Baby's first Christmas tree

This time last year I made the mental note that it would probably be the last Christmas for the rest of our married couple lives that we would spend just the two of us. I had that thought several times throughout the last few weeks of December .... watching my nieces and nephew open gifts at my Mom's house, driving through Winterhaven looking at the lights, lounging around the house on Christmas Day watching movies, and New Year's parties. It turns out that I was right! Now that little Devon is here I am excited about Christmas in a totally new way. I even made up a Christmas card and sent out a few of them, something I never thought I would do.

This past Sunday (December 14th) we bundled up the baby and headed over to the Christmas tree lot to pick one out. It was the first day that it really felt like December because it was cold and damp and a little over cast .... my favorite weather. The kind of weather that makes you want to stay in bed all day with your husband and your baby, covered in blankets, wearing soft pajamas, reading, napping, and drinking hot chocolate. All the ladies at the tree lot were cooing and smiling at him and going on and on about how cute he was. We brought the tree home and got it in place in the living room by the windows. It smells amazing! Joe and I decorated it last night and put the baby on the couch to watch. His little eyes lit up and he kicked his legs and arms like crazy. He was really into it. I put out the few holiday decorations that I have and the house looks the level of festive that I am comfortable with ;)

I am surprised that I enjoy decorating the tree as much as I do. I think there were a few years that it felt like one more thing that I had to get done and didn't have time or money for, but this year it felt like a tradition. Like the start of a tradition for Devon and our little family. I hope that as he gets older he knows that Christmas is about giving, spending time with family, celebrating traditions, having fun and good food.

2 months: Devon (November)

Seriously? Is he so handsome or what? So dreamy ....

Devon: 2.5 .... as in 2 and a half months. He is so big. Literally. I took him to the doctor last week and he grew 4 inches and 4 pounds in a month! "They" say that kids grow up so fast, but seriously! He is above the 90th percentile for height. Who would have thought with my gene pool that I would have a tall kid. I noticed that he seemed taller when I put him on the changing table and he definitely was out growing some of his clothes. That part was sadder than I thought it would be to know that he was no longer a tiny newborn .... oohh poor Mama!

At that same doctor visit he had to have shots unfortunately. He was able to drink one of them, but the other 5 had to go in his thighs. 3 in one and 2 in the other. This will happen every 2 months over the next year. So sad, but he came through it like a champ and stopped crying once I picked him up. I am magical.

Anyway we are working on doing more tummy time everyday to help him lift that giant head of his ;) His head is actually statistically smaller than average, but he can't lift it completely so it seems giant. Sometimes I call him "head" the way they did in "So I married an axe murderer" in a Scottish accent. He thinks it's funny. So do I.

*The picture was taken by my beautiful and talented (and preggo) older sister, Katy, during her visit to Tucson for Thanksgiving. Bonjourno!*