Christmas Collage

Christmas Pictures

Christmas Day (As reported on Dec 27th)

When I was a kid, Christmas had a lot of rituals. My sisters and I would always bring cookies to various neighbors. Tinsel was always put on the tree on Christmas eve, and there was always a "talent show", where everyone would do something one by one to entertain everyone else. Presents were a drawn out affair, lasting all day as we opened them one by one. My father would come up the driveway with bags of gifts like Santa Claus. There was always a picture of my step father napping. I store these images in a secret niche in my heart, lit by strings of coloured lights. It's always warm there, and I always feel safe. Sadly, our family has scattered apart, and the yearning to go back to that place will never really be satisfied. Nothing can be as it was.

My mother in law said something that stuck with me, though, which I will paraphrase to you here. These are the years, she said, where we establish for Griffin what Christmas will be like forever. The traditions we make as a family are the ones he will remember, and hopefully store in a secret niche in his heart. My wish is that he will feel safe there, too.

Christmas was good. I don't just mean the gifts (which were fabulous, and thank you to everyone). I mean that we were together, we were warm, and we were unharmed. My physical problems were thankfully background this year, instead of the focus. We had each other, and we had good cheer.

Griffin loved the tree. He likes looking at the lights, and the ornaments. He loves ripping paper, and if not for our vigilance, would have eaten a good quantity of it as well. He loved visiting with his cousins, too. Right now, all his explorations involve hitting or eating something, so he was a little frustrated that he wasn't allowed to see how they tasted.

There was a bounty of gifts for him, and I thank you all. The books, toys, stuffed animals, clothing, and videos will all be used, and often.:)

I wish you joy in the new year.
-Autumn

FIller!

Filler post. I will post a whole blog tomorrow, Dec 26th.

"There are times when love takes over. There are times when all the little demons dissapear down their ratholes, and ugliness itself takes on the shape of beauty; when the darkest corner is touched by light;when the coldest heart feels the glow of warmth;when the trumpet call of goodwill and good cheer drowns out all the Babel of mean little noise. This is such a time. Merry Christmas! Merry, merry, merry!"
-Rex Stout 

7 Months!

We went to get a Christmas tree today. Griffin loved the experience, and was giggling the entire time. Eric put the lights on it, and we turned off the lamp and warched them.They are set to fade in and out. Griffin likes coloured lights. It's hard to get him to sleep sometimes because he focuses on the blinking lights on the modem, my speakers, and the wireless router. He didn't get a long time to take these lights in, but I think they will be a favourite of his.

This is going to be his first Christmas. I'm not sure I can fathom it quite yet. We have so much to do to get ready for the holiday, and it is going so slowly. I don't think I can quite grasp that it's arriving, and quickly. There was a book that I read as a child. In it, there was a place at the end of the world, where the faster you tried to get things done, the less headway you made. It was only when you took the time to see where you were going, and walk at a measured pace that you actually could do anything. I feel as if I'm living in that place on the edge of the world, but I haven't the sense to take it easy.

Griffin loves shiny paper. He hung out with us as we wrapped gifts, and we gave him a very shiny scrap. He stared at it, and then started to crinkle it, and wave it around in the air frantically. Then he decided he has to eat it. Eric grabbed it before consumption, and tried to take it away from Griffin. Griffin hung onto it for dear life, he just had to eat it! He did not get to eat it, but I can see we're going to have lots of fun on Christmas morning with him.

Christmas will come with an update. Everyone drive safely, and stay warm!
-Autumn 

6 months, 3 weeks, 2 days

Griffin has pulled our dinners into family affairs. We sit and all eat together at the table, which isn't something we'd done regularly. I like how close it brings us, we can talk about our day, and get in touch with each other, and Griffin. We feed him his jar food then, too, so he can eat when we eat.

The snow outside makes me incredibly happy for Christmas to come. I can't wait to take Griffin to choose his first tree! I remember when I was a kid, my father and my step-father would go and get the tree together, and I would go sometimes too. I hope one day, Griffin will look back on his childhood and love what happened there, too. I miss Christmas the way it was when I was a kid, and I wish I could have another one like it.

Griffin is getting more sociable. I'm constantly amused to see him interact with people he doesn't see a lot, cause he puts on a totally different face for them. A great example is the other day. He was cranky all day, and when the UPS man knocked on the door, Eric went down to answer it carrying Griffin. Instantly he was giggly and outgoing, smiling and being incredibly cute. Around people that he considers family, though, he can be the crankiest baby in the world.

Teething continues! The new teething ring that Eric bought him works like a charm, though, and has quickly become Griffin's favourite toy. It has plastic oval beads on a rubber ring. Sadly, the beads collect drool inside them, so when he flings the toy around, spit flies through the air, often splattering us.

A friend of mine sent me a lot of baby clothing that she isn't needing any more. I love it all, and there's so much of it! Griffin is going to be warm and well dressed for a long time!

Now it is time to take Griffin to see his cousins, and make Christmas cookies.

Be well,
Autumn 

6 months, 2 weeks, 2 days

We gave him his first bona-fide bath recently. Until then it had been sponge baths and taking him into the shower. He truly hates bathing, and is afraid of the sound of running water. Hopefully, this fear will abate with time. After a while, he stopped crying when he noticed his reflection in the mirror, and the little yellow duck.

Teething has become very tiresome for everyone involved. We've finally found a teething ring that he can both fit in his mouth, and he enjoys using. He drools everywhere, and is very fussy almost all the time. He's unable to nap for long periods, so he's usually tired and fussy about that, too. I am hoping this period in our lives abates rather quickly, for everyone's sanity.

He can sit up by himself for short periods of time, which is cool! He also wants to drink out of our cups. We haven't tried this experiment yet. He has a new carseat, which he's getting used to, but I think he likes, because it puts him up higher, and he can see more. He doesn't know how to fall asleep in it yet, causing much weeping and gnashing of gums.

He has a lot more hair!!!

His grandmother just left, after thanksgiving. I think Griffin was sad. He really enjoyed her visit a lot (as did we, we got to see 2 movies!), and the whole thing was a great success.

I can't wait until Christmas comes, and he can see the lights!

Time to go try to put the little boy to sleep, so we can do some quick errands around the house.

-Autumn