Home for the Holidays

Happy New Year, Friends and Family! 2011 -- Wow. It is hard to believe that it has been a full year since Conor and I cut into a certain little chocolate cake and first learned that we were expecting a bouncing baby boy. Folks, humor me here because I have been feeling a bit nostalgic this past week, mainly just remembering the anticipation we were experiencing around this time last year. So, in the spirit of nostalgia, here is a vintage picture of Conor and myself, right before cutting into the "gender" cake last year. Note the excitement on our faces. We were so sure that we were having a baby girl. Haha!


Little did we know that there was blue icing waiting for us inside that little chocolate cake once we hacked into it. I did not capture the looks of sheer terror on our faces following this news, but you will just have to imagine. Kidding, only kidding. We were thrilled, of course, to learn that we were having a boy.


Blue icing. It's so strange to think that blue icing was the first glimpse we had into our future as parents of a rambunctious little baby boy. Ah, little Fionny. How rich and wonderful you made the second half of our 2010, dear son. We can only imagine what 2011 will have in store.

Okay, my trip down Memory Lane is over, I promise. Now back to the topic at hand. The holidays.

Conor, Fionn and I returned last Wednesday after an 8-day stay in Jackson, Mississippi with my family for the Christmas holidays. We had a wonderful, long visit during which Fionn got to spend lots of quality time with his grandparents. This first picture is a favorite of mine. I love how Fionn is touching my Dad's face. As Conor said, it's like he's saying, "Hey, I have that same nose!"


This next picture shows Fionn sitting in the same high chair that my mother used to feed my brother and me when we were babies. It was a little rickety, to be sure, and it didn't come close to meeting current safety standards. But boy was it pretty! And I loved the idea that I once sat in the same spot as my Fionny. That said, Conor and I just had to make sure that someone was in the room at all times with Fionn while he was in it. I don't think Jenny Lind circa 1974 was quite prepared for an active, curious little bugger like our Fionny. He was constantly twisting around in the seat, trying to grab tassels (of which there were many at my mom's house) and other knick-knacks (of which there were also many) off the tables nearby.


And here is Fionn with me and Julie. Note how he is calling attention to his dimples. He's no fool, my boy. He already knows how to work it.

Besides spending QT with the grandparents, Fionn also got to meet his cousin, Conley, who was born just 10 days before him. We had been eagerly anticipating the meeting between the two cousins. Julie bought them matching Christmas outfits to further enhance the cuteness factor. Check it out.

It was hilarious to observe the differences between the two kiddos who were born at basically the same time. The gender gap was definitely at play, lemme tell you. Lovely Conley sat nicely on the carpet, playing with her toys and vocalizing quite a bit. Cooing, one might say. Meanwhile, Fionn...well, let's just say that our boy doesn't do a whole lot of cooing. Grunting, crying...sure. A little baby talk even. But cooing? Not so much. Also...Fionn doesn't sit nicely in one place for more than a few seconds. So as Conley gnawed sweetly on her plastic ring, Fionn was basically rolling around on top of her, stealing her toys and trying to give us a heart attack by bumping into every possible dangerous item in Dad's living room. For her part, Conley was a very good sport. Here is a picture capturing Fionny in the throes of stealing one of Conley's toys.


Fionn also had the pleasure of meeting his two great-aunts, Kay and Gus, who met us in Grenada, MS for lunch one day after Christmas. It was such a special treat to introduce Fionny to these special ladies.


Fionn also spent time with his Uncle Jay (otherwise known as my older brother). Here is a pic showing my brother Jay and my stepsister-in-law Lanier (due later this month with her first!) watching Fionn crawl around on the carpet. Yes, that's right! He is officially crawling, y'all!



Fionn also spent time with a whole host of other very special relatives, including his Brickey cousins, his England cousins, and his great-uncle Shelby. Please check out the Flickr website for pics if you are interested.

Of course, besides seeing relatives, Fionn also got PRESENTS! He is one lucky little kiddo, that is for sure. We are currently awaiting the arrival of the box we shipped back to DC that is chock-full of his many Christmas gifts, including a drum that plays music (from Ganna) and some building blocks (from his Grandpa Jimmy and Julie). We can't wait for the box of gifts to arrive so we can play with them! We are both officially bored of all the toys we already have here in the playroom at home.

Here is a picture of Fionn enjoying one of his most special gifts, a audio copy of The Night Before Christmas from his Ganna which was recorded with her voice so she will virtually be the one reading him the story each year. It will definitely be part of our Christmas Eve tradition in the future.


All in all, it was a fantastic first Christmas for our little guy. Although he doesn't yet understand what Christmas is all about, Conor and I certainly felt an appreciation for the holiday in a way that we had not appreciated it before. We both feel very blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful family, especially our adorable new addition. Happy New Year, Everyone!