First Christmas

Time for recovery! We just got home today from a 5-day holiday visiting spree. We began the trip at Craig's parents' in Grand Rapids, where we celebrated Christmas Eve. The next day, we drove down to Chicago to celebrate the holiday with my parents and sister. We stayed with my family for the next few days, including a jaunt 2 hours north to Milwaukee to visit my dad's side of the family.



So many wonderful memories of Elizabeth's first Christmas. On Craig's side, Elizabeth has 3 older cousins (ages 5, 4, and 1.5), so the holiday for this group was a chaotic blur of flung wrapping paper, laughter, some crankiness, and of course lots and lots of toys. Elizabeth held her own so well with the excited older kids. She mostly just crawled around the living room taking in the action. Her oldest cousins just couldn't wait for E. to attempt to open her gifts, so "helped" her by ripping off the paper themselves, but E. didn't seem to notice the paper anyway.
With my side, she's the only grandchild so was the center of attention. Again, though, the gift opening did not really capture her attention--in this case, because it was upstaged by Elizabeth's discovery of my parents' staircase. She's never been on our stairs, but there they stood, right by the living room where we were opening gifts. I let her scale that mountain to see how she'd do, and she sped up those stairs (with me close behind), met by our cheers. Goofy little monkey!

The next few days were jam-packed with visits. I had to shed my uptightness and go with the flow with wonky naptimes and late bedtimes, but Elizabeth (and I) went with the flow pretty well. We spent the 26th with my dad's side of the family, a pretty large group which included my cousin's son Brayden who is 3 months younger than Elizabeth. The two babies stole the show the entire evening, and shared some good playtime (although Elizabeth did yank toys from Brayden on more than one occasion). It was fun to share parent stories with my cousin and his wife. It really hit me that I'm getting old. I have been to so many Christmas celebrations in that very house with that very group of people, for years and years, and now that I have my own daughter I noticed a distinct generational shift. My grandparents have passed away, so now my parents and aunts and uncles have become a new generation, and Elizabeth and Brayden have replaced the place my cousins and I have held for so many years as "the kids." It's times like these that floor me--I am an ADULT!!
The last two days of our trip were filled with visits to my high school friends and their kids. We all have kids more or less around the same age, and there are 7 kids among us now, so it gives us a perfect reason to get together. I feel so blessed that my dear friends and I have managed to reconnect so often in the 12 years since we dispersed after high school...and the days of bowling and bars has morphed into playdates at our houses or in the play area at the mall. Yikes!

This is the blueprint for what my daughter's earliest Christmas memories will be. It touches me when I think of how similar our holidays were to what I experienced growing up. Like Elizabeth, I grew up in a family in which most of our relatives lived out of town, so every year we made an extended trip packed with visits. The highlight for me was always the Christmas free-for-all with my cousins; the worst was living rooms of my parents' friends, where I entertained myself while they talked about boring adult stuff.

But this will be distinctly Elizabeth's story. Someday she will look back on the photos from Christmas 2010, her first, in complete wonder.

PICTURED ABOVE: Elizabeth and her cousins; with Aunt Katy; two daddies--Craig and Elizabeth with my cousin Jeff and his son Brayden.

Santa Claus is coming to town...but he needs a coffee break

Clearly Elizabeth knows nothing about Santa Claus. The only character she vaguely seems to recognize is Elmo, but that's another story for another time. But, as it's Elizabeth's first Christmas and I tend to get hokey at times, I entered the holiday season bound and determined to get that first picture of her on Santa's lap!

I talked to a couple friends at work and they suggested the local Bass Pro Shop, where apparently the line is short and the photos are free. Bass Pro Shop is a half hour away from us, but last weekend we were up at our friends' Hanukkah party (I thought Elizabeth's first dreidel game followed by her first Santa visit would be pretty funny), which was in the neighborhood of the store--perfect! I dressed E. in one of her 3 Christmas dresses (thank you to the Grandmas!) and off we went.

Naturally, she fell asleep on the way to the store. Bass Pro Shop is part of a huge outlet mall, so I did shark circles through the parking lot for almost 20 minutes until I found a parking space. (At a mall on a Saturday afternoon in December...that was my first mistake.) I welcomed the nuisance, though, since it would give E. more time to nap. So I sat in the car and decided to wait out the nap...45 minutes and lots of NPR on the radio later, she finally stirred. I nursed her in the front seat, bundled her up, and walked us purposefully into the store. I was excited to see how this would turn out.

I walked towards the little Santa village in the store, only to find out that Santa was on break and would return at 5. It was 3:45. I was pretty bummed, more so over the huge amount of time I had just wasted. Oh well.

The following Friday, I was unexpectedly home from work in the afternoon because Elizabeth had a stomach bug, having had her first puking experience the night before, poor baby. She seemed to be feeling like her old self, though, with no fever, so on an impulse I decided to take us to the mall to attempt to see Santa. (A different mall in a completely different part of town.) I needed to go to Penneys anyway, and I figured we were just close enough to school dismissal time that it wouldn't be too busy yet.

Again, my daughter fell asleep in the car. This time I was prepared with a couple magazines, and she still slept about 45 minutes. I loaded her into the stroller and off we went. I bought a pretzel because I was starving and gave her a chunk to nibble on. Okay, ready!

There was a pleasantly short line in front of the Chronicles of Narnia-themed snowy village. Yay! An older gentleman (thankfully not dressed like an elf) was patrolling the line, telling us that Santa would be leaving at 5 for an hour-long break. It was 4:30. The man told us at the end of the line that we'd probably not get in, but might as well wait just in case. The earnest dad in front of me, surrounded by several gleeful kids, pleaded to the man "But we came all the way from Minnesota to see him." Okay, seriously?

I tried to remain patient, enjoying the sight of my daughter in her adorable plaid jumper (that was mine!) and red tights as she gazed wide-eyed at her surroundings. She played with her Elmo doll and I managed to feed her a jar of baby food as we waited. I chatted with the woman behind me who stood with her 7-year-old son.

5:00. The gentleman reappeared and roped off the line right in front of the family in front of me. A maintenance guy appeared and started to vacuum the Narnia village. I'm generally not an assertive person in the least, but darn it, I was here and my daughter was awake and happy and adorable! I asked the gentleman if we could get just a QUICK picture with Santa, seeing as Elizabeth was the only child in the entire line not old enough to want to talk to him and give him her Christmas list. He told me to ask the manager. I hauled Elizabeth across the village to plead my case with the manager, again posing my reasonable argument (much more reasonable than coming from Minnesota, which clearly doesn't have any Santas in their malls). "If I let you in, I'd have to let everyone in," he said apologetically. Okay. Fine.

The trip wasn't a total wash because I got to Penneys to order my family room blinds, but darn it, my daughter is going to see Santa and he's NOT going to take any more breaks!! A friend tipped me about a local hardware store. I think that's my next bet. Besides, the mall pictures cost $20!


Above: Third time is a charm! Elizabeth and Santa at Bass Pro Shop on December 18. A 2 minute wait and no tears! Perfect!!!

Double digits!!!

SHAME ON MOMMY. She missed my 9 month birthday! Grr. Okay, well, coming here for my 10 month is better than nothing!

I am 10 months old and loving life! I am full of energy, spunk, and joy. I weigh about 15 pounds, still a peanut, but crawling like a champ and pulling myself up on every surface I can find. Mommy bought me some shoes that keep falling off. Mommy thinks that maybe this is a good thing, since it will delay the inevitable next step--WALKING!

Here is what I love right now:

Eating: I love tiny pieces I can pick up with my fingers. Rice, shredded cheese, peas. I am a carb fiend! Besides rice, I love pasta, saltines, Ritz crackers, and bread. I love my cup, too. I'm getting pretty good at drinking out of it! Even though I'm getting to be a big girl with my food, I still love to cuddle up to Mommy and eat like I used to when I was very little. Mommy is so sad that we will be doing this for only a couple more months.

DADDY!!! My face breaks into a grin whenever he comes into the room. We are best buddies.

Jumping! My Jumperoo is the best! Even better was the Jolly Jumper at Grandma P's house that hung in the doorway--not only did i get to jump, I got to spin! I even jump when someone is holding me!

Toys! My blocks are fun because I get to knock them over when someone stacks them. Anything small, that fits neatly into my hand, is a favorite--my little plastic sea creatures for the bathtub, the little Lego guy I swiped from Grandma P's house, my little stuffed Elmo I got from Daniel's birthday party. And of course, things that aren't really toys--measuring cups, spoons, Mommy's glasses! Especially Mommy's glasses, much to her dismay.

Playing with my friends at daycare! The big kids like to make me laugh and sometimes even give me kisses. Thomas and I cruise all around and get into mischief.

Splashing like crazy in my baby bathtub, and trying to eat the soap!

Throwing things while I eat. Mommy is trying desperately to discourage this. He he, you should see the floor and walls around my highchair!

Here is what I DON'T like these days:

The big bathtub. Even though I love my Elizabeth-sized tub, the big bathtub freaks me out. Mommy just dumped me in it a few weeks ago to see what I would do. Hello?? Of course I was terrified! i screamed and screamed as Mommy scrambled to get me clean. Tonight, Mommy put my little bathtub inside the big bathtub. It was marginally better. Hmph. I still cried, a little.

Getting teeth. I've been very behind on my teething, and I'm just now getting my first 3 teeth--all at the same time! No fair!!

Diaper and clothes changes. Especially when Mommy dares to put me on the changing table! Who am I kidding--that hasn't happened for weeks ;)

That goofy sleep sack Mommy wraps me in to sleep at night. At least she finally bought me one that fit--silly Mommy had me in the one the hospital gave me when I was born! Duh!!! But, don't tell Mommy, I think the sleep sack DOES help me sleep. I've been giving Mommy a break for the last several weeks--only waking up once a night, tops. Mommy is thrilled :)

Okay, Mommy, the holidays are here, and soon after, my birthday. Don't you dare get so behind in the blogging during this period!

Aaaahhhhh!!! Where have I been?

Yikes...so where HAVE I been?

At work, sitting in meeting after meeting or testing an adorable rugrat...or just barely making it to work, running out the door with bags and more bags and a bundled-up baby...folding mountains of laundry...scrubbing the kitchen walls and cabinets of flung baby food...visiting relatives for Thanksgiving...

No excuses. I've been spending WAY too much of the little free time I do have completely wasting time. I need to concentrate on documenting my daughter's rapidly-speeding little life. I was ready for bed, exhausted after the long holiday weekend, and then, ridden with guilt, I forced myself to sit at the computer at 11 PM on Saturday night. Okay, go!

Things are still pretty crazy around here, now that I am back at work, but every day gets easier and I think we all get more and more into the groove.

It's hard to stay stressed, though, because our Peanut has just exploded with personality and amazement. She is such a miracle to behold, and my heart just sings every time I see her.

First, she's movin' and groovin'! The crawling appeared pretty suddenly, a couple weeks ago. As summer wound down, Elizabeth would "assume the position" whenever I placed her on her tummy, but would soon get ticked and cry until I rescued her. Then, she started scooting backwards. Then, all of a sudden, one day she was scooting her little back end behind her as she lunged forward on her arms, getting gradually more and more coordinated until now, when she is officially crawling. That girl can cover a lot of ground--we'd better watch out!! Babyproofing needs to begin in earnest. She is such a joy to behold as she buzzes along the floors. I can tell how proud she is of herself. She knows she is on an exciting adventure and she just can't wait to see what will be around each new corner. (I just need to keep my floors clean...darn dog hair...)
She has become the little scientist, constantly experimenting with her surroundings. Her latest favorite method of exploring her environment is banging anything together that she can find--a pot and spoon (a wonderful kitchen amusement when she hangs out while I cook), toys against one another, her own little spoon against the high chair try, sometimes objects against her head--really :) She focuses on the tiniest details of things. Like spinning little parts on her toys, or poking at the spout on her sippy cup--all the while looking completely and utterly enthralled.
She is SO busy and excited these days that often she refuses to slow down. This past weekend, the girl took a grand total of an hour of naps on Saturday, and a HALF HOUR on Sunday. It was ridiculous--she just would not settle down. Also within the last couple weeks, for the first time in her entire 8 months of life she occasionally refuses to nurse. Many times lately when I put her in position, she starts screaming and writhing. Interestingly, this has only happened on weekends. My peanut has gotten wise to the fact that weekends are her time with Mommy and Daddy--and darned if she'll stop for even 5 minutes to eat!

As cheesy as it sounds, the more Elizabeth interacts with her world and shows her delight in it, the more I fall in love with her. This little person who started out as a helpless infant who slept and ate, has turned into an enormous personality for all her little 14 and some pounds. She is beyond incredible. We can't get enough.

8 is great!

These months are flying by! Here I am again on another birthday!

It's been a busy month since I hit 7. We visited my Grandma and Grandpa Schneider, and my Great-Grandma O, in Illinois. Then we went to a reunion with my Phillips side, where I met my 6 great-aunts and LOTS of second cousins and cousins-once-removed or something like that. Then Grandma and Grandpa S. and Aunt Katy came to MY house. Today I went to my "first" birthday part for my friend Daniel! Oh yeah, and I'm back at daycare, too. I missed my pal Thomas! Yikes. 7 months was pretty exhausting, but I'm sure ready for 8!

I love to:
EAT. Although I still need to gain much, much more weight. More to come from Mommy in her next post.
SPIT my food out, too. Usually when it's orange and Mommy is wearing white.
Take a bath! Mommy has dumped all my tubby toys in, finally! It's fun to try to catch them when they float away.
Play with the doggie! I LOVE to watch him run to catch his Frisbee. He even sometimes lets me "throw" something to him, too.
Try to move! I'm getting there! Today I scooted all along the bottom of the coffee table.

I'm not a fan of:
Getting my diaper changed or getting dressed. Please, I have WAY too much to do to bother with being pinned down.
Sleeping long stretches. Oh, Mommy--sucks to be you! ;)

I'm learning new tricks every day. I still "squish" on occasion. Today I found what a funny noise I make when I slap my arm against my mouth while I talk. I like to make the "babababa" sound now too. Oh, and now Mommy calls me a "Drama Queen" when I get upset--I make a sad face and go "eh eh eh." Yeah, I probably am hamming it up a bit ;)

8 is great! I'm sending a subliminal message to Mommy to get her silly self in bed because I will be waking up soon, to be sure.

Balancing...again.

I have been pretty delinquent lately about keeping up with this blog. 3 weeks ago I returned to work for another school year. It was a glorious summer--Elizabeth and I got to know each other so well! And just when I felt we were getting on a pretty good schedule, everything changed when I went back to work.

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I do enjoy my job--even now, when pretty much every day has been CRAZY. Our middle school absorbed many students from a recently closed school, we inherited two new high-needs classrooms, and referrals for special ed evaluations are already coming out of the woodwork...BUT, I thrive on the hectic pace and the days go quickly.

It's too much, though. I feel I hardly get enough time with Elizabeth. Things might improve once our weekends quiet down; every weekend since I went back to work has been packed with family events and/or traveling.

And on the homefront...oy. My boss has an analogy she likes to share with us about the crazy multi-tasking nature of our jobs: It's like we are juggling many balls, some are plastic, some are glass. We have to make sure we don't drop the glass balls. I'm definitely juggling over here, and fortunately haven't shattered any glass balls yet...I did double-book myself for 2 doctors' appointments tomorrow, so Oops there, but easily fixable :) My house constantly looks like a bomb went off, and it's taken me 4 days to get laundry put away.

I need to center myself and focus on what is truly important. I ache with guilt that I take so many fewer pictures of E. these days...and what I have taken, it takes me eons to get them loaded on the computer, much less Facebook, much less this blog! And my sleep is seriously being sacrificed. Every night I tell myself I WILL be in bed by 9...and here I am, well past 10, blogging away. Elizabeth wakes up at least twice a night (sigh, another post for another time), so I'm running on fumes. I'm fighting my second cold in 3 weeks. Sheesh.

So...we're all adjusting to the new routine, and it WILL be okay. I try to make the verse from Philippians my mantra: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and supplication make your requests be made known to God." I can do this. We will do this. Elizabeth is happy, healthy, and well-cared for each day. Right now, that's all we need to get by.