Simon [10 months]

Eric said to me, "We don't have a baby anymore; we have a big boy."  I have been saying this for weeks!  It feels like we have a toddler already, even though his first birthday is just under 2 months away (pause while I take a second to freak out).  Simon shows us more and more that his days of being a baby are quickly becoming a thing of the past.  Continually growing, continually on the move, and continually getting into everything; Simon is loving life and still takes our breaths away with his innocent curiosity, his uncanny and rapid ability to learn, and his sheer happiness and wonderment for life.

Simon waving!

gazing out the window

sleep monster

In his tenth month, Simon learned several new things.  He just recently started waving, and it's THE CUTEST THING EVER!  He sometimes waves goodbye to me in the morning when I'm leaving for work, he waves hello to Daddy when he gets home, and he has also waved to other friends and family when we see them (and even strangers at the store!).  Along with his "mama" and "dada" babble, he is almost making a "hi" sound when he waves, and I swear he tried to say "all done" when I was cutting his fingernails a few weekends ago.  Simon is trying to climb up on some of the living room furniture--and succeeding at times--and is really showing us that he is quite the little daredevil.  We've reached the point where a close eye is required when baby is in the room otherwise he'll quickly be in an area he's not allowed, either in an attempt to grab at or already holding a no-no object of desire (our phones, the TV remote, videogame controllers).  He loves to stand in the front window now, too, and can commonly be found there around the time I arrive home from work, gazing out at the birds and trees with a big smile on his face.  I'm surprised (and happy) to report that even though he's moving more than ever, Simon's sleep habits have gotten a little better.  He's waking less during the night (even though he's still sleeping with us) and is taking a few naps by himself during the day thanks to my dad's help.  Not every nap is a long one, but even the shortest one is making progress in the right direction.

with Chelsea, Emma, & Elle

morning walk with Bliss

 play nap date with Kinlee

Thanks to a few quiet weekends before Thanksgiving and my holiday break from work, I was able to get in a few 'play dates' for Simon.  He is such a social butterfly at home and around friends and family, so I love getting him together with other babies for more socializing opportunities.  Before they returned home to Texas, Simon and I visited with Chelsea and her girls one more time at the end of their California visit.  She invited friends to meet her at Starbucks on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon.  The group, which was a mixture between adults and children, sat outside in the sun and my little wiggle worm wanted to explore every corner of the patio.  He crawled all over the place and caught the attention of the other toddlers, including Emma (Chelsea's oldest daughter), who adorably followed him around.  During my Thanksgiving break, the boy and I also went for a few stroller walks with my mom friends and their girls.  Jen and I did two chilly morning walks with Simon and Bliss (both babes slept most of the time), and we also met up with Kesley and Kinlee on another day for a neighborhood stroll.  Kinlee and Simon also took the opportunity to nap while us moms walked, but afterwards we went back to Kesley's house and had some play time.  It was hilarious watching Simon and Kinlee together as they shared toys and wiggled around each other.  She is the closest to Simon's age out of all of his baby friends, so I definitely want to get them together again for more play.

searching for leftover turkey

post-dinner expressions

Simon's first Thanksgiving

[photos courtesy of Kristine]

I was so excited for Simon's first Thanksgiving!  Being old enough to eat with us made the holiday extra special, and I got into the spirit by getting him a cute Thanksgiving bib.  We decided to have dinner at our house; Lester bought a turkey to deep fry, but the bird ended up being too big for his fryer.  He purchased a second, smaller one and fried it at home while making homemade stuffing.  Eric cooked the bigger turkey in our oven (his very first time!) and rather than basting it, he decided to wrap it with bacon.  He also made amazing mashed potatoes with cream cheese and green onions and tried a hand at recreating his mom's candied yams.  My dad baked delicious muffin-sized pumpkin pies and whipped up a cranberry salsa at home, and then came to our house to make fresh green beans and bake the rolls.  I made our traditional green rice casserole, adding spinach for the first time, which came out better than I was expecting.  Once Lester and Kristine made it over with the stuffing and deep fried turkey, it was time to feast.  We gave Simon turkey, plain potatoes, and broccoli, all of which were met with great eagerness.  He had some trouble with the turkey and gagged up a few bigger bites, but did great the following day when we made sure his leftovers were in smaller pieces.  I thought we would have shared more food with Simon, but there ended up being so much sugary, fatty goodness.  Next year, Simon's plate will be much fuller and just might even include dessert as well.  What was most important was that we spent time together as a family, cooking and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and being thankful for everything we have.

Christmas tree lighting at Mommy's school

showing Simon the lights

Simon the red-nosed reindeer

Simon (and Eric!) both attended their first Tree Lighting ceremony at my school.  Every year, our students with their families gather on campus in the evening to light the giant evergreen tree standing in front of our school, sing and sign (using America Sign Language) holiday carols, and enjoy various sweet treats with hot chocolate.  We attended this event as a family and even though it was super cold outside, we bundled up and kept warm by huddling near one of the many fire pits set up on the blacktop.  My coworkers got a kick out of seeing Simon in his reindeer suit and he socialized really well with all of the 'strangers' he saw.  I am always looking for reasons to bring Simon up to work with me, but there are unfortunately not enough.  Regardless, we enjoyed ourselves at my school's little event and I was very thankful that the three of us were all able to go.  This was the very first Christmas tree that Simon ever saw, and he really took in the sight of the big, breathtaking tree covered in lights!

 in line to see St. Nick

Simon's visit with Santa

lovin' on Lilly

Unlike last time, I got my act together for this huge, upcoming holiday and promptly scheduled Simon's first visit to see Santa!  We made it a family date with James, Athena, and Lilly and met up at the mall to take the kids over to jolly old St. Nick.  Simon was all smiles while we waited in line, flirting with Lilly and gazing at the lights and decorations that surrounded Santa's village.  Athena held him for a few minutes before Lilly took her turn to sit on the fat man's lap, and we watched as James and Athena took their traditional holiday photo with their daughter.  Then it was our turn, and I excitedly and slowly handed a happy Simon over to Mr. Claus.  IMMEDIATE TEARS!  I was shocked!  He'd been in such good spirits that I definitely did not expect that Simon would cry.  Simon's first photo with Santa quickly turned into a family photo, and Eric chatted up the sweet, old big guy as I calmed down Simon.  A few shots later, we got a decent picture where Simon didn't look traumatized and Eric had made a new friend.  When we were finished, our two families headed to the food court for dinner and afterward we did some moseying around the mall.  Lilly still absolutely loves being around "Baby Simon" and I enjoy seeing the two of them together (and Simon clearly loves her, too!).  As always, I hope that we can carry on this Santa-seeing tradition with our dear friends for the years to come. 

sleeping during the parade

 

awake and in awe

our first Festival of Lights

I mentioned before that instead of throwing our annual Holiday Cocktail Party, Eric and I took Simon to the Festival of Lights Parade in Auburn.  Attending this parade held special meaning for us because it was supposed to be Eric's and my very first date exactly 8 years ago.  I say "supposed to be" because on that night we had left my apartment late and by the time we made it up to Auburn, the parade was over and done with.  We decided to make do and ended up going to a little café for dinner and walking the streets of old town, looking at the decorated shop windows and holding hands.  I wouldn't trade that memory for anything, but the idea of recreating our first date with our son made me very excited.  Being our first successful attempt to attend this year, there were some bumps along the way like not knowing exactly where the parade began or being able to find close parking, but we made it to the front of the route just in time to see the first floats and walkers pass us by.  It was freezing cold, so Simon was bundled up in two sets of jammies, socks, mittens, and was wrapped in two blankets.  He surprisingly slept through the first 20 minutes or so until a passing fire engine blew its horn and sprang Simon to life.  Once he was up, Eric and I enjoyed pointing out of all the beautiful lights and waving to the passers by.  The night was so special and I am already looking forward to attending again next year.  At least we are now well-versed in where we need to be next time!

like father, like son

shopping cart fun

focused on Daddy's hockey game

This last month with Simon has truly been such a ball.  I've never seen Eric exude more joy over being a father than I have in these recent weeks.  Discovering the new things that Simon can do, showing him new treasures, and inventing new games are equally as entertaining for us grown-ups as they are for the boy.  The best new skill that Simon has learned is the art of imitation.  He copies the silly noises we make, repeats after us when we say babble words he is familiar with, and again will wave back to us when we wave first.  With Christmas quickly coming, there are going to be so many more wonderful new events and adventures that we will get to share with our son and I couldn't be more thrilled.  Simon is truly the light of our lives, and we are shining ever so brightly with pride and love.