'Tis the Season

 This is officially the first decoration to go up...brand new, no lead in these babies! I was kinda disappointed in their shape at first...I really like the little globe ones we had last year. Those were the leaded ones that I had up for the weekend...when Sean informed me Stefan shouldn't touch them. Great. He hadn't been touching them too much since the LED points right into his eyes at certain angles. I didn't want him to get too cozy with them and blind himself. However, Stefan was building quite a relationship with the strand of lights...well more of a fixation, so I'm happy we now have a set that he can interact with a little. I also was haunted by the old globe string. It is the strand I passed by hundreds of times while waiting for the little booger to come out last year. They were one of the only decorations we set out.Oh wait, there was a huge box of decorations I inherited from my Grandparents house, but that came later. There was no tree, so lights took center stage. Not to go on about 4 nights of disorganized labor, but as Husband slept peacefully, I was left to do laps with the cats, creating a track between the coffee tables and couch, over to the turtle tank, past the fish, down the hall, around the kitchen and back again...and again...and again. All I put on were those lights, so I could close my eyes while I walked and catch the closest thing I'd have to sleep in those 4 days. Briefly I'd break on the exercise ball and will the baby out. It's the least effective labor starter...but it made my sore body feel better. Anyway, I cringed passing by the globe lights this year, and I'm happy the new ones will create their own memories...and Stefan's first xmas memories. He was there for last year's xmas, but at a week old, he didn't care. My grandfather had passed away a few weeks earlier, I was unable to be with my family, stuck at home nursing the operation and a newborn, it wasn't the holiday I'm used to. This year is going to be a blast though, with Abby's and Stefan's first Real Christmas!

The past few days have been really interesting and SO MUCH FUN!!! I've been waiting for this since I've wanted children...so like 30 years, I guess. Stefan is all over the place, and so happy! I haven't yet resorted to gates too, so we play a game where I let him go, talk to him as he escapes to the other end of the house, reel him in and set him free all over again. It makes getting chores done less painful. He's usually babbling or squeaking as he goes, so I haven't completely lost him yet. He has predictable pit stops...cat food dishes, recycle box/shopping bag shelf, cat water fountain, living room...by the time he gets to the living room, I've scooped him up, so I can only guess where he's headed at that point (xmas lights, trash can, entertainment center doors, other doors, wires...).

Last week Stefan had his first hands on cooking lesson. He met sugar and cranberries. In mere minutes he was covered in sugar, and cranberries were everywhere (there were only 3 though, I don't want to clean too much). He had a great fine motor skill work out with the berries. It was less fun picking sugar out of his eyes. I stopped myself before putting him in a pan of water (to dissolve the sugar). It seemed like a good solution until I remembered it's drafty winter and I wasn't in the mood to pick up a water mess..."Bad Idea" Jeans (...that is the brand of jeans Shawnee and I wore when we made silly decisions that seemed perfectly logical when they commenced). Last night, he helped saute onions, and this  morning he was scrambling Dad's eggs. Then stirring up his oatmeal and cranberry sauce unassisted (which is the outcome of the cranberry cooking). Unfortunately, most of the food we're doing these days is highly staining, and I don't want him to totally immerse himself in it, again, because I'm not cleaning the mess. I'm not adverse to messes, just not wanting to clean at the times that he is making them:)

So our future holiday plans...they involve a tree and decking the house out. It is finally my turn to pass on Xmas traditions. I'm thinking I'll give that topic an entire post though, plus I really have to get stuff done during this precious nap time. So until I'm procrastinating again, I bid you adieu!