17 months!

11-25-2022: It's been a busy week in the Davis home! We've decorated for Christmas, had our family Christmas pictures made, and celebrated Thanksgiving as our own little family of three! Yesterday, Thanksgiving, was marvelous because we all slept in for the FIRST time until 7:30!! Chandler even slept until 8:00! Normally, I get up early- like 5:00 early and have my quiet time but I was so tired and we were so cozy, I just snuggled into Brandon and went back to sleep! We all needed it! Our first Thanksgiving to do our own thing together was a win! Although we always want to be with other loved ones, the travel can be monotonous and we always go home for Christmas, so it just seems to be an extra hassle sometimes to get out of town for Thanksgiving. We decided to not pass up the beautiful opportunity to rest and rejuvenate as a family, as well as give thanks for all we have without the chaos of a big gathering. Plus, this year it was a very rainy and stormy Thanksgiving, so all the more reason to stay local and avoid risks and bad roads. Our day was so wonderful! Brandon made us reservations at Perry's Steakhouse at the Domain and the three of us had our very first fine dining experience together! Little Chandler has now been to a 5 star restaurant! He did great overall! Of course after a while, we took turns taking a little walk outside to give him a change of scenery when he got restless and so as to not disrupt the other guests enjoying their meals. For a 17 month old, I think he did awesome! He even ate some of our yummy food and tried new things! Brandon had their famous pork chop of-course and I opted for their traditional Thanksgiving meal! Normally, I would have gone with a seafood option but because Brandon ordered me the lobster mac-n-cheese for an appetizer, I got the best of both worlds! Seafood and Thanksgiving! The food was incredible and after we got fully tummies, we headed home for a cozy day together. I really loved what we did and it inspires me to protect these little opportunities even more so! The holidays can get so overwhelming that we come out more tired than when we entered them; and they are supposed to be a time of rest and joy! 

Other happenings is that Chandler is becoming quite the big talker!! It's the best!!! I just love watching him learn and cannot get enough of his little mind! He will point at Brandon and say "no," mimic animal sounds we make (which is the cutest thing I've ever heard/seen in my life), and he will put his little hands together when we pray together! He even says "meeeennn" for Amen when we are finished praying. My heart is overjoyed with this baby and being his mommy is the greatest gift I've ever been given! 

As for the holiday's, we are ready! The tree is up, the stockings are hung, and we had our first big seasonal day as a family on the 23rd! We went to see Katie in Leander for a mini Christmas family session, which turned out adorable! I never know how he'll do but he tolerated us for about 15 minutes before wanting to run off and play. We got sprinkled on as well but instead of being upset, we just embraced it and went with it. Chandler was happy, we were nice and cool, and it really made for a beautiful overcast cold rainy winter day. Afterward, we headed to the mall to see Santa! We like to get things done early when possible so as to beat the rush of crowds and it has never been a regret for us! We were first in line, reservations ready, and Santa was on time! Chandler was very cautious, just as last year! He got very teary eyed but was such a big boy and stayed still! He kept his eyes on mommy and daddy but we are so proud of him for trusting us! We even got to jump in for a few pictures with Santa! Next, we did our yearly tradition and went to buy a new ornament together! This year, we got two! One is an adorable red truck since Chandler is big into his little cars/trucks right now and we love to play with them; and the other is a set of books since his favorite thing to do is read!! I love getting home and writing the dates on the bottom of our new ornament and then settling them in to the tree! This year is extra special because I finally did it!!!! FINALLY! I bought us a GREAT Christmas tree! I've been saying for years that I would but since we are normally skiing or out of town on Christmas, I just postpone it to the next year and keep the little 4 foot tree I bought for my first Fort Worth apartment when I was 22. Well, I made myself package it up and donate it for the next person that will love it! That little tree was one of the first things I bought for my apartment and I was SO proud of it! So proud that I kept it for 15 years!!! The little joyful tree had been moved from Fort Worth, to Flower Mound, to Houston, and to Austin! It had lost it's lights and the ones remaining didn't work but I still loved it! Knowing I wouldn't buy another one until I let her go, I decided to donate that sweet little tree and I splurged on a great, full, 7.5 ft tall, sparkly, pre-lit white light, snow tipped tree! I had been eyeing it at Home Depot on line and when mom was in town a few weeks ago, I made a run by Home Depot in person since she could sit in the car with Chandler. The next thing I knew, I was running out of that store, all smiles, and pushing a big cart with the Christmas tree in tow! We got it into the back of the escape and brought it home! Brandon loves it and so do I! The whole house feels like Christmas now!! We decorated it and Chandler loves putting his little soft basketballs on it! Chandler and I ventured to Home Goods and got a great tree skirt for it and now it's complete! I just love it and I love the Christmas season and celebrating the birth of Jesus! 

When mom was here, I took her to the San Marcos outlet and she LOVED it! We had a little spree at Janie and Jack and she got Chandler the cutest Christmas outfits, which we of course used for our photo shoot! I'm so thankful for her and all her overly kind generosity! She makes it easier on us! Because she treats Chandler to so many outfits and books, we're able to focus more on spending our money on necessities like groceries and saving for our first home! 

12-06: I am done for the semester! I always love the accomplishment of finishing a semester and having a few months off to rest and rejuvenate, and of-course pour into my family and enjoy the blessings God has poured over me. In great news, Matt Chandler is back at the Village Church after his time away and I am so happy! Although we don't go there anymore because we live in Austin, we still enjoy listening to him weekly for supplemental teaching and guidance. I just love that church and the Chandler family. 

All is well in the Davis home and Chandler is so wonderful! He is gibbering and learning so much! We always pray before our meals and at bedtime, and this week, Chandler started putting his hands together and also saying "meehhn" for Amen! It melts my heart completely and I pray he comes to know the Lord and experience all Jesus' love for him! Brandon is a great daddy and I love watching them play together! The bigger Chandler gets, the more "boy-stuff" he wants to do and I'm so grateful he has a wonderful daddy to look up to. Chandler also is loving Christmas Lights this year and is fascinated with "sssmmmeehhn" (snowman). It is the absolute sweetest thing and I love taking him on evening walks to see all the Christmas lights and decorations in our neighborhood. After I finished clinical on the 3rd, we went to The Hive for a family outing and then Brandon drove us around to look at lights! We listened to Christmas music and just spent the evening together as a family enjoying the season. It was the best! Chandler loved pointing at all the pretty lights and we loved making these new memories. 

Chandler also got his first 2022 Christmas present today and he loves it! I couldn't wait for him to get it so as soon as I saw it was on the front porch, I let him open it. It's a Nugget kids couch and we are so happy with it! He is a big furniture climber right now and this will be a great solution for play. Aunt Brookie split the cost so that was a very special gift too! 

This biggest milestone lately is that Chandler is officially bottle free! Wheww! I knew this was going to be a challenge but like all things, it went much better than I had imagined and he is such a brave little guy! It started a week ago when we made a morning trip to target. He played and played in the toy section, wearing himself out which then led to him falling asleep in the car. Not unusual, I carried him in to bed and he took a long nap. Knowing our goal for this Christmas break was to wean him off the bottle, which we've very slowly been doing already, I decided that this was a great opportunity and the first nap without a bottle was now behind us. So, forward we went! He is doing so great but I'll be honest, I miss that last all-knowing opportunity to give him his last bottle. His last bottle for me was Wednesday, November 30th at bedtime! Although I miss giving him that wonderful cozy, make it all better, milk bottle and watching him drift off to sleep with it in my arms while rocking, we are enjoying and adapting to a new routine that is perfect for our little toddler. We do dinner about 5:00-5:30, play or go walk and look at lights from 5:30-6:15/6:30, bath time, say night-night to daddy, pray with daddy, and then walk (hand in hand- he is so sweet! He always grabs my hand after goodnights and we walk to this nursery together) to his room for story time. We ready 3-5 books, and then lights off, sound machine on, and I'll sing to him. I sing Stand By Me, Twinkle Twinkle, and Jesus Loves the Little Chandler's. Since this is still a new routine for us, he has a few moments of fussing and looking for the bottle, but he is settling down sooner each night that passes. It's so amazing to me how quickly he learns and adjusts to things. It's been a good confirmation that he ready and could have probably even started this process earlier. I guess, selfishly, I wasn't ready for this milestone to pass. It's a bittersweet thing to bag up all the bottles and put them away for either a brother or sister, or to pass on to another family. I celebrated by getting him a new sheet/quilt set! I had been eyeing the Neighborhood Set on PBK and finally did it! It looks so cute in his room and is the perfect little treat for such a big boy! He is growing up so fast! I love our little Chandler and am so honored to be his mommy. 

12-08: Chandler and mommy day! We were busy, busy busy! We needed a day out so we took it! I love going out with him and it's getting easier and easier to just "get up and go!" He's a great little travel companion, does amazing in the car, and is usually very happy when we are out and about. We went to buy buy baby to look at rocker ottomans, ours is getting a little worn and soft, and then Chandler had his second hair appointment! This time, we went to Cookie Cutters Kids Hair Salon and they were so great! He did such a good job and even got a certificate for his "first haircut." He was such a big boy! I really didn't want to cut his curls, but it was getting so wild and poofy, we really had to do something. He looks like such a big boy now and as much as I love it, it also kinda breaks my heart! We finished our outing with a trip to Target for some groceries and then home to spend the evening with daddy. Brandon was so happy to see Chandler's little haircut. They are so sweet together. Anytime Brandon is home when we get back, he will come out into the garage to swoop Chandler up out of the car- it's so sweet!

 12-13: Another visit from Lovie and another wonderful weekend! Gosh, my heart is so full! I absolutely love and adore my mom. I love when she comes to visit and I cherish every moment with her. She got here on Friday morning and we didn't waste any time. We spent Friday at the Hill Country Galleria and it continues to be my favorite outing for Christmas. The weather was great, the decorations were wonderful, and Chandler had so much fun. It was so nice to have mom with me because they would go play and I got to treat myself in Lululemon! We played in the courtyard and of-course had to buy a ball to play with! We went to see Santa, which Chandler was not a fan of, and then wrapped up the day at Slab bbq with daddy. On the way home, Brandon took us on a drive through the nearby neighborhoods to see all the Christmas lights. It was a blast! We got to get out, run around, and Chandler is infatuated with the "nooomaann, nooomaann" (snowman) He also loves pointing out "Dinch" (Grinch). It was such a great day of fun and memories. 

For Saturday, I was so excited to celebrate my first day out of clinical for the semester! This group was good but there were some challenges along the way and I'm happy to see them move on to level 3. We got up, played, and then left for Round Rock. I had a baby shower to go to so we got the great idea to drop mom and Chandler off at the outlet mall and I ran to the shower for an hour. I met back up with them and we got to shop for a bit. I just love strolling around with the two of them. Shopping is not Brandon's thing so he rode his bike instead and we planned to have dinner together once we got home. After we shopped, good sales there by the way, and we got our matching red converse which is adorable, I took them to Alliance Children's Gardens downtown for a surprise. Mom absolutely loved it! Chandler had a blast and he played, played, played! It's so great that in the middle of a big city is a huge Children's Garden and play center! Chandler loved the sand again, the swings, and running through the big tunnels/mounds. We picked up dinner on the way home, ate together as a family, and I had the pleasure of tucking mom into bed- such sweet little moments. She is so special to us! I worked on Sunday (it was a beating), the boys went to church, and mom headed home. I so appreciate that she makes the drive for us and all the spoiling she does for Chandler. Thank you, Lord for the gifts you have given me and all the love in my life. Chandler is doing great with bottle weaning and I fear that we get closer and closer every night that he won't want to be rocked to sleep for much longer. Cherishing that as long as I can!

12-14-22: Brandon and I went to bed laughing last night at the funny things Chandler has started doing. First, he looked at me and told me "no" when I was trying to take him to bed. Brandon loved it since he's always the victim of Chandler's "no" but it was a first for me! Then, he was playing in the kitchen and proceeded to push the trash can, his latest toy, and it accidently fell over. He looked right up at Brandon and calmly announced "uhh ohh). We both burst into laughter!! Then, just before bed when Brandon was loving on him in the kitchen and talking to him, Chandler put his finger to his lip and said "shhhh." We were stunned!! We did not teach him that so whether he learned it at church, little gym, or us unknowingly, it was the funniest thing! He's becoming quite the little personality and knows what he wants. We love our little guy so much and love watching him grow!