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holiday recap and the end of 2008

2:13 pm CST December 31, 2008
Happy New Year! Eric and I have an annual NYE tradition of going to a nice dinner, just the two of us, before meeting up with friends to ring in the new year. This year, however, we've decided to take our little man along with us. Rather than our usual dinner at Canoe, or last year's at Bacchanalia, this year, the three of us will be checking out a new Mexican restaurant in the Highlands ... at ... wait for it ... 5:30. The last time we tried to go to this restaurant, there was an hour wait (they don't take rezzies) -- I'm guessing we probably won't have much trouble getting in this time. After dinner, we're having Ms. Tonya stay with the boy while we head over to Dave and Sue's for some NYE bubbly. Last year at Dave and Sue's, I was pregnant and, therefore, sober. And this year, Sue and Angela are both pregnant. I think I owe it to them to make up for last year and to entertain them as much as they entertained me. Actually, to be honest, I'm just hoping to pace myself and to make it past midnight. Cuz I'm wild and crazy like that.
I hope you all enjoyed the holidays as much as we did. Adam, of course, was pretty clueless about it all, but having him with us this year seemed to make everything -- and everyone -- a little happier. We had a white Christmas in New York and enjoyed a lot of quality time with Adam's Aunt Nicole, Uncle Brett, Aunt Danielle and (soon-to-be) Uncle Andy, mostly enjoying Grandmere's wine and playing Guitar Hero, Wii and various board games. Adam's great-uncle Mike and great-grandparents came over, too, and we also got to visit Marc, Brett and Kyle (one of Adam's BFF's) in Port Washington. Unfortunately though, we didn't get to spend a lot of time with Grandmere, as she was battling a nasty stomach bug and stayed holed up in her room for most of our visit. Eric's sisters stepped up and made a couple of delicious dinners, and luckily, Grandmere started feeling better and finally got to enjoy her grandson for our last day there.
When we got back to Atlanta, we met up with my family to celebrate Christmas late and Sophie's 5th birthday early. Adam is starting to enjoy watching his big cousins run around and act crazy, and now that he's able to sit up and interact a little, they're really beginning to enjoy spending time with him, too. It's so sweet to watch them with him. I feel very lucky that we live so close and that they'll be able to grow up together.
As expected, Adam got WAY too many Christmas gifts. So far, his favorites seem to be his stacker from Nanny and Pop and "Patrick the Pup" from Joe (a friend of Grandmere's). In fact, his ever-increasing stash of toys has prompted us to think about re-organizing some things in our house. We're going to look into making our formal living room more of a family room so that we can turn our current family room/sun room into a playroom for Adam. A guy in our neighborhood specializes in interior home renovations -- I think we're going to have him over to take a look.
Adam is doing great. He's officially sitting up and rolling, and he has gotten VERY grabby. I have to be careful when I wear earrings around him. He still loves to eat (shocker), and has added winter squash, green beans and a carrot & tomato combo to the list of foods he's tried (and devoured). We're going to introduce fruits next, along with water in a sippy cup. He more or less holds his bottle on his own now, unless he's feeling lazy.
As 2008 comes to an end, I'm finding myself feeling a little reflective (a little more so than usual even). This was a year of many firsts, and I know it will be impossible to look back and remember them all. I do remember the first time I felt the little flutters in my belly, and I remember them growing into strong kicks as a tiny baby grew into a strong boy. And I remember realizing that it was time -- that we were finally going to meet the boy we'd been trying to imagine for so long. I remember squeezing Eric's hand in the OR and seeing him hold our baby for the first time. I remember him taking care of me (of us) as I recovered, and how lucky I felt (feel) to be the girl that got him. I remember how overwhelmed I felt in those first months of being a new parent -- how scary it was to be the one responsible for keeping this sweet little baby healthy and happy. And then I remember realizing that I was doing it, and that I was doing it well. I remember Adam's first smile, lying on his playmat after a very long morning, and how the rest of that day seemed to fly.
It's been an amazing year, and I'll be sad to see it go. But I am happy and hopeful and can't wait to see what 2009 brings.
XOXO