Van's Christmas Booty...

He racked up! So much fun to see all the fun toys we'll be spending lots of time with I am sure...  I am also excited about getting to use my grandmother's toy trunk that my dad refinished for me a couple of Christmas's ago...

It says "Jean" on the top which is my middle name I let go of when we got married. You probably know that I only let go of this name because I plan on passing it down to a little one at some point. 

We had lots of delicious food of Christmas and some time with Van's cousin, Oliver:

Its hard to believe there is only two years between them and thats how much Van will grow over the next two years!

Van also got some good time in with Grandma's...

And I finally finished his stocking on Christmas Eve

to hang on his very special "Van" stocking hanger...from his Godmother, Sarah!

We think he hit another growth spurt yesterday... Unbelievable!! Lots of eating and sleeping going on in this house. But lovely Lackey G-parents are relieving me this afternoon to run some errands for our NYE festivities.

the best 2 christmas presents ever

SLEEP

AND SMILES!

Last night, somehow...little man slept EIGHT HOURS!! We put him down at 8:30 and he slept until 4:30. I have no idea what is "normal" for his age, but we are so grateful Van is able to drink enough milk to keep him full for so long!!

Maybe I was smiling so much when I got him out of the crib, he returned a smile back to me! It was certainly the most precious christmas present a new parent could ask for. He started smiling on Christmas day!! So special.

Hair like Phil Collins

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTIE SNAGS!!

Van's Auntie Snags said that Van's hair was growing like Phil Collins.

So I documented its quirky growth:

October '09

November '09

December '09

Its funny how he looks more bald the older he gets. I think babies lose the hair they are born with though--so that explains it. You can definitely tell how much Van has grown from these!! I love those chubby cheeks.

Now for a hoot at cousin Fray's hair... (couldn't resist Snags)

Van's first snow!

Turned out to be a bust. But it was pretty while it lasted!

Here's what Van was doing:

Unfortunately Evans had a repeat potty incident...

Van just couldn't seem to get himself under control. Van & I thought it was funny but Evans found it a little too early to laugh.

Aren't they cute? And starting to look more and more alike. Look at those chins and noses! I love these guys.

Silent Night...

Van is doing really well sleeping at night.  We still get up to feed him twice after he "goes to bed" but those feedings are very quiet and peaceful and after a few burps, he goes right back to sleep.  During the early weeks at home when he was crying, I'd feel the instinct that I needed to comfort him by singing-- but was at a loss of what to sing.  My friend Sarah burned a cd full of lullaby music and included some Christmas carols.  I realized those would be perfect to sing because a) I knew all the words and b) it kept me from making up lame, off-key gibberish.  Van's favorite seems to be Silent Night. It always gets his attention.

Sweet boy!

Because of this, I know I will be bawling at the Christmas Eve service when we sing "Silent Night" with the candles lit. That already  made me teary-eye'd before I had this beautiful little sweet heart to think about!

Our poor Christmas tree...

It is so beautiful but has been so neglected.  We had to put it in a room we don't often use, it seems lonely in there by itself. Luckily we have this for entertainment instead:

And this...

This morning Van gave us a real smile. (Real meaning he was awake and it was not involving a poop...we think...) It was adorable! He has a dimple on his left cheek. Will hopefully get a picture of it soon. Merry Christmas!!

Fufu the Elf and our Roving Santa

I found it hysterical that my friend Lindsy, (endearingly known as "Slinks") and her husband have created a new tradition with Fufu, their sneaky elf who plays pranks on their little girl Riley. Recently Fufu toilet papered Riley's room!

I think this is the cutest idea and want to remember to do this for Van when he is older. My other friend Lindsey (aka "Suggs") gets an annual visit from the night night fairy on Christmas Eve Eve. This fairy brings new pjs. to be worn on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. I think this is such a cute idea too!

Evans and I started a roving Santa game to entertain ourselves. We have been taking turns hiding Santa in random places around the house. (We need humor to overcome sleep deprivation!)  He appeared in my breast pump bag inside of a pump... peering around the coffee pot (which is in high demand these days) and just this morning I found him here on the tv:

(Yes I need to make Van a stocking!)

Van is slowly outgrowing some of his newborn pjs and onesies. I cannot believe how quickly he is changing! Just this morning, he was in the bed between Evans, me, and Soph, and when Evans said he was getting up to make coffee, Van rolled over onto him and grabbed his arm. It was so cute!! Evans and I melted.

I am off to take our stinky Sophie dog to get a bath at her beauty parlor. She will be all fresh and clean for Van's first Christmas.

My Top 10 Baby Things:

These are my favorite baby items. I just realized almost everything was a gift! Van, Evans, (soph) and I are so blessed with such wonderful friends and family!! Thanks everybody.


1. Serena and Lilly Peacock Market Sling...
My sweet sweet friends bought and sent this sling (along with a massage gift card!) And it has been so useful. Van loves it!

(And look how cute his cousin Frasier was in her sling!)

2. Barney Backhoe. I cannot explain why, but this is Evans's and my favorite book.  The first time we read it to Van, he shot up a fist to stretch and it looked like he was really pumped about Barney Backhoe. It is so catchy! (A gift from Spruill, whose dad runs a John Deere dealership...)

3. Noah's Arc Painting from Evans's Aunt. Isn't she talented?

4. Van's Minimonograms Gown (still too big...)

5. Soothe and Glow Seahorse...I cannot explain this one either, but Van is in awe of it. We leave it on his changing table and squeeze it everytime we change his diaper. The seahorse's belly lights up and plays really random hymns... including Pachelbel's Cannon in D. (Thanks Mary Rob & Jenny!)

6. Sarah's Lullaby CD:

7. Miracle Blanket! (Indeed).  (A gift from Ashley)




8. Burt's Bees "Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash" (Courtesy of Auntie Snags...[my sister])

9. Organic cloth diapers (they are so much softer!) and multi-use wet/dry pads (very useful!)






10. The 4-D Ultrasound Machine!!

5 lbs. going on 11!

Van had a doctor's appointment this morning which are always entertaining. You never know how he's going to react to the nurse and doctor poking all over his body.  Today the doctor and nurse both exclaimed "Wow! he is so calm! What a relaxed baby!"...  Evans and I nodded our heads but we were secretly exchanging glances that relayed we were both shocked he was so well behaved. Here he is on the examination table staring at himself in the mirror:

You cannot really see his cute Santa hat. Evans wore it when he was a baby and his parents saved it! Lucky Van :) He received three immunization shots and one dose to prevent Rotovirus. The good news is he has made an appearance on his growth chart! He is now in the 25th percentile for his size.  When we brought Van home from the hospital, he was down to 5 pounds and barely showed up on his growth chart.  This morning he was 10.8 and 22 inches! We are so proud.  Our little one is now snoozing from his exciting morning:

92.

Diapers. In case you were wondering. We go through an entire box in one week! Unbelievable. Evans wants to buy stock in diaper genie trash bags and pampers.

Van seems to like them though.  Little boys present quite a challenge when you are changing their diaper. One day I came home from running errands and Evans' clothes were strown all over the floor...starting in the den...down the hall...into the nursery...into the bathroom??? I followed the trail to my poor husband in boxers holding my sweet naked baby attempting to put him into the bathtub.  Diaperless, Van had peed (and pooped) all over his daddy on the quick journey to the bathroom.

They made up a few moments later...

home for the holidays

Van's due date was November 20th, 2009.  You can imagine our surprise when my water broke at 5 a.m. on October 19th.  Could this be happening or did I just wet the bed? Evans and I hadn't completed our birthing classes so we weren't entirely sure what to do.  We placed a frantic call to the doctor... who assured us we would have a baby that morning.

We flew to the hospital and attempted to call family members and close friends. A brief visit in triage confirmed I needed emergency surgery to remove Van, who was still in breech position.

By 9:30 a.m.... our lives had changed forever!

Lawrence Evans Lackey IV

5.5 Lbs

19.5 Inches

About an hour after birth,Van  had a small amount of fluid in his lungs affecting his oxygen saturation levels. Two hours in the NICU turned into two weeks...

Those 2 weeks were the longest of Evans' and my life...driving to the hospital every 3 hours to ensure Van had breastmilk and his parents' love during each feeding.  Van underwent a series of minor difficulties common to premature babies.

But finally...on November 2nd, we got the best news...

Our Van was coming home.

We have never been more excited.

Our excitement blinded us from comprehending the trials of parenting coming in the weeks ahead...