Xavier's First Christmas
Greetings to everyone and Merry Christmas! Christ is born!
It's been a fun-filled few days. From having our first flooding of the basement in the new house to going to church and forgetting the diaper bag (which carries the all-important bottles of formula) to family portraits, tree decorating, an impromptu visit from one of my uncles to a wonderful Christmas dinner, we've had a good time!
Tuesday morning we discovered the connections to the washing machine were not as leak-proof as they should have been. So, thank you, Jesus, the carpet installation was delayed!
Tuesday night, after Xavier went to sleep for the night, the four of us, Rochelle, Kathy, Rebecca and me, loaded the stockings hanging over the fireplace. After that, we four moved to decorate the Christmas tree. I hung the lights. Rebecca and Rochelle hung the ornaments (I did have to reposition the CU ornament, which Rochelle purposefully hung in the back). Kathy watched on from under a blanket (she's used to Phoenix temperatures).
Xavier started on solid foods out of necessity Christmas morning. We realized as we pulled into the church parking lot we forgot the diaper bag. Xavier held up, but near the end of the service decided he wanted to eat and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Rebecca brilliantly thought to try him out with a slice of banana. He seemed to like its flavor, but it did not fill his belly as fast as he wanted.
Breakfast after church, then on to the stockings then to that which, as if by magic, appeared under the decorated tree. A turkey went into the oven, and as we watched the latest version of "The Great Gatsby" the house filled with the aromas of our evening feast! Turkey, home-made cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, home-made stuffing (stove top, not in the bird), mashed potatoes with gravy (no giblets, PTL!), home-made apple pie, just to mention a few of the items simmering away all afternoon.
Near the end of dinner, one of my uncles (we live only a few miles away we discovered) and his wife dropped in for a while. We could not entice them to join in the meal (they had just finished one themselves), but my aunt could not resist the stuffed mushrooms and neither could resist a slice of apple pie.
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| With the lights up, Rebecca and Rochelle hang ornaments. | The Tree with the wrapped gifts which magically appeared soon after the last ornament was hung. | The stockings all hung by the chimney with care. |
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| Chellie shows Xavier his stocking | While everyone was distracted by a conversation, Xavier showed us what we should be doing | Xavier gives something from his stocking the required taste test |
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| Xavier examines a teething toy | Stockings emptied, everyone inventories their booty | Rebecca helps Xavier open Aunt Kathy's gift: a kick and play piano |
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| Xavier taste tests his first giant Lego blocks | From Xavier's POV, one of Aunt Chellie's gifts was the complete works of Winnie the Pooh. She also got him a little table with all sorts of things to poke, push, open and close, most all of it making noise. | The women in the kitchen working on the evening meal. For my sister's benefit: "What a shame, there are three women in the kitchen" (it's something of an inside joke) |
Xaver Meets Auntie Kathy
Greetings to everyone.
Finally, after several attempts, Xavier got to meet his Aunt Kathy! With some trepidation, Kathy held Xavier, one of the few babies she has ever held in her near half century of living.
By the end of her visit, Kathy was picking Xavier up and passing him off like a pro. Rebecca encouraged her with "Hey, if I learned how to do it, so can you!" This referred to "mothering instincts" kicking in.
Though a short three day visit, it was nice to see my sister and for Xavier to meet her. The two spent a lot of time together. Rebecca and Kathy also got to know each other better, bonding as they cooked meals together. Kathy even braved meeting one of the neighbors on Christmas night; we could not find a cork screw, so she crossed the lawn and knocked on a neighbor's door. She returned with cork screw in hand.
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| Still in her coat (we just came from DIA), Kathy braved holding Xavier, who had just finished a bottle and was looking for some mischief. | After some practice, Kathy started getting the hang of it. | Graduating to feeding, still Aunt Kathy did not complete her training. She refused to change a diaper, even just a wet one. |
No, meeting Xavier didn't frizz up Aunt Kathy's hair. It was the reading of Dr. Seuss' "Fox in Sox". The opening page contains a warning label (seriously, it does). By the time you get to the end of the book, not only your hair, but your tongue must be ironed out! I read this book to Xavier some months back. It might explain his languid hair growth.
First Night in a New House
Hello to everyone!
Well, tonight, after nearly a month of renovation, we officially "moved in" to the new house. There is still much to be done. There are boxes everywhere, some partly unpacked, others just in the way.
The carpet did not go in on schedule. Last Wednesday was the date, but the supplier sent the wrong pattern. They offered us $300 off if we took it, but we said no. "Pet Stain Camouflage Yellow" (as I call it) was not a color we could live with. So, we moved in with the bedroom sub flooring exposed, treacherously filled with the occasional staple from the pulled-up padding.
We began setting up house, finding bed sheets, essential cookware, the usual. Rebecca cleaned and scrubbed. Xavier, however, decided to be persistently fussy, so Daddy held him, (tried to) feed him and tried to get him to go to sleep (which he eventually did several times, but only on Daddy's chest).
It was his new surroundings (it's amazing how aware of things he is!). New smells, lots of new sounds, new rooms and a whole new "feel." (even the dog was a little subdued by it all—Lena, by the way, loves the back yard: it's the biggest back yard she's ever seen!)
We have not yet moved the crib (or most of the big furniture from the Southern Outpost), but we did bring Xavier's basinet. He has not slept in it for months (since he came off the oxygen). We thought it would be a good temporary bed for him. Not so, as he showed us. Every time we put him down in it, he woke up and went into a wee little snit. Rebecca realized he disliked it because he had grown too big for it. That's cool! After this revelation, we moved him to his Pack-n-Play and the next time he went down, he stayed the night!
Dressed in the first clothing his grandma bought for him (he finally grew into them), Xavier plays it cool. We wish he had maintained this attitude this evening!