First white Christmas I've ever seen. It was a truely beautiful site once we were all safely in Conover. Christmas eve, Irelynn attended her first church service and behaved better than I've ever seen her behave. She played quietly and with the help of the puff cereal, we made it through the entire service...what a blessing! Then, we went to the Puff's for some family time, food, and gift giving. Irelynn got a great train that she can now use to balance her as she walks. She also got a really cute car and some other toys. Katie got black Uggs, which she loves and some other clothes and accessories. Christmas morning was filled with the tradition of Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas," breakfast casserole, and present's galore. Then, we were off to the Myers' in Winston-Salem to see the Boone/Myers family. We started seeing snow about half way, and hurried through a fabulous meal, to make it safely to Conover. There, Irelynn got a play house from her Grana and Pop and a keyboard from her Nannie. She also got some of the cutest clothes I've ever seen. We are so lucky to have such wonderful families! We arrived home on Monday and Irelynn was so tired from all of the playing that she has slept all night long for 2 nights in a row. This is a first for my baby girl. Go Irelynn!!
A few new things that Irelynn has started doing:
Playing peek-a-boo like a champ and pulling the pages back on her peek-a-boo book all by herself.
Playing "chase" where we chase her around the room and she crawls as fast as she can giggling all the way.
Clicking her tongue and making a fake coughing sound.
Making all kinds of talking noises and taking turns talking with someone.
Mommy is finally starting to feel like a real person again. This baby thing was way harder than I ever thought. There are so many things to worry about and so many things to do! Mommy guilt is something that I never gave much though, but it is as real as any feeling I've ever known. Being a mom opens up a whole new area of your soul, one that was rarely entered before the birth of your child. Once Irelynn was born, my world felt much bigger, much fuller, much more wonderful, but much more complicated and I'm pretty sure that that feeling is here to stay. As I watch my baby grow and change, I realize how quickly time passes and how precious each moment of every day truely is. I feel a richness in my life, a love so deep that it aches, a responsibility so encompasing that it is, at times, utterly overwhelming. With all that said, month 9 is my favorite yet! Baby I is growing and learning and mommy is starting to figure some things out.
