Plenty of Christmas

My first few years in college, the holidays were disappointing. Suddenly it would be Thanksgiving or Christmas and 24 hours later it would all be over. I couldn't figure out why they were so anticlimactic compared to my childhood.

Eventually I realized it was because there was no build up to the big day. As a kid, you have school projects, special rehearsals and programs, church pageants, tree decorating and all kinds of things before the actual holiday. On my own, it was just school and work every day until the actual holiday came around. I definitely wasn't making sugar cookies and I don't think I ever had a Christmas tree of my own.

So for the past few years I've made an effort to participate in all kinds of holiday events in order to fully take in the season. This year Felix and I did all kinds of fun stuff, from a "Welcome Santa" party at the mall to house parties and lots of family get-togethers. We hosted a dessert party and make afternoons out of things like getting a Christmas tree, or going out to lunch after shopping all morning.

When Christmas Eve rolled around, we were definitely ready for crab legs and opening presents and the chaos of a full house. We're up to 7 adults, 4 kids and 3 dogs, and the whole two-day affair was funny and exhausting, a never-ending rotation of eating, pictures, gifts, games, movies and naps. And removing things from toddler mouths.

I took the 26th off and got to work cleaning the garage to make room for my new treadmill, purchased on consignment for a steal. (Yep, yet another plan for getting regular exercise.) I sorted through Felix's toys and weeded out a few to donate and a few to store for "next time". I'm so ready for the new year and getting this place in order to sell this spring! And all because we got plenty of Christmas.

Handsome boys! Felix insisted on wearing his tie.

Christmas Eve with my boy.

In their coordinating Christmas jammies. My dad called them Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Bike from Santa! Felix grabbed the bike handles, threw one leg over and started walking. He made it about 2 feet.

Updated to add: Felix's new words this month are tree, snow, bike, boots, bite and mine. He also started shaking his head for yes, gives smacky kisses, and pats the spot next to him when he wants someone or a pet to sit next to him.

Snow and Swim

With our shopping done and the semester over, Felix and I had today wide open. We took our time with breakfast (left over apple cobbler counts as a healthy breakfast, right?), then went upstairs to sort through his clothes.

At one point, Felix decided he wanted to wear his snow boots. For the past 3 months he's been refusing, so I quickly put them on before he could change his mind. Then I put on my own boots and took him to the second-floor patio off my bedroom, which had quite a few inches of fresh snow on it. We were both still in pajamas and he quickly learned how fun it was to stomp and kick the snow, and I showed him how to throw snowballs, which we did bare-handed for the next 15 or 20 minutes. The dog even came out and jumped around and snapped at our snowballs, adding to the sight I'm sure we were. Felix was adorable with his skinny legs, Buddha belly, penguin jammies and big boots. (I didn't get any pictures because my phone was downstairs and I couldn't tear myself away from the moment.)

After lunch I decided we should go swimming at the local Y. We did a few lessons last winter and swam a few times this summer, but I guess he forgot how much he loved it. As soon as we were in the water, he freaked a little bit and had a death grip on me. For the first 5 minutes I couldn't even move him to my other hip because he was so scared. So I did the warm up song we learned last year, and little by little he relaxed. By the end of our session he was back floating with his ears in the water, front floating and paddling with arms, kicking his legs, and jumping off the edge of the pool into my arms! (As much as he can "jump" at this age.) I couldn't believe it. And he had the hugest grin on his face the entire time.We will definitely have to go more often so he doesn't forget his love of the water before next summer.

No pictures of swimming, either, so I'll post this one of us at lunch yesterday. He stared at the camera for the first few shots, then very deliberately made this face:

Bathroom Makeover: After Pics

Today was my self-imposed deadline to have the bathroom project done, and I met it by about 45 minutes. My mom came early for my pie party and helped me get the frame put together and hung.

The counter top is far from perfect - you can see brush strokes where the light hits it - but it's still way better than the original.

So, here are the before and afters! I'm loving the new look.

Original counter top from 1977, after I tiled the floor in 2008.

The first refinish was coated with Polyacrylic and it yellowed and stained almost immediately.

 

This month, before painting or adding mirror frame; counter top partially re-refinished.

Done! New color on the walls, counter top and mirror frame painted and sealed.

The mirror frame is hung on the mirror with some little J-shaped brackets from Home Depot.

Lovely Long Weekend

Felix and I had a pretty near perfect Thanksgiving weekend. It was so nice to lounge around the house 4 mornings in a row - what a luxury!

Eating french toast while wrapped in two beloved blankies.

My family put together the most delicious Thanksgiving dinner ever, and afterwards we hung around and talked, drank wine, watched movies and ate pie until way past (the toddlers') bedtime. Felix didn't care for any part of the Thanksgiving meal except grandpa's homemade cranberry sauce and grandma's cherry pie, both of which he devoured like an animal. 

Pre-nap attempt at a cousin Christmas card photo.

My Black Friday strategy has always been to venture out around 10 AM when all the crazies have gone home to nap. It paid off again this year, and I got lots of great deals on stuff I really wanted/needed to buy anyway, and the lines were short. On Saturday I shopped locally and found more great gifts, and met up with a friend for lunch. Felix was amazingly patient and entertained by his food, so we had plenty of time to chat.

On Saturday we also bought our first real Christmas tree. I was pretty proud of myself for driving home (verrrrrry slowly), unloading the tree and getting it inside. Felix helped me put the three stand together, then ate a mini candy cane in his high chair while I decorated. After he went to bed, I wrapped a bunch of gifts and the whole place looked and smelled very Christmasy.

"You're putting a tree up there? You're brave!" said the tree lot guy.

I also found time to clean the house, finish sealing the bathroom counter top, and buy, paint and miter frame parts for the large mirror. Felix was very observant and wanted to help every step of the way. He thought the miter box was especially cool.

Yes, by the end of the long weekend I was feeling a bit like Super Mom. The feeling was short-lived however, as the Christmas tree tipped over Monday morning and I found myself cleaning, rewrapping soaked gifts, arranging lights and decorating all over again (only after my parents came by to get the tree straight and steady again. Story for another time.)

The boys dancing to my simple rendition of Deck the Halls.

November Crud

I woke up with a mild sore throat and stuffiness on Monday, but figured it was due to sanding my bathroom counter top without using a mask. I felt fine otherwise, but ended up battling sinus junk all week. All the mouth breathing gave me chapped lips and a canker sore, and when I finally broke down and used nasal spray, it made my throat burn and ruined my sense of smell. And by then my nose was raw and peeling underneath too. Wah.

On Wednesday night, Felix developed some weird rashiness and hives on his face. His well baby appointment was the next morning (100th percentile for head size!) but the doctor was pretty sure the stuff on his face was not an allergy. It got worse over the weekend and nothing seemed to help. He was fussy and irritable and the only time he was quiet was while sleeping or taking a bath. I tried gentle lotion, no lotion, homeopathic allergy medication, OTC allergy medication, warm air, cold air, hydrocortisone cream, ibuprofen, etc.

 Hard to see on some screens, but he had hives all around his right eye, and his entire forehead had swelled up in addition to rashiness on his cheeks and around his mouth.

It was exhausting trying to keep him content and get work done. He's not interested in TV which is fine, except it would have come in really handy. We worked from home Friday due to an illness at daycare, and I'd planned on painting the bathroom this weekend (done!) and had tons of errands to run. We plowed through, and both nights I sort of collapsed on my parents' couch with a beer while Felix was distracted by grandpa and his cousin. SMCs who do this without family nearby are either extra brave, crazy or both!

This afternoon I tried a layer of hydrocortisone cream followed by Aquaphor and finally saw some improvement in Felix's face. His mood improved right away, so even though he hadn't been rubbing or scratching his face, it must have been bothering him. I read that some cold viruses can cause hives, so for now I'm blaming it on that. Everything else has been ruled out.

Anyway, I'm glad we're both on the mend just in time for Thanksgiving. We nearly missed it last year due to illness, and I'm hoping we don't make a tradition out of this November crud.

Another Sitter Rant

This will be my 3rd blog post whining about flaky babysitters. I just can't believe how hard it's been to find someone!

About a month ago, I went through Craigslist ads and responded to quite a few sitters who had included pictures of themselves, said they were experienced and CPR/first aid certified. One came to meet us and seemed great, but had to be reminded over and over to send me her references (none of whom called me back), and then she hasn't remembered to check her schedule and let me know if she's available on the nights I'd need her. She's in her early 20s and has a crappy mall job (I'd be paying her more per hour), so I don't know why she can't get it together.

A couple other sitters never replied to my emails, another who was supposed to meet us canceled at the last second, and others responded to one email but then fizzled after that.

I wonder if they just have really lousy work ethics? Is that why they can't keep another job and are posting on Craigslist looking for work?

Regardless, I find myself with at least 3 holiday events and no sitters at this point. I can ask my family, but I'd really prefer to pay someone to come to my house so I don't have to drive around and pick up a sleeping kid at 11 PM.

New Things

Felix's abilities to help and understand are really blossoming right now. He feeds the pets every night (I scoop it out, he pours) and can go through all the steps of putting a new garbage bag in the kitchen can and putting it back under the sink. He still loves to rotate the laundry and start the dryer, and loves closing the garage door when we get home. His chest really does puff a little when he's done with each task - he's so darn proud of himself! And I dream of the day that I don't have to do everything myself the second I walk in the door after work.

He also understood some instructions I totally wasn't expecting:
"Let's get a new shirt out of the dryer." (He got down from his chair and walked straight to the dryer.)
"Do you want milk? Get your cup out of the living room." (He waded through all his toys and returned a minute later with the exact cup he'd had earlier in the day.)
"Let's change your diaper first." (He left and came right back with a new diaper.)

He noticed me gathering stray dirty diapers and putting them in a plastic bag, and contributed a couple of dried out baby wipes. It was pretty cool he understood what we were throwing away, when a few months ago he would've been just as likely to hand me a block or shoe.

And our big win of the week has to do with the ride at the grocery store. He used to throw a fit when we walked by (on our way in AND out, even if he'd already ridden it), and when I let him ride it, he'd throw a fit when it was over. But this week when the ride stopped, he reached for the shopping cart and happily got back in! I couldn't believe it.