Cecelia's First Christmas

Well, another holiday has come and gone. Cecelia's first Christmas was a busy one. On Christmas Eve we went to Mass with Great Nana followed by the Stark family get-together. It was the first time in awhile that all of Matt's siblings were together, making the holiday extra special. CeCe was loved up by everyone at the party. However, because the celebration fell during her 7 to 11 p.m. fussy time, she needed lots of bouncing and swaying to keep quiet. Santa came to Nana and Pops' house. Cecelia got lots of toys and books.

On Christmas morning we all went to Weiss family Christmas brunch. CeCe and cousin Grey received matching "Born in 2007" onesies and sat somewhat still for Uncle Jake while he took photos under the Christmas tree (trying to get Uncle Jake to upload those photos for us before we publish this post). Santa Claus came to Oma and Papa's house, as well. CeCe got a really cool crib mobile that plays classical music and features dancing animals. We had to try it out right away and found that - for perhaps the first time - CeCe seemed happy to be on her back in a crib. She just loved the music.

Yesterday Matt and I set-up the new ipod stereo that he received for Christmas and had a dance party with Cecelia. Apparently we should have been playing songs for her all along because we've learned that she loves all types. I think Matt played everything from Dean Martin to Black Eyed Peas all with the same result - a very happy and relaxed looking CeCe. We ended the evening by playing the Coldplay lullabies CD that Cecelia received from Aunt Shelle and Uncle Jake. She loved it so much she fell asleep.

We're noticing so many changes in CeCe over the past week alone. She's begun smiling more and more, which delights us to no end. She's also been "talking" a ton and expressing her happiness through leg kicks.

We're looking forward to enjoying a low-key New Year's Eve at home with our little darling. Matt and I have been reflecting on the drastic change our lives have taken since last New Year's Eve when we were forced to dine-and-dash, nearly were mugged at the Arc de Triomphe roundabout and close to death in a cab on our way to Charles de Gaulle. We both agree - we'll take this lifestyle over any one we've had previously.

Daddy, Mommy, Sara, Auntie Lisa and Sandy

Nana and the cool Eric Carle toy she bought Cecelia

Great Uncle Andy and the book he bought for Cecelia

Great Nana gave CeCe money for books!

Oma holds CeCe as she meets her Great Grandpa ("Pop") for the first time on Christmas day.

The guys all got hats for Christmas. Greyson is wondering where his is!

Matt, CeCe and I got Greyson a "Retro Rocket" for Christmas. Papa put it together a

Aunt Shelle and Uncle Jake gave Cecelia a jumperoo.

Sleeping in 2007

ALMOST a smile for the camera

Christmas morning with Mommy

Christmas morning with Daddy

Daycare, Dates, and Fifth Graders...Oh My!

It has been a while since we've posted an update on our little bundle. In the last two weeks, Cecelia has had a few adventures and visited with a lot of family and friends.

Both Stacey and I had the luxury of being home together the first month of Cecelia's life, which was the best experience of my life. Everyone tells you, "your life will never be the same", and they're right. However, you can't appreciate the statement until you experience it yourself.

I was spoiled that month and unfortunately had to return to work this past Monday. The last week of school in December is always crazy, but it is even more so when you've been at the whim of your newborn's sleep schedule. I must admit, I was very anxious about the transition. Stacey, however, ran with her stay at home mom role (which she will have for another three and a half weeks) and handled the change beautifully. The girls took outings throughout the week and tightened their already secure bond. They even had time to make fudge, cookies, and cupcakes for the staff and students at my school. I was happy to see my class again and they made it a smooth transition for me. In fact, they even threw a surprise baby shower for me on the Thursday I returned. Cecelia has even more clothes now and a beautiful decorative quilt that the students made in art class. The Tippe family sure had my back while I was on leave. With that said, it was tough to answer questions about CeCe, for it made me long for home.

To top it off, Stace and I had our first two dates this past week, as we left CeCe home with both grandparents within a four day span. It wasn't as hard as we thought it would be to leave her, but we sure did miss her. Stace (leadfoot) insisted on driving us home!

At her five week weigh in, we found out that Cecelia has been eating A LOT. She gained 30 ounces in 20 days and now weighs just under 11 lbs. She also grew two inches and is now 22.5 inches long. We are blessed to have such a healthy baby.

The three of us went out today to wrap-up our last minute shopping details. We're so excited to celebrate Cecelia's first Christmas, despite the fact that she has no idea as to what is going on. We'll be sure to take lots of photos during the next few days' festivities and will post after Christmas. Until then, may all of you have a wonderful holiday!

Mommy on the blog...finally!

Neighbor Tim and daughter Lucy.

Neighbor Sara swapping babies with Stacey. Lucy seemed fine with it, anyway!

Bath time at Oma and Papa's

Cate, CeCe's soon-to-be daycare provider.

Christopher, a soon-to-be daycare playmate.

CeCe checking out Nana Stark while Matt and Stacey are on a "date".

A visit with Great Aunt Terri.

Papa? Is that you?

Mmm...cupcakes!

Bundled and ready to go.

CeCe visits Matt's class the day before Christmas Break.

So, maybe Matt's time off hurt his students' spelling a bit.

Aunt Sandy visits CeCe after coming home from San Francisco.

Auntie Lisa and Auntie Sandy.

Daddy can feed, too!

Holding her own bottle...she'll be two fistin' in no time.

Daddy Photo Shoots

Each time I go to the camera lately I find a new series of Cecelia photos taken by Matt. Some of the shots are blurry and others showcase just an ear or bit of her head. (This is because he usually has her in his arms and takes his photos with the camera in the air.) However, it seems that in each "daddy photo shoot," as I've begun calling them, we find at least one precious photo of our little girl. Here are some from the past week alone.

Gettin' Christmasy

CeCe and Christmas preparations have kept us pretty busy lately, causing a delay in blog postings. While our little girl may not realize it's the holiday season, having her around has made her mommy and daddy a bit more festive than usual.

On Tuesday we took Cecelia Christmas shopping. Daddy proudly carried her in the Baby Bjorn most of the time. She was so good and thankfully slept most of the time, allowing us to get nearly everything on our list. On Wednesday, Oma came for a visit and the four of us picked out a Christmas tree. St. Nick stopped by later that night and brought CeCe a book with Christmas stories to read each night in December. On Thursday mommy and daddy spent the whole day decorating the house. Mommy wore Cecelia in the carrier while decorating the tree. Holiday preparations are certainly a lot more work when you have an infant in tow!

Since we last posted, Cecelia has been smiling a lot more. We're sure it's just gas but it warms our hearts nonetheless. Bath time has also become a regular occurrence and she has grown to love it more and more. Night time is still a struggle; CeCe wakes up hungry every hour and does NOT like sleeping on her back. The car seat works a bit but she's happiest when she's on one of our chests. However, we're determined to get her used to sleeping independently and therefore bought a Miracle Blanket - a swaddling blanket that is guaranteed to make babies sleep better. We tried it for the first time last night and ended up getting one chunk of consistent sleep - a whopping 2.5 hours. We're hoping she'll get more used to it and sleep better and better.

Tonight CeCe and mommy are getting out of the house for a bit. We're going to a get-together at Dana's house while daddy gets some much needed guy time with Jason. As for the weekend - we've got nothing but R-n-R planned.

Abby, our neighbor and CeCe's future babysitter.

Sleeping on daddy's chest.

Christmas shopping! (C'mon, doesn't EVERYONE take a camera to the mall?!?)

Mommy's FAVORITE new photo - CeCe shopping in her festive holiday outfit.
(Thanks for the sleeper, Moll!)

Daddy calls this CeCe's "fungia face."

Growth Spurt Means No Sleep for Mom and Dad

We considered posting a photo of Matt and me today so you could see what two nights without sleep have done to us. Cecelia has been going through a growth spurt the past few days which is causing her to eat like a child twice her size while sleeping very little at night. Isn't it funny that no one tells you about episodes like this before you have children?

Despite our zombie-like state, we're finding more and more to love about CeCe as each day passes. There's the cute little noises she makes when she sleeps, making us wonder just what she's dreaming about (more milk, I'm sure); the smiles that are becoming more frequent; the great big yawn that Matt has been trying to capture on camera but always seems to miss; and the way she calms down when she hears our voices. I could go on and on . . .

CeCe enjoying her bouncy seat while wearing a newborn outfit that just doesn't seem to fit her yet.