Christmas!

This post is quite late, but with a little mover in our house, blogging hasn’t been a priority.

Elysen’s first Christmas was as wonderful as I could ever have imagined. She didn’t really know what was going on, but she loved the attention.

We went to Tyler a few days before Christmas and stayed until the 28^th. Anytime we get to stay in Tyler for an extended period of time, I am so happy. David didn’t take his 9 days off this summer, so he got to use them over the holidays. That meant that he didn’t have to take any phone calls or answer any emails! We spent time with the Harbersons, who were in town staying with Nana. We also spent part of Christmas day with the Burkharts. And all of the Johnson side of the family got to come over to our house for present opening and Christmas Eve dinner.

Elysen got to meet her second cousin Lainey. They are so close in age (only 5 weeks apart), but they are very different. Lainey is precious, and I loved seeing her animation. We got her a small brown bunny stuffed animal for Christmas and when Chase opened it, she started saying “Oooooh!” and hugging it. I told them that I would have paid 5 times as much for that bunny if I’d known how she was going to react. It was the sweetest thing.

Elysen’s first Christmas morning was fun. Unfortunately, we were dealing with teething and a lot of change – so we didn’t get a lot of sleep during the nights we were in Tyler. And Christmas Eve night/Christmas morning was the WORST! David and I were worn out. But we got up and had Santa. Then, Elysen took a nap while we opened our presents. Christmas morning with my family is one of my very favorite times of the whole year. I love seeing everyone’s reactions to their gifts that I worked so hard to find. There’s always so much laughter, and everyone is relaxed. I love it.

Elysen got so many toys and clothes from our family. She is truly a blessed girl. We have some of the toys put away so that we can bring them out later when we need a new and exciting distraction.

When we returned from Tyler, Dan and Janna had just arrived from Louisiana, and they came to stay at our house the next day. We had Christmas with David’s family, which was also a lot of fun. It was extra wonderful this year because we had Charlie with us for the first time. Our family feels more complete.

Probably my most favorite thing about this Christmas was putting Elysen in all of her Christmas outfits and listening to Christmas music with her. We read Christmas books, and sang lots of Christmas songs too. I know that she won’t even remember this Christmas, but I had so much fun telling her all about it. I know that someday she will love it as much as I do.

Santa brought Elysen a children’s storybook Bible. On Christmas morning, we read the Christmas story out of her new storybook.

As a parent, this holiday was much more meaningful for me. I felt 1000 times more grateful for every blessing we’ve been given, especially Elysen. I found myself getting emotional often over the last month, and I know it’s because I never imagined how happy and blessed I could be. I also became emotional thinking about the fact that my Savior came down to earth as a little baby, and the fact that He came to sacrifice Himself. Mary’s role as a mother meant more to me this year than it has before.

We had such a blessed holiday season. I know that next Christmas will be just as exciting and fun. 

11 months

Elysen, you are 11 months old! The next time I write one of these posts, you will be 1 year old!

Weight: 20 pounds!

Height: Not sure

Sizes: You are wearing all 9 month clothes - 12 month is still just too big. You are wearing a size 3 diaper, but I think we're probably about to move into size 4 - I get scared that you'll grow out of them in the middle of a package!

What you're up to:

- EVERYTHING!!! You are crawling everywhere at light speed. I put you on the floor one minute and the next time I turn around, you're in another room. This means that your daddy and I have had to get serious about child-proofing. The things you want most and the places you want most to go are always the ones that aren't allowed.

This is you with your second cousin, Lainey, at Christmas

- You are learning so much. You talk all the time to whomever will listen. Many times, on the way home from Lincoln, you and I will have our own conversation with sounds. We spend the whole drive just making sounds and imitating each other. You still use all of the same words that I've mentioned before. Now you know that the puppies have names. You call Darsee (or Remus) any number of sounds from "dee-dee" to "day-day", but all of them begin with a "d". I know that Darsee's name is the easiest for you to say. 

- You ask for your daddy all the time. Sometimes, when we get home to an empty house in the afternoon, you look over my shoulder and say "Da-da?" You've even started calling him "Daddy" sometimes. But, thankfully, you also call for me sometimes too. (Although, not nearly as often - probably because I'm always with you! Ha!) Usually, you only say "Mama" when you are sad.

- You are pulling up on everything in this whole house - the end tables, the couches, the kitchen chairs, the refrigerator...the dogs. I have a feeling that you will be standing on your own (if not taking a step or two) by your first birthday. You do many funny poses trying to stand up. We call them your yoga poses, because that's exactly what they look like.

- You still have 7 teeth, but they have grown in much more this month. You look like such a big girl with a mouth full of teeth!

- You still love your baths. Every night, you play in the tub with your toys while Daddy sits with you. Sometimes you listen to music, sometimes you sing - it's a pretty fun time. You love to put your face in the water and blow bubbles (I guess we're going to have to find a pool to visit this summer!). You also like to drink the bath water, but we try to discourage that. 

- Last week, you and I got the stomach flu. Uggh. It was nasty. But we managed your first real illness pretty well. In your first weeks of life, your daddy was so disgusted by spit-up and all other baby bodily fluids, I never imagined that he would handle it so well when you threw up all over him (multiple times). Hehe. But we are all well now and hopefully, we won't be getting that bug again for a looong time.

- This week is going to be a big one. Next Tuesday, your Marmee is coming to visit because I'm leaving to go to a conference in South Carolina on Wednesday. This will be the first time we've ever been apart overnight. I know you will have a blast.... pray for me. 

- While I'm gone, I guess we'll just have to talk on the phone! You love the phone. You have always been fascinated by our cell phones, but now you know what they are for, and you will pretend to talk like us. You get your play cell phones and hold them to your ear. I think you are expecting someone to really talk to you! We call Daddy at work most mornings and say hi to him - even though you usually become silent when you see that someone is really talking to you.

- You know several body parts. We were playing with one of your Christmas presents, this puppy that talks and says "hand", "foot", etc. Well, the puppy said "ear" and suddenly, you grabbed your ear and looked at me! I thought it must have been a coincidence, but it wasn't, you did it again! It turns out that your ReeRee had been working on helping you know your ears when she stayed with you that week. So, if you're in a good enough mood, you will show us your ears, blink your eyes, and sniff your nose. And you know what to do when I say "clap" and "dance", so I know we'll get "hands" and "feet" soon.

Eating dinner with Reed on New Year's Eve

- You are eating a lot lately. You've gone through a growth spurt. You're still between sizes, but all of your shoes are snug and your pants are too short (I never thought that would happen). You eat oatmeal and some fruit from a jar at Ms. Amanda's house every day, and you eat more of that at night. You still don't really like "real" food besides bread (crackers, puffs, cheerios, etc). We've tried peas, oranges, bananas and several other things, but you're not really a big fan. But if there's one thing I've learned with you, it's that I just need to keep trying and one day you will suddenly decide that you like it and then I won't be able to find enough!!!

- You love music. I had a crazy experience a week ago. We got in the car to drive to Lincoln. Usually, you are babbling and squealing and playing with your seat toys the whole way (or fussing). I put on the Getty cd that I got last year and listened to a lot when I was pregnant with you. You literally froze in your seat, and turned your head to hear it better (I have the sound mostly faded to the front so it's not too loud). You were still as a stone on the whole drive because you were listening. I guess you recognized it from even before you were born! Aren't God's creations amazing?

I can't believe you will be a year old in a month! Time flies when you're having fun...and you are so much fun. We love you lots, baby girl!

10 months

Elysen, today you are 10 months old. This month has gone by so much faster than the others because we've been so busy with the holidays.

Weight: Probably still hovering around 18 lbs.

Height: Not sure

Sizes: You are still in a size 3 diaper. You are wearing 9 month clothes and a few 12 month outfits.



What you're up to:

- EVERYTHING! You are into just about everything imaginable. You are crawling - army crawling, scooting, etc. - and you can move extremely quickly when you spot something that you shouldn't have. There are presents under our tree and we have to cover them with the couch pillows so that you don't notice them. You also are putting anything and everything into your mouth. We have had to fish some things out of your jaws of steel so that you wouldn't choke.

- While we're on the subject of eating, you are also eating all sorts of fun food. I've almost stopped giving you your oatmeal because it made your tummy rumbly. I'll break out the baby food sometimes, but most often, you eat puffs or Cheerios or saltines or whatever else we have around. Last month, we went to Chick-fil-A and I got you a fruit cup. You loved the mandarin oranges. You also like bananas, which is no surprise since you've liked the banana-flavored oatmeal and baby food for a long time.

- You are pulling up on everything. You try to take steps if we are holding your hands, but you're not really trying to walk. You are very sturdy on your legs.

- You are giving kisses to everyone and everything....even the dogs (we try to discourage this - Ha!).

- You had your first Thanksgiving this month. We had such fun. You loved eating bites of rolls, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. We were at your Aunt Sarah's house in West Fork on Thanksgiving day. It's the house where your daddy had his first Thanksgiving!

- You love music and you love to dance. And, of course, you still love the dogs so much.

- We went to get your first Christmas tree this month! You had a lot of fun playing around with everyone and looking at the lights. We started a new tradition. After getting the tree, you and I read a Christmas book together and I let you wear your Christmas pjs for the first time. You looked precious.

- We traveled to Branson this month with the Savage family. It was the first time that Charlie got to come with us. You had a fun time playing with everyone in the condo (and unpacking your clothes)

- You are starting to try to say "words". Besides "da-da" and "ma-ma" and "ba-ba", you are making other sounds with recognition. You make a "p" sound when I ask you if you want to go see the puppies outside. You also make the "p" sound when we ask you if want some puffs to eat. You also say "uh-oh" when you drop things (accidentally or on purpose). It makes me happy to see that you are already so smart.

- You love to wrinkle your nose and "sniff" at us. You do it all the time to show off because it makes us laugh. I was so happy to catch this picture of you and your Aunt Sarah sniffing together.

- You had your first haircut today. Your hair fell out a few months ago, except for the hair on the top of your head...well, that hair had gotten so long, and the rest of your hair is only about an inch! Your daddy was very sad and didn't want me to cut it at all. But you were starting to get tangles that we had to comb out, and I knew it would look so cute, so we gave it a little trim tonight. You got mad because you couldn't hold the comb, and it made me so nervous to have scissors close to your head (ha!). But it turned out to look precious.

Sweet girl, we love you more and more every single day. You are full of life and laughter. You make us smile all the time, even when we are stressed or tired. You are developing the sweetest personality, and I can't wait to see what develops over the next month.

You are a gift from God, and we are even more thankful for you during this time of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We love you so very much.

Elysen's playlist

      

      These days, we are all about music and dancing. 

      Since it's almost Christmas, I have been playing Christmas music on the radio while we drive to Amanda's house. At home, we listen to Christmas music on Pandora while we get ready. 

But no matter how fun Christmas music is, it cannot possibly compare to THE songs...those few, special songs that are Elysen's favorite. Those songs that inspire Tigger-like bouncing, clapping, and smiles from a very happy girl. Those songs that David and I are slightly tired of hearing, but really we'll never tire of seeing her excitement. Those songs that can make her stop crying when nothing else can. 

These are the songs that Elysen loves with her whole heart. 

1. The original favorite song - Elmo's Song. Oh my goodness. The minute Elmo starts to play his tiny piano, our baby's eyes light up. 

2. My personal favorite of the Sesame Street songs - What I Am by Will.I.Am (aka "Black Eyed Peas" singer extraordinaire). I actually found myself singing this one at work the other day. Elysen loves to dance to this one. 

3. Did you know that Elmo's Got the Moves? Well, he does. And I'm sure that Elysen will learn some of these cool dance moves to use in the future when she can stand up on her own. Right now, she just bounces like a crazy girl. 

4. Last, but certainly not least, the odd man out: Paradise by Coldplay. I have been a Coldplay fan since their first album, and I must have listened to them when Elysen was in the womb or something because she LOVES this song. This is not a bouncing song - this is a sit-still-and-gaze-in-wonder-at-the-screen kind of song. 

     The other night, Elysen had a horrible diaper rash because we had started back on regular formula. (We have since gone back to soy). It was so bad that it hurt to even put a diaper on. Nothing helped - not cream, not baths, nothing. When David got home from work, she was sitting in my lap wearing a towel and we were watching all 4 of these videos on YouTube. 

Later that night, I decided to tie on a cloth diaper (to protect the carpet). We let her watch and listen to her songs until bath time. She was so happy....and no music has ever sounded so sweet. :)

Go ahead and laugh

         Today was one of many girl movie outings with Brittany. She counts on me to go to the movies that Emery can't stand...i.e. Harry Potter, romantic comedies, and Twilight. Today was about the last category on that list. We both really enjoyed the movie - and that is why I titled this post "Go ahead and laugh". Yes, I am an adult and yes, today I liked a Twilight movie. But, for those of you who are still reading, I would like to say that my enjoyment today did not in any way come from the phenomenon known as the great Edward Cullen.
        When I discovered this series (and I do say "discovered" because I had no idea what a craze I would inspire by ordering this relatively unknown book from the Scholastic magazine), I was in my first year at Lincoln...that would be 7 years ago. I read it first because I wanted to see if a vampire tale could possibly be appropriate for the classroom library (because Anne Rice is not really up my alley). I continued reading because I liked the story. And I continued to give it to my students because it was doing something I couldn't: it was making them read!
         When I read New Moon, I had just fallen head over heels in love with David, and I felt the pain of Bella's loss because I could imagine how I would feel if it were my own. Today, I felt that same sensation...sort of. My eyes watered during the wedding scene (I have to admit, I always tear up at weddings). But it was a song on the soundtrack that pulled me in the most. The melody is lovely, and the singer's voice is just the right amount of scratchy but on-pitch. But the lyrics...

         "I surrender who I’ve been for who you are,
         For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart.
         If I had only felt how it feels to be yours,
         Well, I would have known what I’ve been living for all along.
         What I’ve been living for.
                          - "Turning Pages" by Sleeping at Last

          I told David tonight that, yes, I though of him, but the reason I had to pick up a tissue to dab my eyes for th rest of the movie was because of Bella and her sacrifice for her child. When she talked to her unborn child and felt her move...teary eyes. When she refused to sacrifice her child's life to save her own...teary eyes. When the baby was born and made its first tiny baby noises...I'll be darned if Brittany didn't have tears on her cheeks as well. When Jacob realizes what it is to live for another person in a completely (well, almost completely) unselfish way...I had to get another napkin.
          Before any of you starts to wonder why I haven't mentioned it: of course, I know that the greatest sacrificial love was exemplified in my Savior. However, I couldn't come close to understanding it before I became a mother. Now, I still don't fully understand the love of Christ but I do understand what it is to "surrender who I've been" in order to help Elysen become who she will be. Even though she is not ALL I've been living for my whole life, she is the reason that I know what it means to truly love another unselfishly and through that, to truly live. So laugh all you want, I will admit...I went to a Twilight movie and I shed tears as though it was real life. There are just those times when a movie hits you on a perfect day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E20WNhsDXwE

9 months

Well, sweet girl, you are 9 months old. What a big girl!

Weight: 17.5 lbs....so petite. 

Height: Don't know. We'll get an update in a couple of weeks at your appointment.

Sizes: You're wearing a size 3 diaper. Your 9 month clothes are just now at the point where they fit you perfectly. I think you'll need to move to 12 month pjs soon. You always outgrow those first. I had to do a major pack-up of all the clothes from 3-6 months (even though you can still wear some of your 6 month outfits).

What you’re up  to:

- You are getting so close to crawling . You are scooting and inch-worming and rolling where you want to go. Usually, that means that there is something across the room that you are not supposed to have…that always makes you move at light speed. Your favorite thing to go for is electrical cords. I have to keep them up and out of the way or behind furniture. 

- You have 4 teeth and you look very grown up with them. I think you are getting more because we haven’t slept well in this house for 2 months. You wake up crying a lot and I know you’re hurting. It makes me sad.

- You are a crazy bather lately. You want to crawl around and reach for things that are not in your bathtub. We need to get you a bath seat for the big tub because you are just too squirmy for that little tub. You love the water. I think you will like swimming some day.

*Update: We went to Marmee and Grandad's a few days before Thanksgiving. You spit up in your tub one night, so your daddy let you sit in the regular tub. You LOVED it. So the baby tub is out and bathing free is in!*

- We took you to the dr. last week because of a lingering cold/congestion and some tummy troubles. The dr. was concerned that you might not be digesting milk very well, so she switched you to soy formula for a month. I was very worried that you would not like it since it smells and tastes different. But, I should have known, you didn’t even bat an eye.

- You have started giving kisses this month. For awhile, you would just open your mouth and slobber all over me a million times. But how could I not let you kiss me?! Then, I guess you started associating kissing with my kissing you on the forehead, so you started just butting me with your forehead every time I asked for a kiss. Now you’ve figured it out. I could just get kisses from you all day. It’s so precious.

- You are definitely more independent these days. You will hold your own bottle and get your puffs. You’ve also had some “real” food. Tonight, we ate a little cracker together. You love when I put an orange slice in your teether so that you can eat the juice. If we can just get your tummy troubles worked out, I think you will love food!

- You had your first Halloween this month. You were a strawberry. Everyone loved your sweet costume. We went to the church fall festival and we also went trick-or-treating on the square. You loved watching all the people.

- We took you to a pumpkin patch at a local church for some pictures. It was a great little outing for us. You loved the pumpkins…you wanted to kiss them over and over. But they were dirty, so I put a stop to that. 

- You say lots of “words” now. You say “Dada”, “Mama”, “baba”, and sometimes (if you’re feeling generous) you’ll even say “Uh-oh” if we say it first. I also think that you say “Hi” or “Hey” after we do, but I can’t tell if it’s on purpose. You will also shake your head when we say "No-no-no". (This is both cute and probably bad...ha!)

- You are starting to wave at people, but we can’t get you to do it when we want. Ha! You just wave whenever you feel like it.  Usually, this is when we’re in a big crowd and there are lots of people to impress.

- When you get very excited, you kick and squirm just like you’re a swimming frog. We call it “swimming” – so I guess you’re ready for the pool! Ha!

- Everyone loves you so much. We can’t go anywhere without someone wanting to see you and compliment us on how sweet you are. Your Marmee and Grandad came for a visit last week, and when Marmee and I took you shopping, we couldn’t get out of a store without being stopped by someone wanting to talk to you. I always just smile and say “thank you”, but really I’m thinking how much I agree with every word. 

- You are in love with the dogs, especially Remus. You love to be in your bouncer when he is inside. Then you can reach out and pet his ears. He will sniff your face and you just go crazy with excitement. He is so patient with you, and, unlike Darsee, he doesn’t lick you. So it works out great.

The next time I write an update, it will almost be Christmas! Oh my goodness, you are changing and growing every single day. We went to the NWA Boutique Show tonight and I saw a sign that I told your ReeRee was so true. It said, “A child fills a place in your heart that you didn’t even know was empty.” Elysen Ashleigh, this is so true. You may not sleep well and you may get fussy sometimes, but I just love you more every single day. My heart is so full because you are in my life. 

Family photo at the pumpkin patch!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!