Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night

 

We had another great Christmas!  Bryson was so excited that he went to bed early on Christmas Eve without me asking "so that Santa could come."  He woke up early but waited to open presents and stockings until Daddy got home from work and Colin woke up.  Colin loved hearing us rip the wrapping paper and enjoyed playing with the bows and Bryson was very enthusiastic about all his gifts.  The elf pajamas Grandma Jane got were a big hit (they wore them to bed last night) and so are the magnet toys Grandma Joy and Grandpa Jim got Bryson.  Bryson's favorite toy is the Spirograph which he has spent hours doing since Christmas morning.  Colin's favorite toy is his cell phone.  That way he doesn't have to play with ours (thanks Grandma Judy!) 

After opening gifts, Bryson spent the day with Grandma Jane and Papa Randy while Colin, Jarom, and I napped (which was the perfect Christmas gift for this sleep-deprived Mama).  Then we joined Bryson at Jarom's parents' house.  We had a DELICIOUS prime rib dinner that Randy prepared and spent some time enjoying the company of Jarom's family, and although Grandma Jane was sick, we piled on her bed to open a few family gifts.  We left happy and well-fed and excited that it officially ended up being a White Christmas!

This Christmas season our family is feeling very blessed (and it sure beats last year's Christmas when I was flat on my back on bed rest).  We are thankful for the birth of our Savior and His gifts to us that allow us to do everything that we do!  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!    

"It's a White Christmas!"

Silent Night

All Mommy wants for Christmas is a Silent Night. Here's to hoping the boys stay asleep, especially Baby Colin.
  SILENT NIGHT from Melissa G on Vimeo.

Christmas Eve Activities

Merry Christmas Eve!

Jarom had to work Christmas Eve night (unfortunately patients still need care even on Sundays and holidays), so we packed a lot of activities in while he was home during the day.  Bryson and I made cookies for Santa while Colin played with our Little People Manger.  Then we went off to the indoor pool and had a blast swimming as a family.  Colin loves the water and crawled right in until he was over his head and swallowing water, but he didn't seem to care at all. Bryson has always been a swimmer, and he loved going to the pool for our family activity.  That night, Bryson sprinkled reindeer food on the lawn so that Santa's team would be able to spot our house, and then he put out the Christmas cookies and letters before turning in "so that Santa could come."

Colin's letter reads:  "Dear Santa:  I want a baby toy or two, baby blocks, [and] sleepers, but not Christmas ones"

Bryson's letter reads: "I want art supplies,  a new toothbrush, a book, blocks, a puzzle, remote control dinosaur, [and] a couple movies"

9 Months

This nine month old is on the move!   Colin is crawling everywhere, pulling himself up to his knees on the toy box and dishwasher (he's not yet pulling himself to a full stand, thank goodness), and loves scooting into Bryson's bedroom before Bryson can close the door on him. Colin's new hobbies include cutting more teeth, getting into things, finding debris on the floor to put into his mouth, and pulling up the carpet fibers.  Colin also loves splashing around int he bathtub and comes crawling whenever he hears the water running hoping we'll put him in the tub for a bath.  Colin would also rather feed himself and have table food than have us spoon pureed baby food into his mouth and he says "Daddy" "Mum" and "Ni-Ni" ["Night, Night"].  Colin is one fun little guy and we love him so much! 

At nine months, Colin weighs 17 pounds, 1 ounce and is 28 inches tall.  He's only in the 5th percentile for weight while he's in the 50th percentile for height, and he is still spitting up after every meal no matter what and how much I feed him and how long I wait in between foods even with reflux medication.  So the doctor gave us a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist who will do some tests and a barium x-ray (Colin will have to drink a bottle of barium for this) to see if there may be an underlying intestinal or esophageal issue. I sure hope he doesn't have any digestion problems, but if he does and we can find out what is and get it treated, maybe Colin will start sleeping better.   He is waking up every 40 minutes for some reason and has a hard time going back to sleep even though we've tried all the techniques the baby books have to offer.  Colin has three teeth (two in center on the bottom and one on top right center with the left center tooth on top trying to come through as well).   Colin also started waving this week, totally unsolicited. Please enjoy the video below of our happy, waving 9 month old baby!  He's growing so fast!

Waving Baby from Melissa G on Vimeo.

Santa Claus

Bryson spent four years petrified of Santa Claus. Colin spent four minutes enamored with him.

I don't know what he's going for -- Santa's dropped pretzels or the white beard

Just for some contrast, here is a photo of Bryson with Santa at about the same age.

A Hometown Holiday

We've been busy this weekend with fun Christmas festivities.  Friday night we went to the Town Center for their "Hometown Holiday" celebration.  We listened to carolers, mailed Bryson and Colin's letter to Santa, drank hot cider, and made ornaments and crafts at the booths we perused.  After a quick ride on the Christmas train, we came home and decorated the Christmas tree. 

Then on Saturday we traveled to the Polar Express presentation at our old library, which remains my favorite public library.  We used to live behind this particular library and when Jarom was in nursing school and working, Bryson and I would go to check out books, listen to storytime, or see their many great presentations at least twice a week.  It was a great place to take Bryson to on days when we had no car and no real plans, and we got to love the programs it offered and to love the library staff as well.  The librarians still know us by name years later and can't believe how big Bryson is getting and are excited that we are now bringing in Colin, a baby who already loves books. 

The boys looked at books and Bryson made a special ornament while we waited to "board" the Polar Express.  The librarians took our tickets and seated us on the "train" and then served hot chocolate while a guest narrator read the book.  Santa made an appearance and gave everyone a bell to remember to believe in the Christmas spirit.  Then Jane took Bryson to "The Savior of the World" play that our stake put on.  It was a fun weekend!