christmas

I always knew having CJ would change everything, but I didn't know how awesome it would be. He brings so much joy to our lives that I never understood existed before he became part of our family. Looking back over the last six months, I thought he would kill me from sleep depravation, but we made it through and we only get up once a night now. Happy baby, happy mama, happy days and nights too. :)

The Christmas season took on a new meaning too. I joked that whoever wrote Silent Night had obviously never been around a newborn, but thinking about that night from a mom's perspective forever changed how I think about that night. What did Mary think when she looked at that beautiful face and those little hands? I know when I look at CJ's perfect features and his little hands reach up to me, my heart melts. When Mary looked at Jesus, knowing he was the Son of God, how did that change what she felt about him? I love when people tell me how handsome CJ is, but when shepherds came to worship her newborn son, what was Mary thinking? And what I can't even begin to imagine is, did she know how he would suffer? I look at CJ and I never want anything to hurt him. If Mary had even a hint of an idea of what Jesus would endure for MY sake, what did that do to her heart?

This Christmas I also have a new appreciation for God's love for me as well. I love my family and friends, but there is NO ONE that I love enough to let CJ suffer for. There is definitely no one I would let CJ die for. The sacrifice our Heavenly Father made for us, and specifically for me, knowing how much I don't deserve it, is unfathomable.

This Christmas was also a lot of fun. I have always loved Christmas, but CJ brought an extra special measure of joy. CJ and I left Arizona on the 12th and spent 10 days in Tennessee with my family. When he got to his room, he had his own personalized tree. How many little ones get their own personal tree? I guess only grandchildren of mothers with only one child do...

CJ also got to meet Santa. When I handed him to Santa, my mom and I wondered if he would cry, but he loved Santa. He talked to him and even pulled his beard, twice. It was funny, and Santa was so patient with him. Doesn't he look like such a little man sitting there all big?

My mom also had a tree in her office that was decorated with eggs my Nanny decorated by hand. He loved it and wanted to touch it.

The foyer in the church where mom works had these beautiful poinsettia trees. After pictures with Santa, we went to take pictures there as well. CJ thought it was great at first. Lots of smiles for the camera...

And he practiced crawling...There is no forward motion yet, but there is lots of rocking back and forth...

And he even weathered a clothing change with no fussing. Isn't the outfit my mom made for him adorable? I think he looks like a doll in it...

But after almost 200 pictures, he was done, and let us know it...

When we got home, we took a few more pictures in front of the tree at home. He was distracted by the presents for long enough for us to get a few more cute shots.

And later, he got to do his favorite thing...open presents! I love this picture because we are all looking at him with total happiness.

One of the funniest things was CJ's love of wrapping paper and boxes. There were times he didn't even care about the toys because he wanted the box. This is a box that mom gave him and he played with it for hours. Look at all the toys around him, but what does he want...the box. Too funny...

And finally, Christmas at our house. We got home late on the evening of the 22nd, so decorating was minimal. We bought a tree on the 23rd, and Scott put it up that evening. It didn't have any decorations, but CJ still loved it. I think he has a career on the Home Shopping Network...look at the way he is showing off the features of the tree in the next two pictures...

And here is CJ with his favorite toy of the Christmas season. He got his first tooth on Christmas Eve morning, so he LOVED chewing on this nubby ball. You couldn't pry it away from him.

And lest you think we have forgotten about our first baby, Connor had a great Christmas too. She loves being back at her house, and she had fun opening her packages as well.

first Christmas present...

CJ got to open his first Christmas present this week. He really liked the process, especially all the cheering he was getting from me and his Nanny! I should have taken a picture of it before he started opening it, but I was having too much fun watching his determination to get it unwrapped. When it started, it had a bow wrapped around it, and he took it off as well as tore the paper off little bit by little bit. I love how focused he is now. When he wants something you can't distract him. Look at that concentration! It took him a good 20 minutes or so of solid work to get it totally open, but he was going to do it and didn't want help.

He had so much fun listening to the paper tear and crinkle.

And if you are wondering what was inside, it was a Christmas photo album. I know what the first pictures in it will be. :)

loved...

If CJ doesn't know he is loved, there isn't a baby anywhere that does. It has been great to be around my family this last week. CJ has gotten lots of extra lovin' and squeezin.' I am so thankful he is a cuddly little guy and takes to all the attention. He won't turn down attention from anyone unless he is really tired, and then he just wants to snuggle his mama. Even though his Aunt Carla has a grandson about 3 months younger than CJ, she loves on him whenever my mom gives her a chance! Aren't they cute?

And I LOVE this expression. It's like he know he has us all wrapped around his little finger!

And a disclaimer...if you enlarge this picture his face is sooooooo dirty on a close inspection. Aunt Carla came over on her way home from work, and he had just finished bananas and carrots and was on his way to the bath tub. She loves him so much he even took him with a messy face.

reading with my gran...

When I was little my Nanny made me an ABC book from old Christmas cards. Each letter has a little poem about something Christmasy, and I loved it. I would read it and look at it for hours. This year, CJ got to read it with his Gran. He wanted to eat it as much as read it, but he still liked it a lot.

But he likes is Gran even more than he likes the book. Look at him looking at her! I love how he plays with his nook lately. He will take it out and chew on all the different sides of it and just sing his little heart out as he plays. It is so sweet. Mom had him at the church office last week, and he was doing it, and people came out of their offices to see what the sweet commotion was all about. He's a charmer for sure.

i WANT it...

CJ wants anything, and everything, he can get his hands on. The other day we were reading a book, and he was perfectly content until he saw the remote. Then he wanted nothing except the remote.

I thought he was cute with it in his mouth, so I tried to take a picture of him with my spiffy new camera lens. Well, when he saw the camera, you guessed it...all he wanted was the camera. This is him in attack, I want it in my mouth, mode...

We've been staying in a rental house in Arizona, and I confess I don't mind him chewing on their remote. But, I did mind him chewing on my camera. Needless to say, we found something else to occupy him.

Then, we flew to Tennessee this past Saturday, and I tried to be a prepared mama. I had his bag all ready, and I had a zip lock baggie full of his favorite toys to distract him in case he got fussy on the 3 hour flight. But what did the little man want to play with you ask? The zip lock baggie minus the toys and the passenger safety information card. But what he wants, he wants...and he lets you know it. I wonder where he gets that stubborn streak from?

moving and a shaking...

The other day I put CJ on his mat to play and went to the kitchen to do a few dishes. When I peeked at him a few moments later, here is where I found him...

He started out perpendicular to where he was with his head at the other end of the mat. He was so proud of himself.

And this morning, I found him in his crib, on his hands and knees rocking back and forth. I think he may be crawling by Christmas. Watch out world...here he comes!

thanksgiving weekend

Looking back, so much has changed in the last year. A year ago we were in Japan with good friends and family...

and I was just starting to show. (Check out the post-Thanksgiving belly on Scott though!) We still didn't know if we were having a Camden Grace or a Christian Josiah, and we didn't know where we were going to live when he or she was going to be born. We were doing a whole lot of trusting at that point...

This year, I can't think of anything I am more thankful for than CJ. He has changed our lives in more ways than I can name, but every one of them is a blessing. While we missed good friends this year, it was great to have dad and Dick for Thanksgiving again. This year we went to the Arizona Inn for lunch. While we have a great little house here with a semi-stocked kitchen, I just couldn't make Thanksgiving work in this kitchen on our (and CJ's) schedules. And since I wasn't cooking or cleaning up we had a lot more time for fun and relaxing.

CJ was sooooo good at lunch. The two tables next to us even complimented us on what a good baby he was. And of course as we walked around, lots of people stopped us to tell us how cute he was. After we ate, we roamed the beautiful grounds. I forgot how much I missed greenness after so many months in the desert.

After some family photos, we explored and oohed and aahed over CJ's adorableness. CJ had lots of fun playing with his dad that afternoon. I love his little feet hanging out!

CJ got to play in the grass for the first time. Our back yard in Arizona is all rock, so he wasn't quite sure what the green stuff was at first, but then decided it was ok.

And then he got to sit up in one of the chairs by the ping pong tables all by himself. It was good that we got this happy shot, because he was getting tired, and wanted to be held after this.

He looked at some pretty flowers...

and mom tried to take a picture of him in the flower bed, but he did not like his feet in the cold dirt. I am sure one of these days, I will find him eating dirt in the back yard, but for now...not his favorite.

Dad rescued him and cleaned off the feet.

Then we went and played by the fountain.

CJ was transfixed by the water. I think he liked the sound, and he kept reaching out to touch it.

After lunch, we drove through the saguaro forrest again so dad and Dick could see it for themselves. Even for a second time, it was amazing.

On Friday, we headed into Tombstone. It is a fun little city, and it has retained a lot of it charm from the Old West days...mostly for tourists though. CJ was cuddly and had fun riding in his sling. I think he looks so cute in it all balled up.

Tombstone Courthouse

The OK Corral - where the famous shoot out too place.

And a "real-life" cowboy. :) I think this is for us tourists, but it is still fun to see.

Then Saturday we went to Bisbee. It is another fun town nearby. It is an old copper mining town, so you can see the old mines and there are still hotels and homes from that era. Today it is an artists haven so it was fun to wander through the galleries and shops. We had so much fun looking at all the artwork, local people of interest and CJ, that we didn't take any pictures of the city. But Scott did snap some good ones of CJ with his phone while we were inside taking a break from the cold (and getting some fudge...yummy!)

We had a great weekend, and CJ is even more spoiled than before...if that is even possible.