Baby Love!: The holidays and why I love being a mom right now...

What a fun time of year this has been for us as a family. Drew got to celebrate his first Christmas and turned 11 months old right around the same time. I can't believe that later this month he'll be ONE! Time has gone by in a blink.

11 months old (12-27-11)

We spent Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family. Drew had fun getting re-acquainted with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was a little bashful and shy at first, tucking his head into mommy's shoulder. By the end of the night, he was personality plus... babbling away to anyone who would listen, crawling everywhere, and chasing his second cousin, Miriam because he liked her sparkly dress.

Chasing cousin Miriam

Quality time with Auntie Dez and Gramps

Christmas Day was spent at home, relaxing and recuperating as a family, since hubs was sick with the stomach flu and I had just gotten over it on Christmas Eve. Oh what fun! We couldn't wait to see how Drew would react when opening gifts. I wasn't sure if he would want to help open presents, eat the paper, or be completely disengaged from the whole process. He loved it! He helped open gifts and loved ripping the paper off the packages. We had so much fun taking pictures of him opening every present. :)

Christmas morning in front of the tree

Opening presents with Mommy

So happy!

Wooden blocks from Great Grandma Clason

The day after Christmas was spent with my in-laws. Drew tried Grandma's spaghetti for the first time and loved it. He had fun playing with Uncle T. Later in the evening, we were sitting in the living room while Drew was playing by himself with his toys. My mother-in-law and I commented that we were so amazed at his ability to entertain himself and not need our constant attention...another sign of our little guy growing up!

Opening gifts with Daddy

Bottle time with Uncle T

Hubs and I have loved our week off with Drew and with each other. We were able to send him to daycare two days, which was nice. Sometimes you just need a little break! It was nice to go out and have a date day, where we could focus on just "us"...much needed for our relationship.

I am just loving being a mom right now. It's incredible to see Drew picking up new things every day, transitioning from a little baby to a toddler. It's interesting because I'm finding myself second guessing things I'm doing, because what was "routine" before is now becoming uncharted territory. For example, for 6 1/2 months, Drew ate pureed baby foods and loved them. In the past week, he decided he doesn't like it anymore and bats away the spoon before I can even get one bite in his mouth! My saving grace was that he still liked his oatmeal cereal mixed with fruit, but even that has become something he shakes his head "no" at before I can even give him a bite. Now, I'm racking my brain trying to think of what to feed the kid. He has decided that he wants to eat what mommy and daddy eat and has taken great interest in everything we put in our mouths. It's so weird to me that I'm at the stage of preparing and cooking for food for all of us as a family and that he's finally included in our mealtimes.

So far, Drew has tried waffles, scrambled eggs, toast, and pancakes for breakfast. I made him grilled cheese and mac & cheese for lunches this past week. He's had chunks of sweet potato, diced cooked carrots, steamed green beans, shredded cheese, peaches, and sliced banana. One thing I'm thankful for, this kid is not really that picky and is a good eater. It's kind of fun trying to figure out what to feed him and what he might like. If he doesn't like something or has decided that he's full, he'll shake his head "no" and we know to stop feeding him. The only downside to switching to "real food": I have a huge box of pureed baby foods that I either need to be creative with or donate!

Loving his first taste of mac & cheese (1-1-12)

I love Drew's personality. He is so happy and there is just a light in his eyes that I can't describe. He has a zest for life and loves trying new things. He's not afraid and is very curious about how things work. His smile and laughter can brighten a whole room and improve a bad mood immediately. I wish I could bottle his energy... he just goes and goes and goes. Hubs and I are having a blast being parents and love learning more about Drew every day. He has brought such joy to our lives over the last year. :)