::five months::

dear declan,

your mama is a little behind on celebrating your 5th month with the craziness of the holidays and soaking up every minute of it, so forgive me.  you are growing so fast and it seems like every day you've got a new trick to show us.  daddy and i love you more than words.  even our date nights out to eat seem to be us just sitting at a restaurant talking about how awesome you are.

you had your first taste of rice cereal this month and at first you made such awful faces like you couldn't believe we would feed you this stuff, but the more we've worked on it the more you seem to dig it.  we pulled out the stage 2 diapers and are now in all 3-6 month clothes.  you absolutely love bath time as you kick and splash like crazy.  i think you are really going to love swimming this summer.  you still love sitting in your bumbo and checking out what's going on.  if you grab something it's going in your mouth.  people's fingers, toys, you name it you're munching on it.  which brings your latest milestone, teething.  you don't have any yet, but i don't think it will be too much longer.

we celebrated your first thanksgiving this month and you loved being the center of attention.  you're fascinated with all the Christmas decorations up and the pretty lights.  you're giggling so much more and it just melts my heart every time i hear it.  you're sleeping so good at night and also getting into more of a routine of napping during the day.  the evenings are a bit challenging from about 6-8 pm where you just fuss, but eventually you'll settle down and sleep like a baby.  we found you prefer sleeping on your belly, so with dr's permission we've been doing just that and go figure life changing for everyone.

we love you so much little man.  you bring more joy and sweetness into our days then you will ever know.

love,
mama

merry christmas

 from our family to yours...

wishing you a very blessed Christmas!

breakfast with santa

Goodness I have a lot of blog catching up to do...hopefully I can do some serious updating.

This weekend we had our First Breakfast with Santa at the country club.  Funny story the original Santa moved away last minute and so prepubescent Santa filled in.  Seriously, not sure if this Santa could vote yet.  But we still had lots of fun and a breakfast filled with biscuits and gravy so who can complain.

Mama, Declan and the Doogie Howser Santa...so funny!

Declan did great and wasn't phased at all...he looks bored with Santa in this one.  He also had no clue what was going on so next year should be much more interesting.  I'm also obsessed with baby Christmas outfits...he's sporting his reindeer hat and reindeer booties for Santa.  I'm loving the cuteness while I can.

"baby, it's cold outside"

So, yesterday it was in the 80's.

And today it's in the 30's.

Welcome to Texas weather. 

I'm sure I've made it known before that I'm not a fan of winter weather.  Give me my flip flops and my sunshine any day.  We lived in Chicago for a few years and I feel those couple years gave me my share of winter weather for a lifetime...it was brutal.  I still have nightmares of standing outside in 4 feet of snow waiting for the bus to pick me up.  I remember our first winter in Texas and they called off school for bad weather one morning because of some flurries and so my mom and I headed to the mall.  A light snow was nothing for us.  Now some 15 years later and any word of bad weather and I'm hibernating with the rest of my fellow Texans.

Notice my kid's not a winter fan either.  Kind of reminds me of the younger brother from "A Christmas Story" heading off to school.

So, we'll be hanging out indoors for the next few days staying warm and snuggling with a few pugs.

four months

dear declan,

my sweet boy i'm so late doing your 4 month update, mainly because i'm in disbelief at how quickly these months are flying by.  didn't i just sit down to write your 3 month update?  i was looking at pictures from your birth the other day and goodness how you have grown.  this has been such a fun month because your personality is really starting to show.  you're such a smiley and happy baby and on November 14th you surprised me (and yourself) with your first belly laugh.  thankfully we called daddy at work and you did it once more for him!  such an incredible moment.

you're really filling out my chunky monkey.  you're weighing in at 13 lbs. and 7 oz.  you're also an even 2 feet tall!  we're gradually transitioning your clothes over to 3-6 mos.  definitely in the pants and snapped onesies for length.  also, we finished up all our size 1 diapers this month so you'll head over to the 2's.  you love sitting up and are so strong in your core.  the pediatrician called you a curtain climber ha!  we busted out the bumbo this month to see how you'd do and you love it.  you love being able to check out what's going on around you.  you're sleeping like a champ going from about 9 pm to 6 am and then a morning nap about 7 am to 10 am with an afternoon nap from 1 pm-4 pm.  you love meal times and let us know for sure when it's time.  you also hate the mid break for a burp and scream at your bottle for more.

you celebrated your first halloween this month and were quite the hit visiting friends and neighbors in your costume with daddy carrying you.  you loved handing out smiles and your daddy loved eating your treats.  you too are quite the pair!!  i love nothing more than watching the two of you bond.  your face lights up when he walks in the room and if you're still napping when he comes home from work he can't wait to wake you up for some smiles.

little man we love you more and more each day!  i am so excited for this next month for the holidays and celebrating your first Christmas!!

love always,
mommy