Z's Second Snow

Z would not believe us if we told him that it never snows in Alabama. He has now seen the snow twice in his short life! This time it was on Christmas, which is even MORE rare! We had such a wonderful break (and it's not over yet). We lounged around, watched movies, ate a ton, shopped, and opened lots of presents (mostly from the Gax side of the family). It was fun to see Z rip into the presents.

 This is what happens when I hold a ball or something up really high or say, "where's the light?" He looks straight up instead of at the camera, which is what I'm going for

Z is officially walking all over the house all the time now. It's quite funny to watch him take off into another room on a whim (wonder what he's thinking), and so far he's not too into stairs, however, there will likely be baby gate in our near future.

(Z looks like he's winking in the last picture, but actually, his right eye is a little swollen. He woke up Christmas Eve with drainage in both eyes. That day, the left was a little worse, but now the right side is worse. We've been putting Antibiotic ointment on them, and I think it is improving. Poor baby, there's nothing he hasn't had!)

Special Delivery

Imagine my surprise when I opened a package from the North Pole with this inside.

I hope everyone gets everything on their list this year! Best wishes to all for a blessed holiday season from the Gax's!

Family Story in Pictures

Last weekend we had a surprise visit from my sister and her family. I was really excited to see Z interact with his cousin Adam, who is only 4 months older than him, but it turned out he had more fun with my almost 5 year old niece AG! Let me explain

Adam and Z sizing each other up

You're right, you should have the big truck because you're bigger, I'll take the little one

 This is my busy box, I love it more than life itsel... okay, I'll show you how it works, just hold on

 Oh, wait wait um, that's my, um okay I guess you can have that too...

 

Z: Oh no you didn't...

Now let's begin with his interactions with AG

Hey AG, want to join me for a wagon ride?

 Sure, I'll bring the puffs

 Oh AG! puffs are my favorite!

Hey Jido, we are loving some puffs and this ride, spectacular

AG: Z, you are so funny, I'm taking a little break from the wagon, but I'll be right back okay

Z: hehe, okay, hehehe

 Can you blame him?

We had a great time with Adam and AG as well as the rest of the family, always fun to get together!

Movin On Up

Well, I just found out yesterday that Z is moving up to a new classroom in January. I was not prepared for that information at all. We have been through a lot with his I3 teachers. We have worked through sleeping issues, started table foods, crawling and walking with them. He has also been sick several times with those teachers and threw up for the first time with them. There have been many occasions where one of his teachers in particular has had to scoop his crying self up and rock him to comfort him when he hasn't felt well. Recently, we had a major fever scare, and they took such good care of him! I'm sure his I4 teachers will be great too, but I'll never forget these ladies that he's been with for the past 5 months.

Anyway, the main change is that he is going to have to sleep on a napmat. Also, information that I was not prepared for, as I have to find the best and cutest one out there and get it monogrammed in time for his first day.

Well, thank God for Amazon 2-day shipping (and that's not a plug, I get nothing for saying that). We got his really cute Stephen Joseph nap mat last week, and it should be ready to go in time. I do not see him sleeping on the floor, but I guess that's not my problem.

Anniversary

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary. Lately, these special days kindof sneak up on me, what with celebrating Z's monthly "birthday," weekly advancements (we always seem to notice some new skill on Sundays because he was born on a Sunday), upcoming well checks, etc. Basically, when you have a child, your significant milestones go out the window.

With this anniversary post there is going to be a sappy story, so if you don't care for sap, stop reading here.

Yesterday a box from Amazon with a card that read "Meant to be, Happy Anniversary" arrived on my doorstep. I instantly knew what was inside because of the reference. You see, many years ago when Nick and I were still in our courting stage (yeah, I know, but it sounds better than 'dating'), I told him how sad I was that I could not find my size in these great flats that I really wanted, and I said "Oh, well I guess it's not meant to be for me to have them." The next day, I found on my doorstep a box with a note that read "Meant to be." In it contained the exact flats I had been speaking of (in my size, I might add). In that moment, I reaffirmed that this guy was a keeper, not only was he a great listener, but he even knew how to pick out the right shoes and the right size. In case you are wondering they were studded Steve Madden flats similar to these:

The shoes I received this year that were "meant to be" were also a pair I had gently hinted to him that I liked. Leopard print danskos. He really snuck this one in on me, because I didn't think we were giving each other gifts.

The point of the story is I am very thankful to have married the most genuine, thoughtful, and loving guy in the world, and that I'm so blessed that we were "meant to be."

Haircut Part 3

Among our many activities this weekend was Z's third ever haircut. His hair was getting a little out of control and beginning to resemble an Alabama Shag/Justin Bieber. That was not the look we were going for. We went to SuperCuts, and I couldn't believe how well he did! He just had this look on his face, like "okay lady, do what you gotta do." His new do makes him look like such a big boy!

Holi-days.

Z loves hanging by the tree. He exclaims "bahhh, bahhh" pretty loudly, pretty much anytime he sees ornaments, but particularly the ones on the tree. Our mantle has recently become even more decorated with our stockings and presents! The wagon is from Aunt Talia. We can't wait to break it out.

 

I attempted to get some pictures of Z by the tree in his little reindeer outfit (this was the night of my staff party), but as usual, things didn't go as planned. 

Thank goodness the ornaments are shatter proof

I'm not looking at the camera...

Even Nick couldn't get him to look at the camera

The week before we were in Sylacauga for my dad's staff party. My parents got some QT with Z and also some cute pictures like the following:

Happy Holidays 2010!

It's official, the cards are out. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season! 

 Love, the Gax's!

Trained

One of the freedoms I was most reluctant about relinquishing when I got pregnant was my ability to go shopping on a whim and stay for as many uninterrupted hours as I wanted. It had previously been my much needed "me time." I think it's fair to say that I at least tried to fully realize how much that aspect of my life would change. I distinctly remember going shopping for 6 hours straight when I was about 7 months pregnant, just because I could. Also, I went to the mall after almost every OB appointment and would sometimes just sit and watch the other moms pushing their strollers or feeding their kids Chick Fil-A trying to imagine myself with this additional responsibility.

The first few months of Z's life were shaky at best in terms of outings. Also fresh in my memory was a particular outing to Brookwood mall that ended abruptly when Z "expressed" his strong desire to leave. I bailed, before seeing the first pair of shoes.

I couldn't let that stop me forever. So I decide to attack it methodically. I began to slowly reintroduce him to what had previously been my second home. First, I tried wearing him in the sling. I usually had to vigorously walk for a while first to get him to fall asleep, but once asleep, I was free to do as I wished. Of course, this seriously inhibited my ability to try anything on, eat, or really stop walking for more than just a couple of seconds, and I had to be ready at any time to bail if he woke up or got hungry, but I was at the mall, and to me that was enough. Then, he began to warm up to the idea of being in the stroller. With that, we started going for 30 minutes or an hour at a time, and he actually began appreciating all of the sights and sounds. Before long, we were consistently enjoying our shopping time, me browsing, him riding in his stroller. He's never been too fond of the dressing room, so I still wasn't able to try anything on or buy much, but it was beginning to regain the joy that it had previously had for me.

These days, not only do we go, but we try on, and we buy (only occasionally). People even stop us and comment on how good he is. To which, I usually respond, "He's been trained (and believe me, it wasn't easy)."

How far we have come...

Deck The Halls

We were really excited to decorate the house for the first time ever this year. This is a first for us for several reasons, but mainly because this is our first house. Because of Z's fascination with lights and balls, we knew that whatever we did involving those two things were surely be a big hit, and we were right.

While we don't "celebrate" Christmas in the traditional sense, we felt it would be important (not to mention fun) to recognize it for Z's sake and to make memories that we can reflect back on one day.

Since we have never decorated before, we had A LOT of stuff to buy and AN INSANE AMOUNT of work to do to get the house up to snuff for both our standards and that of the neighborhood. We definitely have more work and shopping to do, but I think we did pretty good for just one weekend of shopping and decorating. Oh, and we really enjoyed it too. Here are a few pics.

A Thanksgiving Miracle, Part 2

Last year on Thanksgiving, Z slept through the night for the first time. It was a wonderful day that I'll never forget. This year, he took his FIRST STEPS on Thanksgiving Day. I mean, the boy can perform.

My family went to Pensacola for Thanksgiving, but since Nick has been working so much lately, we decided to forgo the family trip and stick around the house and catch up on stuff. We were fortunate to get invited to our friend's house for an amazing Thanksgiving lunch and spent the day with them and their families. Everybody was so sweet to Z, and he was loving all of the attention. Nick just stood him up for a second and he took the plunge. He probably took 4 or 5 steps then lunged forward into Nick's lap. Then he did it a few more times after that. By Sunday, he was standing up by himself and taking a few steps. Here comes the fun, but let's be honest, it's been a while coming...

The Great Outdoors

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful neighborhood. We have thoroughly enjoyed discovering the lakes and play areas within the 'hood, and this past weekend we even discovered a little walking trail just outside of it. We try to get out there as much as possible, and if it were up to Nick, we'd be out there all the time! He gets really excited whenever he spots a turtle or sees little minnows swimming around in the lake. I'm sure Z will be a nature nerd just like him.

Nick wore Z for our little nature hike, just as a little reminder the good ol' days. Although it may not look like it, he actually really liked it and fell asleep on the way back (with the sleep hood on, of course).

Note to self: it's not too late to wear Z in places like malls and such, where navigating a stroller is a big pain...

The ducks and geese were out when we hung out near the lake the day before. We fed them some of Z's crackers, but we were a little stingy with them as they were organic and not the cheapest...

All of these pics were taken with an iphone. Including the following, which I think is rather impressive (my dad took it, so I'm not just tooting my own horn, here).

Friday in the Fall

This Friday, Z and I went outside for a bit to enjoy the weather. It was a little steamy for Fall, but we enjoyed being outside. Then, we drove to Homewood and went shopping with my mom. Nick and I ate dinner with my parents then went to Harry Potter that night with some of our friends, while they stayed with Z. All in all, it was a great day off and a fun evening.

I took a few pictures outside, but it was quite difficult to get him to look at the camera.