Christmas

We had a very nice Christmas here in Kansas City. It was our first Christmas with Gideon and we were really excited to spend it together as a family. Gideon gave us his first present by letting us sleep in until about 8:00 am. Sadly that is our sleeping in nowadays. We all got up and got our stocking first; Nathan started eating chocolate very quickly. We then taped Gideon opening his presents, with our help of course. He got diapers and wipes from both sets of Grandparents, some socks and clothes from his great-grandma and some movies and clothes from mommy and daddy. He didn't really seem that interested since he fell asleep soon after but we think he had a very nice first Christmas.

Nathan and I got lots of nice presents also. We got some new games, towels, books, movies and other goodies that we really enjoy. Nathan was really excited to open his presents.

My favorite present I think would have to be the sling I got from my mom. Gideon loves it and it really helps him calm down and he really likes taking naps in it during the day. Plus, it's great while shopping because I actually have hands and a cart to put things in. We use it a lot during church also.

We were pretty lazy the first part of the day. Aroubd 2:00 we headed out to have dinner with some friends. We had a great ham dinner and had a lot of fun talking with them. They have a 4 month old little boy that's about the same size as Gideon. It was a lot of fun seeing the differences between them. Oh, and just to keep you updated, Gideon weighed a whopping 14 lbs, 11 oz. this week. 5 more and he will have doubled his birth weight. I guess we'll be reaching that by 10 weeks. Nathan and I tried to measure him and he was right around 24". What a big boy. He is already wearing 3-6 month clothes. He is starting to have great neck control and loves looking around at everything. He smiles and coos and likes to "talk" with us a lot. He is sleeping better during the night and we usually get about a 4-5 hour stretch of sleep. I was just starting to think I would be tired for the rest of my life. He is growing so fast and becoming such a big boy that I feel like I can't keep up. Every day he does something new and keeps surprising us. Here is a picture of him sitting up, with assistance, of course.

Christmas Eve

Well, it's Christmas Eve and I don't really have too much to update. We received some snow last night so it looks like we'll be having a white Christmas. Unless we get a sudden heat wave, which really wouldn't upset me too much. I don't like the cold much. Nathan is off work today and we're having some nice family time. Gideon has been talking quite a bit today and we've been trying to get it on camera. He'll coo and laugh a ton right up until we get the video camera going and then he'll just look at it. I think babies have an internal mechanism that tells them when their parents are trying to show them off and then they just stop. I kept telling Nathan we look like idiots on the camera cooing and trying to get him to laugh as he just looks at us like we're stupid. Great memories. I promise, though, that he is starting his baby talk and has some wonderful smiles throughout the day. I love that he's recognizing us. There is nothing better than getting him up in the morning and having him smile first thing.Nathan and I are excited for Gideon's first Christmas. He likes looking at the lights on the tree but unfortunately he won't be unwrapping his own gifts. I'm sure Nathan will be more than happy to help him since he's been asking for about a week if we can open presents. Silly guy.Oh, I also took Gideon to get weighed yesterday. He is now up to 14lbs .6oz. He's slowing down since he only gained 10 oz. this week. The lactation consultant told the group that babies should typically double their birth weight by 6 months. Gideon wieghed 7 1/2 lbs when he was born and is now 8 1/2 weeks. I'm afraid to see what he'll weigh at 6 months. He's definitely outgrowing some clothes that I thought he would still be in at this age. There is a couple in our ward here that has a 4 month out that weighs about the same as Gideon or maybe even a little less. We tried to measure him this morning and he was about 23" long. I can't believe how fast he's growing. We'll probably be posting new pictures after Christmas. He has a cute "First Christmas" outfit from Grandma Theresa that he looks so cute in. Hopefully he won't grow too much overnight and outgrow it.

Getting Started

Well, we're pretty new at this and still learning. We thought this would be a great way to update everyone about what is going on in the life of the Reynolds family. We'll start off with Nathan. He is still working for Cerner and is neither liking nor disliking it at this time. His team just moved locations so he has a new desk which is closer to a window. Work is going well and they've been keeping him pretty busy. He is loving being a dad. The first thing he does when coming home from work is come in and find Gideon. He is a great dad and I know those two are going to have a lot of fun and create a lot of trouble once Gideon starts understanding how his body works. Speaking of Gideon; he is growing so fast. I can't believe he will be 8 weeks this Saturday. He changes so much just overnight. He is really starting to look like a little boy and not so much like a baby. Every week he and I go to have him weighed. This past Tuesday he had gained 15 oz. (babies his age typically gain 4-8 oz per week) in one week. That puts him at a grand total of 13 lbs. 3.5 oz. I'm glad he's such a healthy boy but I definitely need to start gaining a few more muscles. Gideon is also starting to coo and make some funny noises. He has been smiling at us for a few weeks now and is really starting to follow our every move. It's fun to watch all these little changes going on. He's getting better at night also. We're loving out 4-5 hours of straight sleep. Now we just need the dirty diapers to slow down. :)
I am doing well. I had my gallbladder out about 2 weeks ago and I'm feeling great. This brings my total of surgeries this year up to 3. I'm hoping I got all the surgeries out of my system this year and that I'll be home free from here on out. I spend my days feeding, changing diapers and getting Gideon to smile and make funny sounds. It's a very fulfilling day. In my spare time I try to get a few things done around the house. I recently bought a ring sling and that has really helped free up my hands during the day. Gideon likes to sleep as I do laundry and vacuum. I also like that I get to be so close to him all day. We try to plan little outings but it's just been too darn cold.
We're all getting ready for Christmas. We'll be staying here in Kansas City this year. It's Gideon's first Christmas and we wanted to spend it together here. Plus an 8 hour trip with a 2 month old just didn't sound that appealing. Gideon likes the lights on the tree and the Christmas music I play during the day. We'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share while he, with our help, opens he first Christmas presents.