First Christmas

We had a nice, a low key Christmas this year. Aaron is too young to care about it and we have enough going on without the extra stress and work of wrapping even more gifts and putting up a tree and then taking it down 3 weeks later. Thom and I bought our own big gift this year (Thom got an internet tablet and I got new bedding for our bed) and then we got each other one gift to open on Christmas. We didn't get Aaron any gifts this year, but we do a gift exchange with my family, so he got something from all his aunts and uncles and we got gifts for all my nieces and nephews. Without a tree, we just put the gifts on the "holiday window seat" to await Christmas.

In lieu of a tree, we put together a basket of lights with some pine branches from the front yard, some pine cones and some pepper berries. We surrounded it with cards and holiday photos from friends and family.

We spent Christmas Eve with my sister Theresa's family and our parents. Theresa hosted a delicious dinner at her house. Aaron did pretty well, but after getting him home and into bed a little later than usual, Thom and I were so tired, we went to bed by 9pm.

Aaron got us up nice and early on Christmas as usual, and after feeding him and grabbing some coffee, we settled down on the couch to open presents. We only had a couple gifts between us, but Thom's sister Janine had sent gifts for us and for Aaron. Aaron seemed to enjoy his first gift:



And that was before he opened it! After opening his gifts, he was happy to play with the paper and ribbons. This is one of the reasons we did not bother buying him toys this year.

Aunt Janine and Uncle Bruce got Aaron a little glass ornament and a new book about a sheep named Russell who helps Santa after his sleigh breaks down. Aaron enjoyed his new book.

See the slideshow at the end of the blog entry for more pictures of Aaron opening his gifts and playing with the wrapping paper and ribbons.

After two naps and a bath, we headed down to my parents' house for Christmas with my family. Aaron did surprisingly well on only a short nap while we were there.

Aaron's cousins Noah and Grayson got electric guitars from Santa. Fortunately they did not bring their amplifier with them to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We had a good afternoon with my family. Aaron got a savings bond and a "1st Christmas" ornament from Grandma and Grandpa and several new outfits from his aunts and uncles, including a onesie that says "Science is Awesome!"

Today we explored a park near our house that has lots of trees, big rocks and a creek running through it. There were a lot of paths, some paved, some dirt. We found a nice play area at one end of the park and put Aaron in one of those infant swings for the first time. He seemed like he didn't know what to think about it. Then we played on some of the other equipment for toddlers and he really seemed to like a large gear assembly that you could turn and make several gears turn at once. I think we'll be going back to that park many times in the future.

Thom is taking off until Jan. 2, so it is nice having him around. Tomorrow our sitter is coming so I can get some work done and Thom can have some down time. She's working a late shift so we can go out to dinner, too. I'm looking forward to that. We've only gotten out together without Aaron a handful of times in 8 months, but it is something we need to do more often.

Teething spoon

Aaron always likes to see what we are doing and wants to touch whatever we have. When we were cleaning up the kitchen the other night, we gave him a wooden spoon. It is apparently perfect for teething. He slobbered and chewed on it for quite awhile. His frozen teething rings hold much less appeal - he might chew on one for a minute, and even then, only if we hold it for him. We might as well throw them out and buy more wooden spoons.

Bath time

There was a time - a long time - when Aaron wouldn't make it through his entire bath routine without crying. Sometimes he would do well until we took him out of the tub and toweled him off and then he'd cry and scream and wouldn't settle down until he was in his pj's and held by one of us. But recently he has been tolerating his baths much better and even seems to enjoy being dried off in his yellow ducky towel.

Holiday Card Photo Shoot

Last weekend we took some photos of Aaron for our annual holiday cards (I say "holiday" since they cover Christmas and New Year's and they aren't really late if they arrive after Dec. 25, which they sometimes do). Here are some shots that didn't make the cover of our card. (He finally smiles for the camera on occasion!)

The Perfect Playpen

Last night, I was attempting to take sheets out of the washer and put them into the dryer while holding Aaron. In front of the washer, we keep a small, square laundry basket for catching stray socks and other items that invariably fall on out when we are moving clothes from washer to dryer. I looked down at the basket, I looked at Aaron hooked on my left hip and realized it would be a perfect fit. So I set him down in the basket and proceeded to move the sheets.

He found it quite interesting, all those little holes to investigate.

After taking a couple of photos, I thought it would a great place to put him while I made his dinner. So we moved the basket into the dining room where we could see him from the kitchen and gave him a rattle to play with (which he unsuccessfully tried to push through the holes in the basket).

The square basket is the perfect size. Since Aaron still can't quite sit up on his own, the basket helps support him and isn't big enough for him to fall over - at least not more than he can correct for. And any toys we put in the basket with him are always within reach. At least until he dangles them over the side of the basket and lets them fall to the ground.

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.