Baby's First Christmas

Baby Joe opening his first Christmas present

Things have been quite busy in the D'Angelo household the last month and a half.  Baby Joe passed 10 months and celebrated his first Christmas and New Year.  They were rather muted celebrations for what we are used to, due in part to the fact that we had a 10-month-old with us and also because we're still trying to get settled into our new home in Belgium.

Baby Joe enjoyed his Christmas and we got lots of toys for him to play with from Rachael's family.  As is typical for kids his age he enjoyed the boxes and wrapping paper significantly more than the gifts themselves.  He's put some good mileage on them since Christmas, though, and has been enjoying his toys quite a bit lately.

On the development side, Joe has been progressing pretty quickly lately.  He can full-out crawl anywhere he wants and will stand on his own or by pulling himself up on furniture or boxes.  He still has a problem standing on his own unsupported and does not fall gracefully so we spend a lot of time making sure there are pillows or cushions around him when he's off doing his thing.

Joe also has started making great progress on his communication as well - he knows a few words like 'mama' and 'up' although he doesn't exactly always know when to use them.  He will also put his arms up if he wants to be picked up and will reach out if he wants us to give him something.  He laughs a lot and enjoys playing hide 'n seek or other games where he is surprised and will laugh if we make funny faces at him.