Yes, today is your half birthday, which excitingly lands on Christmas day. And not only is it your 18 month birthday, but it is also your second Christmas!
In some ways, though, it felt more like your first, for this would be the first Christmas where you would fully participate in opening Christmas presents. Today was the foundation for all Christmases to come, as you now know more of what to expect next year. The next time you see a Chrismas tree, see Santa, hear a Christmas carol, you'll know what it means.
You were excited when you came out this morning, and although you became suddenly sick yesterday afternoon, it didn't seem to dampen your mood. What a surprise to see so many shiny wrapped boxes! "Open!" "Open!" You sang, passing me box after box; you weren't too sure where to start, and when you finally picked one present and began tugging on it's tapped edges, you quickly changed your mind and moved on again. Perhaps mommy didn't help fast enough, or all the excitement left you with the inability to sit still (as Christmas mornings tend to do that to little ones), either way you just couldn't seem to choose.
Little did we know that it would be a full day affair, as you wouldn't open your last present until just about dinner time...
The bobbing, from one gift to the next, continued for about ten minutes or so, until we finally stuck with one item. Daddy seemed to know the trick and before any of us knew it, there were a pair of galoshes and a princess backpack from Nana and Grandpa P, sitting out before you. And just as we had put your new rain boots on, you suddenly noticed your new pink, retro, kitchen!
You were so excited, I don't think we've ever seen this full expression before, and you knew just what to do! --You turned on the faucet right away! Expecting running water to come out...?...
...."Help!"..."Wash."..."Help!"...
You then checked each knob, crevasse, and door. And before I could sip just one bit of coffee, you had moved on to cooking (the word we heard most today was most certainly "Cook!") And since you hadn't opened any other presents yet (at least not any that contained your cooking toys), you started to wash, cook, and freeze, all of the wrapped boxes, that you could find, that were small enough to fit in your kitchen. But this would shortly stop once you found play food, and cookware from Santa Clause.
What I found so lovely about you bear, was that only when you were ready, on your own terms, would you again move on to opening more gifts (and yes I know this will not be the same for future Christmases to come, so I will hold on to this moment very tightly). It took much temptation (mommy and daddy resorted to pulling the corner edge off the next present) before you gave in and opened another favorite toy-- a teapot from Grammy K., which sang and made pouring sounds, as you played. You weren't quite sure what to do, just at first, but once I showed you, you caught right on, you poured us all some tea, turtle included, and then pretended to eat tea desserts.
You seemed to be most fond of all the toys that had to do with cooking. You played with all of your pots and pans perfectly with no guidance, you've obviously been watching mommy very well. You told me many times "Mama!" "Come! "Cook!"And we cooked away, we made stews on your stove and in your tree tent. We washed dishes and other items, stored your food in the fridge, and made phone calls on your kitchen phone. And before I could blink an eye, the day was done, another Christmas had gone and passed, and St. Nicholas, I'm sure, went home for a long nap...
It was a special day for us all, and even Ms. Acadia got a present from Santy Paws!
Now sweet bear of mine, I hope you sleep tight, for you have quite the cold to fight!
Sweet dreams, my sweet bear.
~Mama
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