We thought the best recap would be to go through the holidays to catch you all up, starting with Halloween. I really debated on whether or not to
dress up a three month old for our church's Trunk or Treat. But I did find an adorable Lady Bug costume on sale at Von Maur (yeah, I know. Von Maur actually has really good clearances!). So Reese was an adorable little pink lady bug for her first Halloween. Her beautiful 6 month friend, Anna, was an adorable little pink butterfly. Check out how cute they are together!
In November, I began to babysit our really good friends' (the Boyers) little boy, Casey on Tuesdays and Thursdays as his mom, Lorien went back to work at Westerville Christian Church. Two babies can be a challenge, but I don't mind it all. I've always loved babies. Who could ask for a better job? Reese also enjoys Tuesdays and Thursdays because Casey has become her buddy. Whenever she gets the chance, she is reaching out to hold his hand. Don't even go there in thinking that someday they will date - my mind can't fathom that stage yet.For Thanksgiving, we drove to Chicago where John's
Aunt Peg and Uncle Paul were hosting the big meal. It was a treat for us because we were able to introduce Reese to her Great-Granny! John's Granny is 97 years old and also lives in Chicago. We drove through the night so that Reese would sleep the whole time. It worked out really well. We checked into the hotel early and caught a few zzz's before joining John's family for the rest of the day. It was great to see everyone, and it was a memorable first road trip as a family.
This first Christmas with Reese was magical. Throughout the blessed season, we saw both sides of our families. On Christmas day, we drove to Erie to spend a few days with my parents. My brothers Danny and Joe also have babies - Madison (Joe's daughter) was born in August and Brody (Danny's son) was born in September. Reese is the oldest (but somehow the smallest) of the cousins. It was really neat for them to spend their first Christmas together. Did we manage to get a picture of the three of them together - no. 
Babies don't always cooperate for pictures when you want them to. 
We saw John's parents before and after that trip. Needless to say, we were exhausted after a weeks worth of visiting. But Reese finally got time to play with her one present that she got from Santa - a Jumperoo! 
Reese has become the most loveable, huggable, happy, snuggly, oh-i-could-go-on-and-on baby that we could have ever wanted. Does she fuss? Yes. Does she poop out her diaper A LOT? Yes. Does she still spit up all over her parents and on the dog's head? Yes. And for me, that just adds to the wonderfulness that is Reese. She can roll over onto her stomach and push herself up. She blows raspberries and makes this odd hissing sound that she thinks is hilarious! She loves all of our pets and wants to hold them (if she could only figure out how). In the morning she snuggles with her daddy and touches his face (it's so different than Mommy's). She loves when Mommy sings to her (yes, Mommy!).
She is eating cereal like a pro and moving on to bigger and better things - vegetables! Reese loves books and baths. She smiles at anyone who will look her way. When Reese is excited, she dances and shows us her huge toothless grin. She's amazing. She is the baby that we have longed for and so much more. John and I couldn't have dreamed up a better baby if we tried. Everyday she it seems like she is making a different noise, moving in all directions, and already growing up too fast. Hopefully in the next few months we will keep you updated on her new ventures in life. I can't make any promises though.
