Christmas Again

On Monday evening my mom and her husband, Bilhenry, came into town so we could celebrate Christmas with them and so they could see their constantly growing, changing little grandson. They got in early enough on Monday evening that they were able to stop by and visit for a little while, but Ridley fussed almost the whole time they were over, which isn't like him. 

I was glad they were able to visit for a little bit though, and I was glad Nora and Robin came too! And even though he fussed a bunch, Ridley was glad to see them too. He also enjoyed showing off his skeleton outfit:

On Tuesday (yesterday) Ridley seemed to be feeling much better. He was still a bit cranky, and he was being really picky about things - like refusing to nap anywhere but his snugli - but overall a vast improvement from Monday night. 

We headed over to my aunt's house in the evening to meet up with everyone for dinner. Ridley started getting cranky again, but he actually stayed pretty calm for Josh, so Josh took Ridley duty for most of the evening and even got him to sleep!

We had a great time with everyone and it was so good to see my mom and her husband. It's too bad we don't live closer so it would be easier to see them.

After we got home from Aunt Nettie's, Ridley ate some dinner, and then 20 minutes later had the biggest spit up of his life. He spewed all over himself, the bouncy chair he was in, and even hit the floor. I was in the other room when it happened, but Josh saw it. Ridley thought it was very funny and smiled and laughed. All his crankiness went away too, so his tummy must have been bothering him for a little bit. After we got him cleaned up and bathed he was right back to his sweet little self. 

My Trip to the Mall

This is the story of my trip to the mall last Sunday. By Ridley.

On Sunday, I went to the Mall of America with mommy, Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Robin. I picked out my MN Wild outfit that mommy and daddy got me to wear to the mall. I don't always like getting dressed, so some days I yell at mommy while she's getting me dressed:

Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Robin came to pick us up, and when we got to the mall we went to the cowboy store. All the salesmen thought I was adorable and showed us cowboy boots in my size. I didn't get any. 

Next we went to Best Buy and out in the hallway they had people playing with Nintendo Wiis! One girl was using a Wii Fit, so we stopped because mommy and Grandpa Jeff both wanted to see how they worked. 

After we dragged uncle Robin out of the guitar section of the store we went to Bubba Gump for lunch. I slept almost the whole time! This is Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Robin at Bubba Gump:

After mommy's lunch, I wanted lunch too. So we took a break outside the cheese store and I ate a whole bottle! Then Grandpa Jeff held me!

On our way home from the mall, we stopped at Caribou because everyone else wanted coffee. I don't drink coffee though - I'm just a baby! So mommy and I waited in the car while Uncle Robin and Grandpa Jeff went inside. I woke up while they were in there, but I just smiled and talked to mommy and didn't cry at all!

I had a fun day at the mall!

And to all a good night

Well Christmas has come and gone once again, and Ridley had a wonderful first Christmas. Due to some successful preparations on the evening of December 23 (diaper bag packing, present wrapping, etc), we managed to leave the house slightly earlier than we hoped on Christmas Eve morning - perhaps the first time that has happened since we had Ridley! 

After a quick run to Punch Pizza to grab Josh's iPod, we headed over the river and through the woods (literally) to Josh's grandmother's house. We spent a fun day there with Josh's aunts, uncles, and cousins. Cousins Brett and Steph brought their new dog, Carter, who is only three and a half pounds! She's really cute! As usual, Josh and several of his cousins went sledding and had a blast going off the jumps they built. Ridley and I stayed inside where it was warm. 

We left Grandma Holland's in the late afternoon to head back to Stillwater to celebrate with my dad, Diane, Char and Robin. Ridley took a nice nap while Auntie Char was holding him, and he got an "Achmed the Dead Terrorist*" t-shirt from Grandpa Jeff. It won't fit him until he's a little older, but it's going to be adorable!

After such a long day, Ridley slept pretty well, but he was still so tired from all the people and activity that he started off Christmas Day overly tired and a little bit cranky. 

But after taking a very long nap at Josh's parent's house Christmas morning, he was much happier:

Ridley spent the majority of Christmas Day being held by Josh or I, which seemed to make him happy after being passed around so much Christmas Eve. But he also spent some time with his Grandma Heidi and Grandpa Jeff (picture below) and a few other relatives. 

We spent the evening at my aunt and uncle's house, where Ridley got to meet some new dogs: my uncle's basset hound and my cousin's two bulldogs (one english bulldog and one american bulldog - two of the sweetest, most adorable dogs ever.) 

The day after Christmas was pretty quiet. The three of us met cousins Caitie and Inez at Como Conservatory in the morning, then we ran a quick errand to Target before heading home. Josh tried out the Indiana Jones game we got for the Wii - it looks pretty sweet and I'm excited to try it (and probably fail miserably. Video games are not Vickie's strong suit). 

Ridley took several long naps and spent some time "playing" with some of the toys he got for Christmas. Right now "playing" means "staring at and maybe touching if mom puts it in my hand." Below is a picture of him with his glow-worm, which Josh and I are excited about because they were really popular when we were kids too! He likes the glow-worm because it plays music. 

Yep, Ridley had a pretty great first Christmas, so far. But he's not done celebrating yet! My mom and her husband are coming in to town in a few days, so we'll get a chance to celebrate with them and other members of my mom's family too! 

*For those not familiar with Achmed the Dead Terrorist, check out www.jeffdunham.com

As a general rule, I don't like stand up comedy. I also don't like puppets. But this guy is hilarious. 

And some more pictures...

When we went to Blockbuster Wednesday evening, it was below zero, so we bundled Ridley up in his snowsuit, which is size 0-9 months. It's a little big still, but it kept him warm!

This is the bouncy seat mentioned in the post below. When I took the picture, he was staring at the elephant. 

The bouncy chair again - you can see the zebra and the alligator at the top of the picture, but the elephant (his favorite) is blocked)

He also has an elephant shirt!

Shoes!

Ridley wore shoes for the first time today! (see picture above) The shoes are just a little big, but since he isn't walking, it doesn't bother him, and we think they're awfully cute. And hopefully they keep his feet a little warmer than just his socks. 

We went to my doctor for our six-week post-partum check today. All looks good and I am officially released to go back to work on January 5. I am absolutely not looking forward to it, but I am glad that Josh and my schedules are different enough that Ridley will be able to spend the majority of his days and time with his mom and dad instead of in a day care. 

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away from today! Josh and I have been getting the last (ok, the majority) of our Christmas shopping done in the past two days. Ridley will be a busy boy over the holidays - we'll be at his Great-Grandma Holland's on Christmas Eve before going to my dad's for dinner - Robin will be home from DC! And we'll be able to spend time with both Josh's family and my dad's family on Christmas Day too. My mom will be headed out to MN early the following week so we can celebrate with her, my stepfather and her side of the family then. 

Ridley has recently become a big fan of his bouncy chair. It has three small stuffed animals that hang over his head for him to stare at: an elephant, an alligator and a zebra. He loves the elephant. It has a squeaker inside (like the kind in dog toys) and he smiles when we make it squeak. Sometimes he sits and stares at it very intently, and other times he smiles at it and "talks" to it. It's really cute. 

Mommy's Little Cutie

Ridley and daddy at Punch Pizza last week - look at his sweet little Christmas outfit!

This picture was taken December 5, his one-month "birthday."

Obligatory (nearly) naked baby picture. He's showing off his chlorine and chemical free diapers!

Super happy baby! We get lots of smiles like this, but manage to capture few on camera. Josh got this one on Wednesday.

Tweak Wishes You a Merry Christmas

And a happy new year!

One Month

Ridley is one month old today! He is the sweetest little boy I could have ever wished for, and pretty damn cute too! He's starting to be more vocal - mostly throaty noises, but some pretty sweet coos and squeals too. 

We started using his bathtub last night. Up to this point we've been giving him sponge baths - initially because he still had an umbilical cord stump, and then because I was nervous to try out the tub for the first time. He liked it better than the sponge baths, but he still wasn't sure about it. As usual, the part he seemed to enjoy most was being wrapped in his towel afterward, then getting dressed in his warm fleece sleeper.

This week we spent two evenings decorating for Christmas. The first was Sunday night at our place. Jeff, Diane, Heidi and Stacey all came over to help us set up and decorate Ridley's first Christmas tree! Josh made dinner for everyone too - tomato soup and potato cheese soup (my favorite!). The tree turned out beautifully, and, just like last year, Tweak and Gilmour think it's a tree full of new kittie toys! We make sure to put any ornaments of significance out of their reach. 

Wednesday evening Josh, Ridley and I went to Stillwater to help Jeff and Diane with their Christmas decorating. Josh helped Diane hang up the garlands she made, which turned out beautifully - as they do every year.  We had lasagna for dinner, then watched the Charlie Brown Christmas movie. 

Wednesday was also Ridley's first trip to the mall - and not just any mall. We went to the Mall of America to do some Christmas shopping. We brought the stroller along and Ridley slept through the majority of our shopping. Lara was working, so we stopped in a Martin and Osa to visit her. Josh had a couple questions about his iPod, so while he went in the Apple store, Ridley and I took a break from being on our feet and Ridley drank part of a bottle.

This upcoming Sunday Ridley is going to his first birthday party! My cousin's daughter, Inez, is one year old today, so Ridley and I will be headed to cousin Caitie and Nick's house to celebrate. We are very excited. Happy birthday, Inez!!