Christmas Adventure

Flight to Indy

Christmas Eve: Tyler & Haylee in the Christmas Jammies

Christmas morning

Dec. 26 before the adventure

Bill and I survived our first Christmas as parents. For those who may not already know, this year Bill and I found out that we have a 10 yr old son...for me a step son. 2010 brought us 2 sons which we are thrilled and blessed to have. Tyler is 10 and Alex is 5 months.

We spent our first Christmas with our sons in Indianapolis with David and Raina (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law). They have a 4 year old daughter Haylee. Nonnie, my mother-in-law flew up from McAllen. (I was a little nervous about flying with Alex but he could not have done better...he slept the majority of the flight.) This was the first time for Tyler to meet his uncle, aunt and cousin. He took to them very quick and even spent the two nights we were at the hotel sharing a bed with his Nonnie and Haylee. They made a Tyler sandwich!

We had a lovely time in Indy...we went to Christmas Eve service at David & Raina's church then ate at a delicious Italian restaurant. We spent Christmas day at David & Raina's opening stockings and presents. Raina made a wonderful Christmas lunch/dinner for everyone. Tyler and Haylee spent the majority of the time following each other around. They had a really good time! Sunday...this is when the adventure started. We were to fly back to DFW at 3 but at 3:30 we were still on the plane. To make a long story short, our flight got cancelled because the defrosting gauge on the plane was broken and the part was going to have to be flown in. Hmm...can you imagine what it is like to deboard a full plane and get everyone rebooked on another flight especially with all of the cancelled flights in the NE? CRAZY! Bill waited at the gate counter for about an hour for them to tell him that the next flight we could get on was at 7:35pm the next night. Yep, our flight wasn't for another 27 hours. We couldn't go anywhere b/c we checked our luggage and car seat. Luckily, David and Raina drove back to the airport to get us. I was able to get us $40 in meal vouchers and a free night at a nearby Hampton Inn. Thank goodness we have a sweet family to cart us around. (Both David and Raina had to bring their cars b/c all of us no longer fit in one car) Needless to say, we made it home safely last night at 9:30 pm. It was a great trip, and could have been better without the adventure at the end.

(I had my doubts about flying with a 5 month old but people were surprisingly very helpful when they saw us coming...)

SANTA

Alex's school had Santa pictures one day. I didn't sign him up for pictures because I didn't think the Santa and set would be good...well, I have to eat my words. He was a great Santa. If I knew it was going to be a good Santa then I would have signed up for pictures and would have set out an outfit for Bill to dress Alex in. Bill gets him ready for school everyday...don't you love the blue socks!

Santa?

No, it's not Santa...its Alex waiting for his second course during dinner. His Nonnie gave him this cute Christmas bib. So, of course it was another good picture opportunity!

Brrr.....

It was really cold this morning...my car read 27 degrees. So, I bundled Alex up in a fleece that Grandmom and Paw Paw sent him. I couldn't resist taking a picture...or two!

He is getting so big. It is so fun to watch him take everything in. He can now sit up on his own IF proped up against someone/something. He still loves to stand on laps and has really found his laugh.

Finally

Well, I decided to pull the good ol' jumper out of the closet. The last time we tried it, Alex wasn't ready for it just yet. He was still too much of a bobble head. We gave it a go on Sunday as I was setting up our Christmas tree. He liked it, he really liked it! He isn't really jumping but has one foot which he uses to propel him in circles. He gets so busy watching the world around him.

He reminds me of a duck sitting on water. Its fun to watch the top part of their bodies but it is more entertaining to watch what is below the water...in this case what is below the seat. I get pretty tickled watching his legs.

December Already?

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone! Before we know it, it will be Christmas.

We had a very nice trip to Houston to spend Thanksgiving with my side of our family. We had a great time! My nephew Jack (3 1/2) loves to tickle Alex. He would say "tickle, tickle yur forrrreheeeaaad. Tickle, tickle yur tuuummmmy, tickle tickle yur toooeeess." He is such a sweet little boy.

My mom and I braved the Houston outlet mall and got some cute cool weather clothes for Alex.

They are for 6 month olds and look HUGE! But, they really aren't that big on Alex! Which surprises me. Bill dresses Alex everyday for school and sent pictures to me yesterday morning before leaving the house. Bill thinks that Alex looked like he just left the ski slopes and is heading to the bar at the base of the mountain. I sure hope to take Alex skiing some day...just not now. He is pretty cute!

4 Months Old

Alex is now 4 months old. Boy, time has flown by!

He had his doctor's appointment yesterday and he passed with flying colors. Alex is now 13lbs 9oz and 24.5 inches long. He is progressing as expected. Dr. Halpenny mentioned multiple times how strong Alex is. Alex kept trying to help the doctor perform the exam by holding on to his hands. At the same time Alex kicking his legs non-stop and smiling. Dr. Halpenny told Bill and I that we are going to have our hands full once Alex gets all of this coordinated. Guess Bill and I need to start babyproofing the house!

Dr. Halpenny also mentioned that we should start feeding Alex rice cereal. SO, we gave it a shot last night. Alex wasn't real sure what to think about it, but because it was in his mouth...he ate it.

Opening Weekend, Nov 4 - 5

I finally downloaded some pictures from our trip to South Texas the first weekend of November. On our way down, we spent the night in Austin at Bill's cousin's house. Our room was very cold so after our morning feeding, Alex and I climbed back in to bed. I couldn't resist taking a picture of Bill and Alex cuddling.

Later that morning we stopped by to see Bill's grandparents. It was their first time to meet their great grandson. We had a very nice time visiting. Alex had a blowout while sitting on Grandmommy...she didn't even flinch. I was able to grab Alex before he mess seeped on to her.

Alex also meet his cousin Haylee and Aunt Raina for the first time. Snow White aka Haylee decided she wanted to compare her feet to Alex's.

Lastly, I had to include this picture of Alex in his Baby Anderson Beans. He had pants on earlier in the day but they were stripped off because it really warmed up.

First hunt!

Last weekend we packed up the car and Bill, Alex and I headed to Las Islas for opening weekend of deer season. It was also the weekend of Neal's memorial service on Menus Hill. The service was very nice. The day could not have been any better! Many stories about Neal were shared some sad, some funny but all you could just picture Neal doing.

Since it was opening weekend, it was only appropriate for Alex to go on his first hunt. He did a really good job! It was probably the first time for a baby to be breastfeed in a deer blind at Las Islas, but it wont be the last!

Great Weekend!

Grandma & Paw Paw (my parents) came in town this weekend.  Bill and I had a wedding to attend so Grandma & Paw Paw baby sat Alex on Saturday night.  

This was Alex's first Halloween.  At school on Friday, they had a little parade around the neighborhood so I took the day off so I could push Alex in his stroller.  It was in the 50's but Alex was pretty warm in his ducky outfit.  Of course we had to dress Alex up as a duck!  He wore it again tonight at the neighborhood Halloween Meet and Eat before we Treat.  Approx. 50 families met in the cul da sac across the street from our house for pizza before setting out to trick or treat.  Bill and I got a kick from watching the kids ring our door bell.  Wouldn't you think that the people across the street from the party would be at the party.  It made us laugh!

Bath time!

Alex really enjoys taking a bath. He loves splashing around with his feet. Once he gets his legs going...its hard to get him to stop.

Inch Worm

Alex is an inch worm in his sleep. He starts the evening off parallel with the crib railings but ended up perpendicular this evening.

Double dimpler

Alex is a happy baby every morning. This morning I spent time with him before dropping him off at "school". It's market time so I have to work a little late so Bill and I switched shifts. Alex was too cute this morning so I had to take some pictures!

I finally got it! I caught the double dimples on camera. I love when he gives us the "double dimpler!"

3 months old

Alex is three months old today. I know I say this every month, but where has the time gone? It seems like I was just pregnant waiting to meet Alex. I enjoy watching Alex as he discovers new things everyday. You can tell that he is absorbing as much as possible. He has really outgrown the newborn stage and is really more of a baby.

This past weekend Alex officially got his first cold. I'm not sure if I gave it to him or if he gave it to me but we are both pretty stuffy. Tonight Bill and I will have to put a pillow under his mattress to elevate it. Also this weekend, I discovered that Alex loves to stand on my lap...of course you have to support him under his arms. When he is standing he looks around and really enjoys himself. He smiles constantly.

Farmers Market

Since Alex and I were up early this morning, we made a trip to the neighborhood Farmers Market.  Its just down the street and only has approx. 10-15 booths but we found some good stuff.  I got lots of veggies, some organic bread and a muffin plus a fabulous pumpkin.  All for less then $20.  I plan on putting the veggies in some homemade Minestrone soup.

Here's a picture of my two pumpkins!

Wonder Week 12

In my previous post I mentioned that this was Wonder Week 12 for Alex. Well, I LOVE this Wonder Week. It was a WONDERFUL night last night. Alex ate at 6:15, had a tubby then was topped off before falling quickly asleep by 7:15. He didn't wake up until 1:45am then again at 5:00am. All of this without him having a gassy tummy or grunts and groans. What a wonderful night! I hope this is his new nightly routine. Feeding Alex once a night works for me!

12 weeks old

Alex is now 12 weeks old and I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by. He was a bit more fussy this weekend. More so than he has ever been. Week 12 is a Wonder Week (growth spurt) and one of the signs of a growth spurt is fussiness and little sleep. We sure experienced both this weekend. Even though I was up Saturday early morning from 1:45 am to 4:45 am and every 40 minutes after that until 8:30, I can't help but enjoy it. When I show up along side Alex's crib, he gives me a big grin. How can I be annoyed? He isn't going to be this little for much longer so I try to enjoy every second of him.

Last night I went to a cooking class with two of my best girlfriends so Bill and Alex spent some time watching football. I was shocked when I got home at 7:15 to a wide eyed baby. Hmm...he's usually falling asleep by 7pm. He ate around 7:30 and was quickly sound asleep. I was preparing myself for a another long night but was pleasantly surprised that he didn't wake again until 2 am. I woke up at 1:45 and had to make sure he was doing alright because he was sleeping so long. I'm not sure if it had to do with his growth spurt or the wine I had at the cooking class. I'm not sure if this is a new phase or if I just got lucky...we will just have to wait and see how tonight goes.

11.5 weeks old

We had an exciting weekend of going to Austin to celebrate Cousin Ivy's first birthday. Alex met his Cousin Jack and Uncle Shawn for the first time. I'm so happy that Austin is fairly close so hopefully the cousins can grow up together. I don't have any pictures right now from the weekend but hope to get some from Paw Paw or Lindsay.

In the meantime, here are some pictures I took of Alex's many facial expressions.