What a difference a year makes

Last year during the holidays, I was newly pregnant and excited about who was growing inside me. We didn't know the gender, so we called the baby "TJ." Since TJ already felt like a member of the family, I made him or her a stocking that said, "TJ" on it and I hung it from our mantel along with our stockings.

This year, things look a little different on our mantel. We know we had a beautiful baby boy and we made a stocking just for him. Also, I don't think those baby items were beneath the mantel last year either. Ha! Oh how things have changed. I think the stocking holders say it all..."JOY!"

Connor's very own stocking.

Our mantel featuring baby items.

Connor posing with last year's TJ stocking.

Goodbye TJ, hello Connor.

Funny Football

Well, I don't know if this video proves that Connor likes football or that he thinks it's ridiculous. Either way, he thinks getting a football tossed at him is hilarious. Enjoy!

Connor's First Thanksgiving

Well, we made it through Connor's first Thanksgiving without a hitch. Connor got to see lots of family. On Wednesday, Grandma Robbyn and Grandpa Don came from Amarillo. Connor got to hang out with just them Wednesday afternoon and all day on Thursday, because the rest of my family didn't arrive until Friday.

We decided to do Thanksgiving on Friday instead of Thursday, because some people were attending the Texas vs. Texas A&M football game Thursday night, and the timing just didn't seem to work. The game was certainly exciting and although the Aggies lost, I think they looked great against a challenging opponent.

Anyway, on Friday, for what we lovingly called "Tivo Thanksgiving," Grandma and Grandpa Roach arrived as did Aunt Erin, Uncle Arthur, and cousins Martin (4 1/2), Win (2 1/2), and Libby (7 months). It was fun being all together and since everyone brought something for the meal, it meant less cooking Grandma Robbyn and I had to do in advance.

The real entertainment was frying a turkey, which we all agree is the way to go. It was so moist and flavorful. I don't know if we'll ever go back to roasting a turkey after having fried turkey.

The meal itself was great and all the kiddos did very well. We started Connor in his bumbo, but he got bored of that, so he sat on my lap during dinner, but he did great. He just looked around at all the happy diners.

The house became even more festive when Arthur's parents and his sister and brother-in-law stopped by. They live very near our house, so they came by to say hi and to see Erin, Arthur, and the kids. Arthur's sister, Diva, is pregnant, so it was nice to see her baby bump and wish her good luck on the rest of her pregnancy. She is due in February so the baby will be here before they know it.

Grandma Robbyn and Grandpa Don left Saturday morning, but everyone else stayed for another day. We went to a Sugar Land park and had a blast and played a rousing game of bean bag toss. I was the undisputed Grand Champion if you can believe it.

Connor did great all weekend. I think he enjoyed watching all the activity and especially his older cousins run around. He also liked to watch his cousin Libby, who is just 2 months older than he is. It was so cute seeing them check each other out. She is already scooting forward, so Connor could learn a thing or two from her. It's not an official crawl yet, but she definitely makes forward progress, so I think that counts. Connor is still happy staying put.

The gang all left on Sunday and it was amazing how quiet the house felt. Hosting can be a little stressful at times but it's totally worth it to get to spend time with family. I'm so glad Connor will get to know both sets of grandparents and his cousins so well. That's certainly something to be thankful for.

Grandma Robbyn arrives on Wednesday and is happy to hold her sweet grandson.

It's now Grandpa Don's turn to hold Connor. He is really good with him and loves walking him around and narrating the world around him.

Wednesday evening we took a stroll to a neighborhood park and let Connor do some swinging. He doesn't seem to react to swinging, but I'm sure some day he'll love it.

Connor got to ride a little slide too.

On Thursday, before everyone arrived, we cleaned all the dishes and set the table. It's fun getting the chance to use my nice china.

I will admit, that I was proud of my hand-made floral centerpiece. Those are cranberries floating in the glass.

Connor seems to really like sitting in the grass and touching it.

Connor and Daddy playing around. Connor's being silly and sticking his tongue out.

Grandma Robbyn and Grandpa Don brought Connor an early Christmas present. It was really cute watching him rip at the paper and then proceed to chew on the tissue paper inside. I am not sure if he even noticed there was a cute Christmas bib inside. The wrapping was his favorite part.

Connor has graduated to other foods besides rice cereal. Grandma Robbyn got to feed him his carrots and rice cereal combo.

Clearly he loved it. He really seems to be a good eater.

Connor sporting his Thanksgiving "I'm Stuffed" onesie.

Grandpa Roach holds Connor for the first time after he arrives on Friday.

After the D'Andreas arrived, we got Connor (5 months) and Libby (7 months) together. It was so cute to see them check each other out. Clearly Connor is a bit bigger than Libby, but that's OK. She's a delicate little lady.

The boys outside frying a turkey. Connor was content as can be sitting in the grass watching all the action.

Lots of action in the kitchen on Friday, which was the Thanksgiving meal.

Connor was a good boy letting Mommy and the rest of the group eat in peace. Next year you can have some of this buddy. For now, let's stick with one veggie at a time.

Connor wearing his "My 1st Thanksgiving" bib. Doesn't he look like he just scarfed down a Thanksgiving meal. Those cheeks are huge.

This was his real meal. He enjoyed it. Like I said, just wait 'til next year.

On Saturday, we let the boys work off some energy at the park. Here Martin (4 1/2) is climbing on the rope tower.

Now Winnie (2 1/2) climbs the rock wall. He did it all by himself.

Connor gets in on the action on the rope bridge.

Aunt Erin really has a way of making Connor smile.

Connor and Libby hanging out. Connor was a total gentlemen and let Libby borrow his toys.

Grandma Roach gets her opportunity to snuggle with Connor.

Grandma and Grandpa help Connor and Libby hold hands.

Jeff and Winnie watch Connor bounce in his jumperoo.

Our trip to Dallas

Last Friday, Connor, Maizey and I drove to Dallas for a quick visit. Jeff was out of town so we thought we'd take a trip. It worked out that my Mom was driving to Dallas that weekend too, so we met at a location that was on the way for both of us and we rode together the rest of the way. It was a big help.

We had to stop twice on the drive in, but we made it to my friend Erin Shea's new house with fiance Jeremy. The place is great and so is the neighborhood. That afternoon we hung out and caught up.

Erin and Jeremy have a dog, so her and Maizey played together. It had rained that day so the dogs had to be inside the whole time and they ended up being more challenging than Connor. They did OK together, but they had little scuffles from time to time and Erin's dog was really interested in licking Connor. She was sweet as she could be, but we tried to keep the dog kisses to a minimum.

Connor did great and let Erin hold him a lot. She even got him to giggle at her, which he rarely does for strangers. I was happy to see it. We hung out at the house and then took a stroll around this nice pond in her neighborhood. It was really pretty and Connor and the dogs were happy to get out of the house.

That evening, I was a little nervous, because we were kind of going to mess with Connor's bedtime a bit. Erin's parents were gracious enough to let us drop him off at their house, so we could attend our friend's birthday party. That was great, but that meant we needed to drive him over there (he fell asleep in the car), set up the pack and play, wake him up and put him in his sleep sack, and lay him back down to sleep hoping he'd stay asleep. Luckily, he did.

Then I was really nervous when we came back to pick him up at midnight. This time we needed to wake him up in a sound sleep, take apart the pack and play, take him out of his sleep sack so he could have his legs in the carseat, then drive to Erin's, set up the pack and play, wake him up again when we put him in the sleep sack, and lay him back down hoping he'd fall back asleep.

He did so well. When we got him at Erin's parent's house at midnight he opened his eyes, but he didn't cry. He was just quiet and a little dazed. He fell right back to sleep in the car seat on the drive back to her house, and when I put him to bed, he fell asleep again. It was a miracle and I'm really happy he did so well with the evening disruption. He slept until 6:50AM the next morning and seemed totally fine the next day. I guess it didn't mess with him too much.

The next day, we had a lovely breakfast and another nice walk. After Connor's first nap of the day, we packed up, picked up my Mom, and headed home. Connor seemed to have a good time and although it was a little intimidating traveling with Connor alone for the first time, I think we did OK. Thanks for being such a good sport buddy.

A completely packed car for just one night. Man, babies come with a lot of stuff.

Best friend Erin Shea holds Connor as we get the grand tour of her beautiful new home.

Connor shows Erin his sitting skills on his playgym.

The dogs were both vying for Erin's attention and she did her best rubbing both of their bellies at the same time.

Having fun on our evening stroll. It was a chilly November evening so we all bundled up.

Posing in front of one of the pretty fountains that are lit up in the pond near Erin's house.

Meredith, Valerie, Molly, Birthday-Girl-Lindsay, and Erin at Lindsay's birthday bowling party.

As you can see, the lights went down and everything glowed at night.

Yes, Connor is such a man, he is already growing a mustache. Ok, maybe not, but Jeff bought this fake mustache on his trip and just had to see what Connor would look like in it. Very funny.

I think Connor likes it.

I am a man, baby. Well, maybe I'm just a baby.

I hadn't shown any photos of Connor in his big boy high chair.

Yum, I love solid food and my new high chair.

Hi, I'm 5 Months!

Connor is 5 months old today! Can you believe it?! I know I sound like a broken record, but it still is pretty amazing that he's been in our lives for 5 whole months already. As far as milestones in the past month, we've got sitting on his own and starting solid foods. Of course he still topples over from time to time, but he's getting more and more stable every day. As you can see in his 5 month photo shoot, he can even grab stuff and not fall over. He can balance all by himself.

He is also grabbing a lot more and will put anything he grabs into his mouth. He is starting to actually look at toys and enjoy them. He still giggles at our faces the most and doesn't seem to have a favorite toy, but it's cool that he's becoming more engaged in how objects move and work.

No more new teeth, but it seems like he has some days when his teeth hurt, so we shall see when those next top ones come in.

Oh and he has slept through the night a few times, but even when he doesn't, he usually goes all the way until 5 AM and then goes back to sleep until 7 AM. That's not too bad on Mommy, and I think he'll start fazing out the 5 AM wake up soon. I really don't mind when he wakes up though, because after a little snack, he goes right back to bed.

Also, after 5 months, I think he's finally starting to enjoy or at least tolerate our walks/jogs in the stroller. For a Mommy who has been walking with him nearly every day for 5 months, I'd say it's about time. Now, he's usually pretty quiet and just watches the world go by. Sometimes he gets a bit fussy, but usually he quiets down and the next thing I know he's asleep. He doesn't always sleep on our walks, but when he does I always think it's cute to turn the stroller towards me and see that round little head slumped down so his cheeks plump up even more. He's still got huge cheeks and I just love to kiss them.

He doesn't seem close to crawling, although I'll confess that we don't do tummy time as much as we probably should, since Connor still doesn't like being on his belly. He prefers lying on his back, or now sitting. When he is on his tummy, he does try to bend his knees and sort of try to scoot forward, but he doesn't really seem like he knows that the arms and legs need to work together. I'm totally fine with that, since now he stays in the same place I left him, but I'm sure I'm going to think it's adorable when he does finally crawl.

Time really does fly, especially considering next week is Thanksgiving. Wow! I love the holidays and I am just so excited for Connor to experience all of it, including all the family that gets to see him. Next week, both sets of Grandparents are coming, as well as my sister Aunt Erin, her husband Uncle Arthur, and their kids, cousins Martin, Winnie, and Libby. It should be a blast.

Before the big Thanksgiving celebration though, Connor and I are traveling to Dallas tomorrow and Saturday to visit my best friend Erin Shea at her new home. I am a little nervous about traveling without Jeff, but I think we'll do OK. Wish me luck!

Look how big I am!

I like how he looks like he's pointing to the sign in this one.

I am such a good sitter.

Oh wait, there's a piece of paper here. I think I'll grab it and...

...chew on it.

Of course I'm going to chew on it. That's my favorite pastime.

After a topple, I still manage to maintain my chewing.

As you can see, he's no longer got his dark, thick hair. Now it's light brown/blond peach fuzz.

Stay tuned for all the cool things I'm going to do this month. I'm just getting started.