Holiday Fun

I was looking forward to the holidays this year more than ever, because this would be the first Christmas Drea was old enough to enjoy it. We took her to the Picture People in December to get Christmas photos made with all of her cousins. It was an exhausting trip, but we managed to get some adorable photos.
On Christmas Eve we went to Westminster to visit the Mabry side of the family. We had a great time as always, and Drea enjoyed being a ham and getting lots of attention. We enjoyed seeing everyone, eating good food, and meeting Hunter (the newest Mabry..for now).
Drea's Nana and Papa came over on Christmas morning to eat breakfast and watch her open her presents. Then we went to meet up with the Bridges family for lunch. It started to snow just as we were leaving, and continued snowing for several hours. I never thought I'd see a white Christmas in SC! My parents and brother Daniel's family came over to the house to open gifts and eat supper. The living room became a tornado of gift wrap and toys. Drea really enjoyed herself. I remember glancing over at her at one point during the evening and seeing her wading through knee high gift wrap holding her new baby doll in one hand and her new pretend cell phone in the other. She was following her cousin Lydia and having the time of her life. After we finished with presents, Mama and I took the kids out to play in the snow before we ate supper. Then everyone else had to rush home before the roads got scary.
We were supposed to join the Stepps in Clemson on December 26th, but we put it off for a day due to the snow. When we finally did get together, Drea enjoyed yet another day of getting lots of attention from a large group of people. She had a lot of fun playing with Brian's younger cousins and seeing her great aunts and uncles. She enjoyed her presents too. She fell asleep on the way home, and we were able to take her out of the car seat and lay her in her crib without any crying. She was wiped out from too much fun and ready to sleep!
On New Year's Eve Mama, Daniel, and the kids came over for a spaghetti supper and some minor fireworks in the driveway. Drea watched them with her daddy from the front porch. She needed reassurance when some of the fireworks got really loud, but she never cried and enjoyed the sparks and pretty colors. After Daniel and the kids went home we watched the ball drop before Drea and I went to bed.

On New Year's Day we got together again (Daddy joined us briefly) to eat lunch. We had ham, macaroni and cheese, collards, black- eyed peas, and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Drea (as always) had a great time playing with her cousins. It was a wonderful way to start a new year.

One Year Photos

We took Drea to get her picture made on Monday in the birthday outfit I had someone make for her. It was a little difficult to get her to cooperate (she alternated between being clingy and wanting me to hold her to crawling off and getting into everything), but we manged to get some cute pics anyway.

She met another little girl her age there, and her reaction was adorable. She started laughing and squealing like she does when she's really excited, and kept touching the other girl's hair and hands. She also handed her the little bear she had with her. It was super cute!

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It's amazing to me how much she's changing and how fast she learns new things. I can't believe she'll be one on Wednesday!

Something New Every Day

Drea continues to astonish me with how fast she is growing and changing. Her sense of humor is starting to become more advanced now; she tries to tickle and tease people and laughs when she sees something unexpected (like me in my Halloween costume)

She's also been walking more often. She turned around on her feet last week.

Brian takes her out for walks every day. He usually wears her in our Ergo carrier. I go outside with her sometimes too, and I wear her in one of my wraps. She started picking up the Ergo and wraps on Thursday and handing them up to us when she wants to go out for a walk.

Drea has become especially attached to a stuffed animal that looks like a white cat. She calls it "Kitty" and loves to hug it.

Last night we took her to a Halloween party thrown by two of my old high school friends. She loved all the attention she got from people. We forgot to load the stroller in the car, but luckily one of my wraps was in the car or we would've been forced to leave early. The party was outside in a shed, so it wasn't an environment suitable for her to get down. Brian and I both wore her for most of the party. She also loved it when Jeff gave her a cupcake. By the time we left I had to wipe icing off her face and neck. It was everywhere.

Drea loves to get attention from people now. She loves it when we have company or go somewhere like the party and people talk to her. She is slow to warm up at first, but once she's comfortable she is quite a flirt.

Drea walks

Drea's favorite toy

Walking and Talking

My laptop started causing me some problems that discouraged me from using it too often. That's why I haven't put anything here in a couple of months. Well, there's that and the fact that Drea has been keeping me very busy. But now I've got a new laptop and finally found the blog again.
Drea has changed a lot since I last posted anything. In the last month she's taken her first steps and learned a few words. She's getting into everything. She's also quit eating baby food entirely and can chew and swallow well enough to eat a wide range of solid food. She has five teeth now.
Drea's words so far: She can say Mama, Dada, uh-oh (her favorite word), kitty (her favorite toy is a stuffed animal cat), dog (she also clicks her tongue trying to call him), Nana, and stop (pronounced Dop). She also waves bye, claps when you say "Yay!", and indicates when she wants a bottle by using the sign for "milk". She has a specific sound she makes when she wants something to eat, and makes a certain noise when she wants to try and tickle someone (she loves to watch people have tickle fights).
Lately she smiles and babbles happily in the morning when I come into her room. She has finally really noticed Aries and LOVES him. She stands at the door when he's on the back porch and clicks her tongue at him. She asks to go outside and visit with him several times a day. Sometimes she pets him. She also wants to go outside and walk every day. Every once in a while I take her for a walk, but Brian does it two or three times a day. She gets really excited when he puts her on his back because she knows it means they're going outside. She counts on it as part of her daily routine now.

I can't believe her birthday is going to be here in just a few weeks! It doesn't seem like my baby should be one yet.