Go Hoosiers!

So, this is just a fun picture collage I made for Mark for Valentine's Day... the hat was a Christmas gift from Mark for our little guy... fits perfectly! (it's so tiny!)
And I was looking through our pics and found these two... so cute. It's amazing how much our little munchkin has changed!! I told Mark this was an early Father's Day gift... somehow I'm sure there will be more then too! Maybe we'll have to snap the same pose in another few months. :)

"Almost" 5 months!

How time has flown by! So what's been going on since Christmas? Well, Santa's little helper is getting bigger! And now we have an almost 5 month old! Yes, I'm putting off saying just how old he is until it's official... to me he's still 4 1/2 months old. :) Christian continues to be a sweet little guy- lots of smiles, giggles, sqeaks and drool! It seems he's discovering new things every day... the 2-story ceiling in our entry way just became a highlight! Toes are fun... and so is his hair and ears. :) He's definitely grabbing more too- reaching out for our faces, petting the doggies, and trying to get some food! That will be out next step, but no solids for Christian yet- soon! Oh- and he rolled over on Jan 26! But no more rolling since... seems to like just hanging out on his side instead! The stats at his 4 month doctor appt. were: 15 lbs 5 oz and 24 inches long! Also news for the Hammonds is that Mark started a new job- both of us really. As of mid-January, I'm officially at home with Christian (after 7+ years with Taylor) and making some connection to do some freelance design work from home... and Mark (after 10+ years with YFC) is now the new youth pastor at Sonrise Church! Big changes, but things are going really well! The Church is great and the people and students have been so welcoming and friendly. Definitely big changes for us- it's been a busy few weeks lately- but we can't complain. The Lord continues to bless us! Thanks for your patience in hearing updates and seeing pictures! We'll try to be a bit more consistant. :) Okay- so here are some pics from the last couple months...

New Years Day! (snacks for everyone!)

I love my exersaucer- thanks Grandma!!
Happy times on Superbowl night! (surprising happiness! we just got home after a few hours at the youth superbowl party- he had fun hanging out with about 90 people!! guess he's just a little social butterfly!)
Just chillin watching the last minutes of the superbowl...
All wrapped up after bath time!
Little buddy!

Christian's first vacation! The 2nd week of January, we headed down to Brown County and rented a cabin... even got to take Soph along! (Glad we didn't lose her in the leaves!) It was so fun and relaxing... a good few days away. More room than we needed, but it was nice to spread out! There was even a hot tub on the porch, fireplace, pool table, and dart board- fun times. :)

Ah yes, we also celebrated some birthdays in January... Sophie turned 3, I turned 30 (!), and Mark turned 34!

Merry Christmas!

Wow - what a Christmas week! SO much fun! We spent Christmas Eve with Mark's family - his brother and family were up from Arkansas - and Christmas Day with Mark's extended family! Needless to say, Christian was quite spoiled. :) On Christmas morning, we opened stockings and then that evening, had our own little family Christmas. From hats to Thomas the Train, Christian had lots of fun ... or maybe we had more fun this time around. :) Then a few days later, my parents and one of my sisters and her family came for a visit and yet another Christmas. Again, more spoiling! It's been a very fun week and a great ending to 2007. Now on to 2008! (Christian didn't quite make it up til midnight!)

Christmas Eve...

I know which present I want!

Taking a break on Christmas Day. :)
And a snack!

Our first family Christmas! Presents for the doggies!


Later that week ... still bows on the head!

Happy Baby!

Christian is developing quite the personality! He has a bunch of expressions ... he's cooing and making little noises, smiling, and I'm sure I heard a little giggle yesterday. :) He's also figured out his thumb pretty well ... some people say that's not good, but I think it's pretty cute. :) And the stats for his 2 month check up ... Christian came in at a whopping 12 lbs 9 oz and 22.75 inches long. Here's our little guy...

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

We had a great time! And Christian had two first Thanksgivings! :) On Thanksgiving day, we celebrated down in Decatur with Mark's extended family (on his dad's side) ... lots of aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins were all ready to see the little guy! I didn't take a picture, so I'll try my best to explain ... Mark brought in Christian in his carseat and set him down in the middle of the room ... then about 15 family members stood around him and said "hello!" I wasn't sure how he'd react, but Christian just gazed up and around at everyone and seems to be soaking in all the love. :) He was SO good all afternoon - and enjoyed his Thanksgiving bottle. :)

Then, we had Thanksgiving #2 at our house with Mark's parents and his mom's parents. (Fortunately grandma made the turkey!) Christian, again, did SO well. :) Must be the mashed potatoes we fed him. :) (Teasing-of course! Though he did try some new things ...)

I had fun decorating and making my cheese pumpkins! (I had a tray of 26 for Thanksgiving day!) We love cheese!!Hey, even though I'm small, I want a seat at the table! I'm ready to go!
Hmmm, what's a fork? Shouldn't there be something yummy on this?
Dad, come on, do I really like wheat crackers?
Yes, this is much better! Thank you. :)

Now I'm ready for my Thanksgiving nap with grandpa! (Christian is a quick learner!)

And not to be forgotten ... Sophie in her "harvest bow!" (My crafty endeavor from last year!) After our meal, I peeked under the table and saw Sophie - just waiting patiently for anything at all that might fall from the table ... no worries Soph, no dog will go without turkey treats on Thanksgiving. :)

I'm 6 weeks old!

So, we just wrapped up week 6 - what a big boy we have! He's growing so fast! I just love his chubby little fingers and toes. :) He's focusing on things much more now - especially mom and dad! Just today, I was burping him when Mark walked in and said "hey buddy" - Christian immediately moved his head and looked right at Daddy. :) SO great. And he's smiling a lot too. Seems like a happy little guy! So now we're all caught up with the blog. Thanks again for your patience! I'm sure our next "moments" will be Christian's first Thanksgiving! Can't wait! :)

Here's the latest photo shoot... :)

(I need a break, Mom.)
(And now I need a real break - a nap!)

As you can see, Christian has quite the expressions! SO fun. And in the last picture, it almost looks like I posed him, but he really just feel asleep that way with his arms folded. So sweet. :) He's holding his head up pretty well too - strong little guy. His legs are always moving too and pushing up when we hold him ... maybe we'll have an early crawler. :)