{ Christmas Festivities Continued... }

This past week we took Eisley to see Santa Claus. I really just wanted a picture. Luckily we were one of the first people in line, cause once the mall doors opened it started to fill up fast!

She looked like a little elf for her picture with her Yoda ears and all. If I wasn't being so lazy, I'd go scan and post the actual photo we bought. But for now this will have to do.

On Sunday we had our annual Bake & Take party, see how enthusiastic Bea was about it?

We made pecan sandies, fudge, peanut butter blossom cookies, and good old classic sugar cookies. Ayla and Indy happily obliged to decorate them.

They made decorated the cookies so beautifully while me and my martini watched.

On Monday night, we invited Justin's family over to have dinner with us, because the holidays always feel so rushed and every year it seems we don't get together enough.

Eisley was in a good mood.

This picture makes me laugh so hard... I don't know why I'm making that face?

Andy tried to eat Eisley. Don't worry, we stopped him.

Next weekend we have Justin's company Christmas party *and* the Nutcracker. I really like having lots of Christmas activities. It's nice for the holiday season to have lots of good times, not just celebrating on the one day.

4 Months

This past Monday my baby girl turned 4 months old. She's only going to live 4 months two more times until she's a year! (This is always how I think of things.)

We took her to the doctor on her 4 month birthday. She checked out GREAT and handled her second DTaP like an old pro. We've been so fortunate to have been given a healthy baby girl. I realized this especially the other day when I came across a website I saw once before. It's for a program called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (or NILMDTS). It's a program run by photographers who go - at any hour of day or night - to take keepsake pictures of parents with babies who didn't stay long on this earth. Reading all the testimonials from the parents made me cry. Justin then scolded me for looking at it.

But it hit me hard, again. Not only is Eisley alive but she's seemingly perfectly healthy.

SIDS is so very scary to a new hover-mom like myself. I wake up a few times each night frantically searching for signs of life in my baby. I'm slightly consoled by the fact that she's now 4 months, as the majority of SIDS deaths occur between 2 & 4 months of age. But then again she can roll now.

But it's part of my job to protect and watch over my children. It's a mother's nature. I remember Luna when she had her kittens, she became a different cat. She meant business every time we took one of her kittens to hold, she'd follow us and pick up the kitten in her mouth and bring it back to her nest, safe and sound. She also tried to kill my dog once when she got to close to the kittens. That was an interesting night... poor Bella.

Yes, like most mammal mothers, I take my job of protecting Eisley very seriously. But I also constantly worry that I'm not doing a good enough job. And I also don't want to give her a complex. How do you watch over your child effectively without being too paranoid and making them fearful and dependent? It's a fine line to walk. Ugh.

{ My Favorite Things }

I've really been enjoying the holiday season this year, more than I'd anticipated. I think having a daughter is making it a little more special.

Here's what's making me so happy:

Having friends over for dinner. Justin's employers gave him a "holiday ham" (I was annoyed that he didn't chose the turkey, hehe) so I tried a recipe from Martha's Holiday Magazine and we invited Peter and Angela to have dinner with us. It was a really nice evening. Even though I burnt the carrots.

Justin is taking me to the Nutcracker! We could only afford the $13 nosebleed tickets to a Sunday matinee, but I've been DYING to go for like 5 years. Just ask him, I beg him every Christmas to take me to the Nutcracker. The Colorado Ballet does a fantastic job on their Nutcracker. It's one of the best in the country. I'm SO excited!
I get to buy presents for my child! My parents always loved giving us gifts. My mom wouldn't let us into the family room on Christmas morning until she was present to see our faces light up. For the first time in my life, I got to buy my daughter a Christmas present. She'll have no idea that she's even been gifted this year, she's only going to be 4 1/2 months old, but it's exciting for ME. I got her this musical star stacking toy:

Hanging out with family. Sure, we do it all year. But the holidays make it especially special.
Cozy winter afternoon naps.
Hanging the mistletoe. Okay, so this has been up since last year, I'm afraid to admit. I promise to take it down this year.
Sending Christmas cards.
Receiving Christmas cards.
Cozy cuddly babies...
during an afternoon snowfall!
Decking the halls. Fa lalalala. Sparkly poinsettias from Walmart.
Friends coming to visit. Specifically my mom's best friend Leo, and her husband George, who live in a quaint town in Kansas. Aren't they cute?
Eisley found a pal in George.

Decorating my mantle. This is the one time of year we get to be totally extravagant and overdo it with our glittery decor. And the tree, of course. I have inherited some of my dad's 1950's ornaments. They're delightfully old. But even if none of that existed, the best part is celebrating the season with my family. Exactly a year ago that little girl was just a tiny tiny cluster of cells in my body.
Christmastime will forevermore remind me of the joyous news of Eisley. Even though I didn't know her yet. I knew of her.
Merry Christmas.

{ A Pretty Thing }

Thanks to Rachel over at One Pretty Thing {LOVE that site} for featuring my wreath from my Lark & Lola Idea Blog! I was so excited to see it on there. ;-)

I love One Pretty Thing because it features new crafts and tutorials EVERY DAY. That's just my kind of site...

{ Christmastime }

Christmastime is here! We got our tree up this past weekend. Didn't go with a color scheme or anything this year. It reminds me of the trees my family always had when I was growing up. I call them "homey Christmas trees". I think they're nice.

AND I made a wreath today! I love it. Ready more about how I did it at my other blog, Lark & Lola.