Christmas Break

Christmas Eve is tomorrow. I cannot wait! This Christmas will be much much much different as a parent. He won't even know what to do, he doesn't know what it means, but I do, and that's why it will be so special. More than the upcoming events, I am looking forward to some time off. Not that my job is all that hard, but I want the time to spend with my little boy. I have a half day today, off tomorrow and off Monday as well. Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday have events planned, but that's ok... especially since I just realized my office is closed on Monday. Extra day, woo hoo! It's been a very trying year for me so I hope we can have a memorable holiday and start fresh in the new year. I really need to start fresh or my head may just pop.

Support Groups

I really don't understand why it's so hard for me to find other cleft Moms in my area. I have online support, but no one I have really been able to bond with, except Bethany, she's in Germany. Her husband is in the military. They are moving back to the states in January, but they will be in Texas, still very far, so she will remain an online friend. But there's GOT to be someone in my area. Like the other patients of my plastic surgeon. I asked the nurse about a support group and she had nothing. Maybe I;ll start my own group and hope the others find me.

On the 8th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A shovel! It snowed last night. I had to drive home in it and I was scared, because Jesse was in the car and I need new tires, desprately. Once I got home the snow was beautiful. Then, in the morning, I hated it again! It had started to drizzle and developed this nice "crust" on top. Not so fun. Usually I don't mind shoveling, when it's the light fluffy stuff. This wasn't. It was back breakingly heavy.

4 days til Christmas, am I ready? YES! I am happy to say. I have a few odds and ends to take care of, but for the most part I am ready! Yay! I am really looking forward to it this year. Hopefully I don't let it pass me by like Thanksgiving just about did. Need to take pictures at the family functions again. Another self reminder.

Oh yeah. I do have one minor setback. Yesterday Jesse woke up sick. He has a cough. Chest congestion, I believe. Awesome. His first cold 5 days before Christmas?!? Really? Hopefully he beats it fast and doesn't pass it along to me. So far so good. I should take a vitamin, like right now. Ok, done. Stopping to get a big jug of OJ on my way home. Last time I felt a cold coming on, I drank like half a jug of OJ and somehow it actually worked. The cold disappeared! Too bad Jesse doesn't drink OJ, but I did leave some apple juice for him.

Blackbird, Fly

The Holidays

10 days til Christmas. Well, til Christmas Eve, which is when it begins for me. I have not gotten as much accomplished as I hoped I would by now, but I am getting there. I could have gotten more done had I not been frightened by the parking lot at WalMart on my lunch today. Maybe I will pay the extra couple bucks and get what I need to get from Target.

I have about 50% of my gifts purchased, which isn't a lot because we scaled back considerably this year. I have 3 kids to buy for and a grab bag. I also have some home made gifts I haven't even started on yet. At least I bought the wrapping paper and baked some Christmas cookies. Oh and I got pictures with Santa and the cards are ready for pick up.

Santa and I are tight, so he stopped by.

Cousins

The holidays will be a litle crazy this year. But it's the kind of crazy I am signing up for because I will get to see more people. The plan: Christmas Eve at my parents house. Dinner, gifts for the kids only and spending quality time together. Those two little blondes pictured above, they will be spoiled. Hopefully their Grandpa will read a Christmas story for them too. Christmas Day has changed. In previous years Paul and I have tried going to all family functions and driving ourselves bonkers. The past few years we spent Christmas Day with his family at his sisters in Schaumburg so I didn't get to see any of my extended family at my uncle's house in Plainfield. This year... well, my uncle's starts at 2pm and we are doing Paul's family at Paul's parents house in Woodridge this year at 4pm, so maybe, just maybe I can pull this off. I will need to strategicly plan the nap times too!

So last year at this time I was expecting. I was not sure what to expect, except a baby. That I indeed have. What came with, I was not expecting. I was not expecting the challenges we have faced since a year ago. I was not expecting to have my outlook on life to change as it has. I was not expecting to have this little boys smile melt my heart so much even though it's not perfect. Not being perfect is what probably makes my heart melt just a little bit more.

Speaking of this child. He's HUGE! The first 4 months of his life he was this fragile little thing, now he's a baby in a toddler's body. He's not crawling yet, I think he wants to go directly to walking. His clothes don't even fit over his head! Thanks Dad.... for passing down your unusually large head to my child.

I will end this with a picture of him in a diaper box. It's like his little race car, and when it breaks, there will be another one waiting or available really soon.

Gifts

I am in a Yahoo Group for Mom's in my area. Every Friday someone posts a question for the group. Todays question was "What is the most memorable Christmas gift you received as a child and why?"

I have been thinking about this question on and off all day and you know, I can't come up with anything! Not a single gift! Then I got to thinking, maybe this is a good thing. This question helped me realize that the holidays growing up were not as much about gifts but about the time we spent with family. My parents always hosted Christmas Day with all my aunts, uncles and cousins and it was a day filled with laughter, yummy food, Christmas stories (told by my Uncle John), songs on the piano and Santa even showed up (he was the neighbor accross the street). Those memories are my gift! Yes, this is sappy, but I really don't care. Like I have said before, being a mother changes your perspective on things, on life. Your priorities change and this is one pure example of that.

And here we are, 15 days until Christmas and I have bought a total of 2 gifts thus far (and one was purchased online about 10 minutes ago). And I can't seem to come up with a single gift for my husband to buy me!