Having a child makes the holidays sooo much more FUN! This year, Sophie understands Christmas traditions, sings carols during our dance parties, loves all of the decorations, has practically memorized The Polar Express, and enjoys a mini-candy cane or two after naptime! I love seeing her face light up as she explores every ornament or when she discovers a new present under the tree! She is into Christmas this year, and you have no idea how excited that makes me!
During her recent visit to the DRW Salon, Doug tells Sophie how her Christmas joy and enthusiasm bring happiness to her mommy:
Although it is highly unlikely that Sophie will happily/eagerly sit on Santa's lap (Remember, last year?!), she does have an interesting list of items that she wants from him. Consistently, she has advised us that she would like an "orange cat like the one in my Christmas book" (sorry, Soph, not getting another pet), a "horse" (again, nope), "milk" (ok, why not?!), "a green hot mitt" (this one cracks me up), and a "baby in her belly" (hopefully not for 20++ years, but it's cute how she wants her belly to be big like mine...).
I registered Sophie and her nanny, Whitney, for a Little Farmers class at the local farm. I had nightmares that they would make Whitney shovel manure and Sophie would be screaming in the pig pen. Fortunately, Day 1 of the class was awesome, and Sophie helped feed and tend to the goats. She thought it was hysterical that the goats had beards, and she's talked about them all week. Last night, when I asked her again what she wanted from Santa, she scrunched up her face and said "Ummmm, I want...ummmm, a goat beard."
Because she is a 2-year old, we've been experiencing the joy of those tantrums....On her chalkboard door, we now have a NICE and NAUGHTY checklist to document her behavior and help Santa determine what gifts she has earned. Last week, she came out of her room and said "Mommy, you look pretty." After I thanked her, she handed me a piece of chalk and said "Sophie's nice." That manipulative little girl knows exactly how to beat the system...the only reason she gave me a compliment was to receive a check in the NICE column! On another occasion, after a battle at the dinner table, Doug stood up to go add a check in the NAUGHTY column. He asked her to please stop crying to avoid getting another check. But, she said "No, I want two naughty checks." She's got so much personality that I wonder how B2 will ever get any attention in this house!
In honor of my obsession with this holiday, I've developed the "25 Days of Christmas." Each day, we will do a dedicated Christmas craft, activity, or adventure. We did start a little early by getting our tree after Thanksgiving, visiting the Botanical Garden light show, welcoming Santa to Bellevue at a festival, and a few other holiday activities. But, I will be documenting our 25 Days with photos and posting them on the blog to celebrate our festivities.
December 1st: Decorating Little Trees
December 2nd: Making a SOPHIE Snowman
December 3rd: Visiting and Feeding the Reindeer at a Christmas Festival
December 4th: Painting Paper Plate Christmas Trees
Hope you all are enjoying this most wonderful time of year!
PS. CHECK back in the next couple days, because with all luck, we will know and announce the gender of B2!! Time is FLYING with this pregnancy....
