Virginia Christmas Day 1

We are spending Christmas in Virginia this year!  We got in the car Sunday night at 8pm and arrived at the house in Virginia at 8pm last night (Monday).  1462 miles in 23 hours with several stops.  James actually did very well.  He slept all night.  He woke up at 5am for 30 minutes, but other than that he slept from 8:30pm-6:30am.  He took a couple naps during the day and we played and blew bubbles and read books while he was awake.  The whole thing was much easier than I thought it was going to be, but I only had to drive 4 hours.  Matt slept til noon on Sunday so he could drive all night.  He woke me up at 3:30 to keep him awake then I took over at 5 for a couple hours.  I was really worried about this trip, but it worked out quite well.  Dad called and asked me if we had seen any snow.  We saw a little bit in North Carolina and then a bunch in Virginia.  Well, it looked like a lot to me, but I'm a Texas girl.  By the time we got to Virginia it was pretty dark and the moon was out in a clear sky.  Snow by moonlight is a beautiful sight.  There were a few whole fields covered in snow.  There's some in the yard here, but it's pretty solid.  I tried making a snowball to throw at Matt but it didn't work very well.  The forecast says we may have snow for Christmas and again right before New Year.  It has been a very long time since I have had a white Christmas.  This is going to be a very full house this week.  We are the first ones here.  Deb and her family with 4 kids are coming in this afternoon.  Bec and her 5 will be staying here too I think.  Not sure how we'll all fit.  It will be fun. 

James' Birthday

was awesome!  Trey and Rachel brought their families and some friends from our church came.  Matt grilled for lunch and I made the cake.  James wasn't all that interested in opening presents.  He just watched me open them and then played with them.  He got some new shoes that he wore all day yesterday without crying about it.  He also got a couple bath toys that he is fascinated by because they swim around the tub.  He loves the John Deere tractors and we already used the travel place-mat.  He did enjoy the cake.  I made two small round ones so we put a whole one on his tray.  It took a while for him to taste it, but once he got some in his mouth he really dug in.  I had a couple games to play.  The two older kids did a scavenger hunt around the house.  For the adults I had a photo album with pictures of James' milestones that they had to guess the date.  Amy won because she used her calendar for several.  I also had a guess the number of cheerios jar.  Emma won that one with a guess of 900.  There were 1014 cheerios in there and I counted every one of them.  Trey got the next closest bid with 587 or something like that.  It was a fun day.  I can't believe that boy is already one. 

Christmas!

We opened presents last night at our house.  It was so much fun.  I got most of my Christmas last Saturday in Austin.  I got my ear pierced and we went to see the new Narnia. 

Back to last night:  James opened his stocking first.  He loved it!  He had so much fun pulling stuff out of that thing. 

We gave him a set of five tiny Tonka trucks.  Those were a huge hit.  He pulled out the first one and immediately started rolling it on the floor and making truck noises.  What a smart boy.  He was delighted every time he pulled a new one out.  A couple times he brought something to show me and then went back to Matt for more. 

When James was finished with his, Matt opened his stuff.  I only had a few things to put in his stocking, so I filled it with random things from the office to make it look full.  I also gave him a big box of stuff.  When he opened the big box there was another box to open and another and another...  I wrapped 5 boxes inside each other.  At each layer there was a present and another box to open.  I know, kinda rude, but it was fun. 

The only things in my stocking were a ticket stub from Narnia, a pair of earrings, and a big dark chocolate bar from James.  What a sweet boy!  ;)

my little baby Jesus

Today at our church we had a thing called Experience Bethlehem.  It was really neat.  We had different rooms with Harod, the Inn, the Stable, food, and music.  I got to be a beggar this morning.  Then we did it again tonight and I ran the candy shop.  Not a good place for me.  James got to be baby Jesus.  He's a little old for the part, almost a year too old, but it was fine.  He seemed to have fun and everybody loved him.  About half way through tonight, a little girl came to my shop and said, "James' pants are stinky."  :)  Before I could get to the stable two more people came by to let me know they had smelled it too.  I get in there and check his diaper and it was just gas.  My boy already has the power to clear a room.  What else can I say.  Anywho, I know someone got a picture of him all dressed up and wrapped up in swaddling clothes, but I haven't gotten it yet.  And of course I didn't take my camera. 

Before we started tonight, I took James to the nursery to let him play a while.  James went straight for a car that converts to a push toy (just like this: http://www.amazon.com/Playskool-Step-Start-Walk-Ride/dp/B00004T2WP).  It's one of his favorite toys in the nursery.  He usually stands up, grabs the handle and starts walking.  Then when he runs into something, he sits down and fusses because he can't turn it.  So I let him play with it.  I turned around to do something else and when I turned to check on him I could hear him, but I could not see him.  He had walked right out the door and started down the hall with that thing.  I watched him push it around the nursery.  When he got to a corner he stopped, turned it, and kept on going.  He is getting way too smart. 

The Bumbo

If you don't know what a bumbo is, look here: http://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-402-Baby-Seat-Blue/dp/B0007ORN7M

So, James has a Bumbo.  We got it from his wonderful aunt Bec.  He used it before he could sit in the high chair and now we take it on trips.  After Thanksgiving I left it on the floor in the living room.  I came back into the living room after being gone for only a minute or two and James was sitting in it.  I'm thinking, "I didn't put him in there did I?"  He had climbed into it with the tray connected. 

Now it's one of his favorite toys. 

My sweet sweet boy.  When he was tiny, he loved to cuddle.  Then as he started to become aware of his world more and move around more, he never wanted to cuddle.  The only time he would cuddle with me was while he was drinking his bottle.  As soon as he was done, he wanted to get down and play.  After his surgery, when he felt so bad, he wanted me to hold him all the time.  I rocked him to sleep every night and for every nap.  I know, I know, I spoiled him, but he needed it and I LOVED it!  As he recovered, I was able to wean him off of being rocked to sleep and he puts himself to sleep very quickly now.  But my cuddle bug has stayed.  When he gets sleepy or right after he wakes up, or if he feels bad from teething or snotty nose, he'll lay his head on mine or Matt's shoulder and cuddle.  It's the sweetest thing ever.  Just a few minutes ago I was feeding him his bottle and when he was done, he turned around and laid his head on me.  It may not sound like much, but I get the greatest feeling in the world when that little boy lets me hold him. 

sleep

James can be a light sleeper some days.  One day he was napping and I dumped ice into the ice bucket in the kitchen and he started crying.  That has gotten better since we got him a loud fan for his room.  But that's not the story I wanted to tell you.  This morning we went to MOPs (Mother's of Preschoolers).  That means he didn't get a morning nap because he can't sleep when other people are having fun.  So we left at about 11:30 and he fell asleep in his carseat almost immediately.  We went to get gas and he slept through that.  That's not all that exciting now that he can sleep through the car stopping.  Then I went to the tax office to renew the registration for Matt's truck.  I got James out of the car seat, carried him in, took care of business, strapped him back in the car seat and drove home and he is still asleep at 1pm!!!!!  He groaned a little and squirmed when I took him out of the car, but he never opened his eyes.  I wonder where he got that from.

In other news, he is walking very well.  While we were with family for Thanksgiving, Matt counted 20 steps without falling or holding onto anything.  He still doesn't want to eat much table food, but he is eating baby food pretty well when he feels good and he's growing.  He'll probably pick up on that like he has everything else:  avoid it at all costs then one day pick it up like he's been doing it all along.  My stubborn boy.  No idea where he got that trait either.  ;)