Traditions

I'm looking forward to Christmas.  Even though I'm not religious, I've always loved the holiday.  I love how beautiful the houses and trees look when they're all lit up; I love how most people go out of their way to be extra nice this time of year; I love wrapping presents!    I also love family Christmas traditions. 

In my family, we'd argue about how to decorate the tree, and sing carols together.  Everyone got to open one present on Christmas eve, so we'd stop bouncing off the walls and go to bed!  As I got older I got to stay up late and help my mom fill the stockings.

For Richard I want to start a new tradition. Now that he's old enough to be opinionated, every year for Christmas he'll get to choose an ornament.  I'll write his name and the year on the back.  When he's an adult and celebrating Christmas in his own home, I'll give him all of his ornaments to start him off.  Today he chose his first ornament.  It's a green monkey.

Not So Awesome Day

I love being a mom.  I feel very fortunate that I get to stay home with Richard.  I get to witness his exploration and discovery of the world.  I saw his first smile and his first steps.  We have our ups and downs, but most days are more good than bad.  Most days, not all.

On Tuesday Richard was sick and grumpy.  Understandable, and he was nearly back to normal by that night.  However, Wednesday morning he was clearly still not feeling well.  He was extremely grumpy and clingy.  I put him down for a nap, but he slept for less than an hour before he started fussing.  I brought him downstairs and 10 minutes later he was asleep in my arms.  Then it took another 20 minutes for him to stop crying and waking any time I stopped patting his back.  Finally got him back in his bed and hoped he'd be better after he finished his nap.  No such luck.

He would play for a few minutes, then get upset by nothing in particular.  Every little thing set him off.  I couldn't leave his side without him following after me, crying.  I think the longest we went without him having a meltdown was about 20 minutes.  It was rough on both of us.  I was approaching my breaking point, and very ready for a drink, by the time Sam got home.

Not exactly the best day ever.

I'd still rather be home than anywhere else!

Awesome Day

2 years ago Sam and I had tickets to go see Wicked.  I'd been wanting to see the show for years, and I was so excited!  I'd been on bed rest for a week, but the day before my doctor cleared me to go.  Richard, it turned out, had other plans.  Instead of seeing Wicked, I had a baby!  Last night we finally made it to the show and it was awesome!

Today, Richard's birthday, is shaping up to be a pretty good day.  Richard is being cuddly.  It's snowing.  My mom and aunt are coming for a visit.  And now it appears that Richard is going to be sharing his birthday with his brand new cousin!