I had these two ottomans I was about to store away, when Charlotte pulled them out and made a “train.” We put Bennett in the back “car” and she drove. They were so silly, but having so much fun. I just love it when they laugh together. Bennett is really starting to sort of stick up for himself a little bit now, even though he’s no where near being able to keep up. He does protest in his own way, and sort of talks back to her with his facial expressions. He can give her some of the funniest looks and you can just hear him thinking, “What is this crazy girl doing?!”
Being Silly December 31, 2009
Bennett 7 Months December 30, 2009
Even though I am late posting these photos, they were taken on his 7 month birthday. As you can see, he sits up just fine by himself now, and he’s acting like he wants to crawl. He can get moving backwards pretty well, but no forward motion just yet. He’s definitely a mama’s boy right now, and isn’t too happy when I’m in sight and not either sitting by him or holding him. He’s pretty funny, and quite bashful around girls and women who coo over him. He tucks his little head into my shoulder and peeks out a smile – it’s so cute.
He was supposed to have surgery yesterday for the bubble in his mouth, but a few days ago I looked in his mouth and the bubble was GONE! They suspect that the antibiotic he was on for his ear infection actually may have cleared up a blockage that was causing the bubble. We won’t know for sure for a while, as we’ll have to see if it fills back up, but for now we are just so happy that we didn’t have to go through any of that and hopefully this thing is gone for good.
Here he is with his little bear friend. It’s amazing how much older he looks to me now:
Christmas 2009 December 30, 2009
We hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season!
For photos of our Christmas morning, go here.
A Perfectly Un-Perfect Christmas December 27, 2009
Our Christmas was not what you might consider perfect. The craziness began on Christmas Eve. Bennett started running a fever in the middle of the night, and though I gave him Tylenol, his fever just kept going up all day long. Finally, around 3pm, his fever hit 103.7 – time to call the doctor.
We have a tradition of having a nice dinner out on Christmas Eve. We had reservations at Prime, which we canceled. We headed to Children’s Healthcare Urgent Care Center instead, at the suggestion of Bennett’s pediatrician. I was amazed at how wonderful and nice everyone there was – from the ladies at the front desk to the nurses to the doctor. How thankful I was for them to be working on Christmas Eve – surely they would have rather been with their families.
Bennett’s fever came down and we came to find out that he had a middle ear infection. We headed to the pharmacy to pick up his medicine and get him some better pain relief. We called an Italian Restaurant near us for some take out, picked it up and headed home. And of course, it began to rain.
The night was awful. Bennett slept fairly well, but still woke up a few times, understandably. On top of it all, Charlotte woke up twice – both times with a bloody nose. Her second bloody nose was at 6am – and there was no going back to sleep at that point, so we all headed downstairs.
Charlotte squealed with delight upon seeing Santa’s generosity. Poor Bennett was in a daze, but at least he was not crying. We had family over for brunch, and through it all, Bennett was out of sorts, but calm. I was happy, but tired from the events of the past 24 hours.
At the end of the Christmas Day, the house was a disaster – there had been no time to clean before company came over, since Bennett needed holding almost constantly. Food and chaos were everywhere.
But somehow, it was just right.
My Christmas was not perfect – you’d never see the Christmas I’d just had in a holiday movie or on a commercial celebrating the season. But for me, it was perfectly un-perfect. I had my family near and my friends thinking of us.
And that was all I needed.
I found myself thinking of the very first Christmas. It didn’t begin with a big fancy dinner on Christmas Eve, involve presents under a tree or a bright, shining sun over a blanket of snow in the morning. I thought of Mary, who surely must have become frustrated at being turned away from inn after inn. She must have been exhausted from traveling so far while so pregnant. And oh, how she must of been so sad at the news that her son would be born in a stable, among the animals.
But somehow, it was just right.
Upon holding her son, Jesus Christ, everything must have seemed perfect – the stable, the animals, the bed of hay. Could we imagine it any other way?
The dust has settled, and things are starting to calm down again. Bennett is feeling better and Charlotte is coming off her “holiday high.” The tree is down, the ornaments carefully packed away and the dishes have all been cleaned. Even the sun is shining brightly as I look out the back window. Christmas 2009 was crazy, tiresome and in no way, shape or form how I had planned…and yet, I can’t imagine it any other way.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace December 24, 2009
This was the photo on our Christmas Card this year.
The card reads, “Peace on Earth.” Yup, that pretty much sums it up!
It’s almost time to say goodbye… December 23, 2009
…to our elf, Cookie. He’s been watching over us day and night since the day after Thanksgiving and he’s explored just about every area of the house. It’s been fun to find him every morning, to see where he chooses to spend the day. Soon he’ll be gone, back to his home at the North Pole with Santa, to work on next year’s toys. It’s been nice having you with us, we hope to see you again next year!
No smiles, but at least no tears! December 23, 2009
In Charlotte’s first photo with Santa, she was all of a few weeks old and asleep. The next year, she had a pretty fat lip, but held it together enough for the photographer to snap a photo. Last year she was excited, but when the big moment came, she lost it completely. This year, we did a little better.
She had drawn some pictures to give to Santa. I could see her nervously holding them in her little hand as we waited in line. She became very quiet, and as our turn came, she cautiously walked up to the jolly old man. She handed him the pictures and he “ho-ho-ho”ed over them. She told him what she wanted and then it was time to take the photo. All this while, she had been standing in front of him. She did not want to sit in his lap, but settled for sitting with Mrs. Claus while Bennett was handed over to Santa. It took a while to get a photo, because Bennett kept staring at Santa’s face or beard or buttons or something. It was hilarious 
Anyhow, we finally got a photo of them both looking straight ahead. No smiles, but no at least no tears. Hey, I’ll take it…baby steps, right? 
Callaway Gardens December 22, 2009
We took a trip to Callaway Gardens to see the Christmas lights this year. In years past, we’ve gone to Lake Lanier and to Stone Mountain, but we’d never gone down to Callaway, so it was a new adventure. The day was cold, but beautiful. We saw a bird show, then we got to visit the Butterfly Garden. 
After a wonderful dinner, we rode the trolley to view the Fantasy in Lights. Charlotte was so excited, she had an absolute ball. She didn’t care that is was cold or windy – she just enjoyed looking at all the lights. Both kids conked out in the car on the way home (so did I). We were all very tired, but it was a fun trip. To see more photos, click here.
Charlotte was so excited to ride the trolley!
Pink Pig December 22, 2009
We took our annual ride on the Pink Pig with the Knotts on Sunday. Last year was fun, but we added two more passengers this year for even more excitement. It was FREEZING cold waiting in line for over an hour, but it was totally worth it. H and C were giggling the whole time and they got to sit in the very front! Afterward, we enjoyed our once-a-year trip to Five Guys for dinner. What a great Atlanta tradition.
Bennett's First Ride on the Pink Pig
So much fun!
Christmas Crafts December 21, 2009
Here is a sampling of some of the Christmas crafts we’ve completed this holiday season:
