The Merriest Christmas Birthday Yet

Christmas Day is always incredibly special to us, and for good reason. It's the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, above all... and boy do we celebrate. I am also fortunate enough to have a birthday on this day, and who wouldn't want to share a birthday with the biggest celeb of all time? I mean He is the reason we're here and saved, after all! This year Christmas brought even more joy than it normally does with the addition of our little man to share it with, and we loved every second of watching the celebration through his eyes. While he is still too little to really understand the significance, there was no denying the joy that circulated with every piece of wrapping paper torn and every box opened! We were with my family in San Antonio for the holiday this year, and it was so fun to see everyone's excitement as Hayes Man experienced his first Christmas. We began the festivities with the Christmas Eve candlelight church service that we always attend, where Hayes had to step out of the sanctuary due to his inability to contain his excitement to praise our Lord. :) His daddy reported that he raised his hands and yelled at the beginning of every new song as they listed from the sound-proof barrier of the "cry room".  We returned home after church for the yummy traditional tamale and chocolate cake dinner, followed by birthday presents, a good night's sleep and... drum roll, please... Santa's arrival on Christmas Morning! A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let them do the talking now!
 

 The best gifts a girl could ever ask for.

All dressed up for Christmas Eve candle light service... and our obligatory girl pic!

 Rio even got in on the Christmas action. He is our first born, after all.

 The loot!

 Stocking time

 Big boy in his new chair

  

"All done" with Christmas presents! (For now)

 I know his daddy hates this ensemble, but I can't get enough. Too precious for words, people.

 Aunt Nanny was clearly sharing in the excitement

 Okay, I've been good all year. Can I be a little naughty now? Or at least make a face?

 

 
 All dressed up and ready to begin the Tour of Texas. Christmas #3 and #4-- here we come!

Just the Four of Us

Once the Christmas festivities began, I was beyond excited to celebrate our first Christmas as a family of four (yes, Rio is included in that count). We opened presents on Sunday before Christmas due to the fact that we left for San Antonio on Monday, but it felt just as festive as if Santa had come on Christmas Day itself. Santa arrived during Hayes Man's nap, and he woke up to lots of fun treasures. I'm not sure who was more excited though-- Hayes or Rio, because Rio also jumped up and down with excitement upon receiving his stocking. If only we all got so excited about tennis balls and a raw hide bone, huh? We had so much fun exchanging gifts with our new little family, and while I've always been a lover of all things Christmas, it is even more special and fun now that I have an itty bitty to share it with!

"Now we're talking... books!" 

(a true product of a family full of educators and I couldn't be more proud!)

 Hayes gifted Daddy with his own Moscow Mule making kit. Isn't he thoughtful?

 Sunglasses, a purse, boots and wine. What more could a girl want?

 

Somebody wasn't so thrilled about his rocking giraffe at first... but after a few tries he decided it was okay after all!

Christmas in Harlingen

The weekend before Christmas, we were excited to get a mini-celebration with the Johnson side of the fam. This was our year to be with my family, so when we found out Katie, Jason and the girls would be coming down for us to all get together before we left for our "Tour of Texas" we were thrilled at the chance to celebrate with ALL of our family instead of just some! Plus, it was fun to watch Hayes interact with his cousins during his first experience opening Christmas gifts. I don't know who was more excited about it-- him or his mommy. :) MiMi and Pappaw spoiled us all, and we had fun hanging out and kicking off our holiday celebrations!

 "Come on, Lila. We hug for the camera!"

 Cody with the cousins

 "Okay, I posed. Now where's some wrapping paper for me to rip?"

 Nothing sweeter than precious babies in matching Christmas PJ's

 

MiMi and Pappaw gave Hayes his very own little red wagon. He loved it!

 Box = endless entertainment.

Pretty satisfied with the aftermath of his first round of Christmas!

10 Months!

 

"Sure, I'll give you my best smile. But I want you to know how much I dislike this photo shoot, too."

 

Hayes turned 10 months old on December 11th! At this time last year I would daydream about what it would be like to have our little man to celebrate the Christmas festivities, and I can't believe that time has arrived. We don't have accurate stats this time around, but here's the run down on this oh-so precious baby boy...

Weight: About 23 pounds. This boy is solid and Mommy's biceps are living proof!

Height: About 28 inches

Loves: Above all, Hayes Man has developed quite the affinity for standing! He loves to pull up on our hands or the nearest sturdy table or piece of furniture and stand so tall. He is also working on his steps and can walk while holding our hands. He walked all of the way from our room to the kitchen to see his daddy the other morning, and we were quite impressed with his stamina! Hayes still loves Rio, and will occasionally sneak him a piece of whatever he is eating at dinner time. Rio has become quite fond of his smallest master, too, needless to say!

Sleep: I'm sad to say that our championship sleeper has regressed slightly in the sleep department this month, probably due to being sick and having his routine shaken up a little with Thanksgiving week, Mommy and Daddy having to work late, attend Christmas parties, etc. Poor guy! He has decided that he likes to sleep on a belly for a least a portion of the night, but don't dare try to place him there bc he will do it himself! Hayes also prefers to put his own paci in his mouth these days, and will flail and yell if we try to do it when he wakes during the night. He has recently determined that he prefers Mommy and Daddy's king sized bed to his crib (I mean, can you really blame him?), so he has slept with us a little more than I would like to admit this month. You do what you gotta do for sleep, people! For the most part he still sleeps well and is taking two naps just over an hour during the day. We just have a few kinks to work out to eliminate the middle of the night wakeups and need for mommy snuggles that are happening at the moment. I would be lying if I said I didn't love those snuggles though and I know one day soon I will be missing them! He is so sweet when I pick him up from his crib and puts his arms around my neck and squeezes SO tight. Melts my heart everytime! I'm sure the sleep routine won't improve much with all of our upcoming Christmas travel, but I suppose things could always be worse. Now if someone could procure me a coffee IV, I would be eternally grateful. :)

Food: This month Hayes has been quite the adventurer when it comes to trying new foods, and he has become a pro at feeding himself. We started to introduce more table foods this month and he is doing great with them. He especially loves chicken, cheese, french fries and sweet potato fries and beet pancakes (thanks Aunt Katie for the tip!). He still isn't the biggest fan of his green veggies, but see below for Mommy's strategy on getting him to eat them! We had our first Thanksgiving feast and LOVED all things turkey and mashed potatoes, but I can't say that is at all surprising. I mean, who doesn't love that stuff? It is definitely getting easier to feed this boy now that he can eat what we're eating a lot of the time! I am still making baby food purees for him to eat at school and some at home, and he is a big fan of beets these days, as evidenced by the pancakes. Hayes is also still taking 4-5 6 oz bottles during the day and drinking his sippy cup with water at meal time. This boy still loves to eat!

Personality: Hayes Man is independent and fearless with a capital F! He can frequently be found diving forward off of his rocking chair, Mommy and Daddy's bed, the lap of an innocent bystander, the couch... basically anything that sits high off the ground. He love to swing, but it must be high or don't even waste his time (his facial expression says it all, trust me). Hayes is still the sweetest boy around, and loves to give big, open mouthed slobbery kisses and big, big squeezes. He is still Mama's boy, but often calls for DaDa, especially when he wakes up in the morning. (I think he's learning the routine, as DaDa is usually the one who gets him from his crib for breakfast!) Hayes loves to laugh and squeal, especially toward the end of meal times. He is quite the entertainer and will make the goofiest face where he squinches up his mouth, nose and eyes and then breathes really hard out of his nose. He also loves to "cluck" with his tongue and still gives the best raspberries around. He is quickly becoming a little mime and can repeat back pretty much any noise we throw at him. His laughter is contagious and he seems to have the same effect on Mama as Pops when he gets going with his little giggle... Mama can't stop laughing! Hayes also prefers to be the star of the show, and when in a group of family members if someone is telling a story he will stand up and yell at the top of his lungs to be sure his story is heard, too. (I have no idea where he gets that! Haha.) This boy couldn't be more fun, and we are just loving all of the new things he continues to learn and do daily.

Dislikes: Poor Hayes Man experienced his second bout of sickness when the stomach flu hit him and Daddy the week before Thanksgiving. He was not a fan. He also still doesn't love his green veggies, but Mommy is extra sneaky and purees them with bananas and it sure does the trick! Hayes also still could do without being held down on the changing pad and definitely prefers to get dressed in his bedroom floor these days. Hayes still isn't the biggest fan of being on his belly or crawling for that matter, but he has master the art of the backwards army crawl and can do it across an entire room. He has recently started to sleep on his tummy more, so perhaps we are making progress in this department. Only time will tell! One thing that Hayes also really, really does not like is being alone. This boy is super social and will completely melt down if he is left in a room alone for too long. He can handle a few minutes of alone time, but definitely prefers to be where the action is. I would have to say he comes by that naturally, too!

Oh, you know, just checking out the Victoria's Secret catalog with Pops. Raise 'em right, start 'em young.

 

Buddies!

 

Pretty sure there's nothing cuter than a baby boy in overalls. Nothing.

We love our Hayes Man more than words and just know the next month is going to bring us even more fun and adventure!

Hey, Santa!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Hayes had the pleasure of meeting the man in the red suit for the very first time. Like most babies, he wasn't super impressed with the whole experience, but Mommy and Daddy were just impressed that he didn't enter full-on meltdown mode upon taking his place on Santa's lap!We had even more fun because Addie and Lila were there to join Hayes in a picture. I do have to say that Bass Pro Shop's Santa was legit-- he even had a strategy to get the best picture possible with minimal crying.  Gotta love a Santa with heart and experience!

 As if this time of year wasn't already wonderful enough, there is just something about adding the wonder and joy of experiencing it through the eyes of a child to it that makes it even more amazing! We couldn't be more thankful for the precious gift of our little Hayes Man and are so excited to watch him celebrate his first Christmas in just a couple of weeks!

 "Do I have to, Mom?"

"So you're that Santa guy they've been telling me about."

 "If I'm going to sit in your lap, I guess we should at least get acquainted first."

 Cousin love-- can't beat it.

 Pure joy!

 Hayes and Pappaw had to take a pic outside of their go-to place for hunting and fishing supplies. Something tells me we'll frequent this place even more than we already do one day soon...

 Family pic with Santa

MiMi and Pappaw's little rays of sunshine!