A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer...

We started out our Christmas festivities at my Grandma's house in Dallas on Christmas Eve. Cayden had fun attacking Grandma's tree and chewing on Grandpa's 70-year-old toys.  After the Christmas Eve service at Salem Heights, we went over to the Adamsons for dessert with the Hunter side of the fam. All of my cousins on my dad's side were there, which is pretty amazing because three of us our married with kids, and it's harder and harder to get us all together! Below is a picture of me and Cayden with my two cousins and their babies. The babies were all born within 6 months of each other! Sleeping was not one of Cayden's fortes on Christmas Eve. We spent the night at Bryan's parents' house, and she woke up 3 times that night, which meant a slightly crabby Cayden the next day. She woke up to open presents, then had to go back to take a nap before she finished opening presents! Cayden getting some help from Daddy in opening one of her many presents

This morning I am just thankful that she woke up to live another day. Would the world keep turning without its cutest baby? Because my world certainly would not. To all those mothers who aren't holding their babies this Christmas, you are in my prayers. I couldn't sleep last night because I kept putting myself in your shoes, and it seemed wrong to close my eyes and not grieve with you. At 2:30 a.m., I prayed, "God I am afraid, and so are they. Take our fear, Lord. Take our fear." 

Last weekend, we went to see the Zoo Lights in Portland with Young-i, Lauren and Joe. We left Cayden with grandparents because it was SUPER COLD, and she wouldn't really appreciate it. First, we had a lovely dinner at Olive Garden...where Youngs found her new boyfriend (just kidding!). She and Lauren just loved his hair and were brave enough to ask for a pic! Bryan was only a little mortified.  Then came Zoo Lights. It was impressive, but not really worth $9 a pop. Maybe if you had little kids with you. But we still had fun!  Especially when we found the sparse animals. This was Young-i in the petting zoo.  And here's the kids riding wooden horses! Don't mind the random kid in the background....and apparently Joe doesn't like to smile.

Nine months old! Head circumference: 45.7 cm (91st percentile -- yikes!) Length: 28.75 in (87th percentile) Weight: 18 pounds, 1.5 oz (49th percentile)  This month Cayden officially learned how to crawl, started eating finger foods regularly, and is sleeping through the night every night! Sometimes she wakes up right about the time that we go to bed (11pm) and wants a bottle, but then she's back to sleep until around 7am. Then she wakes up and I give her another bottle, and she will sometimes go back to sleep for a couple of hours. She needs her two naps a day to be in a good mood, but can still function with just one if she's occupied (not at home).  My aunt gave us some fruit squeeze things, and Cayden loves them. Above you can see her delicate dexterity...she's always touching new, interesting things with her pointer fingers very carefully. She does this to zippers, Douglas' silky edges at bedtime, and any and all new textures she finds. Here sh

Smell that fresh air! We went and got a Christmas tree yesterday for Cayden's 9-month-old birthday!  I think this is as close to a santa picture as we are going to get. Hooray for inflatable Santa!!  And there's the tree!

This is my new favorite outfit for Cayden. Complete with purple Corban shirt and baby Adidas. I think Cayden will be getting plenty of practical use out of those shoes, as standing is he new favorite thing (supported of course). She still prefers to stand on her toes.   She has also mastered crawling in the past few days and is into everything! Below shows how our coffee table has become a favorite.   And we tried pigtails yesterday too! And right after I took these pics, she tried to grab something under the table (while standing) and banged her head on it. There was a visible line on her head and plenty of tears, hence, the binks.   On a different note, there is other news in the household....I am going to have surgery to fix this. If you can't figure out what needs fixing, you are blind, or just ignoring the skeletor shoulders/arms. When I saw this photo (taken in late October), I realized something was wrong. Gaining only 19 pounds during my pregnancy wa

Thanksgiving is always fun because we get to see friends we haven't seen in a while, like Texas Jane.  And we spend a lot of time with family.  And lots of time shopping.  This is Cayden with her 5th cousin, Ella, at Thanksgiving at my parents' farm.

Because I miss my friend Beth... And because it's good to remember that even when we are sick, we can still be happy.  And very cute.

Daddy's back!  And he came bearing gifts! I love Cayden's new hat. She might hate wearing shoes but she loves hats!  This was where Bryan stayed in the city of Huanmantanga, Peru (13,000 feet in Andes Mountains). They had low pressure running water for 6 hours a day, and rock hard beds, but survived!  City streets  Eating dinner.  Pig head  The whole group.  Clearing a field so the school teacher can plant crops to feed the school children, who are very undernourished. The group bought her $500 of seed to plant and helped clear the land.  Little one watching the older girls play volleyball.  Bryan and a little friend.  The view from their room. Matching hats from Peru!