Patience, Grasshopper

Husband got me a fancy bread maker for Christmas, which I love because I can be Suzy Homemaker without actually doing the work. I just dump in the ingredients and push a couple buttons. It's pretty great.

So, C was helping me "make bread" (ie: dump in ingredients) tonight. After we turned on the machine and pushed the buttons, she jumped down from her stool, climbed into her booster seat at the table and said "eat bread."

Sure thing, baby. It'll be ready in three and a half hours.

She had a pickle instead.


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Chatty Cathy

In the past week, I think C has gone from saying twenty words to two hundred. It's as if she has been storing them away until she could use them properly, stringing them into tiny toddler phrases like "I stuck," "It's my puppy," "It's all gone! More peease (please)," and "Shhhh. Night, night, puppy."

She is getting really good at her colors, surprises me with letters of the alphabet we have yet to practice, and counts to nine (give or take a couple numbers). She tells me what she wants (and what she doesn't) with confidence. Her favorite snacks right now are oranges, pickles, cheese, or goldfish ("fishies") and she points to where they are stored and politely asks for them with a "peeeease" (please).

She sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" all day long. 

She is obsessed with animals and can identify oh so many as well as tell you their respective sounds. I can't even name all of them, but some of her favorites are puppies, cats, bunnies, cows, donkeys, horses, pigs, ducks, geese, elephants, lions, bears, birds, penguins, dolphins, and monkeys. She now requests to sleep with all of her "puppies" and has a crib full of her friends every night. She has started instructing Banks to do tricks. She often tells him to "come" and pats the floor next to her. She tells him to "sit" and "shake" and "eat, eat" for treats. Sometimes he listens.

Role play is new to our little world and C now takes care of her baby dolls and all of her stuffed animals. She lines them up and feeds them "apples" and "milk" and narrates while doing so. She tucks them in and says, "shhhh, night, night." She kisses and hugs them and then brings them to me to kiss and hug. She got a Disney princess castle for Christmas and loves to play with her princesses and tell me "princess" as she points to each one. We call Daddy at work and she excitedly tells him about playing with princesses and balls and puppies and blocks, kisses the phone, and tells him "bye" or "night, night."

I've been talking to this little girl her entire life. It's nice to finally hear her sweet voice talk back.

Protective Skills Patch

It finally happened. After almost two years of going up and down our stairs multiple times each day while holding C, without falling, my streak ended.

This morning, as we headed downstairs, I picked her up to carry her (you know, so she wouldn't fall) and, with four steps left, I slipped and we tumbled down to the floor.

I'm bruised and beaten up, but C doesn't have a scratch on her. I feel like I passed some sort of protective mother skills test. Do I get a patch or something?

Pass the Advil, please.

Santa Sighting

We were reading one of our favorites, "The Cow Loves Cookies," and C was naming all the animals on each page. Then, she got so excited and squealed, "it's Santa! Ho Ho!"

Maybe Santa is a farmer in the off season.

Twinkle Twinkle

"Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" is C's favorite song right now. I realized she was singing it to herself while playing a couple days ago.

So, tonight, I was singing it to her before bed. She was almost asleep when she sat up straight in my lap, started clapping, and said, "yay, twinkle!"

Glad I could do it justice, Angel.

The Magic Lens

We got a new camera right before Christmas. Husband got a bonus for being so awesome at work and it was a present to ourselves. He was a photography minor in college and does beautiful work, but we haven't had a digital SLR for about a year and we were really missing it. The iPhone just wasn't cutting it anymore.

With the camera purchase, Husband picked out a couple new lenses, one of which was a 50mm f 1.4. I was already in love with his 20-40mm f 2.8. In my eyes, it could do no wrong. He tried to convince me that this new one would be my new favorite, but I just couldn't imagine it. Then, I used it.

It has magical powers. I'm still getting used to it (I definitely get a few blurry shots now and then), but it is an amazing lens. Between my dad (a professional photographer) and Husband, I know a little; but usually stick to fully automatic...until now. Thanks to a few pointers, I have been getting some great shots of C (some have even been mistaken as Husband's)!  She lives with paparazzi now because we are obsessed with documenting every day with the magic lens.

The camera loves this little girl (and so do we).

The only one I can take credit for...

Christmas Changeup

Since our first engaged Christmas, Husband and I have burned the highways to celebrate with both families. We typically spent the 23rd and 24th in Montgomery with my family, woke up very early Christmas morning, opened presents, loaded the car, and drove four hours to Muscle Shoals to spend the 25th and 26th with Husband's family. Each year got a little harder. Work made it less likely to get the 23rd and 26th off, so we ended up squeezing as much into 48 hours as possible. It wasn't ideal, but we were getting to spend time with everyone and that was all that mattered. Then, C arrived.

She spent her first Christmas on the road, following our usual game plan. We made it work. We were so overloaded with toys (albeit, not the worst problem), that we had to stop at our house in Birmingham to unload on the way. Then, we drove in the snow with our baby to Husband's parents' house. 

Don't get me wrong. We love spending the holidays with our families. From the beginning of the split, we tried to be a part of the celebrations that were most important to each of us (Christmas Eve dinner in my family and Christmas Day in his). And, honestly, I consider us lucky to have both families within driving distance. But, knowing we would have an active, busy, almost two year old on our hands this year, we decided to change things up a bit. 

We wanted Christmas morning to be in her house. We wanted her to get to sleep in her bed, walk down her stairs, and see her presents in her living room. We wanted Santa to come to our house.

This obviously threw a bit of a curve ball, especially since we both have siblings and their families to consider as well. So, we decided that we would host Christmas Eve dinner at our house for my family. My parents stayed with us so they could be there for Christmas morning and we opened presents Christmas Eve with my sister and brother-in-law so they could be with his family Christmas Day. We took over the traditional dinner that my parents have hosted for 28 years (after I was born and they took it over for the same reason); and, while I was a bit nervous, I was excited that it was working out.

My family on Christmas Eve

Giggles with Aunt Mallory

Husband's family was a bit more complicated. He is one of four boys. They are all married with children. That's a lot of people with a lot of holiday obligations! So, for this year at least, we decided to go the weekend before Christmas. Luckily, two of his brothers live in the area, so we were able to get in some time with their families too. 

Our sweet nephew, Wesley

Our sweet nephew, Major

Catherine playing the organ with cousin Lydia

Lydia and Pop

Bedtime story with Mim

So, to wrap up this Christmas, was it different? Yes. I would be lying if I didn't say I missed being at my childhood home or missed getting to have everyone there (Grandma and Poppy were in New Jersey this year and Big Daddy wasn't able to travel Christmas Day). I would be lying if I didn't say it was hard work making Christmas Eve dinner; and I would be lying even more if I said I was showered and dressed when my parents and cousin arrived. But, it was definitely worth it all to get to spend my entire Christmas in pajamas, playing with toys and watching movies with my little family. 

Waiting to see her toys on Christmas morning

Chocolate

Poppa trying to slow her down for a quick pic

Poppa and Cici with both grandchildren

Nana on Christmas morning

This year was the beginning of our tradition. Things will evolve over the years and I'm sure there will be more changes. But, for now, for this year at least, we were home for Christmas - Catherine's home. And it was perfect.