"Christmas" (aka December 24th) Morning

Proof of Santa's visit.
Jackson checking out some of his gifts from Santa.

Luke enjoying his new Bumbo seat.
Helping Luke check out his gifts.
Imitating his new Smurf.

Photos From Our "Fake" Christmas Eve 2008 (aka December 23rd)

Santa was coming to visit our house a day early, so we had to make the traditional cookies and milk for him on the 23rd. I don't really make cookies that often and I certainly don't cut them into shapes, but for whatever reason, I had some Xmas cookie cutters around the house. Chris had bought the pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough so I thought we'd expeiment by rolling it flat and using the cookie cutters. I figured that would be a good way that Jackson could feel involved. I didn't really think about the fact that Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough isn't ideal for maintaining its shape in the oven, so the final product was, how shall I say this, "lacking" in the shape department, but they tasted good nonetheless!

Cutting Santa's cookie's into shapes.
I guess they didn't turn out looking TOO badly. I mean you can tell they were candy canes and gingerbread men, but those things that look like stockings, aren't. They're reindeer. Couldn't you tell?!
Opening our traditional Xmas Eve gift. PJs and a new book for bed time.
Dressed in the new PJs and reading the new book.
Proof that the cookies tasted fine, despite their unsightly shapes.

I Promise, I Love Him Just as Much

You may not be able to tell it from the blog entries, but I promise I love Luke just as much as Jackson. Really, I do. I think that by the time Jackson was Luke's age, I had detailed most of Jackson's life, from eating, to pooping, to smiling, to....well, I'm not sure what else 3-month olds do, but I recorded it for Jackson!

I guess I'm feeling guilty about this now that the holiday season is upon us, so in an effort to catch "the record" up to speed, here are some things to know about Luke:

- He drinks 8 oz. bottles, about 6 per day (plus or minus one bottle), with the last one of the day containing rice cereal.

- He sleeps through the night, usually from about 9pm or 10pm until about 6am or 7am. He still likes to be swaddled from the arms down. Don't you dare try to put those arms in! However, I think the swaddling is about over since he can very easily kick out of it during the night and because I don't have many baby blankets big enough to swaddle him in. The next size blaket is a queen comforter and being swaddled in that doesn't sound like much fun. ;)

- He has a smile that melts his Mommy's heart. And, I suspect, his Daddy's too.

- He is learning to use his arms and hands. He can hold onto objects that you put in his hand and he is learning to reach for objects for himself. He can reach out for toys hanging in front of his face and grab them, but you can see on his face that he is concentrating really hard to do it. Growing up is hard work and takes a lot of concentration!

- He has lost a lot of hair. It is mostly just stringy right now, except for that patch below the skull-line on the back of the neck - he's kept all that. I think he's trying for a baby-mullet. If he breaks out into singing "Achy-Breaky Heart", then I'll KNOW he's trying for a baby-mullet.

- He's super easy-going. Like really, just goes with the flow almost all the time. My sister thinks he resembles my Dad in appearance. I think that he resembles my Dad in attitude: He's happy as long as he's fed. Do you think maybe he'll grow up to love Menards too?

- He's damn cute when he giggles. If you laugh at him, he laughs back at you, as if he knows what you are laughing about.

- He has found his thumb and gets caught sucking it more and more each day. Of course, he sucks it mostly when he's tired though. On the one hand, Mommy thinks this is great because I won't have to chase down pacifiers anymore. On the other hand, Mommy thinks that, when the time comes, thumb-sucking will be a lot harder to break than the pacifiers. I guess we'll see how strongly he takes to this thumb-sucking....
- He startled easily as a newborn, and he still does - back arched, legs straightened, arms thrown above his head (if he's laying down), quick turn of the head, and surprised eyes.

- He sleeps on almost every car ride that is over 5 minutes long and been known to keep sleeping in the car carrier for several hours after getting to our destination.

- He is watching Jackson and following him with his eyes more and more each day.

- He smiles (most of the time) when his big brother gives him kisses - which happens a lot. He frowns/cries when his big brother pokes him on the forehead with his index finger - which happens a lot too.

- He's gassy. Really gassy.

- He looks at our mini-schnauzer Venus very curiously when she is near. I have a feeling she's "in for it" when Luke gets better at moving, reaching, grabbing, etc.

- He tolerates being on his stomach pretty well. He starts to lose it when he gets tired or if there's nothing interesting (like you, for example) for him to look at.

- He laughs when you play "bicycle" with his feet. Or roll him from side to side on his back. Or tickle his feet. Or play peek-a-boo. Or grab his hands and play patty-cake. Or sit him on your lap facing you and laugh at him.

For Luke's sake, I promise I will try to be a better archiver in the coming months...

This is How Our Xmas Card Photo Session Started

Luckily it ended better after a break and after agreeing that Jackson didn't have to wear the sweater, which he apparently didn't like - even though he's worn it before. Whatever. He's like that now - one day he'll refuse to wear these shoes, but the next day, those same shoes are the only one's he'll wear. It's lots of fun in the morning, let me tell ya!
So our Xmas card photo was actually taken with Jackson in his chocolate popsicle-stained white undershirt, but you can't tell in the photo so it doesn't matter.
Except that I know what he was wearing!
Though I suppose now you know too...

He's Pretty Cute...

...if I do say so myself!

Oh Boy!

He looks really pathetic here, but don't let him fool you. He's really just mad at me in this photo. He wasn't getting what he wanted, so it entailed lots of whining and crying and dirty looks and pitifulness on his part.

I think my boys are pretty well behaved most of the time, so I try not to do too much public complaining, but man, this phase that Jackson is in right now can't end soon enough for me. He's mister know-it-all crybaby right now. For example (a real conversation here):

J: Look at the sky, Mommy.
Me: Yeah, it's pretty isn't it? It's so blue.
J: It's not blue.
Me: Yeah it is. Blue with white clouds.
J: No, it's not.
Me: Um, yes it is.
J (now starting to cry): No it's not.
Me: Yes it is.
J (now full blown crying): It's NOT! Don't say that, Mommy. It's NOT blue.
Me: Well, what color do you think it is then?
J: No, don't say that Mommy. I don't like it when you say that.

At this point, I just stop talking to him, but he keeps trying to engage me in this ridiculous conversation for some reason. Plus, he's going through menopause or something too. He is M-O-O-D-Y! Hot and cold. Hot and cold. From one minute to the next, you have no idea which Jackson you are dealing with. He's also not sleeping well. I would like to blame it on this cold that he currently has, but I think it started before he got sick. He takes like, forever, to settle down in bed and go to sleep. Sometimes, I don't stop hearing him shifting around in there for like 90 minutes or so after I left him in bed. That, in turn, has made these new earlier mornings a bit more difficult because he is such a CRAB when he wakes up. I don't know what I am going to do after Xmas when the advent calendar is no longer an option to use as a morning motivator...

3 Months....and He Has a Cold

But he still looks pretty happy, doesn't he?

Oh yeah, and at the pediatrician's today, Luke weighed 17 1/2 lbs.

Advent Calendar

Jackson's advent calendar is the fanciest advent calendar that I have ever seen. It's wooden , with doors of varying sizes for each day. All I know is that is sure beats the waxy chocolate advent calendars from Walgreens that I used to get...
Showing off the days loot...

Catching Up

It's been a while, but things have been busy. So, here's the synopsis of ups-and-downs of last week...
1) I went to back to work. Boo!
2) Luke went to daycare for the first time. Yippee!

Luke and I on our first days...

3) The daughter that our good friends were in the process of adopting from Haiti passed away from a myriad of medical issues. Double boo! Triple boo! Quadruple boo! Boo to the n-th degree!
4) Chris got the desktop hooked up to the internet, so I can download pictures and videos for all you adoring fans again. Double yippee!
4) I got the flu. I would say "boo", but it really isn't worthy of a "boo" after the "boos" in #3 above, so I'' give it a shoulder shrug.
5) We went to Chicago for the annual Kelly Xmas party, which of course means presents from Santa. Triple yippee!

These photos were taken during his 3 different trips to see/talk to Santa. Three trips. And, I'm pretty sure he wanted to go up there a few more times. You couldn't keep this kid away from Santa if you tried. He went back up to Santa to tell him what he was eating for dinner. Seriously. Apparently, Santa's just your average Joe Sixpack to Jackson. The kind of guy you can shoot the breeze with. I'm not so sure that Jackson and I are related since I was terrified of Santa as a kid. I need to look into those hospital records...




Luke, on the other hand, was a bit indifferent to the big guy in red...



At Grandma & Grandpa's house the next day, playing with the train. Thanks for all the hours setting it up G-pa! You're the best. He loves it.

Hopefully after that roller coaster ride last week, it will be smooth sailing this week.

Luke was NO Help Putting up the Tree