Doctor's Appointment

You will all be happy to know that Drew has a clean bill of health. We went to his 4-month check up on Friday, and all is well. He weighed in at 13 lb 1 oz and 25 3/4 inches. So, he's below the 50th percentile for weight but in the 75th percentile for height. Since he's already rolling and is pretty active, chances are that he's burning more calories than most babies his age, so we'll do our best to keep fattening him up. He was a trooper and survived his shots, although he was not happy with me for a little while. He has reached all the 4-month milestones and has already hit several 5-month ones. (Yep, proud mom right here.) He gets to start on rice cereal this week, so look for some fun and messy pictures that I'll post later! He'll start on some other baby foods before too long. It's a little bittersweet that he's starting on other foods because it means that I won't be his sole source of nutrition anymore, but I'm so glad that he's healthy and grown up enough to be starting all these new fun things.

Christmas Thoughts

This Christmas I find myself thinking a lot about Mary (as in Jesus's mom). As a Southern Baptist, we tend to focus mostly on Jesus in the Christmas story. But as a new mom, I think about Mary and wonder if she had some of the same thoughts and feelings that I'm having. Did her heart leap for joy when her son smiled at her? Did she grin with pride when he reached a new milestone, like rolling over? Did she sing him songs when she changed his diapers or rocked him to sleep? I believe that while Jesus was the son of God, he was fully human, so I'm sure that like all babies, he cried when he was tired or hungry, had dirty diapers, and loved his mama. After her encounter with the angel, she probably knew that her baby's life wouldn't be the same as other children's, but I'm sure she loved on him and would have protected him from all the harm she could. So, this Christmas season, I'm seeing things from Mary's perspective. John and I know that Drew is a precious gift from God, and we thank Him for blessing us with a sweet and precious baby. While he may never perform miracles or walk on water, he is the center of our lives and we look forward to experiencing our first Christmas with him.

Travel

Oh, to be able to hop in the car and go somewhere at the drop of a hat like we used to. We have made two trips since Drew was born -- one to Amarillo in October and one to Arkansas over Thanksgiving. We leave Friday for an extended trek. We'll head to Amarillo, then John is taking a boys' ski trip to Colorado with his dad and brother, then we'll trek to Erick, then to Oklahoma City, back to Amarillo, and finally home again in a few weeks. So, you can just imagine how full our car will be. (On a side note, thank goodness for SUV's! I can't imagine trying to fit anything in John's old Mustang, and in our household, minivans are grounds for divorce.) I've already done all of our laundry -- 2 loads for Drew, 4 for me and John, and an extra load of linens. I honestly can't imagine how much laundry those families with 5 or 6 kids must do. You must have the washer and dryer going every waking moment. Maybe that's why I'm a fan of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" and "17 Kids and Counting," because it's fascinating to me how they can live a normal life with 8 or 17 kids. I guess you just redefine "normal."



Back on topic, I'm making a list of things to pack. Since John's taking his surgery board exam on Friday (say a prayer for him!), I have a feeling I'll be packing all three of us. So that includes all of Drew's stuff, all of my stuff, all of John's stuff, including ski things, all of Sadie's stuff (ok, hers is the easiest to pack), plus Christmas gifts for both families. It has taken me longer to make this list than it did to pack and load everything we took for Christmas last year. But on the bright side, Drew has lots of cute Christmas outfits so look forward to a million pictures from all the holiday festivities! Drew also has his 4-month checkup on Friday, so I'll let you guys know the latest stats.

Drew's Christmas Message

The other night I had a great chat with Drew. It started with me saying his favorite word (goo), and he decided to tell me all about life, including some little giggles and squeals. Enjoy!



A few other pictures from the last few weeks-- here is Drew after a bath. I wrapped him in his hooded towel and he was content to let me take his picture.

He would also like to thank his Great Aunt Lainie for the singing chicken. It plays "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" and is one of his favorites.


Drew is now big enough to sit in his Bumbo chair. He chilled in it for a while as I made dinner. It has a tray that attaches and I usually give him a rattle to grasp at and then promptly throw on the floor, like Sadie taught him.



Here are a few photos of Drew enjoying his jumperoo. He can't reach everything yet, but he swats at a few of the toys and has figured out that if he kicks and jumps, it lights up and plays music. Fun for everyone!