Christmas 2010

Just a quick note, we had a great weekend with family. Bummed we didn't make it to Iowa yet again due to snowy weather, but Champaign was great. As long as we are surrounded by family we are celebrating the holiday the way it should be. Opening presents in pajamas, a movie Christmas day, and family games that night. So fun. Rogan has had a cold, and is cutting his EIGHTH tooth. So he was an early riser this weekend (4am, then 3:45am). But we all took it in stride, and seeing Rogan smile and laugh at his new toys was such a joy for me as my first Christmas as a mom.

We are back home now, shoveled the 5 inches of snow we got while we were away, and have unloaded the car. Next needs to be laundry and cleaning. Our house looks like it threw up. There are clothes and toys everywhere! And in 48 hours we will pack up again and head south for Christmas #2 with the Jackson's. Ryan and I also get a rare treat and are going to spend New Years Eve in downtown St. Louis kid-free.

Christmas Morning #2

Swaying back and forth, music and dancing is a big thing for him right now.

Christmas Morning #1

Rocking out to the new beats!

The Throw-up Cough

Rogan has had a winter cough for a week or so. I THINK it's getting better. It's really wet and he's definitely coughing some of the phlem up and getting it out of his lungs. BUT this has created the throw-up cough. He coughs just enough to get phlem to lodge at the top of his throat and then he gags, and, well, you know the rest. Poor little guy! I feel so bad for him. Thank goodness it's only happened twice, and Rogan doesn't really seem to mind. It's only when I strip him down after that he has something to say about it.

First time was Tuesday night... after he ate dinner. Thank goodness Ryan got home shortly after so that he could give Rogan a bath and I could clean up the blueberry applesauce that was all over the carpet. :)

Second time was this morning. We just went downstairs to have him morning bottle. So thankgoodness it was basically just a lot of spit up. He still got my leg pretty good, though.

Hoping that we are on the tail end of this. We are supposed to head to Iowa to visit my dad's side of the family tomorrow morning for the weekend. My grandmother has pristine white carpet... please please lets not ruin it.

Adventures in parenthood continue....

I'll close this post with one of the cutest things. We've entered the age where he's doing what he's not supposed to be doing, and he knows it. He wasn't in any real danger, so I snapped a picture before pulling him out of his old baby carrier. we call this face "BUSTED".

Christmas Cookies in the Jackson House

(To the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas)
7 Boba Fetts, 6 Darth Vaders.... FIIIIIIVE YODA HEADS!!!!

One Week til Christmas!

well, I guess it's a week until Christmas Eve, but still, that counts in my book! We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Organizing, packing, shopping, wrapping, etc.

Very excited to see both sides of the family between now and 2011. I hope everyone is ready to have a little rooster live with them for a bit! Rogan wakes up every morning between 5-6am!!! We're trying to work on it so that he sleeps til 6:30 or 7... but it's like he has a little alarm clock in him or something!

Rogan's Visit to Santa

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Countdown to Christmas!!??

So much to do, so little time!! AAACK! Where does the time go? Wasn't it just Thanksgiving? Regardless, with less than 2 weeks to Christmas there is so much to do!

Am I finished shopping?? No.
Is the Christmas tree up? No. (primarily because I think Rogan will attack all lights and ornaments, but I AM PUTTING IT UP TONIGHT).
Have we gone to see Santa? No.
Have I wrapped gifts? (Seeing that I'm not even done shopping this answer should be obvious.)
Have I baked the cookies I will need for Thursday at work? No.

Good news is the house is in decent shape and we have very little planned for this week/weekend so we should be able to get it all done with little stress.

In Rogan news: he's started standing on his own! Or rather he lets go of whatever he's holding onto and then uneasily stands there for 2 seconds before he lands on his butt. But it's really cute.

UPDATE: Going to see Santa tonight... hoping Rogan likes him.

It's Just Me and the Bull

Ryan's off to Missouri this afternoon. He'll only be gone 48 hours or so, not a big deal. So it's just me and Rogan... the bull. No one ever mentions that 9 month olds are like bulls in a china shop. People talk about how colic is rough, you don't get any sleep the first 3 months, teething, no one ever mentions the time period where kids are fully mobile yet cannot understand the words "no" and "come here". My goodness. Rogan is also a bull due to his stubborn determination to accomplish what he wants. Whether it's climbing the stairs (supervised the whole way of course, and yes, he can get all the way up in about 30 seconds), or reaching a toy that's too high, he will not stop until he succeeds.

Last night Rogan used a toy as a step stool for the first time. He has a green dragon that's about 12 inches high that was pushed up against his toy table. His rings were on top of the table, so he scaled the dragon to pull them down. And he did it! It was one of those moments where I was thinking "uh-oh, this could be bad, he could fall, should I go help?" so I was there to "catch", but let him do it. he seemed to be very proud of himself. He then played with the rings for 10 seconds until he crawled off to his next adventure, and I followed right behind.

9 Month / Holiday Pics

We took pictures today. Both to remember Rogan as a 9 month old and for our holiday card. Even though he was tired (he'd just spent an active hour at our church nursery laughing and playing the whole time), he was a trooper and we got some good pics. Here are a few:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!