Eva Charlotte's First Christmas

Christmas is such a special time of the year.  Not only is it a meaningful time for Christians to celebrate Christ's birth, but it is a wonderful time to give presents and spend time with family.  Many traditions take place during this time of the year as well, and it makes the holiday season that much sweeter.  Since we've been married, we've gotten to come up with a few of our own traditions as well.  One of the traditions is to buy a new ornament each Christmas to put on our tree, that represents the past year.  Obviously this year, we had to buy one related to baby Eva.  I found this adorable one at Target this year, and I couldn't pass it up!  ( One side of the star says "2013" and the other side says "Baby's First Christmas" )

I haven't started taking down Christmas decorations yet, but we've been slowly recuperating from all of the festivities!  Being married and having to go to both of our families' get-togethers is hard enough.  Add a baby into the mix, and it gets a whole lot more complicated!  I feel like we were going on a 3 day weekend trip with all of the supplies we had to lug around with us.

Overall, Christmas was fantastic!  The food was great, but the company was amazing.  We got to spend some quality time with family, and it was so needed.  Eva really enjoyed playing with all of the tissue paper and wrapping paper, and even got to open a few presents of her own.  We are so lucky to have such generous families who lavish our daughter with such lovely gifts.  She is definitely going to be one of the best dressed babies ever!  My sister bought Eva the cutest pink sparkly Toms and the most adorable fuzzy baby Uggs for when she gets a little bigger.  I am going to melt just a little more inside when she gets to wear them.  We also got many fun books for Eva to read when she gets bigger.  I have already read all of them to her multiple times... mostly because I think they are so fun also!  When did little kid books get so creative and funny?

Daddy daughter pictures are the BEST

Eva and I on Christmas Eve at my parents' house

I remembered to video tape some of Eva on her first Christmas, but honestly I wanted to enjoy each moment in the present too much to want to take the time to video tape.  It would have been awesome to rewatch her whole first Christmas unfold on video, but alas, we only have a few small clips that I will cherish forever.  It's hard to choose sometimes.  There are so many moments that are so precious that I wish I could capture them on video or in a picture, but getting up to go get the camera can compromise the moment.  It's almost like I will miss it if I get up and leave, even for a second.  Plus, you can never recreate those moments on film, especially with a 5 month old.  We did manage to get a couple of traditional Christmas pictures, as well as a Santa picture!  Eva was so happy to sit on Santa's lap.  She looked up at him and smiled when I went to go hand her to him.  She might have been a little scared of all the elves trying to get her to smile and look at the camera though.  It was so precious.

Eva's first Santa picture!

Eva playing with the tissue paper :)

The best Christmas present I received this year was Eva saying "ma" for the first time.  I am so proud, overjoyed, ecstatic, amazed, warmed, and in love with the fact that she is able to say mom already.  I realize she doesn't associate me with this term yet, but the fact that she will say it on command now makes my heart melt.  How can something so small and so needy give me so much joy without even trying?