GOD BLESS CORA MAE

Cora Mae Lindsay was baptized today at our home church, Community Presbyterian, in Atlantic Beach. The same church where James was baptized a year and a half ago, and where we were married just over 7 years ago. Here we are waiting for the service to start:

(How cute is James in his little tie?!)

Cora was all smiles during her ceremony. We think she liked the attention.She didn't even fuss when Gabe doused her with the holy water. She just gazed at him. After the blessing, he called her "the perfect baby" because she behaved so well. And we whispered in his ear "Only for you..."! We were so proud of her:

After Cora's baptism, it was time for Children's Moment. As soon as Gabe made the announcement, James got down and walked right over to him and sat on the step next to him, even before any of the other kids arrived. We were shocked, being that he has never attended service and participated in Children's Moment before. Gabe must have made a good impression on him. He was so cute sitting there, sucking his thumb and listening to the lesson:

Gabe kept petting his head and patting his back. It was so cute! James was wonderful during the rest of the service too. Cora, on the other hand, was being too loud, so Mama had to take for a walk outside. She wasn't fussy, but she kept trying to talk and "sing" during all the quiet moments and prayers. I managed to sneak back in with her to see William sing his solo, listen to the start of the sermon, and take part in communion. When the service was over, Team Lindsay took a photo with Gabe (who shaved his head on a bet, after receiving all the contributions needed for the church's new Fellowship Hall - we told him he matched Cora perfectly for her ceremony!)Then it was time to take a few family pictures before heading over to Sticky Fingers for lunch with the Birdsongs and Jo, who helped us celebrate today.Betsy got Cora an awesome monogrammed Gator headband (the clip is removable, so we can use it on one of her stretchy headbands until her head grows enough to fit it - I just propped it on her head like a tiara to show it off), though I think she liked Betsy's bracelet better..And of course, we had to get a photo with the Birdsongs:Not bad, right? Cora was stripped to her onesie and tights (to keep her gown free of BBQ sauce) and everyone thought she looked like a little ballerina (minus the tutu and slippers). As I was going through the photos tonight, deciding which ones to post, I had to laugh at our first attempt at a group photo... Jackson being silly, Cora still staring at Betsy (she was quite taken with her), and Jay trying to get James' thumb out of his mouth. Kids tend to make posed photos interesting, don't they?Our happy girl had a great day! God bless you sweetheart, we love you to pieces!

BEAUTIFUL BABY DOLL

CORA'S TWO FRONT TEETH

Well, she didn't get them in time for Christmas, but she does have both of her "two front teeth" as of this afternoon!

SANDY PARKS

After a lazy morning and a late afternoon nap, we took James to a couple of parks (the first one didn't have enough toddler-friendly equipment) to burn off some energy. The parks here have sand, which was a new experience for James. It definitely slowed him down a bit. Just a bit though...

BLS: BANANAS

Even covered in crushed Cheerios, the banana strips were slippery and hard for Cora to manage. She didn't eat much, but it wasn't for lack of trying! We think she'll be a banana maniac, just like her brother.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS...

...when it's a diaper laundry day and all the boy diapers are in the wash!

(Doesn't he look like one of those girls who wears shorty-shorts and UGG boots? Hilarious!)

A POTENTIAL GIRLFRIEND?

If only his attention span wasn't so short...

(Is she not THE cutest thing ever?)

NEW YEARS "KID HOUR"

We were lucky to be able to celebrate New Year's Eve with the Birdsongs and Mullins' this year. While "Man Hour" was going on outside (for boys aged 2 and up, so James didn't qualify), we had a great "Kid Hour" inside. Cora got to meet her almost birth buddy (born just over a week apart), Sophia:

This low-rider use to reside at Ryan and Amber's house, but it made it's way into Jackson's toy stash at some point. I'm amazed it has survived this long...

Mia and Katherine wanted to take turns holding Cora. When they were done, James climbed up for a photo op:
Then Mia jumped in again. Mia was in love with Cora. And I think James was in love with Mia (she is 5 months older than him, and a complete ham, totally adorable and social, and yes, she was in costume most of the evening).

They made some beautiful music together...

After a late night run around the yard, it was time for party hats!

Can you believe how grown-up Jackson looks? Hard to believe we haven't seen him in a year and a half (he'll be 5-years-old in March - wowza!)

James was getting beyond tired at this point, yet was still fighting the good fight, in Jackson's borrowed jammies, since his succumbed to the sandbox:

Cora was ridiculously wide awake (she took a short princess nap after dinner, but that was it):

We didn't last through midnight, but we tried. James was stumbling around exhausted, so we decided to take him home to bed. Thankfully, Cora fell asleep in the car and stayed that way until 2:30am, snuggled into her carseat (which apparently is not the enemy as long as it's not in the car)!

Her little fists were gripping her lovey SO tight!

ONE OF THESE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER

This is the blog post in which I allow myself to compare my kids, something I try very hard not to do too often (whether in my head, or out loud). But my babies are such unique individuals that it honestly shocks me when I let myself think about it. I know the saying. "No two babies are alike." Kinda like snowflakes. I just had no idea how very different they could be. Even siblings. And I'm not just talking about their looks, though you can see that for yourself. Here are my munchkins at 6-months-old:

Whereas James used to always have his pinkies held out, Cora used to tuck her thumbs into her fists. We kept teasing her that it was not the correct way to throw a punch.

While James used to wake up randomly to play or talk, for hours at a time, in the middle of the night, Cora only wakes after bedtime to eat. She has never once had a midnight play session.

Cora slept swaddled for over 5 months. James didn't make it 2 weeks.

James is, and always was, a thumb sucker. Cora finds random fingers (or her entire fist) to be more satisfying. This makes for some pretty crazy noises. Unfortunately, it does nothing for self-soothing abilities.

Likewise, James could self-soothe from early on. He liked his paci (after a few weeks, anyway), then converted to his thumb full-time by 3-months. Cora never self-soothes. She must be walked or swung or bounced or nursed. And even with that, she still sometimes just has to "fuss it out" to get to sleep or get over being mad about something (like riding in the car).

Cora hates the car. It's not as bad now as it was for her first 4 months, but still. It's almost guaranteed that she'll scream and cry at least once/trip, even if it's just a 10 minute drive. However, James loves the car and always has. He used to fall asleep every time we went anywhere. Then he'd talk nonstop. Now he either converses with us or gazes out the window while sucking his thumb and twirling his hair. And sometimes he still falls asleep.

Cora had a perfect latch from the start and was an easy baby to nurse right away. She has quite the appetite, and prefers to cluster feed in the evenings. When she wants her mama, she wants her mama! James was not so easy in the beginning (though perhaps my inexperience is more to blame). It was a huge struggle for us to get our nursing relationship down pat (James was such a sleepy eater, and a lazy latcher) and the first couple of weeks were really rough on us both. We stuck it out though (and avoided paci's and bottles until we figured it out) and eventually fell into our groove. We had a great 9 months, then pushed hard to make it through the end of his first year while my milk supply diminished due to my pregnancy with Cora. I'm hoping that Cora will nurse strongly for at least a year. At her current rate, I don't think I have to worry!

James started drooling at 10-weeks. Cora, blessfully, not until 16-weeks. And she's not nearly the faucet that he was. Conversely, Cora got her first tooth a month younger than James did.

Cora is a much more focused and observant personality. She'll look you in the eyes, always turn to you when called, and watch every move you make. As an infant, James refused to hold our gaze. He was always more interested in what everyone else was doing. If you were the one holding him, there was no way he would pay attention to you.

We call Cora our quiet observer, because not only does she study everything we do, but she does so silently and intently. James, on the other hand, was a nonstop chatterbox as soon as he figured out how to babble. He always had something to say (or sing), and still does.

James loved tummy time from the start, while 6 months into it, Cora still hates it. 2.5 minutes is the maximum she will go without fussing. We wonder whether she'll skip crawling, since she's rarely in the position to learn. Of course, James didn't crawl until 9-months, so who knows what will change between now and then.

James smiled and laughed earlier, but Cora can sit on her own earlier.

Even better than that, Cora started sleeping through the night earlier. Of course, she really goes through fits and spurts with that, whereas once James started sleeping through the night, he never woke after bedtime unless he was sick or teething.

James was (and still is) a cuddler. He liked (likes!) to be rocked and cradled and sung to. He was the easiest baby to calm, on the rare occasion that calming was needed. If he was fussy due to sleepiness, all I had to do was tip him on his side and rock him and he was out like a light. Cora, on the other hand, just likes to nurse. If I'm not feeding her, or someone else is holding her, she prefers to face out or be held way up on your shoulder. And if she's upset and I start singing to her, she only screams louder. It's true.

While James likes to be held and carried, he doesn't like to help. Even at 21-months, the boy really still makes you do all the work. He's too busy thumb-sucking and hair-twirling (or pointing at something he's talking about) to hold on. Cora is already a helper though. Sometimes she even holds on too tightly!

James was (and still is) a pain to cosleep with. He kicks you and picks at your clothes and twirls your hair. He has to have a hand on you, and often a leg draped over you as well. He used to grunt and snore and flip all around. And he still looks like a billiard ball on his mattress throughout the night. Cora, on the other hand, is an absolute joy to cosleep with. If I bring her to bed to nurse her back to sleep, that's what she does. Then she snuggles right in next to me and sleeps peacefully. I often fall back asleep before she finishes nursing. She likes to snuggle up sweetly to her Daddy too.

As an infant, we were lucky to see a BM from James once/week. With Cora, we're so "lucky" that we get them 2-3 times/day. Or more.

We worry about potty training James because the kid could care less about wet or dirty diapers. Cora, on the other hand, has thrown a fit about wet (and especially dirty) diapers from the moment she was born. The princess can't stand a pea under her mattress...

Cora didn't really like bathtime for a long time, but James was a water baby from the start. Cora makes bigger splashes though.

James thinks medicine is candy. He'll ask for it. Honestly. And when he gets it, he'll often say "Moh?" But Cora does not like medicine. Not one bit. We used to have to lay her flat on her back, trickle it in one drop at a time, and squeeze her cheeks/blow on her face to get her to suck it down. She she'd often cry throughout the whole ordeal. Nowadays she'll usually drink it fine, even sitting up. On occasion she'll spit it all out though, little stinker...

James was a kicker as an infant. Any time he got excited (or mad) he would just kick, kick, kick away! Cora, on the other hand, is an arm flapper. She cracks us up because she looks like King Kong, and you can literally hear her beating her chest.

These babies of ours are not completely different though. They have some endearing similarities. I think I'll wait and share their similarities in another post though (since this one is already so long).

CORA'S FIRST TOOTH

That's right folks, Cora's very first pearly white popped through the gums today. The bottom left center incisor made it's appearance, and the right one is likely to come through tonight or tomorrow. It's quite visible already, but Cora wasn't interested in posing for a photo this evening. Teething hurts. And it makes Cora mad. Very, very mad.

BAPTISM PREVIEW

We took Cora's baptism portraits this past weekend in anticipation of her upcoming ceremony (and to ensure the gown fit). While she didn't mind the bow (we decided to skip the bonnet and keep Cora in her signature headband), she hated the fancy dress. It took us forever just to get one happy glance at the camera. Here she is before the torture:

"MERRY" CHRISTMAS

Most of Christmas day was fun and relaxing (opening presents, cooking and eating lots of yummy food, talking with family, playing with the kids' new toys, and going to a friends' house for a short visit), but the end of the day (and the following day) were far from "merry". So please forgive my lateness in posting this, I just wasn't in the mood. However, since James and Cora are thankfully too young to remember and didn't understand what was going on anyway (though I don't doubt that they picked up on the negative energy), I'm not going to write about it. They don't need to read about it when they're older and I'd rather not remember Cora's first Christmas that way. Instead, let's just enjoy some cute pictures of my adorable kids playing with the many generous gifts they received from our family and friends this year. They were quite spoiled. Thank you to everyone who made the day so special for them!

We started the morning by opening our Christmas stockings in bed, as the tradition goes with Jay's family:

Next we ate some of Jean's famous sausage balls while opening presents. James ate a TON of sausage balls, and was so cute handing them out to all of us and "sharing". Cora received a chair just like her big brother's:

We had to break mid-gifting to start the turkey. Once we finished up under the tree, we presented James (and Cora) with their final "gift" of the day: the revamped sunroom, now a real playroom complete with safety mats, a slide, and a picnic table. James LOVED the slide! He went straight for it as soon as we opened the door, and went down alone a couple of times, though mostly he sat at the top and reached out for Jay's hand to guide him down safely - such a cautious little man, eh?

Cora may not have expended energy on the slide, but all the new toys took a lot out of her, and she took a bunch of little princess naps throughout the day while being held (read: spoiled). She even fell asleep while Jean was "exercising" her legs:

All-in-all it WAS a good day, and we are so thankful to have each other. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday!

BLS: MASHED POTATOES

We served Cora her standard sweet potato chunks while we ate our Christmas meal, and she made us feel guilty by staring longingly at all the goodies we were enjoying. Her Ma-Maw took pity on her, and (with our permission) plunked a scoop of mashed potatoes on her tray. And Cora thought YUMMY! I honestly think she licked her fingers...

Preparation for the mashed potatoes? As they were not intended for Cora, we made them the usual way. Boiled Yukon Golds, mashed with butter and milk, and seasoned with pepper and a little salt. Oh well, it was a small scoop...