Other than blowing the budget, we got through Christmas unscathed. We actually had a pretty relaxing time.
On Christmas eve day we went for a nice drive in the country. We stopped in a cute little town, went for a walk, and ducked into a tearoom for lunch. For dinner we prepared a beautiful prime rib roast dinner, which we paired nicely with a fine bottle of red wine. Once baby was asleep, we sat in front of the fire while sipping hot beverages. It was magnificent!
Christmas morning was a lot of fun. Baby boy was in his glory ripping at the wrapping paper, and rummaging through boxes. He was just as interested in our gifts as he was his own. When Daddy opened up a package containing a wooden spoon, he could barely contain his excitement! It was almost as cool as the banged up old cooking pot that he has taken to carrying with him wherever he goes.
We had Christmas dinner with our second family. Not blood relatives, but close friends who always take us in for the holidays. Baby boy loves going there as much as we do. Not only is it an opportunity to visit with his best buddy who is two months older than him, he is showered with attention by all of the aunts, uncles, young nieces, grandma and grandpa etc... He feels right at home at these family gatherings, and so do we.
My hubby likes to tell people that we did the "Christmas dodge" this year. No game of tug-o-war between my mom and the inlaws. No hauling eveything and the kitchen sink across the country. No racing around. And, best of all, no "guilt." I deflected it really well this year determined not to let it consume me. Now that baby boy is in the picture, it's time for us to start new traditions, here at home.
Merry (belated) Christmas everyone!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Oh the funny things you do
Life has been pretty stressful around here lately. Thankfully, I get a bit of comic relief in the form of a 1-year old. Over the last few days he's done so many hilarious things that I need to share with everyone.
Right now he's going through a phase where he constantly wants to mimic everything the mom and dad do. He is particularly interested in the broom and dustpan, and all of the excitement around sweeping the floor (hmmmm....how long until he outgrows that, I wonder?). Wherever he goes, he liked to drag along our old metal duspan. If we accidentally leave the baby gate open, he sees it as an opportunity to sneak the dustpan up the stairs. A couple of days ago, he was watching dad load the dishwasher (another fascination of his!). Being the helpful little guy he is, he walked over and loaded the duspan into the dishwasher, just like a plate.
He's also quite into rooting through cupboards these days in search of treasure. This morning he struck gold. You guessed it -- he found my breast pump! And when you find something that good, it's hard to let it go. Which is why he insisted on bringing it with him to breakfast, and then proceeded to fill the suction full of cheerios.
What else??
Now that he's got the hang of walking, he's given up crawling completely. Not only does this make him feel more independent, it also frees up both of his hands to haul things. He almost always carries around a can, or some other packaged food item in one hand, and a CD case in the other. Or somtimes he just carries around his toy bucket. When I cook dinner he wanders in and out of the kitchen to show me all of the objects he's collected. By the time he goes to bed, the kitchen is littered with the strangest array objects.
Walking has also made it much easier to greet people at the door. When the UPS guy showed up at the door this afternoon, the little guy toddled over to greet him and then promptly slammed the door on his face. I just about died of laughter!
And finally....a story that is funny after the fact, but wasn't so funny when it happened. This morning I was letting his rear end air out (diaper rash is back). It's a dangerous business, leaving a 1-year old to roam without a diaper. Without giving you all the gory details, let's just say that I was up to my ears in sh#t this morning!!! And....right after I finished cleaning up that fun mess, the little guy managed to grab my travel coffee mug off the dining room table. I was in the kitchen making a snack when I heard this strangebanging noise. When I went to inspect, I found him sitting in a huge puddle of cold coffee, happily banging my mug against the floor. He looked as though he had swam through it -- he was that wet!!! He'd also done some great coffee finger painting on the walls.
Is there no end to the funny things you do?
Right now he's going through a phase where he constantly wants to mimic everything the mom and dad do. He is particularly interested in the broom and dustpan, and all of the excitement around sweeping the floor (hmmmm....how long until he outgrows that, I wonder?). Wherever he goes, he liked to drag along our old metal duspan. If we accidentally leave the baby gate open, he sees it as an opportunity to sneak the dustpan up the stairs. A couple of days ago, he was watching dad load the dishwasher (another fascination of his!). Being the helpful little guy he is, he walked over and loaded the duspan into the dishwasher, just like a plate.
He's also quite into rooting through cupboards these days in search of treasure. This morning he struck gold. You guessed it -- he found my breast pump! And when you find something that good, it's hard to let it go. Which is why he insisted on bringing it with him to breakfast, and then proceeded to fill the suction full of cheerios.
What else??
Now that he's got the hang of walking, he's given up crawling completely. Not only does this make him feel more independent, it also frees up both of his hands to haul things. He almost always carries around a can, or some other packaged food item in one hand, and a CD case in the other. Or somtimes he just carries around his toy bucket. When I cook dinner he wanders in and out of the kitchen to show me all of the objects he's collected. By the time he goes to bed, the kitchen is littered with the strangest array objects.
Walking has also made it much easier to greet people at the door. When the UPS guy showed up at the door this afternoon, the little guy toddled over to greet him and then promptly slammed the door on his face. I just about died of laughter!
And finally....a story that is funny after the fact, but wasn't so funny when it happened. This morning I was letting his rear end air out (diaper rash is back). It's a dangerous business, leaving a 1-year old to roam without a diaper. Without giving you all the gory details, let's just say that I was up to my ears in sh#t this morning!!! And....right after I finished cleaning up that fun mess, the little guy managed to grab my travel coffee mug off the dining room table. I was in the kitchen making a snack when I heard this strangebanging noise. When I went to inspect, I found him sitting in a huge puddle of cold coffee, happily banging my mug against the floor. He looked as though he had swam through it -- he was that wet!!! He'd also done some great coffee finger painting on the walls.
Is there no end to the funny things you do?
Friday, December 08, 2006
Sorry it's taken so long to write
I've had one hell of a week (well, two weeks actually)!
First it was the mad rush to get everything on my "to do" list done before I went back to work. The list was as long as my arm. Then I had to prepare for the little guy's first birthday party. And, no sooner were the birthday celebrations over -- BAM! I was back to work.
I started a new job on Monday. I cried when I said goodbye in the morning. I cried again when I walked by a a woman and her baby on my lunch break. But I haven't cried since. I think I got it out of my system because I'm feeling much better now.
Baby boy is also feeling much better about daycare. He isn't protesting when he gets dropped off in the morning. It's now become a familiar routine -- and routine is comforting. His days are fun-filled, and I know he is in an environment where he is happy and well loved.
But we're both exhausted. I took today off to help ease the transition. He slept most of the morning, and he's up there napping again. I should probably go join him....I forgot how exhausting starting a new job could be. It's doubly exhausting when you are up once or twice a night with a baby.
To top it off, the poor little guy had the worst diaper rash of his life this week. And now he's teething again. Sighhhhh....It must be tough to be a baby!
I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. Wish me luck!
First it was the mad rush to get everything on my "to do" list done before I went back to work. The list was as long as my arm. Then I had to prepare for the little guy's first birthday party. And, no sooner were the birthday celebrations over -- BAM! I was back to work.
I started a new job on Monday. I cried when I said goodbye in the morning. I cried again when I walked by a a woman and her baby on my lunch break. But I haven't cried since. I think I got it out of my system because I'm feeling much better now.
Baby boy is also feeling much better about daycare. He isn't protesting when he gets dropped off in the morning. It's now become a familiar routine -- and routine is comforting. His days are fun-filled, and I know he is in an environment where he is happy and well loved.
But we're both exhausted. I took today off to help ease the transition. He slept most of the morning, and he's up there napping again. I should probably go join him....I forgot how exhausting starting a new job could be. It's doubly exhausting when you are up once or twice a night with a baby.
To top it off, the poor little guy had the worst diaper rash of his life this week. And now he's teething again. Sighhhhh....It must be tough to be a baby!
I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)