Packers

Well Hayden and I got all dressed up to cheer on our Packers on Sunday night, only to watch them be defeated by the NY Giants. It was a very disappointing loss, as we were hoping to make it to the Superbowl of course. We still had fun, and here are some photos of Hayden in his Packer outfit from his great grandparents:

Hayden and I leave tomorrow for our annual trip to Colorado to ski and visit family! We are spending a few quiet days just hanging out with Mammaw Debbie and Grandpa Bill at their house, then Nate is flying in and we are heading up to Breckenridge for a week of skiing, dining, eating, hottubbing and hanging out with family and friends. Hayden will get to spend time with all of his grandparents, which is pretty special. He will also get to see all of his aunts and uncles - even Jeff and Rebecca are flying in from London. Hayden's Grammy bought him a big puffy blue snowsuit, so he is definitely going to spend some time playing in the snow and I can't wait to see how he reacts! He saw snow in Milwaukee and Chicago, but didn't actually play in it, so this will be a "first". And Nate and I can't wait to hit the slopes! So we'll be back in February with lots of updates - until then!

A tooth to match the first!

Well Hayden now has another tooth to make a pair on the bottom. Again, it was about 3 days of fussiness and sleepless nights, and voila, his tooth popped through and now he's in a great mood again. He's going to be so cute with those two little teeth growing in! I do hope that teething is done for awhile now that this pair is in, because he really is uncomfortable when it is going on, poor lil guy.

In my efforts to try to soothe him this week, I decided to buy a new blow-up rubber ducky bathtub. Well we hit the jackpot! Hayden LOVES bathtime and splashing :) We have been taking him in the shower with us, but he's getting so big and wiggly and slippery that I'm not convinced that it's safe any longer. But on the other hand, he's outgrown the newborn bathtubs, and he's not sitting well enough to sit in the bathtub without something to keep him from tipping and hitting his head. Well the rubber ducky bathtub is the approved solution for sure! He sat in there and splashed for about 30 minutes straight, talking and laughing the whole time. I finally had to take him out because he was getting all pruney! I got some tear-free bubble bath that I'm going to use today, and we'll see how he likes that. Here is a video of his first rubber ducky bath :)

After 3 very fussy days, we discovered that Hayden had his first tooth (the bottom right). What a milestone - he is growing so quickly - it's almost sad, but exciting at the same time. And his hair is growing in so thick and blond. He is definitely going to be a little blondie. He has also figured out that the dogs are something fun in his life, and he is constantly trying to reach out and touch them, and he giggles at them whenever Nate plays fetch. It is so adorable! In fact, the giggles are coming very regularly and easily these days, which is great. He is constantly smiling and laughing at the world around him.









Giggling at his dogs while they play fetch



Texas style hiking with Hayden :)

Holiday Travels

Hayden celebrated his first Christmas this year in Texas. It was such a wonderful day, and he was definitely the best gift we received this year :) We had a great cocktail party with our local friends on Christmas Eve, and then Hayden woke up on Christmas morning to a million presents from his grandparents and aunts and uncles under the tree. We just spent a quiet morning together as a family, opening presents and playing with new toys, and then we headed out to visit some friends.

At the Christmas Eve Party

Video of Hayden waking up on Christmas morning

A Christmas feast!

Hayden continued to broaden his horizons during his travels this past week. He flew to Wisconsin to see his mama's old stomping grounds, and to meet all of his second cousins and great aunts and uncles! We all gathered together for the first time in about 3 years. My cousins have all grown up into such smart and interesting young men and women, and it was so fun to just listen to them and all of their plans for the future. And now Hayden is the baby of family, and the start of a new generation. Here is a photo of all of my cousins (minus my cousin Amanda who unfortunately had to work):

In addition to meeting all of his extended family, Hayden also got to tear up the dance floor at his first wedding! We got him all dressed up in the cutest little outfit, and he was a very good baby for all of the wedding festivities. Then he spent New Year's Eve eating sushi in downtown Chicago with some of my college friends. He rang in 2008 from his crib in at a hotel on Rush Street, after strolling the snowy city streets all bundled up and cozy. It was a wonderful vacation!