Chester's first Christmas!

Christmas eve morning.  Waking up the little fella...

He needed lots of time to open up the mountain of presents waiting for him. 

Of course being Daddy's little boy, you know there's gonna be some superhero and Lego in the works at some point...I didn't realize it was gonna happen THIS fast though.

His grandma and godfather came by to spend a lovely afternoon before taking us to the airport.

Chester's first plane ride went off without a hitch.  Most of the passengers had no idea there was a baby sitting near them.

I wonder why...

Chester didn't seem to mind being without his bouncer.

Does this next picture remind you of  a certain scene from The Lord of the Rings?

The Hobbits vs. the Tree People mayhaps?


Chester got to reconnect with his favourite Auntie Barb and his cousin Riley.  He met her when he was a couple of weeks ago.  She was 7 months old at the time.


He's just a little older than she was at the time.  How fast time flies.

Christmas dinner at his Aunt Barb and Uncle Dave's.  You can't tell from the picture but there were lots of people at their home.  Chester has never been around more than about four people at one time.  He took it in stride.

I couldn't pass up the chance to dress him up like a big boy.  A suit jacket, pinstripe shirt and cool red socks to mark the festive occasion!

His Nana and Grampy were thrilled to spend Chester's first Xmas with them.

I left the room for about half an hour, and when I came back, he was entertaining himself in his cousin's bouncer.  A room full of people were sitting quietly watching him.  Better than the hockey game?  I think so.

His Auntie's mother in law, Evelyn, monopolized him for most of the night.  If you wanted to meet the little guy, he was holding court on her lap for the evening.  He seemed pretty cool with that.

The plane ride home had a few outbursts.  Nothing a fast boob couldn't stifle.  On both trips there was always one passenger that just couldn't resist smiling and making funny faces at him.  It was neat to see his reaction.  He'd suddenly start smiling or laughing and I wouldn't know why until I craned around to see what he was looking at.  Such a friendly kid.  When the passengers saw me, they looked a little sheepish - like they had been caught doing something bad.  I've experienced this myself when I've been smiling at a child, only to see their parents whip around and look at me like I was The Exorcist.  Ugh.  I think this is just plain wrong.  Ok, if I was a creepy old weirdo - sure I understand.  But a young woman?  Safety is one thing, paranoia is another.  I would never want anyone to feel the way I was made to feel.  Tim and I both smiled at the passengers who wanted to interact with our son and immediately put them at ease.

All in all, a wonderful holiday and a great first trip.  Thanks to both our families for making it such a memorable Christmas for our new addition!  We love you!