New Year's Eve

We had a wonderful evening with our friends, Andrew & Jessica and Tim & Holly at Grady's Restaurant in Fort Worth. The food was fabulous and the company was even better! Merit spent the evening with Mimi and Poppy. It was a great night! Happy New Year's!

Christmas with Papa D & Melissa!

We had a great time celebrating Christmas with Papa D and Melissa. They drove in from San Antonio on the 26th. We opened gifts and had dinner at Mi Cocina at the Galleria. They brought Merit the coolest gift; the Baby Einstein Jumping Gym. It has lights, music and toys on all sides. It is sure to keep Merit busy and entertained. He is almost big enough to use it. They also bought us a really wonderful gift; a Kodak flip video camera. I am certain we will get much use out of it. Thank you Papa D and Melissa! We love you.

Christmas Morning

We spent Christmas morning at our house this year. We invited my mom and dad over for breakfast and gift opening. Aunt Alicia and Uncle Marc headed off early that morning to Sharon & Dave's house. We were sad to see them go but look forward to their next visit! I made pumpkin pancakes, bacon and eggs. My mom brought delicious Holiday bread from Panera. We took pictures in the snow and let the dogs run in the park across the street. They had a blast! What a memorable Christmas! Merit's first Christmas was a white Christmas. We are so very blessed.

Merit's First Christmas!

Christmas Eve was so much fun! Merit really enjoyed seeing all of the gifts under the tree. He really loved looking at the lights on the Christmas tree too! Aunt Alicia and Uncle Marc came in town from Houston; what a treat! We spent the evening at Mom and Dad's house and Papa joined us. We took way too many pictures, which really annoyed the guys. Oh well...we had fun!

Shopping and Lunch with Poppy

While on Maternity Leave we spent many afternoons at North Park. Merit really liked Christmas shopping and eating lunch with Poppy. Poppy has a flexible work schedule, which works great for us.

Thanksgiving 2009

Christmas Lights

Merit enjoyed watching Mommy & Daddy hang the outdoor Christmas lights. He hung out in the swing while we worked very hard in the cold. He was bundled up and quite cozy.It took us about 4 hours and it looks great!

Special Visitors

Merit had some special visitors the week of Thanksgiving. Marcy, Carolyn and David Johnston came to our house to meet Merit. They brought Merit an adorable new outfit. Merit especially loved being held and cuddled by Carolyn and David. He hopes to see them again very soon!

3 Year Wedding Anniversary

JP and I celebrated our 3 Year Wedding Anniversary by going to dinner at Maguire's. Mimi & Poppy came over and kept Merit while we went to dinner. It was really nice to go out, have someone else prepare the food and wait on us. We had a great evening and Merit enjoyed spending time with his Grandparents!

Merit's First Car Show

We took our first road trip this weekend. We went to Bastrop, Texas for a car show with Papa D and Melissa. Merit's Grandparents were looking forward to seeing how much he has grown since the last time they saw him. Merit was really excited to see them too! The Corvette was in the show and it won first place in it's category! Papa D and JP were really excited about that! Melissa and Mommy had fun shopping and Merit enjoyed being strolled around. We stayed in a beautiful bed & breakfast, The Pecan Street Inn. It was a great weekend!

The ROMCO Grandmas

We finally visited Daddy at his office. He was excited for everyone to meet Merit. Merit met his ROMCO Grandmas too! This was a very special day for us.

2 Month Check-Up

Merit went to the doctor for his 2 Month Check-Up and first round of shots. It was a big day! He weighed in at 10 pounds 11 ounces. He is really growing! He is 22.5 inches long now. Wow! I guess he is getting plenty to eat. He cried when the doctor first stuck him with the needle. I scooped him up, swaddled him and held him really tight. He didn't cry even once after that. He had a great rest of the day and evening. We went to Poppy and Mimi's for dinner and a walk in the neighborhood. It turned out to be a great day!

He is really enjoying watching Mommy and Daddy and smiles at us constantly. He is entertained easily with many of his toys too! The pictures capture this pretty well.

Brunch with the Girls!

My friends came over on Saturday to have brunch and see Merit. We had a great time! It was so nice to see them. Merit enjoyed meeting everyone he has heard so much about!

Halloween Weekend!

Merit was really excited about his first Halloween! Aunt Alicia and Uncle Marc surprised us and came in town to visit Marc's family. Aunt Alicia and Sharon had fun holding and kissing on sweet little Merit. I always love seeing my sister and wished I saw her more often. We spent the evening of Halloween at our good friend's Andrew & Jessica's home with Tim & Holly. Merit enjoyed sleeping in Jessica's arms and Holly's too. I think he might be getting just a little bit spoiled. What great memories!

Merit at the Pumpkin Patch

My mom and I took our little pumpkin to the Pumpkin Patch by our house. We dressed him in his "My First Halloween" outfit and took lots of pictures. We had so much fun and I think he did too!

New Discoveries!

Mommy put together a new Baby Einstein toy for Merit this week. He is going to be a very smart little boy. He loved watching the lights and listening to the music. He is much more alert now and really watches everything I do. He loves staring at me and Daddy. It is fun to watch him change, but a little sad too. We went to the doctor this week and Merit now weighs 9 lbs. 7 oz. He is definitely growing!

Working Out With Mommy!

Merit has officially started working out with Mommy. Grandma Sarah has been walking with us in the neighborhood almost every afternoon. Merit has been assisting Mommy with lunges, squats, sit-ups and push-ups. His assistance was in the form of weight. I think he weighs 9 pounds now! He is really growing! We are having way too much fun!

3 1/2 Weeks Old!

Merit hanging out in the boppy. He and Daddy were watching some football and he decided to take a little nap.

We really can't believe Merit is almost 4 weeks old. Time is passing too quickly. He is growing so fast. Many of his clothes that were too big almost fit him now. He is awake much more at this point. He slept so much the first 2 weeks. He has big, blue eyes and is constantly looking at mommy and daddy. We talk to him as if he understands what we're saying. Who knows...maybe he does. This past week we started taking him for rides in the stroller around the neighborhood. I think he really enjoyed it. Mommy enjoyed getting out of the house for some exercise and some fresh air! The stroller seems to put him to sleep pretty quickly. We also started having "tummy time" once each day. He is really getting strong. He can lift his head and turn from one side to the other.

2 Week Check-Up Report

Merit went to the pediatrician for his 2 week check-up. He is growing so fast! We were happy with his weight. He weighed in at 7 lb 12 oz. He is 20 inches long now. The doctor checked his reflexes and his muscular development. He is quite fit for someone his age. Must be all the working out his mommy did while he was in her tummy. :) His 2 week check-up was actually a week ago but I forgot to write about it. Oops! It's amazing how quickly the days go by when you are caring for a newborn! We are having so much fun with little Merit. We are taking pictures daily; trying to capture every moment with him. He is truly a gift from God.

Merit's First Photo Shoot!

I had fun taking pictures of our little boy yesterday. I think he had fun too! He is quite photogenic. What a cutie pie!