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.