas Vacation" one of these days!). On top of that Jason and I, for the past 3 or 4 years, have opted not to buy each other gifts and have made deals with friends and family to do the same. Instead we make a big donation to the CF Foundation. It saves us time, headache, and even money! (We can give a fairly large donation and it will most likely still be less than what we would have spent on gifts that people don't really need).
But, now that we have Drew? Well, now it's a whole different story. Because now we do have to buy gifts (maybe not HAVE to, but we're not going to be those parents). And not only do we have to buy gifts, but we have to buy stocking stuffers. And not only do we have to buy stocking stuffers, but we have to get pictures with Santa. And not only do we have to get pictures with Santa, but we have to print pictures with Santa so we can give more gifts...
I'm totally in the holiday spirit, and loving it, but it is a tad exhausting. For example, this was my day today:
Woke up early so I could shower and get dressed before I...
Fed Drew and got him all dressed up and cute so we could go to...
Breakfast with Santa and have pictures taken.
Brought Drew home for a nap and left him with Dad while I went to...
Kohl's to make an exchange then to...
Jo-Ann's to buy fabric to make Drew a stocking (I can't believe I almost forgot that!) then to...
Publix to buy ingredients to make a pumpkin roll and a pumpkin cheesecake then....
Home to feed Drew while Jason headed to work then...
Did my meds since I didn't get a chance to this morning then...
Played with the little guy (gotta take some time out to do that!) then...
Put him down for a nap so I could...
Wash, fold, and put away laundry then...
Drew woke up early so I played with him some more before I...
Fed him again then...
Spent some time reading him books then...
Stacey came over and we baked a pumpkin roll and pumpkin cheesecake (one for a party she was going to, one just because I wanted to and because there's always leftover pumpkin).
Introduced Drew to "snow" then...
Drew went down for a nap again while...
I cleaned up the exploded kitchen then...
I finally sat on my a-- for a few minutes and chatted briefly online with my sis until...
Drew woke up and I fed him. Thankfully....
Jason brought home Taco Bell for dinner!
On top of all that I am...
still sorting out my job situation which is requiring me to fluff up resumes, write cover letters, make phone calls, and apparently even redo my application (don't ask!).
planning and packing for our cross-country trip to Seattle and San Francisco (part of which will include Drew and I flying by ourselves!)
So, needless to say, please forgive me for any spotty blogging in the next few weeks. I know you, my adoring fans (actually, more like Drew's adoring fans) aren't going to like it, but what can I do? I'll try to make up for it and leave you with a fantastically adorable picture of Drew and Santa!
That's Mr. Mike, my best friend Stacey's father-in-law. He used to be our youth pastor. I think it makes the picture that much more special!
Not enough? Well, what if I add in some pictures of Drew and his first experience with "snow"?
It's a powder that you add water to and it expands into this...
Thanks Grandma! ;)
And Drew eating a flower?
And how about one adorably smiley baby?
(I need to say a quick thank you to my Aunt Wynn Anne who sent those adorable pants (along with some equally adorable onesies)! I couldn't decide what pants he should wear. I had red pants, but I knew they would blend into Santa... I couldn't find any green pants at the store so I was stumped, but then I discovered these in the drawer of clothes that he doesn't quite fit into yet! They were perfect!. And I just love the stripes!)
Oh, ok, I'll throw in a video too...
Despite all the hustle and bustle, please don't forget the reason for the season! Family, friends, gift-giving... it's all important and fun, but take a few minutes to really remember what we're celebrating!
Drew and I signed up for a free Gymboree class this week (you can too by going to the link!). Gymboree is a children's learning and play center. They offer developmental classes based on your child's age, and they also offer sports, music, and art classes (for the somewhat older children). We went to a "Play and Learn" class for ages 0-6 months.
Oh. My. Goodness... I had a blast! It was amazing just how interested Drew was in all of the activities. He generally doesn't seem to care much when I sing and do little hand games, but they taught us all sorts of neat tricks and fun things to do to get him not only to pay attention, but to encourage development of different areas, like vision, hearing, or hand-eye coordination.
Drew actually enjoyed tummy time too, for once! They put an unbreakable mirror on the floor and spun colorful balls all over the place. He was so interested in his reflection, the balls, and all of the other babies that he didn't seem to notice he was on his tummy (though he did roll over once onto the baby next to him when I wasn't paying attention- oops! I apologized several times for the both of us... well, for me really...)
We got to go play on some of the equipment too. Drew had fun rolling around on a huge ball (I didn't get pictures of that, sad!), rolling in a tunnel, and doing sit ups on a wobbly bridge.
(He actually did "sit ups" just about anywhere I put him- the teacher kept laughing at him getting his "work out" in.)
He also enjoyed bubble time, and had bubbles blown especially for him since it was his first class!
Oh man, if we had the money (and I thought I could handle the jealousy of Jason getting to take him while I work) I would totally sign him up for the classes! I am so glad I remembered to do this before I go back to work though. His smiles and awe were priceless!
(On a side note, because I know my family will be curious, I am likely returning to work in January. My doctor's orders were 6 months for recovery, which ends on December 29th. School is back in session January 3rd. I am no longer at the high school I was moved to as the Family Medical Leave Act only protects my position for 60 days. So that position was posted and filled, and, once again, I am kind of in the air as to where I'll be. So, if you're the praying type, keep us in mind and pray that whatever comes my way will be the best option for our little family.)
Or, in terms more people will understand, that would be a "baby burrito." (Never been to Moe's? I am truly sorry!)
I thought about doing this post as a "Wordless Wednesday" but I just HAD to write that I did NOT touch Drew in any way during any of this! The quilt was flat beneath him.... he grabbed the corner and started rolling...
I was already laughing pretty hard at this point, and then he continued rolling....
And playing peek-a-boo...
Again, I did NOT touch him, not even once!
I was pretty much dying from laughing so hard! It doesn't get much cuter than that!
