Mewwy Cwi-muhz
I think I can say, without reservation, that Colin had a good Christmas. As the only grandchild (for now!) on both sides of the family, he was spoiled rotten by all of his grandparents. And might have also raked in some loot from his doting parents as well.
As a side note, this was a bit of an emotional Christmas for me, because it is the first time we didn't go back to Cleveland for the holidays. I missed all my friends, and it the first Christmas in my life that I didn't spend with my father. It was a tough decision to make, but ultimately I think it was the right one. I want Colin to have a "normal" Christmas, and that's not what we've been doing for the past 8 years. Since we moved to NJ we've been Christmas nomads every year, driving to Cleveland and back, as well as making the flight to Florida for our New Year's break in Naples. And while I loved every minute of it, it is exhausting and frankly not how I want Colin to think of the holidays as he grows up. So I broke the news to everyone about a month ago, and while I missed everyone terribly I also know it was the right thing for our family. That being said... on with Christmas!
Christmas morning we woke up, and as far as Colin was concerned it was just a regular morning. He woke up, played with his parents for a while (whooooo! I'm hiding under the covers!) and then decided it was time for "down-steahz" so we all headed down. Our tree is in the corner and Colin didn't notice the bevy of gifts that his many Santas left behind. Instead he and I headed into the kitchen where he played with his toys and I got coffee and breakfast (blueberry buttermilk pancakes and sausage links) started. Between cooking I took short breaks to dance with Colin to Christmas tunes (he was especially boisterous with Sleigh Ride). Eventually H made it downstairs and we all sat down to breakfast.
I made one big mistake with breakfast. I gave Colin his maple syrup on the side instead of pouring it directly on the pancakes. So when H showed him how to dip the pancakes it was all over. He decided to dip-and-lick instead of eating any of the pancake. Oh well. He ate his sausage and a yogurt so I decided to call it a morning.
When his grandparents were in town the weekend before we turned the sofa around for the gift exchange so everyone would have somewhere to sit instead of expecting H's parents to plop on the floor. For Christmas morning H decided to do the same... and suddenly it was GAME ON! Colin dove for the tree, grabbed the first present he saw (it was for H) and began wildly ripping at the wrapping paper. It was hysterical, and he wasn't at all pleased when I tried to wrest the gift from his hands, but finally gave it up when I offered him one of his presents.
H commented that he couldn't believe Colin. The poor child was trying to open a present from my mother that was over-wrapped (extremely tight wrapping, extra tape, and I think I saw a padlock) and got frustrated so he threw it aside and went for another present. Now, honestly I can't blame him... he made a significant effort and couldn't get into it so he moved on. To me that makes sense - like throwing out a pistachio if the shell isn't cracked. You just have to cut your losses and move on. But then again... what kid EVER gives up on a present??? Only one who knows that there's more loot on the horizon. S-P-O-I-L-E-D!
I think there were some definite themes this year. For H it was the year of the sock (not glamorous, but much needed). I had the year of electronics (and am probably the most spoiled person in the family, as I will be enjoying my new TiVO HD and an iPad this year). And Colin had the year of the book... a bunch of "Baby Touch and Feel" books from my mother, one from me (Good Dog Carl) and his father (Elmo's ABCs), and a set of four Dr. Seuss books from his friends the Peraltas. And while this might not sound cool in a year or two, he was really excited about all his new books. He loves to read, and spent time actually looking through all of his new acquisitions.
Other favorite presents:
In the afternoon the boys took a nap together (Colin wearing his bear slippers) while I watched my new DVD (Toy Story 3) and caught up on things a bit. Then a home-made chicken pot pie for dinner and an evening showing of Kung Fu Panda wrapped up the day. I got Colin ready for bed (pajamas, brush teeth, wash face) and H kindly put him to bed so I could play with some of my new toys. WHEEEE!
After cleaning up a bit I went upstairs to find my two darling boys, snuggled together, fast asleep. The picture of peace after a very lazy, fun first Christmas in NJ. I stood there for a moment, just soaking them up, appreciating just how incredibly lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. I remember in the years before I met Hari, how I never planned to get married and I (rather adamantly) thought children were just not for me. Now in addition to my dog and cat I have a husband, a son, and another child on the way... and am blissfully happy with the joyful chaos of my life. In that moment I realized that while my life is utterly not what I planned, I am thankful beyond words that things didn't turn out as I expected.
As Colin would say, Mewwy Cwi-muhz everyone!
As a side note, this was a bit of an emotional Christmas for me, because it is the first time we didn't go back to Cleveland for the holidays. I missed all my friends, and it the first Christmas in my life that I didn't spend with my father. It was a tough decision to make, but ultimately I think it was the right one. I want Colin to have a "normal" Christmas, and that's not what we've been doing for the past 8 years. Since we moved to NJ we've been Christmas nomads every year, driving to Cleveland and back, as well as making the flight to Florida for our New Year's break in Naples. And while I loved every minute of it, it is exhausting and frankly not how I want Colin to think of the holidays as he grows up. So I broke the news to everyone about a month ago, and while I missed everyone terribly I also know it was the right thing for our family. That being said... on with Christmas!
Christmas morning we woke up, and as far as Colin was concerned it was just a regular morning. He woke up, played with his parents for a while (whooooo! I'm hiding under the covers!) and then decided it was time for "down-steahz" so we all headed down. Our tree is in the corner and Colin didn't notice the bevy of gifts that his many Santas left behind. Instead he and I headed into the kitchen where he played with his toys and I got coffee and breakfast (blueberry buttermilk pancakes and sausage links) started. Between cooking I took short breaks to dance with Colin to Christmas tunes (he was especially boisterous with Sleigh Ride). Eventually H made it downstairs and we all sat down to breakfast.
I made one big mistake with breakfast. I gave Colin his maple syrup on the side instead of pouring it directly on the pancakes. So when H showed him how to dip the pancakes it was all over. He decided to dip-and-lick instead of eating any of the pancake. Oh well. He ate his sausage and a yogurt so I decided to call it a morning.
When his grandparents were in town the weekend before we turned the sofa around for the gift exchange so everyone would have somewhere to sit instead of expecting H's parents to plop on the floor. For Christmas morning H decided to do the same... and suddenly it was GAME ON! Colin dove for the tree, grabbed the first present he saw (it was for H) and began wildly ripping at the wrapping paper. It was hysterical, and he wasn't at all pleased when I tried to wrest the gift from his hands, but finally gave it up when I offered him one of his presents.
H commented that he couldn't believe Colin. The poor child was trying to open a present from my mother that was over-wrapped (extremely tight wrapping, extra tape, and I think I saw a padlock) and got frustrated so he threw it aside and went for another present. Now, honestly I can't blame him... he made a significant effort and couldn't get into it so he moved on. To me that makes sense - like throwing out a pistachio if the shell isn't cracked. You just have to cut your losses and move on. But then again... what kid EVER gives up on a present??? Only one who knows that there's more loot on the horizon. S-P-O-I-L-E-D!
I think there were some definite themes this year. For H it was the year of the sock (not glamorous, but much needed). I had the year of electronics (and am probably the most spoiled person in the family, as I will be enjoying my new TiVO HD and an iPad this year). And Colin had the year of the book... a bunch of "Baby Touch and Feel" books from my mother, one from me (Good Dog Carl) and his father (Elmo's ABCs), and a set of four Dr. Seuss books from his friends the Peraltas. And while this might not sound cool in a year or two, he was really excited about all his new books. He loves to read, and spent time actually looking through all of his new acquisitions.
Other favorite presents:
- A set of 26 animals (one for each letter of the alphabet) with a tree-house
- His first set of Legos (he immediately began building)
- Slippers - he got bear slippers which he adores, as well as a pair of Elmo slippers. I'm now certain that he will never have cold feet this winter. He even slept in his bear slippers the other night!
After cleaning up a bit I went upstairs to find my two darling boys, snuggled together, fast asleep. The picture of peace after a very lazy, fun first Christmas in NJ. I stood there for a moment, just soaking them up, appreciating just how incredibly lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. I remember in the years before I met Hari, how I never planned to get married and I (rather adamantly) thought children were just not for me. Now in addition to my dog and cat I have a husband, a son, and another child on the way... and am blissfully happy with the joyful chaos of my life. In that moment I realized that while my life is utterly not what I planned, I am thankful beyond words that things didn't turn out as I expected.
As Colin would say, Mewwy Cwi-muhz everyone!
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