With her growing skill set...

Fiona has found new ways to love old favorites.

And is discovering new favorites every day.

Yes, I realize the oven is probably not the ideal "toy" for a 7 and a half month old...but it sure keeps her happy.

She just started trying to pick things up with her index finger and thumb...and much to my chagrin she's actually had a few successes. (Oh house, go back on the market so you are impeccably clean all the time...) I tried to catch her, but she always gets distracted by the camera. Luckily she moved on to another new trick. Sorry the lighting is so bad. If only she'd been two feet back...

I also wish I'd gotten a video of her watching this video. You should have heard her squealing...

And finally a Christmas post...or book.

When the Deacon family decided Christmas in Dallas was the best choice for this year, I was very excited. Not only would we not have to travel, but Fiona would get to enjoy her first Christmas at home! Then I remembered how small our Condo is...and Bess and Jacob's apartment...and started getting a little nervous. But after a week and a half of visitors I still wasn't even close to being ready for everyone to leave, and got teary-eyed on the last night. I love my family. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in so much "stuff" at Christmas time, but I couldn't have asked for a nicer Christmas holiday just hanging out in our little condo (and Bess and Jacob's apartment) with good company, good food and good drinks. (And the good food and drinks were an added bonus!)

The first to arrive was Gram Gram. Luckily she stayed with us for a few nights, and Fiona got to spend lots of time with her before more grandkids came and wanted her attention too.

We had fun decorating lots of cookies...

One thing we definitely didn't think we'd have to worry about was weather, but on Christmas Eve we had the most beautiful Texas snow I've ever seen. All day I was so excited about getting a White Christmas! And then it turned very icy, my car got stuck, and we contemplated canceling Christmas Eve so the Browns, Jablonskis and Jesse wouldn't have to brave the "blizzard." Luckily Jim thought that was ridiculous, so gifts were loaded up (and sleeping bags just in case) and we had a lovely cozy evening...and no one got stuck on the way home :)

Side note: Living in Dallas has turned me into such a winter wimp. Can you imagine thinking of changing Christmas plans because of a couple inches of snow?! Yes, we're (or at least I'm) crazy.

We had a quiet Christmas morning with just our family and Gram Gram.

I know it doesn't come across in pictures, but Fiona really was tickled by her new toys...lots of little grins and squeals. She was so hesitant at first, almost as if wondering if they were really for her. She's SO sweet!

Jon, not so much. He wasn't happy to be out of bed before 9...

Thanks goodness his mood changed for mass...

See, real snow!

Everyone was VERY excited (after a brief scare that they might not make it) when the Aaron and Kate Deacons arrived the day after Christmas.

Fiona LOVED Caroline. A lot...

And while Caroline was happy to play with her for a while...

Fiona's feelings weren't quite reciprocated...

Later on, Fiona sure showed her...

One of my favorite parts of the whole weekend was Bess and Jacob's tamale party. It was such a success! They took care of all the preparation and then everyone came to actually assemble the tamales, drink fresh margaritas, and of course...eat them...SO SO delicious!

Awesome, awesome idea. Nice job guys!

And finally everyone left. I was in withdrawal for a week.

But we did learn that Fiona not only likes her dad's beers, but apparently Uncle Aaron's too.

And all you need to keep little boys entertained in 1000 square feet is a Wii (or tamale party...which is probably a better idea...).

And Fiona loves baby dolls. Thanks to Caroline for introducing them.

Thanks again to all of you who made the trek here. We love you and can't wait to do it again!!!

Crawl, Stand, Speak

This is Jon. Katie asked me to identify myself. :)

7 Months to the date, and our little peach Fiona has acquired so many skills in the past week, we're at a bit of a loss for words. This is a great little video that shows what she can do. Time to start baby-proofing the house!

Before I forget...

She also learned to pull up onto her feet this week too! She's been able to get on her knees for a while, but one afternoon when I thought she was sleeping I heard gleeful noises coming from our room. Low and behold, she was standing up in her crib with the proudest look on her face I've ever seen. Unfortunately, our hard floors aren't nearly as forgiving as a soft crib mattress, and she's already gotten a couple knocks on the back of her head while trying to pull up to the coffee table. But she's super tough, and after a quick little snuggle just wants to get down to try again.

And yes, a Christmas post is coming eventually. It was such a wonderful week...it's a little overwhelming to think about documenting it. Maybe I can do it one day at a time...

Another Milestone

So not only is Fiona super cute (I know...that's not the milestone)...

She crawls too!

I swear, yesterday morning she was still doing her belly flop crawl. Then out of nowhere she finally figured out how to move her hands forward while staying on her knees! You wouldn't believe the speed she's gained in one short day...breakables beware!

Also, I fudged a little, and these pictures were taken a little over a week ago when she still couldn't crawl. But she's been sick for a few days so I haven't had the camera out much...except for this:

At least she's still enjoying some of the toys santa brought...

Sweet sweet sick Fi...what a trooper.

What might have been our Christmas card...

if I hadn't been such a slacker and perfectionist (sorry for the mess in the background). Next year I'll have to start trying earlier. I liked the bottle, but Jon preferred the cheap beer....go figure.