A Season of Firsts

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and many other belated greetings from the Miller home to yours. The month of December completely flew by, filled to the brim with many fun and some not-so-fun firsts for our little family. Our theme song for this season should have been "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." Shortly after we returned from our Thanksgiving ventures in VA, Jake began the arduous process of cutting his first two bottom teeth. Gnawing on fingers, a favorite pasttime of our sweet little (monster?), turned into a quest for relief from the pain by biting fingers and any other body part that we dared allow Jake to shove in his mouth. I know, he's trying to soothe an aching mouth, but it hurts!

The snow accumulation and winter storms we've had here in NY don't even begin to measure up to that experienced by friends and family on the West Coast, so I won't make the comparison. It was, however, the first time Jake saw, tasted, and felt snow. The flakes were gigantic the day we took him outside and it was coming down so heavily that you could hardly see the sky.

This was, of course, Baby's First Christmas. Being only 5 1/2 months old, the bigger people in the family most surely enjoyed the special first much more than the Baby did. The Grandparents on both sides expressed their spoiling rights/privileges, as said grandchild surely cleaned up in the toy/book/clothes department! Jacob was surrounded by both sets of doting grandparents on Christmas, as Nana and Papa (my parents) flew out from Washington to join us for a week and spend the holiday here in NY. We took the train into Manhattan to see the grandeur of the City Lights and the spectacular Christmas displays, and I think we were all tuckered out from the hustle and bustle of walking through New York City. We are so glad to have been surrounded by both our loving families and our friends this season and are grateful for the memories associated with the photographs that we're sharing from our Christmas Season in 2008.

Thanksgiving in Irvington

We spent our first Thanksgiving with baby in Irvington, VA with my grandparents, uncles, aunt, & cousins. It was wonderful to see loved ones that I don't see often enough, and to introduce everyone to the newest member of the family. As always, the vacation came to an end way too quickly.

Gratitude

Recession. Economic downturn. The current financial state of our country. There's no doubt that most everyone reading this is experiencing economic hardship in some form or another. My guess is that with such a rain cloud hanging over our heads, its easy to focus on the negative; it's what is right in the forefront. We can't do this...How are we going to afford that?... Somebody I know recently said that it's hard to be thankful when there's so much suffering in the world. I can understand the sentiment, but at the same time all I have to do is look around me to see how truly blessed I am. Thanksgiving is a reminder me to be grateful for my blessings, to "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which [God] doth bestow upon [me]."

Photo Tag

So, I've been tagged by my sister-in-law Kate to post a random picture on my computer. I'm supposed to post the 4th picture in the 4th file on my computer. Hmmm....that was a bit challenging, considering I have so many files within files (so I like a little organization, so what?) What I finally decided upon as the photo is from graduation day at Idaho State University. Wahoo! The day of liberation from my masters program had finally arrived! (Okay, so it was more like an emotional dichotomy--leaving behind so many people, memories, and experiences, both good and bad, that had completely shaped me as a person and a counselor, and exhilaration at finishing two of the hardest years of my life.) So, from left to right, meet Steve, Cindy, Mark, Brandon, Brooks, Kate, Marlene, Tanja, Cathy, Lisa, Malya, & Wendy. Good times. Glad it's over.

So, now...are you ready to play...I tag Anna, Emily, Lindsay, Maria, Holly, and anyone else who reads this and wants to play. :)

Another Milestone

The notion of eating has expanded to include a whole new dimension, as Jake's first bite of solid food occurred this morning. Yummy rice cereal (smelled like Cream of Wheat to me). He made some classic funny faces (as in "What is this stuff and what am I supposed to do with it??") but overall did a good job with it.

Surfer Dude

Keeping a small baby entertained is no easy feat, especially one that wants to go and do so much beyond his capabilities. Our little monkey fits this definition perfectly. So, sometimes we have to be creative to entertain ourselves along with our son.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

It's now official. Jake can roll over. We thought he did it about a month ago, but the doctor said it didn't count because his arm was stuck underneath him. So, last Saturday while Brian and I were eating dinner at the table, we looked over at our son who was playing on a blanket on the floor and there he was, on his tummy with both arms in front of him. He'd done it and we missed it! Oh well, Jake has made sure to impress us with his rolling abilities about 25 times a day since then. LOL :)It's crazy how fast he is developing and progressing, and how much life continues to change for us as he does so. So, check out little man Jake showing off his latest and greatest.