Christmas 2011

We were so blessed to have Adeline join us for her very first Christmas this year. She has brought us all so much joy the past three months and Christmas was no exception. To make this Christmas even more special; it was also the first one that Hudson showed excitement for, leading up to the big day. He enjoyed Elf on the Shelf stopping in each morning and would look for him and say 'eff'.

The day before Christmas Eve, Melissa came by to visit and she, Hudson and I ran some errands together. It was great catching up with her, as I've only seen her a handful of times throughout this year. I came home and did a few things around the house then we met Marcos & Haley Arellano, Stuart & Haley Miller and Kyle and Amy Oakley for dinner. Though I enjoyed the couple hours of adult time, us girls inevitably talked about pregnancy and babies the entire time.

On Christmas Eve we hung out at the house, finishing up some last minute wrapping and organizing of gifts and making food. I vowed to have all this done with several days to spare, but somehow that did not come to fruition (maybe next year!). We had Stamey's barbecue for lunch and helped the kids open their traditional Christmas Eve gift of pyjamas and a new movie. This year they each received Elf pyjamas and the movie Home Alone 2. Their pyjamas matched; red striped pants with a girl elf for Adeline and green striped pants and a boy elf for Hudson. They wore them to bed that night then all day on Christmas to each of our stops. Christmas Eve night we went to Mimi & Papi's house and celebrated with Bibi and Annette's whole family. The kids wore matching reindeer shirts, monogrammed with their names, and looked super cute.We exchanged gifts and ate lots of yummy food. We got the kids tucked in so Santa could come (Scott & I didn't make it to bed until 2am).

Christmas Day we woke up around 8:00am; Scott headed to Hudson's room to entertain him while I fed Adeline. He was about as patient as can be expected for a two year old boy and was super excited when we finally opened his bedroom door. Santa decorated his door the night before with red streamers, that he had to break through before seeing all his new toys. In his typical reaction to excitement, he squealed and clasped his hands together, taking it all in. Santa thought our babies were very good this year (we agree) and was very generous with their gifts. Adeline got a 'my first anywhere chair' monogrammed with her name, a Little Tike's swing and slide to grow into, an adorable pink tutu, baby legs leg warmers, ruffle butts bloomers, critter hat toboggans, link toys, a book called 'God Gave Us You' and a lullaby lamb. Hudson got a picnic table, new water bottles, a preschool elephant backpack and lunchbox, a vacuum cleaner (which has been his favorite gift so far), markers, flashcards, books and a bounce house. After letting Hudson play and taking many pictures of both babies, Scott and I exchanged gifts then got ready for our super busy day. First stop was Mimi and Papi's where we ate a breakfast of country ham, biscuits, hash browns and fruit. We exchanged gifts and watched the parade. Hudson and Adeline got a playground set to share and individual gifts of Ralph Lauren sweaters, clothes, shoes, Adeline's monogrammed baby doll and Hudson's kiddie IPad. Scott and I got a new Pottery Barn rug (among other things) that I love! Our next stop was Grammy & Pop's house. We ate a yummy lunch with them of beef tenderloin, salad and sides. We had Grandma White's recipe for coconut cake for dessert. We all exchanged gifts, the kid's big gift was an awesome sandbox that I know they will enjoy so much this summer. They got many toys and cute clothes as well. Adeline got her first pink snowsuit. I got a sewing machine and hope to learn how to make lots of neat things for my kids very soon. Our next stop was Nana & Pawpaw's house. Here we exchanged gifts and then ate dinner. Our last stop was Grandma and Bobby's house where the kids all exchanged gifts and we nibbled on snacks that everyone brought. It was a hectic day but we enjoyed seeing all our wonderful family members and making memories with our babies.

2011 was a great year watching Hudson grow and bringing Adeline into the world. We spent New Year's Eve at home as a Family of Four and I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait to see what 2012 holds for my family!

Adeline is 4 months

Is is hard to believe, but my sweet Adeline is four months old! Adeline went for her four month check up with Dr. Lowe on Friday. She weighed in at 14lb 10oz and was 25 inches long; this put her in the 75th percentile for both weight and height and her head measured in the 50th percentile. She is growing at a nice rate, gaining about 1 to 1.5 pounds per month. She still nurses very well nights, mornings and weekends and during the week has 3 or 4  4.5oz pumped bottles at Mrs. Connie's. She is in a size one diaper but could very easily move up to a size 2. She still has several boxes of diapers left in her stash that we got at her showers. She is in 3-6mo clothes and can wear some 6-12mo pants for the length. Adeline is loving her bumbo seat. She enjoys sitting in it and watching her big brother run around. I can see them really playing with each other in the near future. She loves to have something in her hands, her ball with holes in it, her baby doll, a blanket, anything. And they all make it to her mouth; she enjoys having something in her mouth at all times. She takes 'miss paci' before she falls asleep and at various times throughout the day. She does not mind tummy time but typically rolls over to her back after several minutes on her tummy. She loves to be read and sung too and will 'sing' back to you. She is really developing a little personality and gets super tickled at times. Her little chuckle is the most precious sound ever. I am enjoying dressing my girl in all her pretty clothes and accessories and sometimes matching her and big bro's outfits.

I took the day off with Adeline on Friday and enjoyed my day so much with her. I tried to take in every moment; since I have been back to work I don't take any time with my babies for granted. Scott met us for her appointment and we got to play with her while waiting for Dr. Lowe. Then she and I headed to Gymboree and bought her and Hudson a few new things with our Gymbucks. When we got back to the car Adeline had a nice surprise for me: the.biggest.blowout.ever. It was all over her outfit and up her back into her hair. Awful. We got cleaned up and met Daddy and Hudson for their haircuts. Both kids were so well behaved in the salon. I was very proud. We went home and had dinner and relaxed. It rained our whole weekend but it provided great family time, just enjoying our kids, watching movies, eating food and relaxing. A rainy weekend can be very nice every now and then.