A Christmas Card...

This year, we dressed in our finest and rocked around the Christmas tree at Chris and April's.  This year, we brought Cruz along for the party. 

Someday, I think Cruz will find it funny that we brought him along for such occasions.  That he hung out with Beau and the rest of the guys in the garage during a game of beer pong, or chatted around the punch bowl with the girls, or was fed a bottle by Starbuck in the middle of the white elephant gift exchange.   

(A great picture!  The festive souls in the background, sharing the latest 'surprise' from the white elephant exchange, a Hewlet-Packard printer, college textbook, or crock-jock, while Starbuck feeds my son while wearing a women's turtleneck and midriff-baring sweater vest.  Cruz is completely unaware, or unconcerned with his surroundings...as long as he is getting his tummy filled, he is happy.  He was so happy, in fact, that he filled his pants while sitting on Starbuck's lap afterwards.)

I still can't decide it Jordan looked creepy, or kind of cool in his dark-rimmed glasses.  I'm voting for cool, Beau is voting for Ryan from The Office.  

He will laugh at how ridiculous his parents looked in their Christmas sweaters (blazers), and will find it hilarious that we attempted to make him look ridiculous too.

Much to our dismay, that was impossible!

Bringing a baby to a party was definitely different, yet, I loved having him there.  He was good as gold and loved the commotion.  At one point, Beau let him have his much needed blanket time, in the middle of Chris and April's floor.  Did Cruz care that he was in the middle of thirty loud adults?  Did he care that Daisy, Chris and April's black lab, continued to sniff, nuzzle, and lick his chubby cheeks?   Cruz was there for to party and wasn't about to let much get in his way.

Every now and then, I would sneak away for a minute or two of quiet time.  And every time I did, Cruz would look up at me, smile, and begin cooing away, as if he was storing up during the party and couldn't wait to share his thoughts with his mama in private.

Because we had a big baptism the following morning, we didn't stay too long.  Cruz was so tired when we got home, he passed out halfway through his bottle.  We put him to bed with half the milk he's used to and I was nervous he wouldn't make it through the night.  It turns out, the party tired our little elf out more than I thought...he had his longest sleep yet, going from 11-8!