Family Christmas

It never ceases to amaze me how busy the holiday season is! And the past few weeks have been no exception in our home. The biggest news at the moment is that Chris is finally healthy again. Two weeks after his previous diagnosis (see last blog entry), he woke up screaming in the middle of the night with a 103.4 temperature - never have I felt someone so hot! He fell back asleep, though, and the next morning I took him back to the doctor. This time, he had one very bad ear infection and strep throat. I decided to go ahead with the antibiotics, and he is now back to his normal energetic self, praise God!
The weekend before that drama, we headed up to Jacksonville to celebrate Christmas with my family. We stayed at my sister Kristin's house, which is really fun for Chris because of all of the activity and cool toys! My mom stayed there as well, and Melanie, Adam, and Isaiah also came over to celebrate. It was so much fun to watch all 10 kids opening their gifts! Chris's favorite gift was the blue truck from Nanny (my mom). The next day we stopped by Sherrie's house to exchange gifts. Here are several pictures from the weekend:

Three generations attempting to figure out an ATM machine :)

Gabe loved his new pool table
One of the twins, Joy
Jane, the other twin
Isaiah loves balls!

Chris and his new truck
Sweet Dawn and her kitties
Little Rosie
Adam and Isaiah
Last weekend I had another opportunity to shoot a wedding in Clearwater with a professional photographer. I had such a good time- I loved every second of it. Mark watched Chris; even though his mom came up to help he did pretty much everything on his own. I am so grateful for such a supportive husband! I will post pictures from the wedding as soon as the photographer sends them to me on my other blog... click here to see them.

Last, (I know, this is another long one!) last Wednesday marked the 6 year anniversary of the plane crash that took the life of my dad and three other passengers. In some ways, I can't believe it has been that long - I still remember every detail of that day. But in other ways, it seems like forever since I last heard him call me "sweetie doodle". I miss him terribly, and more than anything I wish he could have met Mark and Chris in this lifetime! I know he would be crazy about them both! But I am so grateful for all the things he taught me, especially this time of year. He LOVED Christmas - think Griswald - but not just because of the lights and presents (though he loved those). He was truly excited about the meaning of the holiday - the birth of our loving Savior, Jesus. And I feel as though each year my own excitement grows as well - I am really excited about Christmas because of what it means. It means that God loves me, and has a plan for me, and will never leave me alone... and it means the same for you. I pray that if you are reading this and you don't know that love, that God will reach out to you through the tiny hands of the baby in the manger. I can't wait to see my Daddy in heaven and thank him for the childlike wonder that I saw in him and that I am beginning to experience myself. What a gift!

The Best Gift of All

If there is one thing I am trying to learn right now, it is to slow down and appreciate the simple moments in life. To quiet my mind and put aside the 6000 things that are going through my head and take the time to just stop. Because there are so many precious moments! My baby is growing up so quickly - I wish I could just drink in the sweetness.

Chris adores playing with cars, especially with his daddy. As soon as Mark comes home from work, Chris gets his cars out and begins "driving" them all over the floor, the furniture, himself, his daddy... And Mark immediately drops everything and joins him. It is so much fun to have the two of them crawling around on the floor - getting in my way - as I am attempting to cook dinner. But I am not sure which one of them enjoys it more!

It has been a long couple of weeks, as Chris has been sick. He developed a cough right before Thanksgiving, and within a few days the cough worsened and he started acting really lethargic. When I took him to the doctor, he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and two ear infections. I had to give him a breathing treatment every 4-6 hours as well as drops in his ears. He definitely did not like that, but after the first few times he got used to it and would sit quietly (most of the time). Fortunately his cough is almost gone and he is back to running around like usual.

I have recently decided that my favorite word is hope. Because of Christmas, we can have hope! Hope that one day we will leave all of the pain and suffering of this world behind and fall at the feet of our precious Savior. I hope that you are able to take time this season to stop and bask in the love of a God who gave everything for you.

I let him try feeding himself... he did a pretty good job!

First haircut

Getting a breathing treatment

Playing cars with Dad

A big milestone!

I am so happy to report that Chris has reached a major milestone: he is officially weaned! He'd been sleeping through without waking up, so last Friday I decided that it was time. When he woke up Saturday morning, I got him up and immediately put him in his high chair for breakfast. He didn't seem to mind at all! And it has been the same ever since. It is bittersweet for me. I enjoyed having him nurse, as it was pretty much the only time my active little boy would lay still in my arms. But it was definitely time.
It is funny how even at such a young age he has developed preferences. Here are pictures of two of his favorite things. In the first one he is licking the butter off a piece of toast. It was funny to watch him eat: he would lick the toast, then take a bite. Then repeat. And the second picture is him emptying out my tupperware cabinet! He tries to do it at least on a daily basis... I can't wait until he is able to clean them up :)

Go with the flow...

I like routines. Maybe a little too much. But one thing I am learning as a parent is that while my routines and plans are usually good, there are definitely times when I have to just go with the flow. Chris's routine has really been changing lately. He dropped his morning nap a few weeks ago, which for me meant that I had to readjust and find a new time to take my shower! And while I would like to wean him, he has persisted in waking up around 5:30 to nurse. (we've tried just letting him cry... it didn't work!) However, even that habit may be on it's way out, as he has slept through until about 6:45 the past few days.
I've also been learning more tricks for entertaining him. Chris is not exactly an easy, passive child. He is full of energy, needs constant entertainment, and is definitely a "people person". He does not like to play alone, even for 5 minutes! So usually I spend a good part of the day attempting to get some chores accomplished while he follows me around screaming - until I stop and play with him. But, I have picked up on some tricks. For one, Baby Einstein videos. He loves them! He'll sit in his playpen quite happily to watch them. We only have 4, so we rotate them. I only let him watch 2 a day, but those videos are my sanity!
And then there are days like today... which has been absolutely wonderful. Whereas normally I have to entertain him EVERY SECOND, today he's been playing with his toys without fussing at all! I even took him to a restaurant to meet a friend for lunch and got to enjoy myself, because he sat and ate his food without a peep. However, even though not every day is peaceful, I still love being Chris's mom. He is a beautiful little boy, and loves to play and laugh. It is such fun to get down on the ground with him and play with trucks with him (his favorite toy), and he also loves being read to. He is getting better at walking, and seems to love "practicing" on tricky surfaces, such as grass. In fact, I've realized how stubborn he is: when he discovers a new place that is hard to walk on, he wants to do it over and over until he can keep his balance. What a good example for when I am encountering a challenge in my life!
Speaking of challenges, for some time I have had an interest in photography. And it looks like God is opening the door for me to pursue this further. If you'd like to see a little more, check out my other blog here.

watching Baby Einstein

Priceless...
Chris ADORES the vacuum cleaner...
My funny little man.
Please come and play with me!

The CUTEST Monkey ever!

Ever since Chris was born, he's been my little monkey. So when I saw the monkey costume in the store for Halloween, I could not resist! Of course, he's a bit too young for trick-or-treating. But I dressed him up anyway yesterday afternoon and let him wander around outside, which he absolutely LOVED. I wasn't home when the trick-or-treaters started coming around, but apparently it was quite an evening for Mark. Every time kids came to the door (which in our neighborhood is about every 2.5 seconds) Chris would pitch a fit because he wanted to go outside, too. But by that time, it was getting too dark and late to let him out (all he wants to do outside is wander in the street!). Here's a few pictures of him in his costume...

I hope you all had a fun holiday!

Gross!

So I know it pretty much is a fact that if you are a parent, you will get thrown up on. And I also know that most children will at one time or another puke in a public place. (pretty good forshadowing, huh?) Never did I imagine that my first time for both would happen at the same time... Lunch started out normally enough. I was meeting my friend Angel and her two kids at chickfila. Chris seemed a little fussy, but that is pretty typical for him in restaurants. I fed him some baby food and then tried to get him to eat an assortment of cheese, goldfish, and chicken fingers with a little bit of success. After we finished eating, Angel's kids went to the playground while we attempted to have some normal adult conversation. (remember, I was trying to entertain a fussing, squirming toddler at the same time!) Eventually I took Chris out of the highchair, and he amused himself for a (very) short time with my cell phone, keys, and crawling (and falling off - but I caught him) along the bench seat. However, he got tired of that after about 2.5 seconds and resumed fussing. So, I figured it was time to go. I was holding him while trying to finish up my conversation with my friend, and all of a sudden my precious bundle of joy coughed... and covered me with the most wretched, orange, chunky, foul-smelling mess I have ever experienced. It was literally covering me from my neck down to my toes, which of course includes him as I was holding him. My friend of course offered her assistance, but I honestly didn't have a clue where to begin... I fumbled for the wipes in his diaper bag and began swabbing at my now-orange shirt. She ran and told the restaurant staff about the mess - it was all over the bench and floor as well - while I attempted to gather our stuff together in such a way as to avoid smearing the remains of his lunch over everything. Chris was whimpering at this point, so I tried to offer him some water, which he refused. So at that point I just grabbed everything, said a quick good-bye to my friend, apologized profusely to the workers who were descending upon the area with mops and hazmat suits (kidding), and made a beeline for the car.

So, at the moment Chris is napping, and I am showered and cleaned up...Ah, the joys of motherhood! Something tells me this is just the beginning...

Ok... no sooner had I posted the above story, than Chris woke up crying. This was really strange, as he had only been sleeping for about 30 minutes. I went in to find him sitting up in - you guessed it - a pool of vomit. Poor guy! I gave him a bath, and now he is happily watching his videos. Hopefully we've seen the last of it...

We made it!

I just thought I'd let everyone know that we made it home from New Orleans in one piece :) It was a LONG trip... Mark flew, but first dropped me off at my sister Melanie's house in Alabama. So I had to then make the 8+-hour trip alone with Chris! My plan was to leave at 6am... However, Chris woke up randomly at 3:45am and would not go back to sleep, so I just threw him in the car and left, though I'd barely had 3 hours of sleep. It wasn't too bad, though. I took my time and stopped often, and we made it home around 4. Chris seems thrilled to be home - he is so excited about all of his toys, particularly his lawnmower. :) He has even readjusted to being back in the eastern time zone.
Now that he has gone from 2 naps to 1, I am looking forward to doing more fun things with him like story time at the library, trips to the zoo, etc. He seems to like playing at the park, too, so I am sure we'll go there often.

New Orleans

City Park

Chris did NOT like the train that went by...

So THAT's how you turn the firetruck lights on...

Look at me!

What a monkey... yes, he did make it all the way up!

Chris and his cousin Isaiah (Melanie's son) watching Baby Einstein

Chris loves Beignets - French doughnuts with powdered sugar on top! I think he just liked licking the sugar...

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post... things have been wild and crazy in the Billman household!



First, I was able to go camping with Mark and our friends, as Chris resumed sleeping through the night before we left. It was a wonderful break for Mark and I! It was so nice to be able to sleep in, relax, hike, and just enjoy being with our friends. Chris did fine with Mark's parents - we are so grateful to them! We did miss him, though, and were glad to get home.



One week after we got back, we left for a month long stay in New Orleans - and won't be home until Oct. 5. Mark's work wanted to send him here for some training, so Chris and I tagged along. It has been nice to get a change of scenery, and we've enjoyed seeing someplace new. The city is pretty dirty and run-down, and in some parts of town there is still considerable Katrina damage. However, we are staying in a fairly nice extended stay hotel, where we have a living room, kitchen, and separate bedroom. We've pretty much kept the same daytime routine: Chris and I hang out in the hotel room in the morning, then we explore the city, then after naptime Mark comes home. One of his friends from work, Matt, is also here, so after they get home and work out we wander the city until we find a good restaurant. (Having Matt here is somewhat like having a nanny along - he picks up after Chris at restaurants, pushes him in the stroller, entertains him, and even babysat once!) As much as we have enjoyed ourselves, I am looking forward to returning to our quiet little life in Melbourne next week.



Notable accomplishments: The biggest one is that Chris is now quite a proficient walker! Last Wednesday he took 2 timid steps, by the next day he was going 4-5 feet, and now 1 week later he can walk as far as he wants. I can hardly believe how quickly he learned! He seems quite pleased with himself, and loves to run into my arms laughing.



I think he'll be weaning soon, as we are down to 2 feedings a day. I am looking forward to a bit more freedom! And I am really grateful that the weaning process has been initiated by him, not me. However, he is not exactly the world's best eater. He absolutely adores bread - in any form. That means that the only restaurants we try to go to are ones that serve bread - because he'll gnaw happily on a loaf of crusty bread so we get a break! He also likes crackers, toast, cheerios, etc. In fact, the only way I can get him to eat any fruits or veggies is to either put his chair in front of the TV and put on his favorite Baby Einstein video (I can shovel in 2 jars with that diversion!) or sing to him while I feed him. I am now trying different tricks - today I gave him french toast so he'd get some protein (it worked) and yesterday I made him a little pizza on an english muffin (it didn't). Ah, the joys of parenting... :)



We hope you are all doing well! We'd love to hear from you.

1 year old!

Ready or not, here I come!

I meant to do that....

Just a little thirsty...

My birthday dump truck

The paper is always the best part...

Now I can be like daddy!

The aftermath...

Watching TV with my friend Carter

It is so hard to believe that an entire year has come and gone. We could not feel more blessed: we have a beautiful boy who brings us more joy as each day passes. However, as one of my friends recently said, "When will they ever make a pause button?"

Chris had a fun time at his birthday party. It was wonderful to celebrate with our friends and family. And he is having fun with all of his new toys!

His biggest accomplishment this month is that he is ALMOST walking. Several nights ago while I was washing dishes, I turned around to see him pushing his walker into the kitchen while walking behind it like he had been doing it his whole life! He walked around the house like that for an hour, leaving scuffed baseboards and scratched walls in his wake :) He's getting really good at it, though. He is going fast, and will even stop and swing it around to point in whatever direction he wants to go. It is pretty funny to watch, though - he looks like a little old man.

He has also developed a love of his little pool that Nanny got him. He'll sit in in for quite awhile and play. He gave me a laugh this evening, though. I'd put him in it naked in the backyard, as I just needed to keep him occupied for a few minutes. I walked around the side of the house for a minute, and when I turned around I discovered that my naked little boy had climbed out of his pool and was crawling after me through the grass.

Chris has always been a good sleeper, and has been sleeping through the night since he was about 4 months old. However, the past few nights he's decided that he wants to eat several times a night, and has been waking up frequently. This wouldn't be such a big deal except for the fact that Mark and I are supposed to leave him with Mark's parents for the long weekend while we go camping with some friends. And because he won't take bottles, if I can't get him back to normal by tonight I may have to stay back. So pray that he sleeps! Ah, the joys of parenting :)

Sorry this was so long! We love you all.

How Time Flies...

Our little fish...
Playing at swim lessons

Mom and I at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore

Hiking with Dad on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Me with all 9 of my cousins!

Helping Mom with dishes...

What a ham!

What IS this stuff? I don't know if I like it....

Ok, I definitely DON'T like it!

One day my turn will come...

In case you couldn't tell from all the pictures, it has been a busy few months! Notable activities and accomplishments include:

• Chris and I took a "parent and child" swimming class, the purpose of which was to get him used to the water. He was a little unsure at first, and definitely did not like getting dunked, but by the third or fourth class he was over that and seemed to enjoy the pool.
• We took our first vacation with him up north. We drove to Virginia for my cousin Laura's wedding, then visited Mark's family in Baltimore. After that we drove to visit my friend Amy in Atlanta, then it was back home. Chris did remarkably well for being in the car a lot and sleeping in different places practically every night! Praise the Lord for portable DVD players, though - it kept him occupied and happy in the car :)
• We are starting to see that our precious little boy has a bit of a temper! He gets so mad if a door that he wants to go through is closed - especially if it is the door to the refrigerator. He also hates wearing a bib, or being trapped in a playpen or a room with a gate at the door - he wants complete freedom! However, we often can't help but laugh at his tantrums - he usually gets so mad that he'll sit there screaming and clapping his hands! It is absolutely hysterical. And usually our laughter is a bit confusing to him so he ends up forgetting what made him mad in the first place :)
• He has learned to mimic. If someone claps, he'll sometimes respond by doing the same. He especially likes to copy us when we blow raspberries.
• He loves any toy that he can push around the floor - whether it is his favorite red truck, a tupperware container, a jug of vinegar... He pushes whatever the object is with one and while crawling quasi-modo style behind it. His favorite is definitely his trucks, though. He'll push them all over the house, and will even drive them back and forth over Mark's legs if he happens to be in the way!

For those of you who will be in town, we are having a birthday party for Chris on Aug. 25 at 5:00. We would love to have you all! Please let me know if you'll be able to make it.