Baby's First Christmas

Christmas this year at the Larkin house was even more special because we got to share it with the most amazing little boy ever.  Of course, he had no idea what was going on, but it was fun for us.

He got several nice toys from his Nanna and Poppa, and from his great-grandmother Violet.  Grandpa got him a UGA pillow pal and a couple of new UGA t-shirts.  We got him some small stuff like rattles and teethers, but we all tried really hard not to go overboard with gifts.  He's still too young for most toys, but he will be ready for them in another couple of months.  He did seem interested in the noises and bright colors, so maybe he will really enjoy playing with them soon.

This Christmas was also a little bittersweet.  Taylor's mom, Miriam, always loved Christmas.  This was our first one without her.  However, last Christmas she gave all three boys two of those recordable storybooks from Hallmark.  One came with instructions to open it on their first Christmas Eve as a family.  So on Christmas Eve, we opened our book as instructed, and Noah got to hear his grandmother's voice.  Of course there were tears, but it's such a sweet thing to have.  Now we can bring that out every year and tell Noah about her, and how she's up in Heaven watching over him all the time.

 

Tis the Season

I finally got our house decorated for Christmas.  I never did much at the apartment because we didn't have much space.  I had a little more fun this year.  Our tree is much bigger since we have higher ceilings.  It took a long time to decorate because there was a lot of up and down on the step ladder to be able to reach the top.  We got Noah his first ornament.  The plan will be to get him a new one each year to add to the tree.

 

We didn't have a fireplace in the apartment, so I never had a mantle.  This year, I have two.  I had a lot of fun with them.  I decided to bring nature inside with some wood, pine cones, and acorns and added a little flair with some spray paint and ribbon.  The mantle in the living room has our stockings.  I bought Noah a cute fuzzy white one with bells.  I bought a green felt snowflake and stitched it onto the stocking just to add a little more character.

The one in the kitchen has some garland and a giant pine cone that Taylor's dad had lying around his house.  I also left my bear and elephant bookends in the mix.  They just seemed to work.

Now that we are all decorated, we need some music and cookies baking to fill the house with that sweet smell and the Christmas feeling will be complete.

3 Months Old

As of today, Noah is officially 3 months old.  He did not have to go to the doctor this month, but according to our scale he weighs around 14 pounds 10 ounces and is 26.5 inches long.  He is growing so fast!  We have to buy some of his clothes in six months just so they are long enough.  He is a very happy baby, and smiles at everyone.  

He has become a lot more vocal and likes to make noise.  He loves getting a bath now, and seems to really appreciate being naked.  He can sit in his Bumbo seat, but is still a little wobbly.  He tries to roll over, but gets stuck about half way.  He hasn't quite figured out what to do with his arms just yet. Last month he discovered his hands, but this month he seems to enjoy them a lot more.  He holds them in front of his face for long periods of time just staring at them.  And he's figured out how to get them in his mouth.  Sometimes he can manage to get just his thumb in there.  Either way, it seems to calm him down and has helped him get to sleep several times.  He also drools a lot more now, so I've started putting bibs on him in the last couple of days so he doesn't soak his clothes.  I had to actually go back into the office this month, so he's had to start going to daycare on those days.  He doesn't really seem to mind.  He's happy in the morning and just goes to whoever is there with no problems.  They all love him, but who wouldn't?  He's just adorable!

We are going to work on getting him on a more set schedule in the next week or so and see if that will help with sleeping at night.  We've had to start swaddling him at night again to help him stay asleep.  Without it, he kicks and flails around so much he wakes himself up.  Hopefully in the next week or two we'll have him sleeping through the night.  Wish us luck!  

We are convinced we have the most adorable baby ever.  I know people say that you don't really know what love is until you have a child.  I always thought that was a little cheesy, but as it turns out, it's completely true.  When he stares at me with those big blue eyes and gives me that little grin, my heart just melts.  We are so blessed to have been given this little guy to take care of for a while.  We pray and know that God will guide us every step of the way, and Noah will one day grow into an amazing young man.  For now, we'll just enjoy loving him as much as we can. 

Giving Thanks

This year was the first Thanksgiving at the House of Larkin and I have to say, I was very nervous.  I have never cooked Thanksgiving dinner before.  I may have helped with some of the prep work here and there and I can make desserts.  But I've never been responsible for the whole meal before.  Being a perfectionist who worries too much about everything, it seemed a little overwhelming.  

As it turns out, it wasn't all that bad.  You can see from the picture above that this was clearly not a made from scratch meal.  Who tries to finish a marathon their first day in running shoes?  I had to be realistic in my expectations of myself.  I had time on Wednesday to do some of the prep work so that it was out of the way.  Then on Thursday everything just seemed to come together.  Taylor put our turkey in the smoker at about 4:30 Thursday morning and let it cook until about 3:30 in the afternoon.  It took a long time but it was quite tasty when it was finished.

Taylor enjoyed learning how exactly to carve his first turkey, and everyone enjoyed eating it.  Taylor's Grandmother was in town and got to meet Noah for the first time and spend some time with him.  I think it's safe to say she liked him just a little.  Overall it was a nice dinner that was not as stressful as I imagined it would be.  I can happily say that our first turkey day was a success.

Time Flies

I'm a little late in getting this up, but our little Noah is now two months old.  It seems crazy to say that.  The time is definitely going by quicker now.  At his two month check-up, he weighed in at 11 pounds 13 ounces and was 25 1/4 inches long.  This kid is growing like a weed!  He's already outgrown several outfits because he's just too long for them.  I know different clothing brands are sized differently, but I've already bought some six month outfits and he's not too far from wearing them.  We are going to have a tall boy on our hands!

Noah has changed so much this month.  He is much more aware of his surroundings and much more responsive.  He smiles all the time and makes the most adorable squeaky noises.  I'm convinced he's going to laugh any day now.  He is starting to tolerate bath time a little better and doesn't scream the whole time like he used to.  He has moved out of our room and is sleeping in his own bed now.  He's sleeping longer at night and has even given us a couple of nights of sleeping for seven hours straight.  We hope to see more of those in the near future.  He is holding his head up a lot better, although he's still a little wobbly from side to side.  He loves for you to hold him up like he's standing in your lap and will pretty much support his weight on his own.  He also seems to have discovered his hands.  He plays with them constantly, and will hold onto my hands or fingers more when I'm feeding him or holding him. 

We have not been actively trying to put him on a schedule, but he seems to have settled into one on his own.  He's really happy and wiggly in the morning and again for a long stretch in the afternoon.  That's when we like to get on the floor and just squirm around.  I can't decide if he's going to be a soccer player or a swimmer, but this child kicks his legs like crazy.  We already know he's going to be wide open once he starts walking.  

This second month has been a lot easier on me than the first.  We are much more adjusted to having our little guy around now, and have gotten more comfortable taking him out with us.  I have officially gone back to work, but haven't had to go into the office yet.  It will be a little more challenging once that happens, but we will work it out.  For a while it seemed crazy for Taylor and I to sit in the living room and think about the fact that there was this tiny person sleeping in the next room that was completely dependent on us.  Now it seems normal, and it seems strange to think about him not being here.  Getting up in the middle of the night is still challenging, as are those times when he's screaming in my ear.  But when he calms down and gives me that adorable grin, it makes it all worth it.  I love this kid so much, and I can't wait to see what the next month brings.