Dear Julia, You're 8 months old

Dear Julia,

You are 8 months old. Do you know how much I love you? I love your siblings too, but I love holding you. I love laying down with you. I want to take a nap with you for all of your naps. I want to wrap around you and let you prop your feet on me too. I lay with you in my arm pit or with my cheek on your head and do not want to get up even if I am not tired. You turn all of my obligations into second-- or last place. I do not want any more photo clients. I do not want to go to my dental job. I have not made play dates or gone to any. You are my only priority. I do not even brush my teeth before bed sometimes. I intend on getting up but usually leave dishes in the sink and crash. Then if I wake up before you, I don't want to get up before you wake up. 

On one hand I need to put you on a schedule for my sanity and so I do not feel guilty when leaving you with babysitters. But on the other hand, I looked up a little about baby scheduling and I do not know if it's for us. We would need to be all in, of course. And they suggest we stay home. So It is a catch 22. I want to schedule you so you will be happy for babysitters, but they say i should stay home to do it. See why I want to just stay home and not have any outside influence? 

You like to stand and hold on to us or furnature.

You like to dance. My favorite is when you stand, hold onto something and bend-straighten-bend-pop-bend-straighten-down-straighten-booty-shake-bounce with your big smile. Your sitting bounce is not as cute as when you stand. 

You were racing your cousin Scotty up grandma's stairs on Christmas. 

You like to be held. 

You have a big smile.

You like to play peek-a-boo and laugh. You also like tug-o-war. 

You cut letter F December 27th. You had a fever the next day and a snotty nose. 

Your hair is dark. Darker than your brothers. You do not like hats or headbands and pull them off. You do wear bows. 

I call you my bayyyby grrrr or bayyy-b' grrr. The "L" seems not necessary. 

You stick your pointy little tongue out now too. 

You have a cold so sometimes it is hard for you to suck on a pacifier or to nurse. 

You really like to cuddle and mostly like to stay in my arms. 

You do not like to get into your car seat but when we give you a pacifier, often turn your head to the side and close your eyes to go to sleep. When you caugh it out, you don't need it. 

Christmas 2014

Christmas morning!

Dylan woke up at about 7:30, Steven said. Thankfully, Steven had them wait to wake me up until 8 AM. Julia was still asleep so I had to wake her up so she would not miss her first Christmas.

Dylan had been allowed to look down the stairs to see the stockings but could not go all the way down. He was so excited explaining what he saw to the other kids.

He saw something wrapped in a ball shape and was certain that must be his brazuca(sp?) soccer ball. He had written a letter to Santa to ask for the World Cup soccer ball. He was sure he was going to get it. Steven went down first and got the camera.

The ball shape was Julia's present.

A slinky!

we went to mom's and to the beach afterwards. 

Hi

Christmas Eve 2014

My dad came! So did all of my step siblings! We had two separate gatherings.

The morning was relaxing. I thought I would go for a jog, but instead I held Julia most of the day. She took a nap in her crib for five seconds, and then I held her for the rest of her 15 minute nap. I tried to Sleep also but I heard the boys whining downstairs. So I did not nap or go for a jog, but I did prepare pink puff salad and green being casserole. 

We had planned I'm going to my moms earlier but we're actually late. We were supposed to be there at 3 PM. Don welcomed everyone and had a prayer on the turkey and ham dinner. He asked if anybody else wanted to say anything about Christmas and trace told us the real meaning about Christmas is the baby Jesus is born. He is so sweet.

The talent show was short because we had to go. Jonathan and Olivia sang a Christmas song and played the ukuleles. Bruce's family did that silent monk song. Steven and grandma told jokes.

We were an hour late to Julianne's house. My dad was already there. They had not started eating yet. Julia was so so so happy to see her cousin Clara. It was her happiest she had been all day.

We stayed a long time since we got there late. We let our kids play their wii. When we got home, we had to put the kids in bed and then I got to work. Well I found some Christmas PJ pants for Julia and took her photo in them.

Then I found some Christmas PJs and took more photos.

I had not wrapped anything and Julia did not even have a stocking. I feel like I have been in survival mode for a long time. So I wrapped, cleaned, put up all of the snowflakes I have had laminated, and so did Julia her first stocking. I will probably still order her one to match the boys but she needed something for new toothbrush from Santa.

I almost moved our Christmas tree into the living room, but that would be at least a two person job. It was kind of weird not having it in the living room. But it was so big that we had to put it where Julia wouldn't have acess to it 24/7. We had to cut the top off to get it to fit in under our ceiling. We also took a leaf out of our table. Our dining room table still barely fits in the room.

I went to sleep about 4:30 AM. It was so worth it. I love the magic of Christmas.