Bradley and Baden Family Christmas Celebrations

This past weekend was full of fun Christmas celebrations! On Saturday we headed to Aunt Laura and Uncle Al's house in Weaverville for the Bradley Family Christmas gathering. It was great to see our aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as introduce Lydia to the family! Jacob had so much fun playing in Grandma & Grandaddy's RV, raking leaves, and playing with Cousin Will's legos. He was really sad when it was time to go home!

On Sunday, Grandma, Grandaddy, Uncle Craig, & Aunt Lori came to our house for our Baden Family celebration. Grandma brought some yummy appetizers, and we exchanged gifts. Jacob opened a present or two, but was mainly interested in wearing a Lego bag on his head, which he was pretending was a race car helmet.

The previous weekend was also really fun, because Papa spent the day with us on Friday. He played outside with Jacob all morning. They went to the park and played in Papa's truck, of course! Then Papa got Lydia to sleep during Jacob's nap, so I was able to rest and work on a Christmas project.

Then we made yummy Christmas cookies with Meme the next day. Jacob was really excited about the icing, as well as using a butter knife to ice the cookies! For as long as I can remember, we've made these cookies at Christmas. It's fun to continue the tradition with Jacob.

Jacob has suddenly fallen in love with his baby sister! ♡ Last week he climbed up in my lap while I was holding her, and said, "Hey, Wydia." Then he nuzzled her face and kissed her cheek! It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen! Since then, he's been hugging, kissing, holding, and talking to her nonstop! He loves to help me by bringing me her diapers and burp cloths. It took him a little while, but we knew he'd come around! He's also been mimicking infant care with Monkey, which is super cute! He changes Monkey's diaper, feeds/burps, and rocks him throughout the day. Occasionally, Monkey has to be put in time-out for not listening or for jumping on the couch!

We've also continued to have successful outings. We've been doing some Christmas errands, and even had an impromptu lunch out! I nurse Lydia in the car before we head home from wherever we are and Jacob loves sitting up front while I do. Yesterday, Lydia had a dirty diaper that went up her back and into her outfit, which I didn't realize until I started to change her...on my lap...in the front seat of the car! They keep things interesting for me!

Lydia has been super smiley lately!

Happy 1 Month, Lydia Kate!

I'm about a week late, but Lydia turned 1 month old! She is such a sweet baby and makes our family feel complete.

Lydia at 1 Month...

•Weighs 9 lbs 2 oz (33rd percentile)
•Measures 21 1/2 in (54th percentile)
•Wears size 1 diapers
•Wears 0-3 and 3 month clothes
•Sometimes sleeps 4-5 hour stretches at night
•Loves bath time
•Loves to lay on her back and look at lights
•Has great head control and holds her head up
•HATES her car seat
•Refuses a paci and doesn't take a bottle
•Doesn't like to be held in a cradle position
•Is super snuggly when asleep
•Has started smiling (about 3 weeks) and cooing

Lydia has really grown on her big brother during the past month. He loves to help me change her diaper and is quick to tell me when she spits up. He also asks to hold her daily. It's so sweet to watch him pet her head and hold her hand when we read books at night. I'm so excited to watch them become best buddies!

Deck the Halls!

We're getting into the Christmas spirit around here! We had a fun little family outing to eat breakfast and pick out our Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving.

It took a week or two, but we finally managed to decorate the tree, as well as the house. To say Jacob is excited about the decorations is an understatement! After we got the tree in, he kept saying, "Oh, WOW! Oh, WOW! Oh, WOW! HOORAY!"

Aside from decorating for Christmas, we also got to see Uncle Craig and Aunt Lori! They stopped in for a visit the weekend after Thanksgiving. They were able to meet Lydia and play with Jacob. He had so much fun playing hide-and-seek with Craig!

Scott went back to work full-time after Thanksgiving, so I've been flying solo with both kids. It has definitely been challenging, and there are moments I wonder what I've gotten myself into! It's been really difficult to balance a toddler who isn't good at waiting with a newborn who can't wait.

Leaving the house is really difficult. Even if I manage to get everyone ready, as well as load up our stuff, it's hard to get out the door because Lydia is usually needing to nurse again before we leave. I also think she senses when we're ready to go and decides it is a great time to spit up all over herself or have a blow out diaper! To further complicate things, she hates her car seat and screams non stop while in it. I'm not exaggerating - NON STOP. So trying to go somewhere with the hope she'll sleep in her seat is in no way happening. Up until last week, we hadn't left the house.

However, I started going stir crazy and realized for my well-being I had to start getting out. I bought a k'tan carrier, which has saved my sanity. Lydia LOVES it, and it allows me to be hands free, as well as keep up with Jacob in public. Last week we successfully went to the library, park, and Wal-Mart! It was hard and exhausting, but wonderful at the same time!

I'm not winning any "Mom of the Year" awards, but we're surviving, and I'm hoping each week will get a little easier as we figure out our new normal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Badens!

Before I go any further, I need to clarify that Jacob was invited (bribed, begged, threatened - whatever you'd like to call it) to be in our family picture. He declined. Ever since Lydia was born, he has decided he hates being in pictures.

Currently, the one "person" Jacob will knowingly and willingly be photographed with is his best friend, Monkey.

Thanksgiving morning got off to a little bit of a rough start. Jacob was really impatient about going to Meme's house and was infuriated that I selfishly wanted to take a shower before we left. This led to a full-blown, toddler tantrum-marathon meltdown. Lydia's face pretty much sums up how we were all feeling about things.

Even though we missed seeing Scott's extended family on Thanksgiving, we decided to stay home for the holiday this year. We felt traveling and being in a big crowd would have been a bit ambitious with a newborn and toddler. Turns out this was a good call!

We finally managed to get everyone dressed, fed, and not crying so we could head over to Meme's for Thanksgiving lunch.

The weather was gorgeous, so we enjoyed some time outside before eating.

Meme made a delicious feast! Of course, Jacob still opted for a peanut butter sandwich and fruit, but he tried, and loved, cranberries. Everyone enjoyed a nice, long (much needed) nap in the afternoon!

We have so much to be thankful for, toddler tantrums and all! Today and everyday, we are so grateful for our children, families, friends, and each other! We have so much more than we deserve and are truly thankful to God for all he's given us!