Sarah's First Christmas

Our Christmas was so wonderful and a bit crazy! We started off the festivities on Christmas Eve with our evening church service. Sarah was still kind of sick so we decided not to drop her off in the nursery and brought her into the sanctuary with us. She sat still for the music but then wanted to go play for the sermon.

After church we headed to my in-laws' house for dinner and gifts. Ryan's family does what they call a "snack supper" every Christmas Eve. I honestly think it's Ryan's favorite tradition. It's basically just a dinner full of little appetizers and it is so good. After dinner it was time to open presents and we had a pretty good time doing that. Although Sarah was more interested in the bows than anything else.

The next morning, we had our own little family Christmas with Sarah and she was sleepy. She's not used to tons of activity right after she wakes up. None of us are real morning people so it usually takes us a while to get up and going.

Her favorite gift by far. She can "walk" anywhere with this thing.

Once we finished up our Christmas morning we headed to my parents' house for gifts and dinner. And it was a blast. Having a large family makes things so much more interesting for the holidays.

I told you she liked the bows!

Finally after 5 1/2 hours of straight activity, Little Bit passed out.

I hope you all had a merry Christmas too!

On the Mend

Sarah's little cold was passed to Mama! The bad thing about being a stay at home mom is that even when you feel like you've been hit by a truck and your head is in a vice, you still have to work. No sick days or holidays here. Although it wasn't too bad because Sarah was very sleepy from being sick herself so we napped on and off for the last few days while Daddy was hard at work! (He's still healthy though.)

My poor girl hates getting her nose wiped and she is not a fan of that little booger sucker thing they give you at the hospital. Unfortunately we have had to use that and saline drops consistently since Tuesday. It's so sad to see a baby miserable and know that you can't do anything to make her feel better. Her nose was so stuffy that she couldn't comfortably drink her bottle or use her paci. She made this little snuffling sounds that just about broke my heart every time. I just wanted her to be back to her healthy, happy self.

 But things are looking up. She hasn't been running a fever today and we've had to wipe her nose a lot less the last two days. So I think she is finally getting better! And I am doing much better too. Less hit by a truck feeling and more just lethargic. So here's to a healing weekend so we can all enjoy a HEALTHY Christmas celebration!

So 8 1/2 Months of Good Health

is now gone. Poor Sarah has her first cold. Runny nose, then stuffy, slight fever, and just an all over icky feeling. I'm doing everything I can for her. We have her humidifier running.We put Tylenol in her system and ibuprofen on standby. I even have little saline drops and a booger sucker for her tiny nose. So just keep her in your thoughts and hope for some good healing rest for all of us!

Wordless Wednesday (Laundry Edition)

Everything was fully supervised!

Fun and Productive Day

Sarah and I had our last MOPS meeting of the year and it was so much fun. I dropped Sarah off in her Moppets class and left for my meeting. We had lots of good food, good devotions, and great giveaways! I was able to sit and chat with the ladies at my table and just have a good relaxed time.

Apparently so did Sarah. When I went to pick her up she was sitting with another little boy and saw me at the door and got VERY excited. So instead of going around this poor baby boy, she went OVER him in her hurry to crawl to the door. The boy didn't know what had just happened. Her teachers informed me that she was very happy and playful all day. They also told me she had been more vocal than ever before. Her little growls apparently drew a lot of laughs.

After MOPS, Sarah came home and took a TWO HOUR NAP! That's completely unheard of these days! So Mama took advantage and got some dusting and Christmas cards finished. (Weird combo, I know.) When naptime was over we headed out to finish out our errands and the day ended well.

Readers Come On In

Recently the traffic to my little blog has gotten much heavier. The problem is I don't know who all is visiting my blog, because no one is leaving comments or becoming a follower. But my daily hits are definitely higher than there were a few months ago. So this is just a PSA to introduce yourself and tell me either how you found this blog, or why you read! I LOVE getting comments and hearing what others have to say! Don't be shy, I promise I won't bite. But Sarah is a different story. She hasn't realized she has bottom teeth that hurt when she chomps down on you. OUCH!

Wordless Wednesday

What a Weekend

Ryan, Sarah, and I went to Omaha yesterday to go see Ryan's side of the family. We piled into Ryan's parent's van and took off on the road together. Sarah did so well in the car. She slept half the way there and ate ate puffs and cheerios for the rest of the ride. Ryan even fed her lunch while we were driving. Car seats are great high chairs.

Sarah was able to meet her great-grandparents and her great-aunt and uncle. Everyone loved her and thought she was absolutely adorable. And of course Sarah put on the charm. She was happy and smiling and waving the whole time. I was prepared for a cranky, clingy baby and that is NOT what I got. Trust me I was pleasantly surprised.

Sarah played happily at Ryan's grandparents' house while we ate a HUGE  lunch made by his grand daddy. He made course after course of delicious food! I was full after finishing my bowl of homemade minestrone soup, but there were so many other things to eat that I couldn't resist overeating a bit. After spending some time catching up with Ryan's grandparents and then headed over to his aunt and uncle's house. There were cousins galore because we were celebrating a birthday. So there were tons of people there to comment on Sarah's cuteness and good mood. She let people hold her and crawled all over while we had dinner and cake. Then it was time to head home.

Thankfully the whole trip tuckered out my little girl and she was really easy for the return trip. On the way home, she slept the entire way and woke up about 15 minutes before we hit home. We had a wonderful time trying to get her back to bed, but she eventually did fall back asleep around midnight. And overall the whole experience was a positive one. It's always great to see family and show off your little one.

When Toys Are Boring ...

try kitchen supplies. Sarah was happily playing with measuring spoons, wax paper, plastic cups, and aluminum foil last night. Not all at once, but they kept her attention much longer than her boring old light up toys. Just look at this picture her grandpa snapped.

I'm fairly certain metallics are the "in" thing right now? Aren't they??

Eight Months

Sarah is eight months old today! Someone needs to give Father Time a memo for me. "Slow down!!!" And while you're talking to Father Time could you let Mother Nature know that I would appreciate it if the weather would stay above 35 degrees. And if it has to be that cold or colder at least let it snow. Anyway, back to Sarah.

Seriously, my baby is growing and learning like crazy! I had the opportunity to see my friend's fresh out of the oven baby and I was amazed at how gargantuan Sarah looked. I can barely remember Sarah being that tiny. Now she's all over the place. She crawls everywhere and pulls up on anything within reach. It used to be that she just made it to her knees, but she has graduated to full on standing. I have vague memories of a child that was immobile and stayed right where you left them. If I get up to put a dish in the sink or even take a few minutes to use the restroom without putting Sarah in the pack n play, well who knows where she will be. My pack n play is my new favorite baby gadget! Fill it with toys and Sarah is content for at least 5 minutes, which is just long enough to dress and brush my teeth and hair.

Sarah's latest trick is clicking her tongue. She figured it out yesterday, and she will do it for hours! Usually if you do it back or clap for her, she stops. She is also mesmerized by the Christmas tree and lights. Lucky for us, she just likes to look and not really touch. That in itself is strange to me, because Sarah loves textures and to feel things. Unless it's food.

Solid foods have been sort of a challenge as of lately. Sarah really doesn't like to have much texture to her food. It took her a while to figure out chewing and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with puffs or table food. If her food wasn't completely smooth, then she wasn't going to eat it. That changed around last week. She gobbles up puffs and even manages two or three at a time. The funny thing about that is, she won't feed them to herself. I pour a few into my hand and before I can really pass them to her she face plants into my palm. It's a little like feeding the goats at a petting zoo.

We have come so far from that little baby we took home for the hospital. She turns into more of a little girl everyday!

Look at those two teeth! She's working on getting a matching set on the top!

Wordless Wednesday