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This year, Grammy, Granddaddy, and Aunt Lucille came to Smyrna for our Christmas celebration. We did so much traveling and running around at Thanksgiving, so we all decided that it would be good for the babies (and us) to eliminate as much travel as possible for Christmas. Grammy, Granddaddy, and Aunt Lucy were sweet enough to do all the traveling for us and came up for a visit on Saturday. And on Saturday evening at Uncle Brad and Aunt Alison’s home we had a fantastic Christmas, just a few days early! It was so much fun to bring over some goodies and spend some quality time with our family. It was especially fun because we all got to see Norah and Hank enjoy their first Christmas! And, needless to say, they were (and so were the adults) very well taken care of in the presents department! Grammy and Aunt Lucy worked so hard to give all of us such a wonderful Christmas!

As soon as we arrived, Uncle Brad scooped Hank up for some male bonding(aka snuggle time)!

Everyone needed to get their “Hello Kisses” in…

Hank Showed off the Snowman overalls that Aunt Lucille got him

And then these two hadn’t seen each other in two whole days so they were ready to play!

But everyone had to eat first!

Then, after everyone’s belly is full…It’s time for presents! And Little Miss Norah was ready to go!

Hank still needed a little help from Mom and Dad.

And Granddaddy waited patiently for his gifts and his turn with the babies!

I think Hank liked the bows more than anything.

Gee, I wonder where he got that from?

Norah got a soft baby doll from Hank, that was taste-test approved!

Aunt Lucy got the ladder she asked Santa for…

And, Grammy got a little hep from Norah opening her Christmas/early Birthday present…a digital picture frame so she can see multiple pictures of Hank and Norah whenever she wants!

Just when we thought it was all over and we had had more presents than we knew what to do with…

Grammy and Aunt Lucy brought a huge box for each kiddo filled with more clothes, toys, diapers, wipes, and formula! WOW!!! These ladies are NUTS!!!

Then Jason and Alison decided it would be the perfect time for a Christmas sing-a-long.

Then Norah said, “Hey Guys, We are babies and all this Christmas makes us tired!”

So Hank & Norah put on their new winter jammies and called it a night!

What a Wonderful Christmas and we can’t wait until next year! We love you guys and miss you already!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hank has found his feet! He has actually seen them before, but has recently been much more interested in them and been grabbing at them. He seems to look confused at first, but once he gets a hold of them, he squeals with delight!

To see some extra cute pictures of Hank, you should check out www.thebynums.blogspot.com and look for “Hank and Aunt Alison are BFF” and then take a look at “A Good Cause…” for some very sweet pictures of his favorite cousin Norah!

Today Hank turns 3 months old! We can’t beleive it! He is so much FUN right now with all his smiling, laughing, and constant babbling! He even cracks himself up with all the new sounds he is making. He can sit up in his Bumbo chair and on our laps with only a little support. He still loves his Swing, though he is quickly out growing it, and his Jumperoo. However, his very favorite thing to do is flail around on a quilt on the floor. He is wearing size 9 months in clothing because 6 months is just too short for his very long legs and he wears a size 3 diaper, which is the same size our one-year-old friend Charlotte wears! Our boy is growing so fast! Aunt Alison took these beautiful pictures of him, but I can’t post all of them because some are surprises for Christmas!

Since Hank was born, Jason and I have been writing down of all our prayers, stories, and experiences in a journal that we will one day give to Hank. I thought I would share today’s entry with you:

December 5, 2007
Hank, You are 3 months old today! Your Dad and I love you very much! And our continual prayer for you is, Above all else, may you come to know and love Jesus with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. We would love to pray for your safekeeping or for good health or for a long life of blue skies and ease, but in our hearts we know that the trials and tribulations of this life are what will make you strong and keep your heart tender. So, instead of praying for protection from the bumpy roads, we pray that you will always know your Guide, and that He will be your “Strength and your shield”, Ps 29:7, through whatever this world may bring. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” Proverbs 3:5-6. We pray that you know that our lives do not revolve around you, but that you never question your importance or place in them. God has chosen you for our family and it would not be whole with you. James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down form the Father of heavenly lights,” and that is what you are, precious Hank, a good and perfect gift!

Little Hank is growing up so fast! He is only 2 1/2 months old but because he is such a “Big Boy” we need to go by his size instead of his age when it comes to food. Our Nurse Practitioner, Ms. Jonna, suggested we go ahead and introduce Rice Cereal into his diet, because of his size and because he is having some trouble with reflux. The cereal should help satisfy his rapidly growing body and keep all the food in his belly. So last night Hank hit a major milestone…Solid Food!

He sat up in a “Big Boy” chair and got ready for his first “Big Boy” meal.

Hank’s first bite…

And Daddy took a turn feeding…

From the look on Hank’s face, I would say that rice cereal is not the tastiest treat. He actually got a few bites in before gettting really hungry and demanding his bottle. I think more cereal ended up on his face and bib than in his belly, but it was a good first try!

Nana came over to watch Hank and give me a few uninterrupted hours of studying for my licensing exam. She and Hank have so much fun and I just had to capture a few moments of them laughing and playing before I left!

Aren’t his dimples just the cutest!?!?!

Hank had his 2-month check up today. Ms Jonna (his NP) was so great, as usual, and everyone was so excited to Hank. He is officially HUGE!!! He is weighing in at a whopping 15lbs 3oz and is 25 inches long…right above the 95% in both categories! He was really cute at the appointment and LOVED being naked flailing around on the exam table, a true Bynum boy! The sad news is that Ms.Jonna discovered that Hank has his first ear infection. She let me take a peek in his ear (I try not to examine him at home because I am his mommy not his NP, and I find it really hard to be objective) and I could see that it wasn’t terrible but definitely bought him his first round of Amoxicillin (and broke his momma’s heart!). He had a cold last week, but seemed really happy and never had a fever, and then the past two nights has not really been sleeping well, so I had my suspicions. Jason and I both had really bad ear problems as infants so we are hoping that the same is not true for our little one…let the prayers begin!

A 2-month check up also means that Hank got his first immunizations! He was so sad that he had to get shots but I was very happy that he is on his way to immunity from very scary illnesses!

I didn’t get any picture of Hank at the Doctor’s Office so I put up a few of his sad little Band Aids on his sweet little (or huge) legs!

We went over to Brand and Alison’s house last night for dinner and to have some much needed “hang out with the family time”. Norah graciously shared some of her toys with us. We put Hank in Norah’s Jungle Jumperoo, thinking he would be too young to really enjoy it. Boy were we wrong! He loved it!!! Alison (My wonderful photographer sister-in-law) snapped a few pictures while the rest of us were basking in the wonder of how advanced our child is. Even Katie, the dog was wanted to get a good look at Hank in action!

Thanks for a fun evening and for a GREAT dinner Uncle Brad and Aunt Alison! And thanks to Norah, for being such a good cousin and sharing her toys…I have a feeling Hank will be able to repay the favor soon! (And also thanks for letting us steal pictures from your blog Aunt Alison!)

Hank turned 2 months old on November 5th!!! I can’t believe it, but he is getting so BIG that I am kind of forced to believe it. He coos and talks to us all the time now, has taken an interest in playing with (or looking at) his toys, and he is holding his head up so well. We are almost sleeping through the night now and have totally dropped the middle-of-the-night feeding, but just can’t quite make it past 4:30am without waking up (but he usually goes back to sleep pretty quickly with a pacifier and a good re-swaddling). We aren’t sure what his official weight is because his doctors appointment is not until next week, but we did an unofficial weigh-in with Jason standing on the scale alone and then holding Hank…it seems that our 2 month old weighs 15lbs, and just to be sure Nana did the same thing and she got 15lbs too!

The Lion that rattles is a big hit these days!

So the “Firsts” that I am speaking of in the title of this post are as follows:
1. Hank’s First time being 2 months old
2. Hank’s First time staying overnight with Nana & Elvis (my parents) without us
3. Hank’s First time getting sick…YIKES!

So, yes it its true…Hank had his first overnight stay at Nana and Elvis’ house and he did GREAT! Jason and I got to go out to dinner and then we got to go to bed at 9pm and sleep all night till 7am (except of course for the fact that I simply couldn’t do it and would wake up throughout the night for no reason at all)! It was really nice to just be a married couple again, without any worries or feedings to rush home for (but it is amazing how much you miss the little one when he is gone, even just for one night!)

You know Hank must be at Elvis’ house because his Daddy would NEVER allow a UT fan in our house! I love this picture of my Dad holding little Hank sideways…can you call a child that BIG “little Hank”!?!?

Hank Loves his Nana and I think it is safe to say that she is pretty crazy about him too!

Even Hank’s beautiful Aunt Alex stopped by for a visit on Saturday morning!
What a weekend!!! Thanks guys for all your help and for letting Jason and I escape the World Of Baby for an evening!

As for the 3rd of the “Firsts”, it is also true. The first sickness of the season has stricken the Bynum household! When the seasons change, you can bet Jason and I will have major allergy attacks, so when Jason came home from work on Friday feeling “under the weather” we assumed it was just that time of year, but it appears to have been a bit more. Thankfully Hank didn’t get the worst of it… on Saturday night Hank got his first runny nose along with all the sneezes and coughs that go with it. Then on Sunday night I got some of the same, only mine was a little more severe with a fever and all! So, my mom has come up during the day and Jason (who is now feeling better) has been on baby duty at night so I can rest and not re-expose hank to any harmful germs. I don’t know what I would do without them!!! But the good news it that we appear to be on the up swing and everyone is feeling better. I definitely spent a few days beating myself up for being that bad mom who lets her infant get exposed to germs and get sick too early, but there is only so much of that you can do and then you just have to take care of business! Hank now has a humidifier in his room and has gotten well acquainted with the bulb syringe for clearing his nose, so we will be ready next time one of these pesky colds decides to come around! I guess his first cold just has to be added to the list of “Things a Mom Can’t Control”.

Today Aunt Alison and Norah invited Hank and me to go to Walden Farms, the pumkin patch in Smyrna. We joined them and Christie, Landon, and Lanie Ann for an afternoon of fall fun! Hank was sleepy but looked so cute with all the pumkins!

Norah is getting so big and she sits up all by herself! Hank isn’t quite there yet, but he decided to join Norah in her “Big Girl” chair and she was so amused by him! They were so precious!

I must say, after seeing all the beautiful pumpkins at Wladen Farms, I think our “Little Pumpkin” is the cutest!

…Even when he is tired and upset!