Catchin' up to now

HAYDEN'S 1st BIRTHDAY, November 28
Since we didn't have our household goods here yet and also did not yet have any friends here, Hayden didn't get a party. He did have his Grandma Gowin here, though. We opened presents that morning and went to the zoo in Columbia, SC most of the day. Columbia is around an hour and 20 min. from here, perfect length for a nap. We left at nap time and Hayden was good to go when we got there. Mark, Tena,and Joe (Uncle, aunt, cousin who live in Columbia) and my Mammaw (from Kentucky)met us there. We had a good time. The zoo there is very nice. Mom stayed with Mark and Tena and we came home. They took her to the airport the next day. On the way home, I bought a little birthday cake at Wal-Mart so Hayden could get his first cake and get some pictures. He played with it a little, but wasn't real interested in eating it. It was much sweeter than the food he's used to.
TMI warning ---> Hayden then threw up the entire contents of his stomach and when I thought he couldn't possibly have another drop in him, he threw up some more. He had a bath, then some yogurt, then went to bed and slept well.


A VISIT FROM PAPA AND MIMI BROWN
David and Mary came for a very short visit the week before Christmas. They arrived on Thursday and left on Sunday. Paco had been staying with them since we got back to the mainland. He came with them. We are very happy to have him back. We opened Christmas presents while they were here. Hayden has way too many toys now.


CHRISTMAS DAY
Just another day for me and Hayden. Mike had to work from 8am to 8pm.


HAYDEN'S LATEST TRICKS
Hayden took his first few steps on his own just before his birthday. Between his birthday and the visit from Mimi and Papa Brown, he would walk holding one of our fingers, but he was pretty lazy about taking off on his own. When Papa came to visit, Hayden discovered the IPhone in his shirt pocket. He decided it was worth walking for. He would love up on Papa just to steal the phone out of his pocket. Then he'd carry it across the room to show someone else. He didn't walk on his own much when the IPhone wasn't around. After they went back home, we couldn't get him to walk on his own much. Then, Hayden's cousin, Josiah was born on the 22nd of Dec. We went to Alabama for a quick visit when Mike got a 4 day weekend pass for New Years. Hayden suddenly decided to be a big boy and walk. He has been unstoppable since then. Unfortunately, he has also stopped taking his afternoon nap. He is solid on his morning nap, but won't fall asleep in the afternoon. He is definitely tired and gets whiney and snuggles with his blanky, but just won't fall out, unless we go for a long drive. I took Hayden's bottles away and he just uses sippy cups now. Some days he does a good job drinking his milk, and some days he wants nothing to do with it. A lot of milk gets wasted around here.

ANNIVERSARY
Mike and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this year. We were married on 01-01-2000. Yes, we really are that old. Since we were in Alabama visiting Josiah and Mimi was still there to babysit, we got to go out on a real date for once. On New Years Eve, we drove to Gulfport, MS and went to the Beau Rivage casino/hotel. We didn't stay the night, just played some slots. Then we walked over to the Hard Rock Cafe/Casino. We had a huge buffet for dinner, and with my players card, they gave me a free birthday dinner. We only ended up spending 12.83 on dinner for both of us and it was a huge spread. I lost a little money at the roulette table, but it was a fun time. We drove back to Mobile and went to the theater and saw Avatar in 3D. If we had known when we set off for Mobile from Georgia that Mimi was volunteering to babysit while we went out, we would have packed some nicer clothes and make-up. I felt a little shabby while we were out, but we had fun anyway.