Christmas 2012

Snapshot: As I type, it's snowing outside and Tom is sitting over on the couch poring over his favorite Christmas present, a massive cookbook called Modernist Cuisine At Home, figuring out a scrumptious dinner for us tonight. The Christmas tree's still glowing like a faithful friend; Peter is taking a nap.

[Warning: this is a long post with lots of pictures]

A few days before Christmas, I was looking around and waxing sentimental, imagining if I could capture and send a snapshot--all these little telltale signs of life these days--to the Katherine Reynolds of five years ago. The "2010: Our First Christmas Together" ornament hanging on the tree, and another one with a picture in memory of dear Grandma. The carseat and changing table over by the book case, the bouncy seat on the dining table, a play mat quilted by Nana spread out on the floor. At home in this sweet little townhouse in the middle of the day still wearing pajama pants, with this beautiful little boy in his blue fleece snowman pajamas. My life, my surroundings, my priorities (though not all of them) look very different than they did a few Christmases ago.

And of course this Christmas was very unlike any other, because we have our Peter and this was his first Christmas. Here are a few shots from it.

One of Peter's favorite new toys is a curly red bow:

It accompanied him while he was helping Mommy wrap Christmas presents...

 ...and even when it was time for his bath:

Christmas #1 (The 3 of us. We opened presents before the Christmas service on the 23rd.)

Peter's Big Gift:

Checking out the Rainforest Jumperoo (more pics on that later)

                           

The presents yielded much to touch and crinkle!

Helping Mommy open her gift from Daddy (Nice earrings, Mom, but I prefer my red bow.)

Christmas Eve, we traveled to Orange, where Tom and my dad bonded over iPhones.

Peter's Christmas pjs                              Asleep waiting for Santa...and Aunt Anne and Uncle Scott

Christmas morning--first to the Reynolds family gathering, where Peter met his cousins for the first time. This is Meghan (John's wife) with Fiona and Jackson, who is 4 days older than Peter.

With Oma:                                                                            His festive reindeer jacket:

                  

At Grandaddy and Oma's house we all received puffy coats!
                                                                           Here's my handsome husband...notice his new glasses?

                           

 Hanging with Aunt Anne and Uncle Scott. Poor kid got no attention in Orange.

And the next morning when we got up, SNOW!

 And before we headed North again, we got to share a quick lunch with Pop-Pop and my cousin Stephen, just in from Virginia Beach.

We headed back to Gaithersburg, braving the almost-freezing rain, the rush-hour/holiday traffic, and a bawling Peter for the last hour of the trip. We were relieved to get home, though less so when we found that our heater had died. :)      [It was fixed that night]

So, we bundled up. Here's Peter looking like he just came out of Orange, VA.

   

                   

And that was our Christmas! It was a sweet one over all, and the start of a new era of Christmases with our sweet boy and any other children the Lord gives us in the years to come. A Christmas-familiar passage from the prophet Isaiah says, 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

This Christmas, these words are doubly wonderful. Not only does the gift of our own sweet son give new weight and color to this passage, but also this: that the good news of a Savior born is even more precious to me with this new precious little soul who needs him as much as I do.

Three Months

Well what an extraordinary three months. What an extraordinary boy.

Peter is growing and changing every day. He now smiles and babbles and regularly blows our minds. We love this little boy and so many little things about him. But since they are myriad and most would be difficult to explain, for this post I'll just stick to a few snapshots of his days and ways.

For one, he's now loving his Noah's ark mobile, the zebras being a little less scary than the lions.

 Peter has graduated to using no infant insert/head support in his carseat/carrier.

"Meh. Someone stole my head-rest."                     "Ooh--it's actually kind of nice without it. Hee hee!"        

       

 Rather than sucking a pacifier or his thumb, Peter has taken to chomping on his index finger. 

         

And here are his precious little hands:  

Peter continues to get better at tummy time, and tolerates it a little better now, though it still makes him cranky.

And finally, the Bumbo seat has been an exciting addition to our days. Peter loves being able to sit up and look all around (while--for those unfamiliar with it--not being able to go anywhere or fall over.) He sits in it to share a meal or a chat with mommy, and especially to watch me cook (while I talk to him and occasionally dance around to Christmas carols for his enjoyment.) He loves the looks of bright vegetables and the smells of red onion, herbal tea, various spices, and whatever else I've been letting him smell while I'm cooking.

Yep, he's a sweetie. 

Asking in Faith

A little different than my normal cute baby updates, but thought I'd copy/paste this here for any reader who needs encouragement (as I do) in prayer. This is an email I just sent off to the ladies in my small group (we've been discussing the topic of prayer), and as I wrote, I was encouraged as I was reminded of this good news.  


--


Hey, girls. I read this morning in James 1:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Reminded me of what we talked about last week--how we often don't pray because we don't truly believe that prayer will make a difference; we don't have faith that we are praying to a mighty and loving and near God who hears our prayers and wants to help us. This passage is a pretty sobering picture of what that really is. I am convicted that I am often this "double-minded" woman. I want to be stable, built on the rock and trusting in His promises and character. 

But the good news is that, in repentance and true prayer, God "gives generously to all without reproach"(!!) Even without reproach for all the thousands of faithless prayers I've prayed. My record of faithlessness is wiped away by the faithfulness of my Lord Jesus, who prayed real prayers to the real God while on earth, and taught us to do the same. Who was forsaken so that I never would be, who bore the just wrath of God for my sin in my place so that, in Him, I am counted as righteous and a beloved child of God. "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

Praying with you, 

Katherine

Peter Clips

One of my favorite developments is that our Peter is becoming a talker. He melts my heart with his little "AAAROOOs" and "GOOOAAAHHs," especially when he talks in response to my voice and we have our little exchanges. But we still have very little footage to prove this. This is in part because I usually don't think to record until the moment has passed, and in part because Peter is his Daddy's son and doesn't prefer to babble in the spotlight. Seriously. And as soon as I close the camera, and its just the two of us again, he grins tells me all about it.

So I've yet to capture a good sample, but here are a couple links to little clips of him from the last couple days, with a few little boy sounds--and a bunch of hiccups.

Dec 1--Smiles and Coos

Nov 30--Christmas Greetings and Hiccups