Merry Christmas!

(Subtitle: Really, really long post full of pictures that Brandon is going to complain about. Sorry Brandon.)
However, Anthony will only have one "first Christmas," so forgive me my long-windedness.

This holiday was a little different for our family. Aside from the obvious (one more seat at the table), for the first time since Brandon and I moved to Miami, my side of the family celebrated together in sunny Florida. My mom and dad rented a condo in Sebring for the entire month of December (doesn't retirement sound nice??) and my sister Kerry flew down from Chicago. Here is some of the family fun:

What Christmas would be complete without a visit to Santa? If you wonder what Anthony and Santa are looking at, it's probably mom and grandma throwing decorum to the wind to get the little guy to smile.
Anthony and Aunt Kerry at the festival of lights, a really nice little event in downtown Sebring. Anthony's eyes were this wide the entire time.


Anthony and Grandma get ready to open gifts...


...and the little fella enjoys his first "taste" of present-opening.


They really do catch onto this whole gift-getting thing pretty easily, don't they??


For future blackmail purposes.

Christmas in Florida...Anthony enjoys his first swim.

Anthony and Grandma in their matching Johnny Cash shirts...Anthony's was a Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa. This picture was taken at the adorable Henscratch Winery just outside Sebring. What "baby's first Christmas" would be complete without a little wine tasting?

Yes, the winery did have baby-appropriate activities...Grandpa shows Anthony a wild boar, a chicken and a strawberry milkshake. Anthony was most interested in the milkshake. Smart boy.

Anthony is happy to find a rocking chair and a lap no matter where he goes.

Along with enjoying the great outdoors at the winery, the family also trekked off the beaten path at a state park (sorry, I only remember the names of wineries, not state parks) to take Anthony on his first nature walk. Since mom was busy shielding her head from large spiders, Aunt Kerry (a little more fearless than me) took over Anthony-carrying duty.

It was a really special Christmas and I'm so happy the whole family could be together. And we're thrilled that Christmas will be extended this year, as Grandma Char and Grandpa Dave are coming to visit in January. We can't wait to see them and keep the celebration going!

Anthony's photo shoot

Anthony went for his six-month photo shoot last week with Kelly's very-talented colleague, Chantal. He was pretty cooperative, only getting cranky after 45 minutes under the lights and several costume changes. Grandma was a huge help, providing the entertainment necesssary to keep a smile on the little fella's face. Chantal even suggested Grandma might want to come out of retirement to become a baby-smiling specialist for a photography business...but she'll have to fight Anthony on that one, who maintains Grandma should use her spare time for babysitting.

Here are some of the pictures!

Anthony is Six Months Old Today!

Hard to believe it's been half a year already!

For comparison...here's Anthony a month ago.

That's before he really started grabbing for things...now he can't keep his hands to himself!

He's sitting by himself a little these days.

And a couple other recent photos, just 'cause I think they're cute.

Performance Anxiety

Anthony made his stage debut last night, and I’m sure all the reviewers present (mom, dad, grandma and grandpa) will agree it was a stunning performance, noteworthy for the sheer range and nuance of raw emotion that was put on display.

I’ll admit I was skeptical when Anthony’s school sent home a flyer informing us students in the nursery through Pre-K classrooms could perform in the annual Christmas show. I’m as proud a mother as the next person, but I’ll be the first to admit Anthony’s performance capabilities are limited. If this were a beauty pageant, while I maintain he would come in AT LEAST in the top 10, his options for the talent portion would be limited to rolling over, sitting for 10 seconds before toppling over, and eating. As he was expected to be on stage without my over-protective hands nearby to catch him, the first two were clearly out. And as I’m not THAT much of an exhibitionist, option three also had to be nixed.

Still, last week I gently asked Anthony’s teacher what exactly would be expected of him should he choose to take the stage (I didn’t want to be insulting...maybe she had some sort of elaborate baby chorus line in the works). Fortunately, she assured me all the babies would be asked to do is dress in holiday finery and sit on stage looking cute.

That, Anthony can do.

So, resplendent in his snowman sweater and black corduroys, the nervous little guy (something had to explain the previous night’s restlessness) took the stage last night with his adoring legion of fans in tow. I don’t know if the people who hand out the Tony awards were in the audience, but if they were, let’s just say the Josephsen family better clear some space on its mantlepiece.

Actually,we don’t have a mantlepiece, which is probably just as well.

However, the performance went fine, with the "stage bill" acknowledging that the nursery students would simply be "looking cute in their first Christmas show." They did indeed. Anthony and three of his tiny co-stars entered stage left in a tinsel-adorned stroller, and sat quietly -- I'm not kidding, not a peep from any of the four -- while the "big kids" sang Christmas songs.

Unfortunately, in some sort of freak of nature occurance, we were among the last people to show up at the theater (this never happens...the rest of Miami is chronically 10 minutes late to everything, while our Midwestern roots have us showing up 5 minutes early). Anyway, this rare situation means our photos from the actual show are limited at best. But on a bright note, my sense that all is right with the world was put at ease at the end of the night -- as we left following the brief program, a family was just arriving, and I heard the mom ask incredulously, "What, it's already over?" Yes, we were still in Miami.

Anyway, here are some pics from the evening's activities:

A long-range live shot of the show from the paparazzi -- or should I say PAPA-razzi

Will he thank mom when he wins his Oscar?

Anthony's bodyguard escorts him from the theater

Now we know what kept him distracted, happy and quiet during the show...

Anthony Gets His Wings

Anthony got his first early Christmas present this past week -- this awesome airplane that Grandpa Lantau built for him! Anthony loves it, even though he's too little to take flight just yet. Maybe by the time he fills out his little bomber jacket a little better...

Anyway, Anthony is thrilled to have a one-of-a-kind toy, and he says Grandpa can be his wing man anytime! The little guy is having so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa, even though he's been weathering a little cold. Grandma had him in stitches the other night with a game of peek-a-boo -- he'd start laughing hysterically even before she got to the punchline; and he eats like a champ when Grandpa's serving up the food. Plus, Brandon and I got a fun night out to attend my work holiday party. Believe it or not, that's the first time someone other than me put Anthony to bed...luckily, he's in good hands (or arms, as the case may be!)