Friday, December 12, 2008

Still here...

Yikes! Recovering from vacation and lots of illness has completely consumed me for the last 2 weeks. I've thought of a hundred things I'd like to post, but haven't had any time to sit down and do it. So here we go... perhaps a really random assortment of thoughts from my week:

Until a couple of days ago I had not started Christmas shopping, which is unusual for me. I would typically aim for being done by now. I was feeling overwhelmed, because I couldn't figure out how I was going to get out and get it done. But then I had an Ah-ha (or Duh) moment: I spent a few hours online last night and am over halfway done. I have NO idea why it took me so long to figure that out.

I've also been trying all week to catch David's latest skill on video. Now I'm crawling around picking up crayons off the floor and digging stickers out of his mouth:




We got our Christmas tree up and Katy is SO excited about Christmas. The concept of time is lost on a 2 year old. She cannot possibly understand that Christmas is 2 weeks away, or what the end result will be. The other day, she pointed to the tree and said, "There's Christmas!" to which I said, "Christmas isn't here yet." So she ran to the window and said, "I watch to see if Christmas is coming. Nope, not here yet! I don't see Baby Jesus!" She sat there for 15 minutes, looking for Baby Jesus. How do you explain that?
Besides being incredibly cute and funny, Katy has been more difficult than she's ever been lately. I'm hoping that it's recovering from all the indulgance of sickness and vacation, but oh my, I'm worried that this is the new normal. We're having lots and lots of crying over here. My neighbor even came over this week to check on us because she heard "so much crying." Arguing, whining, crying. Ugh. Those of you with 2 year olds and blogs have been helping me feel normal this week.



Growing up, my mom used to take us to Hallmark each year around Christmas time to pick out a Keepsake Ornament. She bought one for my sister and I for each year, and seeing them gives me a warm feeling in my heart. I have such fond memories of taking them out of their boxes and putting them on the tree so carefully every year.
So we have continued this tradition, and this year was the first that we let Katy participate somewhat in the selection. Since she loves books, the one she picked was perfect:


David thinks ornaments are for the same purpose as everything else in life.



Have you ever seen that show "Yo Gabba Gabba"? We came across it recently, and I find it a bit...trippy. Not that I'm an expert on techno, but I did graduate from college in 1999, so every episode is like a trip back in time.
We have a big family event this weekend...aren't you just dying to know what it is? Until Sunday!!

3 comments:

Pam said...

Hey! Welcome back I missed you. Glad you feel better.
I think we have the same star as you on our tree. Jack is equally difficult/whiny/demanding so I think it comes with the territory of living with a 2 year old. 95% of the time he's my cherub - the other 5% I spend hissing at him, threatening him and trying to bite my knuckles to stop myself swearing.
He's also excited about Christmas but calls him "baby Jebus".
See you next week?

Weed said...

Sadly, Rachel LOOOOOOVES Yo Gabba Gabba--I'm almost embarassed to admit it. For the longest time I wouldn't let her watch it, but during a weak spell (I think I was probably sick), she was allowed for a couple of days to watch it, and fell in love. The funniest thing is that she remembers the songs and sings them at appropriate times throughout the day. For instance, when she struggled the other day with getting a puzzle piece in, she started singing to herself, "Keep twying, keep twying, don't give up....never give up...." I couldn't believe it! And there are other songs like that which she actually uses to coach herself! So we let her watch it now sometimes. She's even getting a set of the little character figurines for Christmas because she loves them all so much.

Good to see you today, however briefly!

Kelsey said...

Hey Em! I don't like the Yo Gabba Gabba show - too weird for my tastes. I try to avoid that one with Harper, fortunately there are plenty of other choices.

I felt like age 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 especially were kind of like a long slow nightmare, with a few pleasant moments tossed in for good measure. You're not alone. When Harper's behavior gets frustrating now, I just remind myself of what it used to be like and I feel much better. Hang in there!

We got an ornament from St. Nick each year, I love putting them up on our tree, and now we're doing the same with our kids.