Merry Christmas!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!"

- Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

An Early Christmas Gift: Gratuitous Cuteness!

Merry Christmas!

Cousins

Most of you probably know that Mac has four cousins, but one is very special. His cousin Avery was born one week after him. We are all excited to watch them grow up together. It will be such a unique experience for them to have a cousin so close in age!

At a Christmas Party on Saturday, they got to spend some time together. They are just starting to enjoy staring at other babies, so that was plenty of fun for them. We also sat them together to take a cute picture!

Unfortunately for Avery, we didn't take her bib off. But I think they're both pretty adorable.

I'm looking forward to many years of photos of these two together!

3 Months Old!

What a cutie-pants, if I do say so myself! Mac is three months old today. No doctor's appointment, so we have no idea how much he weighs, but it's probably more than 11 pounds (what he weighed a month ago).

Here's what he's been doing over the past month:

• Discovering his hands. He doesn't stare at them that much, but he's definitely learning to control and use them. He will swat at toys that are hanging in front of him, and if you hold an object up to his hands, he will usually grab it and hold it. And inspect it.  He also frequently puts his hands together (kind of like he's folding them in his lap). Supposedly that's a milestone.
• He's starting to use his mouth more. Those objects he holds? They often end up in his mouth. He also likes to suck on his hand or his arm if it's readily available. Yours will work, too, if it's within the vicinity.
• He's holding his head up really well. He's not always a huge fan of tummy time on the floor, but if you pick him up and hold him against you or sit him up on your lap, he has great posture and wants to look all around the room. He especially likes to stare at the Christmas tree!
• He's not talking as much as I expected, but he's very interested in it. He likes to watch people talk. A lot. He likes to stare at my while I say "ooooooh," and "ho, ho, ho!"  Rarely, he'll even say, "oooh" back. Once he said "ho!"
• He loves to smile at people. He smiles at anyone, now. You can make funny noises at him, talk to him, or even just smile at him, and he'll probably smile at you. 
• His vision is getting great. When I approach him in the swing, he'll smile when he sees me from about 6-8 feet away!
• Best yet, he is sleeping through the night! He's definitely a night person, and doesn't like to go to bed before 11. (He's like his mom, too. If he doesn't want to do something, it just doesn't happen.) But then he'll sleep until 8 or 9 in the morning. A couple of times, he has even slept until 9:30!

There are probably other milestones he's hit that I haven't even recognized yet. And soon, those of you in Houston will get to see for yourself! Only a few days until we get there!  I know he'll love to meet everyone. He's kind of a social butterfly.

Another First

Today is a day I've been anticipating, but not in a good way. Today is the first time that I travel overnight, for work, without Mac.

I'm not at all worried about him. I know the MacDaddy will take very good care of him. After all, he's been doing just that 3 days a week while I'm working. And we've gone over swaddling 101 for night time.

I'm just worried about me. Today is the first day in almost 3 months that I don't get to hold Mac. He'll still be sleeping when I leave, and I don't want to disturb him.

Hopefully, it'll get easier. Leaving at 5:30 am (barely conscious) helps, a little. And I'll be looking forward to seeing him when I get home tomorrow.

You Know You've Become a Mom When...

You think your baby smells like spit-up (a faint smell almost like sour milk), so you give him a bath and put him in clean clothes . . . only to smell the same smell, and realize it's YOU!

He's Got Hands...

And he knows how to use them!  Mac has been swatting at toys that are hanging above him for a few weeks now. But for the last week or so, he's been grabbing toys during tummy time.

As you can see, Freddie the Firefly requires some inspection! [You may have noticed that we modified tummy time. The boppy prevents him from rolling over.]

Ho Ho Ho!

Mac has been a very good boy this year!

Wordless Wednesday