Baby's First Christmas

We all knew Jack would change the dynamics of Christmas. I'm just not sure we knew how much. After a wonderful first Christmas with Jack we did learn one thing... from here on out it's all about him! It went a little something like this...

7:30 Jack wakes with a smile...we think he knew what was ahead of him!

7:45 Jack enjoys Christmas breakfast with Daddy while everyone else dresses for Mass

8:15 Jack dresses in his Christmas attire...button up and all

8:35 Jack & the family load in the car for church

9:00 Mass at St. Ann's begins

9:20 Jack sings along with the Christmas carols

9:35 Squirmy Jack is passed up and down the pew

9:50 Mass is over and Jack is greeted by several parishioners

10:00 Jack passes out in the car on the way home

10:15 Jack naps in his crib and we all wait and wait and wait for him to wake

11:30 Jack wakes with a smile again...time to open presents!

11:35 Oops!...got to wait again...Jack has to eat

12:00 Finally...present time!

12:05 Jack opens his first present...a moving Choo Choo train with colorful balls

12:15 Jack tries to eat bows

12:30 Jack is trying to crawl amidst used wrapping paper and boxes

12:45 Jack opens present number 2...a green alligator xylophone...music to every one's ears

12:50 Jack is back to eating bows and wrapping paper

1:00 Jack squeals as others open presents

1:15 Jack opens present number 3...Tickle Me Elmo

1:30 Jack is due for an afternoon nap and we only made it through 3 presents!

3:00 Jack wakes with another smile..."more presents?" he's thinking

3:30 Jack is hungry for dinner...turkey and veggies

4:00 More presents for Jack...a book, a puzzle, zoo balls, a green monkey, and an animal pop up toy

4:30 Present break...too much stimulation for Jack

5:00 The Christmas baby is tired again!...this time it's only a catnap...thank goodness

6:00 Christmas dinner...Jack munches on bread with Elmo by his side

7:00 Bath & bottle time with Grandma

7:30 The Christmas baby is out like a light...what a day!

All of that and he still didn't get all of his presents opened. Looks like more of the same tomorrow. Not to mention, we are doing it all again when Grammy and Grandpa come in town on Thursday! What a Merry Christmas it was. We hope yours was as exciting!

Busy Baby

The anticipation of Christmas has the Cibula household bustling. The house is full of family, dogs, presents, and cookies. With all of the excitement, Jack has been a busy baby. It started yesterday with a holiday family party. My great Aunt and Uncle and 3 second cousins, who are home from college, came over to celebrate with my Mom, Grandma, Uncle Jim, Jon, Clay, Jack and I. We had a wonderfully loud house full! Jack, who is a new crawler, made his way to the beer tub immediately, and dug right in. We couldn't help but snapping a picture of the thieving baby. Luckily, all he was able to snatch was a piece of ice. After being passed around, kissed on, and a little football watching with the boys, (the ratio was 9 to 4), he was off to a peaceful sleep.


The sleep was well needed because Christmas Eve day was even busier. The family loaded up in the car, (poor Jon was thrown in the way back seats), and we headed downtown to the Georgia Aquarium. Jack started the journey in his stroller. We pulled him right up to the glass of each tank and he watched in awe as the fish floated by. Occasionally he even tried to talk to them and didn't even mind when there was no response back. It didn't take long before he batted his big blue eyes and did a little wiggle in his stroller and Jon had him in his arms. He loved when Jon took him up close and he was able to climb on and touch the aquarium glass. His favorite sea creatures were the glowing jellyfish. He practically scaled the glass wall trying to swim with them. Jack was enjoying himself so much that he didn't even realize that he was missing his afternoon nap. He was passed from family member to family member and enjoyed the varying views from each person's arms. After 3 long hours of fish fun it was time to leave. As soon as Jack's weary head hit the car seat he was out for the ride home.

As busy as we have been, I can only imagine what Christmas Day will be like...only a couple more hours to find out!

Late For Lunch

Yesterday we met Miller and Erica for a late lunch at Mellow Mushroom. It turned out to be later than originally planned. Jack and I had plenty of time to get ready for the big outing before we had to leave the house, so I don't know what happened. Except the following...Jack woke from his nap 15 minutes later than usual. No big deal, we could still make it on time. He ate lunch and we were off to change clothes (both of us). I decided to change first in the anticipation of any major spit up accidents. Good thinking on my part, because we had an accident, just not spit up. While I was getting ready I smelled a dirty diaper. I thought, "no problem, I'll change him when I get him dressed". Little did I know that the mess was not contained to his diaper. As soon as I did realize the diaper drama, I took him straight to his room for a clean up...a very extended clean up. That set us back another 10 minutes. We returned to my room to finish myself up before putting on Jack's lunch date clothes. Sure enough I had hair issues. For anyone who is unaware, I cut 6 inches off of my hair last week to make it easier to deal with. Not so...I'm still trying to get the hang of this new do. So, that set us back another 1o minutes (and it still looked horrible). After getting myself semi-ready we got Jack dressed, bundled up, and out the door. Or so I thought. As soon as my hand reached for the car door handle...massive spit up. I mean like his entire meal...orange carrots and all. Luckily for Jack, none of it landed on his lunch attire. Unfortunately for me, it ALL landed on my lunch attire. So, back upstairs for a wardrobe change...this time a 5 minute setback. Oh, the joys of a baby, going places just aren't as easy as they use to be. Once we arrived at our destination, it was all worth it though. Jack gave a huge smile when he saw his long time buddy, Miller, and his Mommy, Erica. High chair to high chair they enjoyed a wonderful time of touching one another, trying to share toys, starring intently, squeals of delight, and grins from ear to ear. This was all, of course, in between Jack starring down my food and moaning for samples. However, Erica and I also enjoyed a great lunch and some much needed Mommy talk. Jack and I are looking forward to another lunch date soon and hopefully we won't be late this time.

Backwards Baby

Jack is crawling...backwards that is. We can't explain it and we definitely didn't teach him to do it that way, but that is his preferred mode of mobility these days. He starts in sitting position, slowly leans forward, pushes his legs underneath his body, and rocks on all fours. Once he is warmed up backwards he goes. He travels backwards from one end of the playroom to the next. I try to entice him with his favorite toys in hopes of him coming forward, but instead of making his way towards the toys he ends up farther away. Occasionally that includes being smooshed up against a wall or door or any other decoys that are in his path. However, wherever he lands, he rolls his body up into sitting position and starts all over again. He squeals with delight when he looks up to see his progress....which is usually only about 5-6 feet from his starting position. Clay and I have both encouraged him to move forward by placing his arms and legs in the proper form, but NO, Jack wants to do it his way. So, that's exactly what we are going to let him do. Jack has added a few more talents to his bag of tricks since discovering mobility. Some of which include...crawling in his crib, sitting straight up in his crib to welcome the morning, pulling up and standing in his crib (this one gave Mommy a little fright), and crawling (backwards) to the dog bowls and dumping them over (twice). Yea, I know, I should have learned my lesson the first time with that one. Though, Clay and I are delighted with this semi-milestone (I'm not convinced it's the real thing yet), there have been a few draw backs. The most upsetting one...naps! Naps have now turned into gymnastics practice. From outside Jack's door, I can hear whole-hearted belly laughs, banging, plopping, and crashing. When I watch him on the video monitor, I can see crawling, squirming, standing, and climbing. Jack uses the first half hour or more to perfect his new skills. After finally wearing himself out, he falls asleep for the remainder of nap time, only to wake groggy and unrested from his half nap. None the less, we eat and are back to the playroom floor for more moving and shaking. Hopefully, the novelty of mobility will wear off soon and naps will resume as normally scheduled...wishful thinking, huh?

Eight Month Birthday

And what a happy day it was...Jack had his first date at eight, (months that is). I told him he couldn't do it again until he was eighteen. This one should hold him over for a while because we had a wonderful lunch date with Wesley Kate, Karen's new arrival. Fortunatley for Jack, Patterson had a prior engagement and was unable to join us so Jack got Wesley Kate all to himself. It was unfortunate for the rest of us because we sure did miss little P's contagious smile...we'll have to wait until next week! We met Wesley Kate and Karen at one of my old favorite lunch spots in town. I don't make it down there too much anymore, so it was a nice treat. Between two diaper bags, a high chair, a car seat, a stroller, two mommies and two babies, we almost took up the whole back room. Lunch isn't as easy as it use to be, but Jack sure is worth it. The business lunch crowd was booming and Jack was loving it. Every man that walked by in a suit caught Jack's attention, he was thinking, "that one must be my Daddy, no that one must be him". Our Daddy wasn't there but Jack sure had a great time looking for him. Jack loved the sight of the waiters and waitresses bustling by with plates of food. His eyes followed them all around the restaurant. So much action and so much to look at! But nothing could compare to what he saw next. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Wesley Kate sleeping in her car seat, he was smitten. He could not take his eyes, or hands for that matter, off of her. I can only imagine how much he will enjoy her company when she is actually awake. Sleeping beauty snoozed through the whole date, including Jack pawing all over her and her stroller. We tried to distract him with toys and food. The food worked for a short while then he was back to his hands on greetings. I tried to explain to Jack that you "never wake a sleeping baby", especially in public. The talk of sleep must have reminded Jack that it was nearing nap time so we headed home for a restful late afternoon. After all of the "date at eight" excitement Jack slept for a full two hours. I think he may have been dreaming about his new playmate and all of the fun they will have.

"No, Jack, No"

The has been the phrase of the week at mealtime. Jack has discovered how to take a mouth full of food, hold it for a short while, and then spray it across the room. I admit, the first time it was funny and I had to laugh. I even went and got the camera. But, after the 21st time...no one was laughing...except for Jack. He has sprayed Mommy, Daddy, GG, Grandma, and the nanny with a variety of fruits and veggies. We all put our serious face on and say, "No, Jack, No". He returns a serious look for about 2 seconds, smiles, and follows it with a giggle. Almost as if he is so proud of his new talent. The other day I had to pass the spoon to Daddy because I just couldn't take anymore green beans in my face. Daddy was very patient and tried to teach Jack table manners... unfortunately it didn't work. Sunday morning I woke to the sound of giggles and Daddy's voice again saying, "No, Jack, No". I was upstairs in bed smiling and so thankful it wasn't me down there covered in pears and cereal. I truly hope this is a short phase he is going through. It is so unlike Jack to give up any food, even if it is for fun!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Jack met Santa Claus for the first time ever today. He was a lot different in person than in the pictures and books that Jack had seen. I wasn't sure how Jack would react to the jolly old man...would he be naughty or nice? I should have known that he would be neither! Jack was just plain curious. Curious about Santa's long white beard, curious about Santa's red pointed hat, and curious about Santa's white curly locks. Jack started with his usual intense stare which was followed by a gentle touch to the white beard. Hmmm...he thought, who is this chubby man and why am I in his lap? When Santa gave a soft, "ho ho ho", Jack was even more curious. His stare grew more intense...he looked at me and Grandma and then back at Santa and then back again. I enjoyed every minute of it, taking as many pictures as I could get on my camera in his short visit. After leaving Santa's lap, Jack, Grandma, and I went to enjoy a warm latte across the way. Just as I was ready to drink up, I took a look at our recent photo shoot. Oh No! Jack's eyes were squinted in EVERY picture..the sun had peeked out only for our Santa visit. There was no way I could leave with this set of disappointing pictures. So...back to see Santa. Im sure Santa's elves thought that I was a little crazy or maybe they had seen it before. But, we waited in line and did it all over again. This time Jack was much more familiar with the situation and relaxed a bit. Luckily this batch of pictures turned out much better...no sun and no squinting! Not to mention, Erin, Michael, and baby Nate arrived to see Santa too. Perfect...we then asked Santa for one more visit and both babies took a seat in Santa's lap. Jack was a pro by then! By the third visit, Santa quit asking Jack what he wanted for Christmas...thank goodness!

Santa's Little Helper

Jack has been a very busy little Elf this week. The hustle and bustle of the Cibula household during the Christmas season has kept his "things to do" list very full. Luckily for me, he has been a huge help...that is why we felt the need to put him in uniform. Not to mention, he is very cheap labor. All he asks for is a full belly and lots of kisses...we can handle that! Take a look as his holiday job description:

Help Grandma in the kitchen with dinner and Christmas cookies...yum!

Supervise Christmas tree decorating.

Shop for, organize, and wrap Christmas presents. (and monitor Mommy's spending)

And most importantly... give us that adorable grin when things get too busy in order to remind us what Christmas is really suppose to be about!

Oh' Christmas Tree

It is officially Christmas at the Cibula household. Christmas cards are in the mail and the Christmas tree is up. Today we took Jack for our first "new family Christmas tradition"....tree shopping. For a brief moment I considered making our tradition one of which included visiting a tree farm, searching for the perfect tree, and chopping it down ourselves. Then as we were leaving Mass this morning I saw the sale sign for Christmas trees and I quickly came to my senses. That would be so much easier and much less stress, which in turn would make it a "happy new Christmas family tradition". Plus I've never seen Clay use an ax and I don't know if I want to. So after Jack's afternoon nap, we loaded the car and headed back down to the church. I had the camera in hand and Jack was dressed in festive attire. Before even walking in to the rows of trees Jack posed next to the sign that had caught my eye earlier in the day. He giggled as soon as we sat him down and this wasn't even the fun part yet! As Jack and Clay searched for our first family Christmas tree, I stayed nearby camera in hand. Someone even passed by and said, "first Christmas?"...how did you guess, I thought to myself. Between tree scouting, Jack tried to eat a few leaves, starred at a little tree shopper in a Santa hat, and became mesmerized by the sound of a chainsaw. It didn't take long before they found the perfect tree (and we didn't even have to chop it down). The boys waited for my approval and it was a done deal, or so we thought. As we made our way to the pay stand and have the tree loaded on the car, we noticed other shoppers placing sheets on their rooftops. Oops!, we didn't bring a sheet. How were we suppose to know that? In the past Clay and I have gone to Home Depot and the roll out a large piece of paper and lay it down under the tree. We just assumed it would be the same at the church. It wasn't. So, we had to go home, get a sheet, and then return for our tree. You can imagine my anxiety worrying if someone else would get our perfect tree while we were gone. But, we returned to the tree lot to see it safely waiting for the Cibula family. It is now standing tall in our front living room by he window. Tomorrow afternoon Jack and I are going to decorate it...we may even wait for Daddy to get home...another Christmas tradition in the making.

And Baby Makes Six

We have a new addition to our weekly play date. Pregnant Karen is no longer pregnant...she is a Mommy. Welsey Kate was born on November 21st and weighed 7lbs 3ozs. Mommy and baby are doing great! It was a long wait for all of us, especially Karen. Baby decided to wait a week past her due date to arrive. Isn't that a girl for you?...always late. Not to mention, poor Karen went through 2 days of contractions before the delivery day...ouch! I'm glad Jack didn't put me through that...(he decided to wait until after his birth to give me a run for my money;) Because Wesley Kate arrived the day before Thanksgiving I didn't get to see her until this week. I sure did think about her and her Mommy a lot though between turkey and stuffing. We arrived today with lunch in hand for Mommy and Daddy who deserved a tiny break. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of newborn coos and grunts. It brought back so many memories of just a few months ago. Donna and I showered Karen with advice, a lot of which she probably didn't need, but, things I wish someone had told me. Maybe they did and I was just too busy to listen. However, it was a real treat to see and hold that baby girl that we have all been waiting for. Now, our play date group is complete. I just hope Jack and Patterson don't get in too many fights over the beautiful addition.

Pass The Turkey, Please

And the dressing, and the green bean casserole, and the sweet potatoes, and...the list could go on for Jack. We celebrated Jack's first Thanksgiving at the Cibula's house in Florida. This might be Jack's favorite holiday so far. He got his two favorite things...food and undivided attention. On Thursday Jack got his first taste of real food...turkey and dressing. He dug his hands straight in as soon as we put it on his high chair. Most of it made it to his mouth, he's getting pretty good with those pincher fingers, but a lot of it adorned his cheeks and bib by the end of the meal. His seat at the table gave him a perfect view of the turkey, which was almost a big as him. That didn't deter him though, he was fascinated with such a large piece of food...gobble, gobble! The rest of the holiday week, Jack played with family members on both sides. He got to see GG, Uncle Jim, Jon, Uncle Mike, Grandaddy, Nini, Aunt Linda, Sonja and of course Grammy and Grandpa. He had a very important playdate everyday with Grammy. She played all kinds of entertaining baby games with him. She almost had him crawling by the time we had to leave town...I don't know how with that full tummy. But yes, Grammy's games (and her dog) were so entertaining that Jack would bend over, pull himself up on his knees, and start rocking. Once he saw his own strength there was no stopping him. Grammy said she gives me about two weeks to "baby proof" my house. I better get busy...maybe we'll have a Christmas crawler!

Meg, Miller, and Munchies

What else could you ask for? Today Jack and I didn't need anything else. We met over at Heather and Meg's house for a little impromptu play date. Erica and Miller showed up shortly afterwards to join the fun. The babies played and the Mommy's chatted and munched on snacks. Erica brought some pumpkin dip and apples...it got us all in the mood for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday...yum! Jack wasn't left out this time. He did a taste test and of course moaned for more. Slow down, don't' over do it buddy! Once he was distracted by the giant Elmo he was okay. Jack and I got see some great toy ideas for Christmas. Poor Jack, he is so deprived at our house...he has very few toy choices. I thought I was going to be somewhat of an "anti- too many toys" Mom until I saw how engaged he was with the plethora of options. Okay, so I changed my way of thinking and have decided that Jack NEEDS toys. Yes, he needs them! He was reaching, bending, pushing buttons, and observing every toy. I could see the wheels in his mind turning away. And although he isn't mobile yet, he was doing everything in his power to get what he wanted. Luckily, Meg is a mover, so she hand delivered toys to his lap. He was very grateful for her assistance. Jack let me know that he had enough stimulation for one afternoon when he started rubbing his eyes...nap time. It worked out perfectly because our house is only a couple of miles away from the Dahlby's. We loaded up and headed home and Jack got a well deserved snooze. Thanks ladies and babies, we'll have to do it again soon. Maybe Jack and I can host next time...we better get some toys first though!

Sneak a Peek

The first year of Jack's has been amazing so far. Clay and I can't believe how much he changes from day to day. That is why we are so excited that we made the decision at the beginning of Jack's life to capture every moment with pictures, hence the purchase of a good camera. However, both of us are still far from being professionals behind the lens. And again that is why we are so excited that we chose a photographer we LOVE to capture the milestones in his life. Lisa Russo first came to our house when Jack was 19 days old. She tool beautiful endearing images of him all around our home. She captured moments of our family that we will never be able to return to except through pictures. We asked her to come back for two more milestones...when Jack was sitting unsupported and eventually when he begins walking. Last weekend she came over to take his "sitting" pictures. She sent us a "sneak a peek" a couple of days ago of just a few of the shots. I was in awe, I fell in love with my baby boy all over again. For the next few days I couldn't wait to see the full slideshow. We just received it and as you can imagine, I am so torn as to which ones to order. I want them all! I love the pictures of his curious face...that is just so Jack! But, I also love the images of him laughing and the ones with Cosby and the ones of our family and the ones of him playing with Daddy. Decisions, Decisions!! I have included the link to our slide show below, just click on it, wait a few moments (it takes a while to load initially), and then tell me what you think. I could really use some advice, because if it is left up to me, we are ordering all of them! (Note to family--if you click on the shopping cart at the bottom of the slideshow you can order too:)http://www.lisarussophotography.com/Slideshow/Jack

Seven Month Birthday

Today Jack is seven months old. Everyone said it would go by so fast and I kind of believed them. Now I really do! I know it sounds so cliche but, they really do grow up fast. And that probably won't be the last time you hear me stating that observation. It amazes me that last year at this time I was just barely 4 months pregnant and 7 months ago today Jack was just coming into the world. It is truly amazing, but it is too fast. I have learned to enjoy every minute with Jack...the good and the challenging. Thankfully today has been one of the "good", unlike yesterday which would have fallen into the challenging category. But, that's okay...that is what keeps motherhood from getting mundane or boring. So far, seven months has started out super. Jack woke with a smile on his face, still hungry, but a smile none the less. Between feedings and naps, Jack has talked to me...a lot! He has told me all about his peaches at breakfast, his colorful toys, his reflection in the mirror, and how much he loves me. (I know he was telling me that because he hugged me right afterwards.) We've sang a lot of songs today too. Jack pipes in just when I need his harmonious voice. Can you tell we miss music class? We also went for a stroll and soaked in the warm sunshine. It doesn't look like it will last long so we are enjoying it while we can. We topped our afternoon off with a cozy nap. Jack even babbled his "7 month self" right to sleep. I sat outside his door and listened to the most entertaining one sided conversation I had ever heard. Being Jack's mommy is the best. I love him more than I could have ever imagined. There is no way it gets any better than this. How could it possibly? I know people always tell me, "if you love him now, just wait" or "if you think this is your favorite stage, just wait". I don't believe them...yet anyway!

Nowhere to Be

This week Jack and I have nowhere to be. I opened up my calendar today to plan for the upcoming week and it was empty. It looked like this...

Monday: we usually attend Music Class, but the fall session is over and the winter session doesn't start until the first week of December...so nothing!

Tuesday: we usually have swim, but that 6 week class ended last week...so nothing!

Wednesday: my nanny day...so nothing for Jack!

Thursday: our usual play date with pregnant Karen, baby Patterson, and Donna but, it's actually Karen's due date...so nothing, (except hopefully a baby will arrive)!

Friday: usually a Mother's Guild meeting at church, but that was last week...so nothing!

With nothing to do and nowhere to be, Jack and I are going to play it by ear this week. We will probably...

bundle up and go for a stroll

perfect our sippy cup skills

read some books

practice crawling (which he shows no interest in)

and of course, not worry about what to wear

It will be interesting to see what a week of nothing is like. I think I can speak for Jack too, when I say, "we both like to be busy". He loves observing everything and everyone and with just me to look at he might get slightly bored. Then again, I could be completely wrong. He may actually enjoy having me and my undivided attention all to himself...it remains to be seen. Regardless, I'll keep you posted on how we fill our days this week. If I know "us", we'll find something to get into!

The Big One

Today Jack and I met pregnant Karen, baby Patterson and Donna for our weekly "play date" and lunch. These are some pictures of Jack and Patterson trying to play together. Jack is the "big one".
I like to point that out because it won't always be true. You see, Patterson comes from a family of height. His Daddy is, I don't know...6 foot something ginormous and his Mommy is 5 foot something else tall. So, it is inevitable that Patterson is gong to be a very tall boy. Now Jack doesn't have those same genes running through his family. I am definitely below average in height and Clay is considered average. No matter what we do Patterson will be the "big one" soon. Actually very soon...Jack and Patterson are only 3 months apart. In baby time that may seem like a lot, but in a couple of years that will be nothing. Who knows, maybe even by a year old Patterson will be towering over Jack, he is already getting close! But for now, Clay, Jack and I are are going to revel in the fact that Jack is considered the "big one". Even according to the Pediatrician Jack is tall. At his 6 month appointment he was 29" long and was in the 99th percentile for height....wow! that never happened to me. As for weight, well, you know, he is always up there in that area. When we ask the Pediatrician "when will his genes catch up with him and his numbers seem more realistic?", she just smiles. I think that is her way of saying , "enjoy it while you can". And that is exactly what we are going to do. We're also going to hope that Jack will inherit some of our above average traits too...wink, wink!