Cram-Packed December

 Gabby turned seven months this December.  This month was FULL of milestones for Gabby.  She got her first tooth in the middle of the month and by Christmas Day she had her second. She can reliably sit up on her own now, and she can stand for long periods of time holding onto her activity table.  Everyone keeps asking if she is crawling yet.  Well, she has become quite successful at crawling backward but hasn't made in forward movement!  In fact, I heard her whining the other day, and I found her completely under the dining room table.  She also likes to crawl under the sofa, with just her little head peaking out.  At this rate, she will be walking before she crawls.  On December 30th, Gabby said her first word!  Thought she doesn't know what it means, nor the impact it has on her father, her first words were, "Hiiiiiii, dada." She frequently says "hi" really strung out, and often whispers "dada".  I am adamant about "mama" becoming her next word!

***Click on the pictures for a larger view***

Can you see my two bottom teeth?

See, I can even stand up!

Our friends Lindsay and Rudy took our Christmas pictures.  Once again, they are wonderful!

We couldn't resist adding another foot shot.  This has become a new tradition for us!

On December 20th, we flew to Indiana to spend time with my family for Christmas.  The night we flew in, it snowed a few inches, and Gabby was able to experience her first snow!  If it hadn't been so cold, we would have taken more pictures!

Tony pulling Cousin Mackenzie in her sled!

 It was absolutely wonderful being able to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family!

Uncle Adam and Gabby

My Niece, Mackenzie

Story time with Uncle Adam.  Tony was so impressed that Adam could recite those Dr. Seuss rhymes so quickly!

Cousin Oran

The three sisters!  

Cuddle time with Oran and Nana

Three Generations!

Nana and Gabby

Our trip home to Texas wasn't nearly as enjoyable!  We traveled on Christmas Day and got stuck at the Dallas airport in a snow storm.  Our flight was delayed seven hours with three gate changes.  By the end of the night, we were out of diapers AND formula, and we were just praying to get home safely.  Gabby sure was a trooper!

Gabby hit another milestone at DFW.  She went from her stomach to a seated position all by herself.  She even got a round of applause from the other waiting passengers.  We are so blessed with such an easy traveling baby!

Because our flight was so delayed, we missed the Lopez Christmas.  We rescheduled for the following day and introduced a new family tradition in order to remember the "Christ" in "Christmas".  Often we all get wrapped up in gift giving, that we forget the real reason we celebrate the holiday.  Hopefully, this will help us teach Gabby why Christmas is so important to us!  We all sang "Happy Birthday" together!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!