Brendon's First Christmas

Merry Christmas to you who are venturing out in to internet land on this Friday that feels like a Saturday cause we haven't done anything all day long. We got to experience Christmas like we've never had it before. Although my baby isn't a newborn any more, this Christmas season has meant more to me that any other. I can relate to Mary the miracle of a new baby's birth. I leave you with my new favorite Christmas song, and a few pictures of BAM opening and playing with a few presents.

 

In the first light of a new day
No one knew he had arrived
Things continued as they had been
While a newborn softly cried
But the heavens wrapped in wonder
Knew the meaning of his birth
In the weakness of a baby
They knew God had come to Earth

As his mother held him closely
It was hard to understand
That her baby, not yet speaking
Was the Word of God to man
He would tell them of his kingdom
But their hearts would not believe
They would hate him and in anger
They would nail him to a tree

 But the sadness will be broken
As the song of life arose
And the firstborn of creation
Would ascend and take his throne
He had left it to redeems us
But before his life began
He knew He'd come back not as a baby
But as the Lord of every man

Hear the angel as they're singing
On the morning of his birth
But how much greater will our song be
When he comes again to Earth

When he comes to rule the Earth

Two years down and plenty more to come

Two years. Not my blog, my marriage. I love you, Mark.

I love the life we've made together, all the bumps and potholes included. I love the son we have, the wakeful nights and the sleepless naps.

I'm planning on having more. More life, more years, more babies :)

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, for real this time.
Each baby has a picture ornament, right? this bright little thing is Brendon's. I love the giraffe on the side. And the cheetah's tail? It's actually fuzzy! How cute is that?

The picture is from our recent Christmas picture sessions. Maybe one day I'll get around to showing them off. It took a while for him to warm up to the photographer, but once he did, he was a star!










It's a little snow family! Everyone with me now, "aww". Our first three-member family ornament. CCM and Karl gave it to us.











Now these two are my true favorites. They're last years versions, but that's ok, becuase I bought them with this year in mind. We were newly pregnant, and all I had on my mind (besides food and throw it up later, sorry!) was I'm a mommy, and Mark's a daddy! Then I found these things on sale, and voila! 2009 ornaments!












{See above notation for this picture.}

















How could I do pictures, and not include this little guy? Huh? Doesn't he just make you wish he was on your tree, stealing your peppermints?



OK, so maybe it wasn't completely wordless, but when I'm at home with just myself and the baby is sleeping...*gasp* the baby is sleeping! it's after 4 and he's sound asleep! Maybe I need to go check on him.....

I have no hair left to pull

I'm a little late getting this post up. BAM has been on a nap strike these few days I've been home. He's been awake since 7, and has slept a grand total of maybe 2 hours, in 30 minute increments. He is sleepy, I know that, but he refuses to sleep in his crib. I think he doesn't like the sheets-the mattress is firm and the sheets are smooth. Not soft and squishy like mommy or daddy. His soft blanket is in the wash, it's gotten crusty from his frequent spitting up on it. I think he sleeps better with it. It's a little after 2pm, and I just put him down for another try at another nap. I hope with everything from my falling out hair to my possibly broken toes that he sleeps a LONG, LONG time. I know he's not going to sleep well in the nursery tonight at church. He'll get maybe 10 minutes, usually right before it's time to go. So, this post isn't at all wordless, but I was intending it to be. Maybe I'll split it up into two of them. Hey, that's a great idea!
*sigh* he's not making sleeping noises up there. He's learned a new trick. He'll roll himself over, trying NOT to fall asleep. Then he'll wake up cause he's cold and on his back like a turtle. I've gone in there a few times because he's been fussing for awhile, just to make sure he's not stuck in between the bars, and he's on his back playing with the blanket, kicking his feet. Then he grabs you with that adorable smile of his. "Hi, Mom! I'm done napping! Let's play!"
He used to be such a good sleeper. I had his signals all decoded. I'd lay him down, and he'd be asleep in a minute. He'd sleep for an hour and a half or so, be all smiles when he woke up. Now? I do a dance if he's asleep within 30 minutes after I lay him down. Don't even think about telling me to let him cry and he'll fall asleep when he's tired. That does not work for me. It gets me all frazzled and upset at him. I hate it. I do let him fuss, like he's doing now. But I go in and calm him down before he gets screaming.
Now, it's been 10 minutes since I laid him down (yes, it took me that long to type all that, I'm easily distracted). I went to calm him down. He's so tired, he didn't even open his eyes once, yet he was fussing the whole time. Someone, anyone, come be my salvation, I don't know what to do.
He started screaming, so I went again to check on him. Poor guy had scooted over and had his arm stuck through the bars with his face mashed up against them :( But I think he's out for the count, in just 20 minutes! *does the snoopy dance*
On the days he does nap well, I think three naps a day are too much for him. He usually takes a nap about 1030 until 1230, then at 2/230-4, then I try to get one more in from 6-7. Bed time is around 830 or 9. I feed him at 530 am (he goes right back to sleep), and he wakes up about 9 am to start his day. I'm thinking the morning nap is too much for him, cause it's a fight to get him to nap in the afternoon. And that evening nap? Just forget it, it almost NEVER happens. I don't put him to bed earlier, cause I don't get off of work until 730pm, three days a week. So I try to keep the days I don't work on the same schedule as the days I don't work. Easier on all of us, Tita Christina included.
I just got done talking, well, facebooking, with a mom with a similar baby situation, a nap striker. She's actually given me something to think about. I don't have a mobile, but I can attach some toys to his crib, so that if he's against sleeping, he can be in his crib and doesn't have to cry. I like it! I'll just have to remember to pass it on Tita Christina on my work days.
I'll leave you with some lines of my favorite Christmas songs. (just in case all my frustration has left you frustrated)
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, toys in every store."
"Christmas is coming and we are getting fat, 'cause we're eating too much of this and that."
"The cold wind is blowing and the streets are getting dark. I'm writing you a letter and I don't know where to start...Nobody ought to be all alone on Christmas."
"Hear the angels as they're singing, on the morning of his birth. But how much greater will their songs be when he comes again to earth?"

the post in which I reveal just how lazy I am

I feel like blogging is fizzling out. I think about stuff to expound upon, and all I come up with is...uh...my Christmas tree is up. How lame is that? Oh, I could show off my new Christmas ornaments. But that means I have to go take pictures of them. I am such a lazy bum. I don't know how you stand me, dear internet. I guess you don't have a choice. I write about what I want to, and you just have to accept it. Unless you decide to crash on me. Then I'd have to give up. Oh, I just remembered.
My husband's dad's cousin (we call her CCM) lent me some mystery books! I had forgotten until now. See, I was thinking about the internet crashing and what I would do if it crashed. I started to become forlorn when I realized I didn't even have a good book to read, but then I remembered that she had given me some when the fam and I went to my parent's house for Thanksgiving. CCM lives near them, and has extra space for a little family. As opposed to my parent's house which ends up a bit cramped with all of us in it. But before I dive in to them and lose all sense of time, I'll finish up my blogging duty. And then I'll take pictures of my new ornaments.
Christmas ornaments, not room ornaments. New room ornaments would include then half dozen of burp rags (scattered and hidden around the house), the ever-present box of diapers (that always seems half-full and emptying fast), the one lonely pacifier (some how all 6 of them disappeared at the same time, but they're coming back), and other various items that, without which, I wouldn't be able to manage the bambino (don't know how my parents did it!). I'm going to cheat and save the ornament post for tomorrow :) because I can.