Christmas Snapshots

Merry Christmas!  Ours was perfect.

5 Months Old!

 Dear Scarlett,

You turned 5 months old on Wednesday!  We can hardly believe you're just one month shy of being half a year old!  Look how much you've grown:

You are still in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. Even though you are a tiny peanut, you have more than doubled your size since you were born!

Speaking of your size, we spent 2 days in the hospital with you at the beginning of this month.  Your pediatrician was so worried that you only weighed 10 pounds at your 4-month well check!  She wanted the doctors to monitor you at the hospital and do some blood work, just to make sure everything was fine.  After 2 very long days, we found out that you are totally healthy and normal!  Which we knew all along.  Better safe than sorry, I guess.  And you seemed to really enjoy the 2 straight days of constant attention from both Mommy and Daddy!

Last month you were going through a fussy stage, but this month you went through a happy, smiley stage! As soon as one of us (Mommy or Daddy) walks into the room, you smile immediately when you see us.  And if you wake up you usually don't cry.  Instead, you just break out in the biggest grin as soon as you see one of us, or any of your other favorite people.  And when Mommy is feeding you, sometimes you'll just stop, look up, give me a giant smile, and then go right back to eating. Your smile is my favorite thing in the world!  The only thing that might be better is your laugh!

When you get laughing, you almost can't contain yourself.  You just start chuckling and gasping and you close your eyes and open  your mouth so wide!  It's adorable.

Speaking of gasps, you make the funniest sounds!  When you get hyper, you do these long, high pitched gasps. The best thing we can compare them to are velociraptor sounds from Jurassic Park.  Then you will just coo and squeal in the highest pitch possible.  

Lately you have been a lot more into toys.  You love your activity mat and bouncy seat, because you love to grab at the little hanging toys.  You also love little stuffed animals (mostly because you love to put them in your mouth!).  You like rattles and anything that makes fun noises.  You also seem really interested in people's clothing and jewelry these days.  You love long, dangly necklaces, pretty scarves, anything with a collar, and especially Mommy and Aunt Di's long hair! 

You've recently started to really splash around and play during bath time too.  You have a tiny boat that squirts water, and you love it when mommy sprays you with it.  You love to try to catch the water as it squirts out.  

Your interest in books continues to grow.  You have one lift-a-flap book that seems to be your current favorite.  You love to look at the pictures.  You haven't quite figured out the difference between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional things, and you'll try to elusively pull the objects right off of the page.  It keeps you busy for awhile, at least!

You are still constantly learning new things.  You seem to be noticing much more about your environment.  Notably, the cats.  Ellie seems to be your favorite, but that might just be because Gabby doesn't come within 10 feet of you most of the time.  Ellie seems to be similarly curious about you, so you often have very long staring contests.  You seem really interested in her whiskers and tail, but Mommy and Daddy won't let you get close enough to grab them, much to your dismay. 

You are also rolling from your stomach to your back more often.  Still not totally consistently, though.  And you are so, so close to rolling from your back to your stomach!  You get almost the whole way over, and then your darn arm just gets in the way!  Mommy and Daddy think you're strong enough to do it, but just can't quite figure out the logistics yet.  Ha!

You're also getting closer and closer to being able to sit on your own.  You can sit up of you just have a little support on your lower back and torso.  I think in another month or two, you'll be doing it!  

You're finally able to find your thumb to suck on it instead of shoving your whole hand in your mouth when you are getting sleepy.  It's kind of nice, because a thumb can't get lost like a pacifier!

This was a big month!  You spent a lot of time with your grandparents and aunts, you celebrated your first Thanksgiving, and even "helped" shop for your first Christmas tree!  Christmas is going to be so much fun this year!  We are so excited for what the next month has in store!

Here is what you looked like this month: 

We love you so much!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Christmas Tree Shopping, 2013

2 posts in one week?  You can tell I had time off for Thanksgiving!

Black Friday has become sort of a holiday of its own in our house.  Not because we go shopping in the traditional sense, but because it is Christmas Tree Day!  I started the morning by making some cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa.  Breakfast of champions!

 I dressed Scarlett up in her new Christmas outfit and my favorite hat ever (it was the first thing I bought when I found out I was pregnant a year ago).  She was super excited!

 And can we all just take a minute and check out this adorable Santa on her bum?  I can't handle it.

We headed out to the Christmas tree farm and picked out our tree!  We had gotten a few inches of snow (okay, 8) last week, and that made the whole thing feel extra festive!  Here are Scarlett and I looking for the perfect tree.  I promise I am not missing teeth, and Scarlett does not have a black eye.  The shadows in this picture are weird.

And here she is with Luke...possibly my favorite picture of them together ever.

We got home and Luke put the tree up and started putting the lights on

And this girl sat completely mesmerized in her Bumbo Seat the entire time.  She's like, "I don't know what the heck you are doing Daddy, but it looks awesome."  

All of this was happening while Home Alone was on in the background.  We bought the blu-ray set of Home Alone and Home Alone 2.  Uh, for Scarlett.  Ahem. 

We hung the ornaments, and I couldn't help but reminisce about the special significance of each one.  It's what I do...

This special ornament was from my grandma the year we got married.  Extra special this year as I am missing her so much.

Here's the finished product!

Then I had to do an entire photoshoot with this cutie:

"This Christmas thing is going to be fun!"

 "Wait a minute, I get presents?!"

"I didn't know there were going to be presents!"

 "I better be good this month!  No more screaming like a crazy person when I get mad!  Or getting distracted or falling asleep while Mommy's trying to feed me!"

"Okay, turn me around so I can look at these lights some more." 

"You think you can just sit me here when you want me to be occupied, don't you?"

 "Hahaha!  Not a chance!  The novelty will wear off by tomorrow.  But right now, I think this is pretty cool!"

Today I went out to do some Christmas shopping, and couldn't pass up the chance to buy a little tree for Scarlett's room.  I told Luke, I know she's too young to really appreciate it, but I waited enough Christmases without a baby...we are going to do it up right now that she's here!  And she really does seem to like it.  If nothing else, we can see it glowing in the background while we all hang out in the living room each night.  It makes it feel extra cozy!

 A few other Christmas touches in her room:

 I can't imagine a more perfect start to the Christmas season.  I have about 90% of my Christmas shopping done, and all the gifts that are here are wrapped.  I am determined to enjoy this Christmas season, and not be out shopping and stressed at the last minute!  Now the rest of the month can be spent baking, watching Christmas movies, hanging out with my family, and oh, finishing up the semester.  I am not looking forward to that last part!  But at least I am 3 weeks from being done with another semester.  and then I'll have 2-3 weeks off!  I've never been so ready for a break!