Maybe it’s good sometimes to wait a few days before I write and post pictures. The more memories and photos I accumulate, the more I edit. Either selectively (because there are just too many pictures) or involuntarily as I forget some of the details of each day. What I do know, is that Christmas was a delightful whirlwind this year.
Travel at Christmas has always worn us out, and with a toddler we knew we had to try things a little differently. So we just went down to Grandma and Grandpa’s in Cupertino for Christmas Eve Day, and headed back to our house after the evening service at church. Last year, Brendan let loose with a raspberry right in the middle of the prayer – but this year he decided he would play peek-a-boo over the back of the pew. He was in Grandpa’s care at the time, so the parents could not be held responsible. Thankfully, people seemed to find it more on the delightful side of disruptive. We took our annual spin down Christmas Tree lane on our way back home, and Brendan pointed out several of his favorite houses before he drifted off to sleep.
We woke up Christmas morning in our own home. Something Rob and I have never done as adults. It’s a new era, and probably because Rob and I each spent Christmas at home when we were younger, we both felt strongly that we wanted that for our son as well. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Santa came. We loved watching Brendan discover his b-ball hoop, and look through his stocking – and then he was ready for a nap. I wanted so much for the day to hold magic for him – not my magic on my schedule – but his magic, on his schedule. So that’s what we did. After his nap we didn’t launch right into opening presents, it was time for a snack – and we watched the Disney Christmas parade as we ate. He loved it. And looking back, this moment of watching his eyes light up, and dancing around the living room with him is one of my favorite moments of the season. Spontaneous magic is the best kind, and I’m glad that once in a while I fight against my stubborn planning streak and let it happen.
Grandma and Grandpa came up in the early afternoon, and we literally spent the rest of the day opening presents. There are just enough photos to rekindle the memory of the afternoon because I was soaking in it more than capturing it with my camera.
The next day, Grandma and Grandpa played with the peanut while Daddy and I packed. Grandpa took Brendan for a walk, and I spied on them in the park behind our house from my bedroom window. I smiled as I watched him help Brendan go down the little slide and play with the other kids. Then I saw him helping Brendan up the ladder to the big slide and all anyone saw was was the dust my heels kicked up as I sprinted to the park. By the time I got there, he was already at the bottom of the slide – a nice mother had been down there to catch him and all was fine. But Grandpa still got a scolding from a possibly over-protective mama.
We headed out on the red-eye to Boston that night. The peanut did fine, but he couldn’t get comfortable – not in his car seat, not in our laps… he really just wanted to be flat. So there wasn’t a lot of sleep for any of us. And sadly, that sleepless trend continued our entire time in Massachusetts. Even though the pack-and-play was in our bedroom, B still had trouble getting to sleep. So for the first time since naps when he was an infant, he slept in bed with us. I should have known from the positions we find him in his crib that he is an active sleeper, but it still cracked me up when he would pick up his little body and purposefully flop it right onto my head. He would mash his little head so hard onto mine that I have no idea how it could be comfortable for him (it definitely wasn’t for me!). Then he would roll himself directly onto my chest and sleep on his back with his head resting on my nose. Sometimes he would delightfully spoon for a little while, but then he would roll himself horizontally into the middle of the double bed – forming Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man as Rob and I were left clinging to the very edge of the bed. So there we were in our ‘H’ formation – and even though this worked out okay for Brendan, there was not a lot of sleep for Mom and Dad. However, the fact that we got to snuggle with him all night is still an uphill whee in my holiday memory book.
Massachusetts held all kinds of fun. We were so glad to see Grampy feeling a little more like himself, and I’m happy to report that trend continues into the new year. The cousins had all kinds of fun – Brendan graduated from being the ‘baby’ to just being one of the guys. They wrestled, they played games, they hugged. Grandma showed him her collection of singing snowmen and he couldn’t get enough of them, or of the ceiling fan that hangs over the dining table. Brendan did get one bump on his head – I know it’s part of being a boy, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.
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One of the favorite gifts in Boston was a hockey set. Sticks and a puck and a ball… what a surprise that he would enjoy hockey. Uncle Steve immediately taught him some of the finer points of the game including what to do when you score a goal.
Thankfully, we also got some snow. Brendan loved to look at it, loved to be held outside so he could catch the snowflakes, loved to watch his cousins sled down the hill – but when it was his turn to go outside and play, he wasn’t quite ready for how cold it would be. Maybe next year.
Mommy and Daddy also did their yearly barefoot snow picture… and dragged Brendan into their madness.
Before we left, we quizzed Brendan on names, and shared some hugs.
The flight back was amazingly smooth, and we were all happy to get home. As predicted, Brendan really missed his puppy. Verdict is still out on how much she missed him. Especially since B learned a few things from his cousins, like how to wrestle – and he decided Chelsea would be a good cousin stand-in. Poor puppy.
We spent a quiet New Year, and got our house and our selves in order before heading back to work for the short week. I shy away from resolutions, but I did make some notes on what we want more of this year, and what we want less of. No big surprises – things like adding more spontenaity and subtracting a few to do lists. And when I do inevitably make lists, I want to put the fun stuff higher on the priorities. I want to use fewer disposable bags. I want to continue to be grateful for all that we have, particularly set against the backdrop of where we’ve been. Not everyone is as fortunate. I don’t want to take that for granted, and I want to help in big and small ways wherever I can.
Ta-da! Welcome to the new year!