Watch Me Grow!

40 Weeks

41 Weeks

42 Weeks (gotta love this GQ pose!)

43 Weeks (first picture in his new bedroom!)

10 Months! (not that you can see his sticker...)

We are absolutely WAY too close to one year! I really need to start planning a birthday party! I know I'm partial, but I think Thomas is absolutely adorable. He just gets cuter every day. I love that his personality is coming out more and more! He is very curious and likes to peep around me to see what's going on. Anyways, here is his monthly achievement update:

• Clap! This is his favorite. He claps all the time!
• Wave Bye bye! 
• He can say "bye" but it usually comes out more like "dye" in the moment
• Drink from a straw (in his sippy cup)
• His surprised "OH!" face has come out in full force this month!
• He's cut 4 new teeth, so he now has 8
• The other day, he nodded "yes" to two of my questions. I really think he understood what he was doing, but he hasn't repeated.
• My parents and grandparents swear he took a step the other day, but I didn't see it, so it doesn't count.
• He weights a ton! I'd guess around 24 lbs.
• Still nurses between 6-8 times a day just depending on our plans for the day
• Eats between 1-2 meals a day usually with a snack in the afternoon with Poppa...side note, Dad says that when he goes to the pantry in the afternoon, Thomas hollers at him to let him know he wants a cracker too!
• Takes two naps a day if he stays home with me all day, one if he goes to school.
• LOVES a bath.
• Walks behind a walker and anything else he can push (can't remember if he could do this last month...)
• He slept one whole night and one nap OUT of the Woombie with free arms! Then he got sick, so he's back in the Woombie.
• Bed time usually between 7:30-8. He's dropped his 5-6 AM feeding and just wakes up for the day at 7.

I know I'll think of something as soon as I hit publish, but these are at least the high points. Things are crazy nuts right now. We are supposed to close on the house Tuesday, seeing clients, switching insurances, moving, etc. Craziness. Oh and did I mention, Christmas is in 10 days!

Barlow Christmas

 Every year my mom's side of the family gets together the first weekend in December to celebrate Christmas. We haven't been able to go the last three years due to being in Texas, so we were excited to attend this year! Here are some pics from the day!

Thomas cheesing it up while I try to instruct Michael on proper posing for the family pic!

Luke was really insistent that he should be in our family picture!

Luke really loves hugging his cousin Thomas!

Thomas is not so into the hugging!

He is, however, really into bark! He cried like we had taken his most prized possession when we took the bark away!

Swinging with Mama!

I just love this picture!!

Thomas' new best friend, you'll see why in a couple pics...

Luke knows what to do with a present!

Guy fed Thomas Vanilla Wafers ALL afternoon! He's going two at a time here! I had to work really hard to maintain my patience and let it go! It won't kill him!

Luke helping Grammy with her gift!

FBC Columbus Nativity

We took Thomas to the outdoor Bethlehem village at FBC Columbus last weekend. Here he is all bundled up! I think he enjoyed looking at all the booths and seeing the animals in the manger scene.

Bath Time Fun!!

True Story: I ran Thomas a bubble bath. He repeatedly would dive into the bubbles and come up laughing and sputtering with a bubble goatee, mustache, beard, etc. SO cute. This boy LOVES his bath!

Mid Dive!

Goatee!

Splish Splash!

The Start of Something Good!

We started a new tradition this year with Thomas. I read about it on the blog When You Rise. Its very important to us to keep Christ and the message of the Gospel at the center of the Christmas season. To being doing this, we are going to give Thomas (and any future children) a "first Christmas present" the day after Thanksgiving each year. The gift will focus on the Nativity and true story of Christmas. Then, every year, the kids will get out all their Nativity/Christmas toys and books to play with the day after Thanksgiving (or whenever the Christmas decorations come out!). They will get packed up with the Christmas decor. Hopefully, it will be something they look forward to each December. This year, Thomas got the Fisher Price Nativity set. He pretty much just chews on the pieces, but he really likes it and it reminds me to talk about Baby Jesus (who happens to be the most often chewed piece!)

I love this transition!

His new "I'm really excited" face!

CHEESE!

Inspecting Baby Jesus!

Egg Bowl

Thomas sort of went to his first Egg Bowl (for you out of staters, that's the rivalry game between MSU and the other in state SEC college, Ole Miss!)! It was a rainy day, and the game was scheduled for 6:00 PM AGAIN...So we decided to just go tailgate with mom (who had just had elbow surgery) and then came home when it started raining! Thomas would be in bed on time, and we would watch the game from the comfort of our warm, dry living room. HA! If only things worked out as we planned! I went to pick up a pizza for dinner when we got home. When I went to crank my car to go home, it didn't do anything! Nothing! A nice lady in the restaurant tried to jump me off. Nothing. A big tow truck guy came to get a pizza and tried to jump me off. Nothing. Finally, since everyone I knew was in Starkville at the ball game, I got the guy working at my dad's store to come pick me up and take me home. (Mom couldn't drive and didn't have a car seat if she could!) Thankfully, it was towed the next day, and we got a new starter for FREE Thanks to HondaCare. Praise the Lord! We did NOT have the cash to get that fixed with the house stuff going on!!

Thomas with Grammy and Poppa at the Egg Bowl

Grammy, Poppa, Thomas, and Luke (who was too busy trying to figure out how to drive this thing for a picture!)

BTW...we won, for the THIRD year in a row! This is OUR state! We are MILES ahead!! #HailState!

Videos

One video is of Thomas waving. Which he now does all the time to everyone he sees. The other is his "Surprised and excited" face. With the big "O"! He was looking at himself on mom's iPhone while it videoed his reaction. He was amazed!

I'm a Slacker!

Kitchen with the hop up bar installed and the backsplash

Master Bathtub

Faucets installed

Close up of the backsplash. I'm gonna have them put in more of the glass tiles.

Front yard with landscaping!

He assures me we are closing this week. The appraiser is supposed to come tomorrow, and today (Sunday) at 12:30, there was a lot left to do!

House Update

Living Room

Master Bath

Laundry Room

Guest Bath

Close-up...its dirty!

So the house should be finished by Friday, and we should be closing on the 15th!!! Yippee!!

Thomas' First Thanksgiving

 So I was a terrible mother and didn't take many pictures to document Thomas' first Thanksgiving. Oh well. Here are the few I have:

I know he looks very unhappy and sick in this picture, but I promise he was jolly!

Give me the roll!!

YAY! I love Thanksgiving food!

Luke says, "Yay for Thanksgiving! And Yay for getting out of my highchair!"