NYE 2009

Me, Abby and Ali hanging out NYE!

I must have said something really funny!

Me and my brother Josh

Josh was home too for over a week this year! He "gets" to take off the week between Christmas and New Years! He is always so dapper and is currently sporting a beard.

Amy, Emily, me and Christie.
All new mommy's out on the town for NYE!

Somehow another event went by and I never took a picture with Jake.......next time!

More pics

Opening presents at home before we went to Lafayette!

Standing up in his chair after he got a hold of Jake's empty cup!

Charlie and Pa-pa!

Four generations of Andrews/Poelstra/Claxton women.

Great Grandmother, Gigi, Ashley and Chloe

My mom and aunt with their parents, who are 91 and 92 years old!

Poppy, Mimi, Gigi and Birdie.

Mimi and Gigi, singing and dancing!

My mom and aunt have an awesome relationship and I am so grateful that my sister and I have a relationship like them!

Charlie posing. I guess he doesn't usually sit still for pics, but he did for me!

Too cute!

Opa with his boy grandbabies

Uh-oh Gigi! Xavier found a cabinet that wasn't child-proof! He really likes to pull anything and everything out of cabinets, drawers, you name it! Caden decided he wanted in on the action as well. Xavier is sampling some fake grapes.

Happy Birthday Opa!!!

Drew was home for over a week this year so we had to make sure we celebrated my dad's big day!

Touchdown!!!

Xavier loves doing Touchdown! He does it even when there is no football on! I think he just likes some of the attention personally......when everyone laughs and claps for him he just keeps doing it! He will also hold up 1 finger for number 1. He is a pretty good clapper and sometimes I think he knows Japanese, he talks and talks and talks but nothing too coherent yet.

I am still waiting patiently for Ma-ma.

Grandi and X finishing up a bottle.

Last but not least.....Xavier and his girlfriend Jillian. Not sure exactly why neither of them have pants on, when they turn 16 this won't be happening!

Look at those thighs!

Xavier also loves stairs!! Since we don't have any at the moment, I think he gets so excited when we go places with stairs. Dustin gratefully put up the baby gate after chasing X up the stairs 10 times!

Have a Happy New Year!

Christmas morning X and his new chair, sitting with his new moose! He LOVES this chair! I highly recommend the PB chairs! Although as the week has gone on, he has found many new tricks to do with the chair. Such as, climbing over it to get on the couch. Standing up in it. Mommy's favorite-he lounges while eating his bottle and watches cartoons!

Sweet little CHUNKY Chlo-bug! She is a little over 3 months and I think she weighs in at 16 pounds plus a couple more ounces by now! I love getting her to smile!

Xavier loved Caden's new train table! CW didn't really want his cousin to play with him Christmas morning. Aren't matching pj's cute?!

Xavier got plenty of new toys this year! We left this particular item at Gigi's until later in the year!

Uncle Rooney and X

Xavier and his chair again.

Family pic, Christmas Eve

My grandparents with all their grandkids AND great-grandkids

We had a very Merry Christmas. Even though we were home for 3 days it always seems like we just never get to spend enough time with everyone!

Looking forward to 2010 and celebrating Xavier's 1st Birthday in February! I can't believe a year has gone by and my baby is almost 1!

I have tons more pictures from Christmas, I think I took 180 total so I will post some more later!

Everyone have a very happy New Year and a blessed 2010!

Oops!

I forgot two very important things in my post the other day! First, Xavier is walking. He will crawl still if he falls down, but I think I can classify him now as a walker. I would say he turned the corner last Thursday and that was the day I am writing down in the baby book. It is kind of strange/funny, I leave him in our living room, run to the bathroom and there he is already, walking towards me when I come out!(this is NOT a big deal leaving him for a minute, the bathroom is practically in the living room it is that close) We are going through some real mommy and Xavier time right now. He seems to reallllllly like me. All day. All evening. All weekend. Its a little tough/rough as I know his daddy wants in on the action. Once I disappear though for a bit he is fine with whoever wants to play with him!

And second, more teeth!!! The top 2 are just about to poke through. Finally. And this does explain some of his crankiness the last couple days, although he did have a cold. I know a runny nose can be associated with teeth, but I don't think his cough was from the teeth. I am sure a few more are right around the corner also! Yeah?! The teething has NOT affected his sleep either, so thankful for that!!! (knock on wood)

Okay, well we are off to lunch with April today. Then headed to try to find an in-expensive pair of shoes for Xavier. His 5 double wides, are just a bit big still and he trips over them. So I really need to find a size 4 that fits. I had no luck yesterday at Babies R Us, Old Navy, Kohls and even Once Upon a Child! Apparently size 4 is popular. So I found an okay pair online at Stride Rite so we are going to try to go there today along with making a return to Old Navy in Clay Terrace.

We are so excited for Christmas this year! Okay, I am probably more excited :) Santa is actually coming this afternoon to the Knott house and then as usual to Gigi and Grandi's houses Christmas Eve! My brother Drew arrived yesterday from San Fran and I can't wait to see him. He has only met Xavier once, back in March. Josh arrives home today also for a week. We are excited to spend Christmas will ALL our family and loved ones!!!
X man posing for the camera. Taken with my NEW lens that I got for Christmas!! Is it wrong that I get excited to get a camera lens??? :) I don't think so!! Can't wait to take pics this week!

My oh my

Xavier playing before his first trip to the ER and 2 stitches!

Two stitches covered by a HUGE band-aid. The nurse said it was the only size the ER had. Apparently in cost cutting measures, St. Vincent only buys one size band-aid.

Bill, Bill, Will & Will

William is a very popular name on my mom's side of the family!

Cousins Charlie and Francis chasing after Xavier. Charlie is expecting a new baby Brother in May! We can't wait for baby boy #2 Hockema! Congrats Amy, Bobby and Charlie!

A little Saturday night play-date with some of Jake's friends and their kids!

Graham, Cooper and X. I like this one because Coop is trying to get Graham's snacks and Xavier is trying to take Coop's sippy cup. Xavier wasn't really feeling the pics. It had been a long day for us!

Wags, Graham, EJ, Coop, Jake and X

And after an eventful weekend......sacked out on the couch.

Monday morning he awoke and started throwing up. At first I thought it was just a cold as it was pretty much only mucus but 4 times and 4 outfits later......had to be the flu.

I got a touch of it on Wednesday, though not as bad and then Jake got it on Friday.

So after the ER and stitches the Friday before, we had had a VERY long week.

X still has a runny nose and a nice cough but he seems to be doing a lot better finally. Which is just in time for CHRISTMAS! Yeah! "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Crossing my fingers noone else in the family gets sick (sorry Gigi and Opa who already got theirs this weekend after watching X) because being sick on Christmas is NO fun. I can personally attest to that as I had the flu last Christmas while pregnant!

Today we are going to the mall to finish some shopping and we are going to sit on Santa's lap! We saw Santa with Charlie and Caden at the Zoo but since this is his 1st Christmas I want to take him to the one at the mall too!

All my cousins and their kids will be at Christmas this year at my Grandmothers so we will have lots of excitement! There are 10 grandchildren, 5 spouses (or soon-to-be) and then 8 great-grandchildren (soon to be 9 with Baby H)! Xavier is going to love all the kids!
Okay well I need to get ready while my babe sleeps! Everyone have a great week and a

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Craziness at the Zoo

Tuesday morning I decided to add a little ribbon to my wrapped presents. My little "helper" got most all the ribbon un-wound before I got a single present done.

Tuesday evening Gigi, Xavier, myself, Aunt Bonnie, Jenn, Amy, Charlie and Caden all went to Christmas at the Zoo. It was cold. It was also raining. We were one party of maybe 6 others that I saw. This is Xavier all dressed in his warm clothes and being smothered with blankets in his stroller. By the end of the one hour we were there, we were running through the rain to get to our cars!

Charlie and Caden in the Wagon. (good thing for the Canopy.......)

Gigi and X while I was taking pics!

The live Reindeer

The Polar Bear outside the "Oceans" at the Zoo.

Sharks you can pet!

Jenn showing the boys how to decorate cookies!

Caden didn't really want to eat the cookie. He would just poke and put a finger in the icing and lick it off. Finger in the icing, lick it off........

Last but not least! Picture with Santa!

Caden wasn't really feeling Santa at first, so good ole Jenn got in the picture with the boys!

Caden warmed up to Santa though and told him he wanted a train for Christmas. Xavier was just chilling the whole time.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Somebody is opening presents early............... sorry Aunt Be-be, so far yours is the one he continues to open and eat. I found him gnawing on the box earlier today.

Someone looks a lot likes his daddy here.

I want the camera!!!!!

Posing, well actually he was rubbing his head into the carpet, meaning it is time for someones nap! I can't figure out how to turn this picture around though on here....it is horizontal in my pictures.

I see that camera again!!! Give it to me!

Great Aunt Shady gave us a Christmas snowman. Xavier loves going up to him and just knocking him over or chewing on his carrot nose! He also "talks" to him, not sure what they talk about! I am working on getting video coverage of this!

It wasn't so great to be a Florida gator last night.........

Xavier is taking steps and "walking" all around. He usually does 3-5 steps, falls down and then crawls to his destination. He does hold my hand and walk from room to room though, so he is definitely getting the hang of it.

We are super excited for Christmas at the Knott house! Xavier is only getting a couple things and I have decided some wrapped empty boxes with glossy magazines are in his future too! It is hard to want to get him too many toys as our family room has already been taken over by toys and his 1st Birthday will be around the corner after Christmas, which means more toys! I can't believe that Xavier will be 10 months old next week! He is such a joy and it is so exciting to see what new things he does everyday! He hasn't really said many words that are understandable. It does sound like he says Da-da and Gi-gi and he definitely has his moments of when he is trying to say something but it is complete babble! Loud babble at that! So I am still patiently waiting to hear Ma-ma from those precious lips!

He is enjoying more and more table food. If he sees me eating he instantly crawls over to me to get a bite!

Oh and sweet sleep.......he has figured out that nap-time and bed-time mean going to sleep on his own in the crib! His crying-it-out is less and less everyday, sometimes no crying at all! Last night he slept from 7:30pm until 7:45am!!!! And no wakings! Or at least if he did, I didn't wake up to hear it! So knock on wood, we are starting to get the sleep thing figured out!

Okay well the little guy is waking and the Colts are getting ready to start AND we have some shopping to do this afternoon. Dad went to the Colts game so Mom gets a new sweater, or shoes, or something, doesn't matter, some new article is coming my way today! :)