Late Autumn

It is finally starting to cool off (with a few warm days here and there). Most evenings or mornings when we take Aaron for a walk now, we need to bundle him up. Mom knit him a cap before he was born that was a little too big at first, but fits perfectly now that winter is coming. It keeps his head and his ears warm while we are out. And it is just adorable on him.

It looks in these pictures like Aaron is unhappy with me and much happier with Thom, but I think he is reacting to who is behind the camera. :-) Actually, Thom took another picture of me and Aaron where Aaron is smiling, but I'm blinking, so I picked the one more flattering to myself.

Mom also just knit Aaron a pair of mittens to keep his little hands warm on his walks. We haven't gotten a picture of them, but they do keep his hands warm - when he keeps them on. It is very hard to grab things when you have mittens, and there is always something to grab, even inside the stroller.

As Aaron's first Christmas approaches, we have been thinking about what to do. I feel like most parents would be going all out for the first Christmas, but I think we've decided to be low key this year. He won't care about presents yet - he's happy to play with a cardboard UPS envelope in my office, and with our current lack of sleep, getting a tree and wrapping even more presents seems like too much work for someone who won't appreciate it. I think we'll put up some lights since he likes lights and of course we'll celebrate Christmas with my family.

My family who probably thinks I'm crazy because I asked them not to give him toys made in China since we are worried about lead exposure while he is putting things in his mouth. Instead, we asked for clothes and books since asking for toys not made in China seems like an impossible request. Plus he has so many toys already - mostly hand-me-downs from friends and my sister's kids (and probably laden with lead, but what can you do?) I don't think he'll feel deprived. He'll just enjoy seeing his cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and getting to play with wrapping paper - especially if there is any with writing on it. He loves anything with words on it - paper, sweatshirts, tags on his toys. Given my love for reading, I'm taking his interest in letters as a positive sign.

Oh, and by Christmas, he should be sitting up. He is soooooo close. He can sit up for short periods of time unassisted, but generally still falls over if unsupported.