Christmas Day 2005

Despite a coughing mommy and dreary wet weather, we think Ronan thoroughly enjoyed his first Christmas! We started our day with an enormous hearty breakfast of warm milk and some scrambling around the livingroom under the tree... between the presents.... toward the power cords...


Our baby tree with "Betty" on top


Ahhh. Life is good on Christmas morning!
After some serious playtime, Ronan yawned and was ready for his first snooze of the day. He naps like clockwork at 8:30, noon, and 2:30 and his naps range from 45-90 minutes. We hear babies drop the third nap around 9 months, which is now! After a second breakfast, Ronan was ready to tackle his presents.


What's this? A box I can hide in?


Grinning by his soon-to-be-unwrapped Leapstart table... Mom and Dad's gift to him. Fun fun fun!


Unwrapping a gift from Grandma Linda.
(Still learning how to use the new Canon 20D... hence the otherworldly glow.)


.... a chewable, droolable "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" - perfect! Hopefully Ronan won't be too mad at Mom and Dad for forgetting to open it on Christmas eve.... (oops)


Plush toys to chew


The BEST part: tissue paper and ribbon! (Ronan could be enthralled by these for hours)


Look -- Santa got me Kanye West so now I can listen to Gold Digger whenever I want.


Fascinated with Mom's bracelet. (Gotta love those cheeks.)


Complicated tongue acrobatics. His top four teeth are coming in fast... Our nanny thinks they'll be "bruisers"... Meanwhile his bottom chompers look just like little Chicklets.


Mom and her happy little drooler


After opening presents and taking a second nap, we hastily put together an artichoke and bacon dip, loaded the car, and headed to Uncle Dale and Auntie Pat's house for Christmas dinner. Was a grand time -- good food (prime rib and sushi! and a yule log for dessert), family bonding, wonderful gifts, and a funny episode involving a bottle of white wine exploding all over Dale and the ceiling. Ronan even took a short nap after dinner. Here we are with Ronan's great-aunt Pam.

One of the hardest things for us to get used to is the amount of STUFF that needs to come along wherever we go. It's ridiculous how full our car gets. We have the stroller, of course, in case we're walking more than a block (the boy is heavy). We have the ginormous diaper bag with enough supplies to get us through a minor disaster. We have Ronan's favorite travel toys, which right now are blocks, chewable plastic links, a board book, and a baby boombox, none of which are easy to carry in one arm. We have extra clothes for him. We have the portable playyard for naps on the go (the thing folds but weighs a TON). We have a couple blankets. And since it's Christmas, we have several huge bags of presents and food. We felt like a caravan getting into and out of Dale and Pat's house! And to top it all off, we managed to "lose" a few of our Christmas presents somewhere between packing the car and arriving home after the party. If anyone spies a nice shirt & tie, two Reidel glasses, and a large plastic toy bar, let us know...


A lot of people have wondered about Ronan's expression here, which is a very common expression. Is he pouting? Is he upset? Is he about to cry? No, no, and no. This is his natural serious look, honestly! His lower lip has always protruded, perhaps because his cheeks are so pudgy. When he's contemplating life, or doing anything other than smiling and laughing, his plump lip is just out there.

Another comment we often get from our friends is how old he looks. Not like old-man old, but, well, he doesn't look like a 9-month-old baby really. Maybe b/c he's long and lean and his hands and feet look like mini adult hands and feet (never had the rolls though I think the rolls are cute), the consensus is he looks like a little boy getting ready to go to school. (Or to an MBA program as a colleague recently said - haha!)

Now that he's 9 months old (today! Happy Birthday!), Ronan has entered the "serious with strangers" phase, aka stranger anxiety, which often goes hand in hand with separation anxiety. He loooves being with Mom, Dad, Lisa, and Grandma and will cackle, squeal, and pant with mischief. But once a stranger walks in, he's Mr. Serious. Totally quiet and watchful. We think it's probably a good thing that the little guy doesn't go crawling into the arms of just anyone! But still, it's sometimes hard for friends and family (who don't often see him) when he gets all clingy and fearful. Once in a blue moon, when a perfectly well-meaning person has gotten in his face and done something like pinch his cheek, his lower lip will tremble and stick out even MORE and he'll start bawling. But that's only once in a while. The phase won't last, and it's definitely not personal! Ronan is most comfortable (aren't we all?) when people are calm and chill, so here's to a calm and chill and Happy 2006!