Happy 2010 and 5 Month-iversary!

I completely underestimated how incredibly busy the holidays would be with an infant! It's a chore in and of itself gearing Brady and his stuff up for a trip (or 3!), but because he's the center of attention everywhere we go, he's shuffled from one loving embrace to the next. This makes for a very, very sleepy baby. Fortunately, he did very well! One downer was that we only have ONE picture of baby and Mommy and Daddy. You'll see below it was early in the morning and Mommy's not lookin' too great! But it is our first Christmas, so at least a small part of the memory was captured!

Our first stop to kick off the holidays was Nonna and Nonno's on Christmas Eve. Their ravioli soup makes my belly so happy :) I can't wait until Brady can try some--he's in for a treat next year! After that visit, we headed to my parents' and actually prolonged a tradition I thought would have surely fallen by the wayside after I got married: spending the night to wake up together on Christmas morning! Zach has been such a good sport and when we got married 3 years ago, he kindly agreed to carry on the annual sleep over. This year, sadly enough, was the last. Next year, Brady will, undoubtedly, be running around the house and ready to open presents! So we decided that because he's still clueless this year and because it was the first Christmas without my Gram, we didn't want to break another tradition just yet. It was nice to wake up with the whole family like always, but I do look forward to hearing the pitter-patter of excited baby feet running down the hall to wake me up :)

We went to Zach's aunt and uncle's on Christmas day, followed by a short stint at my Aunt Debbie's. The weather was threatening with ice, and even though it turned out to be just rain, I was glad to get home earlier than expected. The Jankowski clan was exhausted! And it's probably no coincidence that Brady has begun--and will hopefully continue--to sleep WELL all through the night. He hasn't been waking to talk or fuss, and he's usually good for at least 8 hours. Santa obviously got my wish list this year :)

Everyone was extremely generous with Brady (and us!); he is definitely a spoiled little guy! Aside from many, MANY other things, Gram and Pap Scalzott got him his first lap top (adorable!), so now when Mommy and Daddy are working, Brady can, too :) They also got us a program to play with and edit the millions of photos I take of our child. I swear this kid understands what the light on my camera means; he's starting to perform when he sees it! Grammy and Pappy Barone got Brady a bunch of stuff, too; his favorite was the "old school" rotary phone. He's practicing dialing it as I type this!

New Year's Eve came and went just as quickly as it always does. Zach and I went to dinner with our parents like we try to do each year, and then Brady had his first overnight stay without Mommy and Daddy. Pappy insisted that he would "bunk" with Brady so Zach and I could host our annual New Year's Eve bash with a few of our pals. I was hesitant at first because I didn't know how I would feel about not having Brady with me for that long, but I managed! I missed him, but I knew he was in good hands so I enjoyed myself! It was so nice to relax with friends and a few (okay, maybe more than a few--my head is still pounding...) adult beverages. This year was a bit different, though; when we rang in the 2o10, the hubby and I just felt like there was so much more to celebrate. Last year at this time, we had known we were pregnant for about a month and a half, and while that was certainly exciting, it's nothing compared to having a healthy, happy, wonderful little boy brightening our (and the rest of the family's!) days. He truly is such a joy and sometimes I still tear up when I look at him. That little smile, those little hands--even when they're trying to pull the skin off of my face and the hair out of my head--make me happier than anything else in this world. Kinda makes me want to have another one sometime soon... :)

On that note, my New Year's resolution is to get back to my pre-baby weight/shape/size--I'll take one or all of those options, please! I have a great motivator, too: Zach's brother (AKA: my brother-from-another-mother!) Derek and his long-time girlfriend Kim got engaged!! They're planning a summer 2010 wedding, and it'll be here before we know it! AND Zach and I were both asked to be in their wedding party! I am so honored to be a part of their special day; I teared up about that, too. Seems as though some pregnancy hormones haven't found their way out of my body yet! They would like Brady to be the ring bearer and I cannot even tell you how excited I am to see that little guy in a tux! I don't know that he'll be able (or willing, let's be honest!) to walk himself down the aisle since he'll only just have turned 1 year-old, but Kim said she'd be fine with Zach or me carrying him. Either way, he'll look so stinkin' adorable! I'm hoping I don't look too shabby either--keep your fingers crossed for me!

Looking back on 2009, I know how blessed we are. I'm able to stay home with our son and experience all of his first year milestones with him, our family could not be more generous, kind, and supportive, our friends are fabulous, and although I lost one of my "biggest fans," my Grandma, in March, I know she's thrilled about Brady and watches over him every day. It's been a crazy year with a lot of changes and added responsibility: obviously the baby, but Zach also took over the PA Baseball and Softball Coaches Clinic which is held every January in Pittsburgh. It hosts high school and college coaches from all over the country. He says preparing for it is like planning a wedding because he has to start working on it a year in advance, so this new dad has been super busy! I know his hard work will pay off because he's so dedicated, and he's invested a lot of time and energy into putting this together. Once he's decided he's going to do something, he's completely committed and loyal to it--that's why I married him :)

Oh, in the midst of the holiday craziness, I almost forgot to write that Brady turned 5 months on December 26th. I've added his picture to the others--what a difference a few months make!!!

From our family to yours, have a wonderful 2010! A lot of great things will come our way with Derek and Kim getting married and our best pals Jen and Doug welcoming their first little one in February. We're excited to make many more memories and share them with you here.