Merry Christmas!

I like Christmas...a lot. So adding the sweetness of a 5 1/2 month old to this one made it even better. We loved having extended time off of work to spend time as our own little family and traveling to see both of our families. Teagan was a trooper with all the shuffling we had to do between Christmas Eve service, my family Christmas, and then driving to Columbia that night so we could be at the McGuire's Christmas morning. I was a little nervous when she was refusing to sleep at first, but she proved to be the champ that she is and ended up doing great. She was a little extra smiley as soon as she woke up, so she must have known that it was Christmas.

And now for the picture overload to help sum up our holiday...

making Christmas cookies! 

 ...this might seem like a random picture, but this was right after she ROLLED OVER! That's right people, we may be a little later than other babes, but it happened before 6 months. Yipee! More about this to come later in her 6 month post. 

playing with Nana

completely melts me anytime she falls asleep in my arms. love.it.

crazy cousins wearing coordinating hats. of course. 

 love.this.

 ...our attempt at getting Cayden in a picture with the girls. He might be what we call...'determined'. :)

...umm T, we're going to need to talk. 

T offering Caroline one of her fingers. sweet cousins. 

We all bundled up and headed to Lights of the South for a hayride, hot chocolate, and some good ole fashion family fun. 

can you tell who was sipping on some hot chocolate??

Patrick videotaping our family picture on the hayride. that makes sense. :)

I think they like each other. 

the girls in Cinderella's carriage 

 

more presents! 

she likes when she sees those letters.  

 She loves her Laugh and Learn puppy! 

The McGuires have made it a tradition to go to Christmas Eve service with my family and our little family party after. Love being able to have both of our families together. 

my Uncle Jack/"Papa Jack"

because it's funny and i can. :)

seesters. 

She's just ready to go to bed so Santa can come. 

 2 of Patrick's favorite things...gift cards and coupons. Happy boy. 

I think the award for best reaction to a present goes to Cayden. He tried to be polite and give Nana and Papa hugs and thanks, but he couldn't get back to his presnt fast enough! 

carrying Jake and the Neverland Pirates in his giant gift bag

Christmas morning!!! Love, love, love. 

T giving me a hug...sweetest thing. 

wishing she could have some of her Pappy's pancakes but settling for bananas instead. :)

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it or not, but I.love.this.girl. 

checkin out the belly

Teagan loves her Uncle Joe

 

 more presents for T! 

Mammy helping Teagan pout...we had to take a little break from opening presents for a bottle. 

one of her newest tricks

getting a little brave

I think we might need some lessons on how to be a lady. 

Back at home for more presents 

totally unimpressed with the bath toys.  

...and this is how we feel about our Christmas and break being over. 

Santaaa! I know him, I know him!

Teagan got to meet Santa today! After an hour long wait and a sweet girl starting to turn grumpy, we finally got to see him. Other than not giving a good smile, she did pretty good. And now the pictures...

In my opinion, all the workers should be in elf attire. just sayin. :)

giving T talks about how she can't be grumpy for Santa

 Santaaa!!!! 

not smiling, but at least there were no tears 

Merry Christmas to all! 

caught on camera :)

We finally got a really good laugh out of Teagan! Up until this point it had only been little chuckles. This one was even long enough to get 2 videos. It is our favorite sound, and we'll do just about anything to hear it...as you can see in the video. Patrick says he's not sure which is funnier-me acting ridiculous for her or Teagan's laugh. I could watch these over and over.

happy 5 months!

Sweet T, each time I sit down to reflect on the last month I have the same thoughts...that time is moving by too quickly, that you continue to get sweeter and sweeter, and that we love you more with each day. You are quite the content little girl-happy to be sitting, laying on your back, or playing with your toys. You don't seem to have a fear of strangers yet and are okay with other people holding you. You do however reserve your smiles for special people or when something is actually funny. We joke that you like to give the "you're crazy" look most of the time. And I guess we probably are when we are singing, dancing, and talking in silly voices for you. You have given us a few hardy laughs and we absolutely love the sound of it and can't wait for more. You've also learned to sit on your own! ...still not rolling over, but you do like sitting. And you're getting a little better at it each day... but for now, I don't go too far away when you're sitting for fear that you'll fall and hurt yourself. You seem to love shiny things and if all else fails to get you to look at the camera, my watch normally works. For a little while you had this little trick of gurgling, and if we'd gurgle back at you, you'd gurgle again in response. It was so fun, like we were communicating in a secret language. But for some reason, like many other tricks that you've learned, you do it a lot at first and then put it to rest for a little while. Your new obsession is your feet. They are your favorite toy, and you've even managed to get those little piggies to your mouth. Speaking of other toys, you've started to notice them more and more and have learned how to play with "Waud L. Duck" by pulling on him as he vibrates back up and you do it again. He frustrated you to no end at first when you were figuring it out, but then you got the hang of it and seem to really enjoy him.

You are a growing girl! You're now in size 3 diapers and the 3-6 month clothes are nearing their end. I even cried the other day leaving Carter's because they didn't have another one of my favorite pair of your pjs in the next size up. I even searched Amazon and eBay. true story. maybe not my finest moment... You've also just gone down to eating 4 times within the last couple of weeks. You get rice cereal and fruit in the morning with your milk and veggies and fruit in the evening with your "dinner" milk. You've tried sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, and bananas. You seem to like them all, however I'm thinking you might like the bananas best. You're out of your swaddle and sleeping so good for us. We have to wake you up on weekdays when it's time for us to go to work, but on the weekend you'll often sleep from 8pm-8am...sometimes even a bit later. You also do this adorable thing where you 'hum' yourself to sleep. It is absolutely precious.

Five Month Firsts & Fun

Happy First Thanksgiving! 

Sitting up! 

First time playing with the Christmas lights...so fun! 

Your gift from Mammy and Pappy came early...you love sitting in your Anywhere Chair! Thank you Mammy and Pappy! 

You mean to tell me this little red nose is supposed to guide Santa's sleigh in the middle of the night?

 not screaming...that's progress. :) 

Your Auntie Rins came in to babysit you when mommy and daddy had a Christmas party to go to. You both put on some festive wear to celebrate too. We love you Auntie Rins. 

We had a really fun time at our party, but it was the first time mommy ever missed your bed time. :( Your Auntie Rins made me promise I wouldn't cry at the party. 

You love your fruits and veggies! 

...and kisses and snuggles from your dad! 

Your new favorite toy! :) 

You've even learned how to get them to your mouth...oh dear! 

trying out a new hairstyle :) 

Playing at Mrs. Stacey's house...she does a very good job at sending your mommy pictures of you during the day! 

5 month photoshoot 

Comparison Pictures

We love you sweet one! And as much as I wish time would slow down, each new month with you continues to bring us greater joy. I'm so happy God chose me to be your mommy.