Going Home

Having the opportunity to go home with Myles and Mason this year was so very special to me. I have spent 30 Christmas's in that same house (except for 1 we spent in Disneyland when I was in 4th grade, but thats a separate story). What a joy it was to hang a stocking for my son on the very mantle my sister and I decorated for years when we lived at home. What a treasure to see all the decorations that mark Christmases past. New traditions commenced, and there was a passing of the torch (maybe a sharing of the torch) between my father and Mason in the execution of that very special late night Christmas Eve event. We even ran into my 1st boyfriend (think 7th grade) on the street. He had a full beard that was grey in most places. I recognized him immediately and we chatted briefly and went on our merry way. Like the poem says, "it takes a heap of livin to make a house a home. " Here are a few pictures of Christmas from the Hansen home place. I hope your Christmas was filled with love, laughter, and fond memories as well!

Myles at Play

Myles was very excited in anticipation of the upcoming holidays. We did our first overnights at grandma and grandpa's.

Myles had already packed his favorite toys for the trip, but still managed to find entertainment in some of the odds and ends we had kicking around.

Our state was blessed with some amazing snowfall for the holidays, and we got the little guy into his snowsuit. We bought it with a little room for growth. Figure it'll at least last him 'til the New Year.

Grandma and grandpa got Myles his very own stocking! I tried not to feel slighted that it was bigger than mine.
Note the amazingly cute little mousie that is holding this stocking up! This was a gift from Granny Lou. It reminds all of us of a sleeping Myles.

This being my first year as a father, I made sure that Santa knew that Myles was getting ready to crawl. The floor puzzle you see Myles lying on is one of the things the Big Guy left for him on Christmas morning.

Add this amazing Rock'n'Roll Rainbow Ark to the mix, and Myles now has the coolest room in the house!

Fortunately, he still lets us come in and play too.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Ok- would you look at these two handsome guys! I am truly so very blessed. Aunt Sharon sent Myles little Santa suit (as well as so many other beautiful treats), and Mason's sweater is a gift from Josh that just brings out the blue in his eyes. Handsome. Like father, like son.



Mason has shared his love for weightlifting with Myles. In all seriousness, Myles loves to do feats of physical excellence. See the focus andeffort on his face--he has such a personality!

He is still just a little angel to me. He has gotten to be a very smiley,laughing little boy. Talk about life's great joys.

Myles received a couple of beautiful pictures from (his soon to be) friend, Haven. We hung them up and he loves to stare at them. I don't blame him. She is bright and lovely!

2 months (almost)

December is here and the holidays are in full gear. Normally Mason and I go crazy with the decorations , but this year it just seemed like too much. Mason, forever in the holiday spirit, took the time to hang a few lights to keep us with the Christmas Spirit. Myles absolutely loves to look at the lights, and he just laughs and coos when we sing Christmas carols. It is really wonderful. Colorado has been blessed with lots of beautiful white snow lately and we are truly happy. Myles outgrew his new born head rest, ( some will remember the red truck headrest of early photos) and now as you can see the 0-3 month head rest is a little too snug. He is fully in 3-6 months clothes, and has been for about 1 week now. Look below to see how he has grown.

Eyes Wide Open

Our friend Lee suggested that perhaps we should include a few shots of Myles with his eyes open. I think we've been remiss in this because whenever he's been alert we've been too busy vying for his attention to remember to grab the camera.

These days, however, he seems to spend a heckuva lot more time awake, so it's gotten easier to capture.


This picture was taken as we prepared to head off to see the Parade of Lights last night. We thought we'd put Myles in his teddy bear outfit to keep warm and cuddly, and lo and behold we had a hard time getting it to fit him!

(I'd like to point out that this is the outfit that he was swimming in on Halloween. Check out the comparison.)

It's amazing how quickly these suckers grow.




...and here's a few shots from Myles in his favorite place of recreation--his Jungle gym! He's learned how to kick the little giraffe with the bell to make it ring, and now he spends his time kicking it and cooing at it.

Lightning Bug Photography

I wanted to share a few sample pictures taken by my friend Marni. She has been Myles official photographer since before he was born. Marni is a new mommy friend of mine who has a small photography business . She was at my belly cast party and was kind enough to take some pictures.

When it was time to think about birth announcements and holiday cards we went and checked out a mall kiddie photo place. It was dirty and Myles screamed the whole time. We decided not to go that route. That's when we decided to hire Marni. She came to our house, gave us tons of great photos to choose from, and made the photo shoot a fun and relaxing experience. During the photo shoot I could nurse, eat, and do whatever else a new mother needs to do. It was the best decision we could have made. So this is both a shameless endorsement of Marni's work, but also a sharing of an idea that worked out for us. Here is a very small sample of the photos.

The Belly Cast (Myles very first photos):

Myles about 1 week before he was born!
Leonie, the hostess and my dear friend, putting her creative care into the project.
Belly casting is messy work!


Myles Photo Shoot- age 3 weeks

This picture captures a look of Myles that I will always treasure!


What I love about this photo is that it reflects the wonder of being Myles's mother. It is not posed and it isn't flattering of me in a traditional way. But I will enjoy this picture for the rest of my life.

This is Myles swaddled and lying in one of Grandpa Jerry's sculptures. Arty and fun!

Another memory caught on film. I think these boys are so beautiful!

Montana Family

We were so happy to have Rebecca and Steve visit Myles this weekend. Myles enjoyed cuddling with his Montana grandparents. It was wonderful to catch up, look at pictures, and enjoy a home cooked meal prepared by MJ. With Rebecca and Steve living up at their place for most of the winter, we can look forward to frequent visits with each other.

Great Grandparents Visit

Mason, PJ, MJ, and Myles...all smiles!

Myles loves sitting on his great-grandma's lap!

Myles's great-grandparents came for another visit today! Each week they say they can really see how the boy is growing. We see that he is growing fast, but we are tickled to hear from others all the changes they can see. The verdict is still strong that Myles takes after his daddy. MJ thinks Myles looks a lot taller. He has certainly put on the pounds to make that possible!

Myles is so lucky to have such loving and devoted great- grandparents. They have been so good to all of us!

Learning

There's a lot of learning that's involved with becoming new parents.

In the last week or so, both Myles and I have had to go to the doctor's--me for a shoulder injury, him for a stomach virus. It was a learning experience for me. First, I had to learn that I have to take a modicum of care of myself so I can take care of my son. Also, I learned that there is no worse or more terrifying feeling than when your kid is sick. Being a mom is definitely the greatest/hardest thing I have ever done. And I am not even 4 weeks into it. Thankfully, Mason is the greatest friend, husband and father. Myles is starting to feel better and I am so thankful that sleepless nights are all we have to show for it.

He is growing fast- a whopping 8lbs, 12oz. And he is learning everyday. So are we!

Date Night!

So grandma Coleen came up to help out some this week, which gave Allyson and I the opportunity for a Date Night!
So where did we go? Somewhere that both Allyson and I had missed during her diet-regulated pregnancy: Sushi!
It was tons of fun, getting all the bits and pieces we had both fantasized about so much over those 9 months. And we managed to keep it small, so we could still go home and enjoy a home-cooked meal with Coleen.

Allyson and I have been going to this place for going on 6 years now, so it was nostalgic for us to sit down with our spider roll and saki (Allyson only had half of one of their cute little cups).

It felt good to have a break and feel like things were normal--if only for an hour or so.

pics

3 WEEKS

Special shout out to the adorable Dominic Catron Gingerelli! We are so excited that he is in the world. What a looker! Births take on a whole new level of amazing now that we are parents. What a gift! Welcome Dominic! We are so happy you are here.

About that boy named Myles...

Myles is growing so fast, it is humbling. He is finally starting to sleep a couple hours straight in the night, and everyone is in a much better mood in our house. He is far more alert, physically active, and vocal than he was when we brought him home. He is growing into his "look" and is sporting some uber-cute curly sideburns.

We are getting out more, and Myles is still receiving lots of visitors. Dinners have been generously provided by several friends and family, so most of our time goes to laundry and doting over the boy. Parenting is a lot of fun.

Check out the 3 week pic of Mariko and Myles. Both so beautiful!

Halloween

Happy Halloween! It has been a long time since I have helped with the blog updates. We have had an incredibly joyful and challenging few weeks as Myles, Mason, and I have learned to adapt to our new family life. Although I am not yet graceful with things, I am completely enchanted with motherhood and feel so blessed to have our beautiful son with us. We have been so supported by friends and family. I cannot tell you how fortunate we feel to have such a loving community. Thanks to everyone who has generously supported us in our transition into the world of parenthood.

As many of you know, Halloween is a big part of the Stone family traditions. Check out the handsome boys as we celebrated Myles's first holiday, first costume(s), and first Halloween night.



Thanks to Lee, Deb, Dalton, and Poplar who provided this sharp costume and a most delicious Halloween supper!


Dear Ramona, thanks for the Mad Max costume. Myles enjoyed being from "Where the Wild Things Are" and he stayed warm all Halloween night!

Who is that Masked Man?


Its daddy! What handsome heroes!