A New Christmas Eve Tradition

This year we decided to have a gingerbread house decorating contest for Christmas Eve. I decided to be Betty Crocker and make all the gingerbread and the frosting...for seven people (just in case we broke one set) and we used what items we had around the house. Now we would like to leave it up to you to decide which you like the best...add a comment and tell me which you think is the best and they will be the winner. Oh, Joe and Kevin broke theirs. I guess they don't have gentle hands. So all that is left is mine, Gina, Andrea, and Diane's gingerbread houses. I won't tell you which is which, since I don't want you to know who made them...just pick your favorite house!

Jack is 3 Months Old

Of course another month has gone by and I wonder if I have taken enough pictures of Jack. Some people are so good at documenting each month with a special onesie that says the week or month, but I'm just content to be like my mother and take pictures. I figure after the first year I'm going to put everything together in a scrapbook! We are just excited to celebrate his first Christmas and spend time with family members in New York.
Nicknames: Peanut, Little Man, Pumpkin

Temperament: He has always been an easy baby, but he continues to bring out his personality more each day. I have noticed that he doesn't really cry very much, he is more of a whiner. You know he is fed up when it really turns into a loud cry. He is also very vocal. Lots of coos and sounds. I think he has just discovered his voice so many times he will repeat noises or just get louder and louder. From an early age people always said that Jack was observant and he continues to take in his surroundings. He loves to look at the trees on hikes and not only does he smile at everyone, but he looks them straight in the eye. He has also fallen into a very nice routine with two morning naps and two afternoon naps. He is usually ready for bedtime around 7:30 and wakes up once at 12:30 for a meal. He is eating at five different times about 5.5 ounces each time.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: Well, I have fallen in love with his baby swing. It was a bit too fast when he was younger, but now that he weighs more I think it has slowed the rocking down a bit. Many morning and afternoon naps are taken in the swing, which allows me to get a lot done! I think Jack has found his hands to be the best toys right now. He can put them in his mouth for a longer period of time so I often see him sucking on his fingers. The hairdryer has also proved to be useful for tummy time. I will lay Jack on his stomach on the boppy pillow on the bed, then I dry my hair. It gives him at least ten minutes or so without any crying as he is fascinated by the hair dryer. I continue to love our Ergo baby carrier which allows us to take Jack on walks throughout this cold winter!

First Experiences: Jack is making different noises, you can see it if you watch the video attached to this post. He also started grabbing at toys, mostly just swatting at them, but occasionally he gets them in his hands and he will hold on for dear life. He also seems to really be able to identify me as his mom, because he will kick and wave his arms like crazy when I am around or during diaper changes. He started to giggle too. All though it is more of a laugh than a giggle.

Jack has not rolled yet, but I figure it will happen soon. I had my first moment of thinking that I wished I could have some freedom. Eight hours of sleep would be really nice too. Becoming a stay at home mom has definitely been a big change, but I really love it. The moments of freedom and a need for a break do not last very long. I only need to see Jack smiling at me and I just melt. Plus, I have found that I can get much more down when I don't have to go to work everyday...the house is cleaner, dinners are better, and occasionally I even get to do some crafts!

What Shall We Give?

Happy Holidays

Yesterday Was A Great Day

I felt like yesterday was a really productive and wonderfully relaxing day. I was able to work on a few Christmas presents...I'm trying to make a few of them (to save some money), we took a family hike on the endless trail, followed by a yummy dinner, and a happy baby who enjoyed his bath and went straight to bed. It was a cold day, but I loved seeing snowflakes fall from the sky all day (even if it did not really stick). It just gave me that much more Christmas spirit. We brought the camera along for our hike.
Right now we are dog sitting for my parents so it has been fun to see Bodhi play with his girlfriend, Roxey. And of course, they loved the hike as well.
I actually took a lot of pictures yesterday too, because I wanted to capture his cute outfits. Two of Jack's aunts bought the same Christmas outfit from Target. I think it is adorable. Of course, Joe thinks I'm dressing him up too much, but I love it. Especially his leg warmers!
Then this morning I actually put him in his first Yankees onesie. I know that will make his other aunt happy!
My favorite picture of them all would have to be when Joe decided to read Rock and Ice magazine to Jack for his bedtime reading. The great thing is that Jack loved it...he was just staring at Joe with the most interest. I just know daddy is going to be his favorite!