The New Me!

It's amazing how a new haircut and color can make you feel. I really went outside of my box with this one and I am really glad I did. Many thanks to my friend Brandi for the awesome job she did on my hair!

Christian is 9 months old today!!!

Today our little guy is 9 months old. When Susan (home nurse) visited on Tuesday, she said he is doing several things that 9 month old babies do, even though he is only expected to be doing things a 6 month baby can do. That's our boy~always exceeding the expectations that have been put upon him. Last week he weighed in at 13.2 pounds and 24 1/2 inches. He has grown 11 1/2 inches in 9 months. It is so amazing to me.

Happy 9 month Birthday Christian! Mommy and Daddy love you little buddy!!

Feet are Sweet!

Christian has really discovered his feet and just can not seem to get enough of them. He looks like he is ready to pull his toe off in one of the pictures. This morning I had him sitting on my chest, facing me, and was smelling his "stinky piggy wigs" and making funny faces. He thought it was sooooo hilarious. We are talking ear-to-ear smiles and full body laughter at 5 a.m. He is such a BOY! I love it!

These moments are priceless.....

I snapped these pictures today while I was playing with Christian. He cracks me up! He laughs with his whole body and I am sure he thinks I am the funniest thing in the world. :) The quality of the pics isn't great (I took them) but the moment is still there. I love being able to have this time with him.

Grandpas

A baby has a way of making a man out of his father and a boy out of his grandfather. ~Angie Papadakis

My 1st Homemade Movie

I took a shot at making a movie and it turned out pretty good for my first try. You might want to scroll to the bottom of this page and PAUSE the music on the Playlist before playing the movie. The movie has its own music and it is about 10 minutes long. :)

Cousin Lovin'

I was so happy to get to have Mason and Sabrina over for a visit yesterday morning. These are Jason's little cousins (Shela's kids) and that makes them Christian's second cousins. I just love these kids. I lived with them for 5 months so I miss them even more than I used to when I don't see them. Children under 12 were not allowed in the NICU unless they were siblings, so they grew to know and love Christian through pictures and our stories. They were so anxious to get to meet him in person. These kids adore Christian and he loves them right back. It really is sweet to watch them interact with one another. Sabrina is a little "mother hen" and she calls Christian "Honey" in a high pitched tone. Mason brought his bear for Christian to play with. Is there anything more precious?

Big boys eat carrots!

I have slowly started introducing different baby foods to Christian in addition to his rice cereal with apple juice. I think he has a sweet tooth, like his mama, because he devoured the peaches, pears, and apples, but he is not too sure about these carrots. He was a good boy and ate about 6 bites. Not too bad for the first try!

It's Teething Time

I am so happy to report that our little guy has 2 teeth coming in! Last week was a somewhat rough week for Christian. His first tooth broke through on Monday and his second tooth came on Wednesday. If you look close at the picture you can see his little teeth. I must say that even Christian's fussiness was extremely "mild" in comparison to what I had expected it to be. Jason reminds me that we have an "extraordinary boy" (as if I needed reminding!) and that he has already been through (medically) more than both he and I combined. Actually, he has been through more than any one person that we know. Christian always comes out smiling.

It is amazing to see him have those crocodile tears and still pull off that million dollar grin. His eyes tell me that he already has a wise soul. He comforts ME. I believe that God keeps his hand upon our shoulder when we are in despair. I believe that he held my son close and rocked him gently through the most terrifying times in his life. When I look at Christian I see a child who is filled with joy and peace, God's love. I believe he knows he is a child of God, and that my friends, is definitely something to smile about!

Home Improvements

This weekend I took care of a few things on my very long list of things I need to get done around my house. Do you have one of those lists? Mine is never ending. :)

#1. Paint the ceiling fan in the kitchen. When we moved in our ceiling fan had these hideous stenciled flowers on them that I have always loathed. So, after looking at them for the past three years, I have made them disappear...forever. Yaaay me!

Before:

After:

#2. Deep clean my stove top. You know when stuff boils over and it makes a hideously disgusting, burnt, crispy mess on your stove top? Well mine was in serious need of a makeover. It is not a good sign when you turn your stove top on and burnt noodles catch on fire from the last spill over. Hmmmm.....can you say "911?"

Before: Please be kind and don't judge too harshly. :)

After: You would have never known!

#3. Clean out my hall closet. We have a serious lack of closet space in our house. It is one of those things we did not even consider when we bought it because we were just so happy to be getting out of an apartment. As you can see by the before picture I was not utilizing the space that we do have. Jason said he would "dis-own me" if I put these pics on my blog. :)

Before:
After: Ta da! I feel so much better. It is amazing how good having a clean closet can make you feel!

My Silly Boy

Christian weighed in at 12 pounds 9 ounces yesterday! He is growing like a weed.