Christmas time is here

The week of Christmas came and went in a fury! Besides Jack, Jeff, and I being sick for the entire week, Christmas was great. Jack caught some bug almost two weeks ago, then he gave it to me, and I gave it to Jeff. Our household was really lovely, like a chorus of phlegm, coughing, and sneezing - ahhhh! However, Jack and I are almost, almost, almost completely better, and Jeff just has to let the sickness run its course, and then we could all be ill-free. I felt so bad some days, and I can't imagine how bad Jack must have felt, especially since he can't exactly tell us what's bothering him nor can he understand any of the aches and pains. Poor baby had some really rough nights of sleep, resulting in rough nights for us, as well, along with nights where he ended up in our bed, because he would not sleep anywhere else.

sick baby and mama!

As I mentioned earlier, Christmas was wonderful. I love spending time with my family, where everyone is in such good spirits and smiling and laughing. It's very heart-warming! My parents hosted Christmas Eve dinner this year and my mom's side of the family celebrated there (minus Joey, my cousin. He works for security in a NYC airport and had to work on Christmas Eve). My parents (mainly, my mom) do such a nice job decorating their house. It's so colorful and festive. I described it in a card as the "Christmas palace!" For the party, there was tons of food and we just ate, talked, danced (Jack and little Grace had some great moves to the Christmas tunes), and gave each other gifts! Jack does not quite "get" the gift-giving nature of Christmas nor does he understand the real meaning of Christmas, but he does recognize the Christmas lights, the Christmas tree, the Nativity Sets, and the other decorations that we use to celebrate this amazing holiday! This year, the adults all did a name swap and bought gifts for that one person, and instead of everyone opening gifts up at the same time, we opted to have youngest to oldest open the gifts. In this way, we could all enjoy everyone else opening their present(s). Eric's family does this for their gift exchange and Kathy suggested it to our family. It was nice to watch everyone else and to share in their excitement. Jack and Grace were not included in this gift swap and they received many gracious gifts!

It was nice to spend Christmas morning with just Jeff and Jack, my sweet, little family. We had a couple small gifts under the tree for Jack, as well as several stocking stuffer gifts. He seemed excited with everything. We went to Christmas Day Mass at St. Veronica's and it was, surprisingly, unpacked! We arrived just a few minutes late (we try, but we always seem to be a tad bit late to Church every week) and were so sure that it would be standing room only. Much to our surprise, we found a close parking spot and my parents had been able to reserve us a couple seats right next to them. Another surprise was Jack's behavior and cooperation in Church. He stayed with us, on our laps or in our arms, the entire time. He was friendly (hopefully, not in an annoying way) with the couple behind us. He kept flashing them his cute grin and they would, gently, touch his little hand and say "what a happy baby." That was our Christmas miracle! For months, Jack seemed miserable, constantly crying, needing to be rocked, bounced, swayed, etc.... I dreaded taking him out anywhere, for fear that we'd have a major meltdown situation. It provoked so much anxiety in me! I know that things can change so suddenly and that toddler hood will have its own share of excitement, but so far, toddler hood has been easier to manage (mentally and emotionally) than infancy, even though I do still yearn for those precious days with a tiny newborn. Now, whenever someone comments on his disposition, which is, generally, cheerful, sweet, silly, and good-natured, it makes me so relieved and happy. Of course, I know that he can and, most likely, will enter some wild toddler hood days, but I am trying to love and appreciate our cheerful toddler! I do find it interesting, though, when I think about the whole fussy/high needs baby and happy toddler. I have heard of many parents referring to their fussy babies becoming happy toddlers (which is what we've seen, for sure), but it just makes me wonder.... how many unhappy toddlers do you see and how often do you hear of parents with easygoing babies talk about their unhappy toddlers? It just seems, to me, that most toddlers are enjoying life. Either way, I'll take it!

The homily at Mass was very appropriate and something that I think we can never talk about enough: unconditional love! When we pray now, at Church and at home, it's so neat to watch Jack. We have been praying with him since he was born and now when we pray, he will, usually, either clasp his hands or he will reach to hold our hands. He is also, almost always, reverent (or just quiet!) when we pray. I think that prayer is one of the most important things we do each day, and I am glad that he seems to be starting to recognize it...well, as much as a 15-month-old can. He's so sweet.

After Mass, we headed back to my parent's house to open some presents. That was fun. We received too many kind gifts from them. I think they appreciated the gifts we gave them, too. It was a bummer that we couldn't celebrate Christmas Day with Kathy and Eric, though. They spend that day with Eric's family in Indiana. I really miss Kathy on Christmas!! On the other hand, I think it's such a blessing for them that Eric's family lives so close by. Plus, we are still able to always celebrate Christmas Eve together. Jack took a nice afternoon nap and then we traveled to the West Side to celebrate Christmas with the Owens family. Another wonderful celebration! My grandpa (Jack's great-grandpa) dressed up as Santa Claus, which he says he has never done before, and he was such a hit! He looked great and happy and he was so sweet to Jack. Of course, Jack does not really understand much about Christmas, much less, Santa, but Jack does recognize Santa, and he looked bewildered to see Santa standing before him, in the living room, offering him presents! It was really cute. Grandma and Grandpa did a little photo-op, too, of Mr. and Mrs. Claus - so adorable! We had a great meal and a little gift exchange there, too. After eating, Jack and I took a walk with Mike and Laurel, and my dad. Laurel carried Jack on her back, in the Ergo. He seemed quite content and almost fell asleep, even though it was chilly. He was bundled up nicely, though, and his head was very warm, thanks to Cousin Michaela, who knitted him a hat!

Merry Christmas, everyone.

our week in review

I can't believe how fast Christmas is sneaking up on us! So, we have been busy, busy and on the go for the entire month. It's been a super fun-filled month, for sure. But, it's also had its share of stressful moments. I tend to get so anxious and overwhelmed about everything that has to be done before Christmas. Every year I tell myself to slow down and enjoy the season and really reflect on and celebrate the birth of our Lord. For me, it's so easy to say, yet so hard to actually do! I love writing Christmas cards and giving gifts, but I don't think I'm a very creative or a very smart shopper (and we don't quite earn enough money to spend a ton!), so that just makes my decisions and purchases all the more challenging... gosh, I feel like I sound so dramatic writing this... Anyhow, what I would love to do is just spend time with my dear friends and family, maybe bake some cookies and do a small gift swap, and 'adopt a family' next Christmas! That sounds lovely to me.

So this past week has been jam packed with activity. On Monday, Jack and I met up with Alli and Baby Paul at the Blue Manatee Bookstore for story time. What a fabulous bookstore. It was very whimsical and kind of enchanting for kids, with lots of murals on the walls, pretend tree houses, and little nooks all over the store for reading books, putting together puzzles, cuddling stuffed animals, etc. Jack had a blast, racing around the store! It was nice, too, b/c sweet, little Paul was content in Alli's arms, so they were able to follow Jack around with us. After Jack semi-wore himself out, we took a break, sat down in their organic-friendly :) cafe and drank some hot cocoa and chatted for a while longer. Ahh, it was a delightful morning! Later that afternoon, Jack and I met up with my mom and Kathy at Kenwood Mall to do some shopping and eat dinner. We all love to go to Kenwood around Christmas time, even though it is a zoo. My mom and Grandma used to make it a shopping tradition and now that my grandma has passed, my mom likes to keep the tradition going with Kathy and me. Even though it's kind of hectic, there is something really fun (most of the time) to be a part of the holiday mall shuffle. Last year, I remember being out a lot with Jack, and having him sleep so peacefully in my arms or a sling, even when there were crowds everywhere and people hustling all over the place. I thought that was such a precious sight! I love ending the shopping trip with my mom and Kathy (and Jack, too) at LaRosa's for dinner. It's nice to wind down with some good pizza and to talk about memories from years past and to talk about what we hope for in years ahead.

So, Tuesday was another mega-packed day. It started off with me being on-call for central intake from 7am-11am. The morning started off slowly, but it picked up around 10 and I didn't actually end my shift until noon! It was good experience for me, though, b/c since I started working on-call, in October, I haven't had too many pages. Jeff was off all day and he played Mr. Mom big-time. After my shift was over, I headed up to the Kenwood area for the second day in a row to get a facial! Last year, for Christmas, Jeff gave me a gift card for a salon, and I had not used it yet. It was incredible, b/c I also got a mini-massage! What a way to be pampered for an hour or so! That evening was our MOPS Christmas party. It was really nice. We had a little ornament swap, sang some Christmas carols, and hung out with one another. I'm so thankful for this group! Even though I was home in the morning, I was on call, and then I was home for about an hour in between Kenwood and MOPS, so Jeff took care of Jack all day. They had such a fun day together. Jeff took all kinds of videos of the funny things Jack does during a typical day, they played a lot, and even took a little trip to the mall.

On Wednesday, Jack and I met up with my mom for a cocoa and muffin breakfast at Riverside Coffee Mill, our new favorite coffee shop in Batavia. The owners are so friendly and know us and Jack, so that makes our trips extra special! Unfortunately, Jack was a little cranky and not too cooperative during what could have been a very relaxing and enjoyable breakfast. That's life with a toddler, though! When Jeff got home from work on Wednesday, I began telling him how stressed I felt about Christmas coming so quickly, so he offered to do some shopping. What a great husband I have! That was such a relief to me. He did it with such ease, too - no fretting over gifts or second guessing his purchases. He was so quick, efficient, and got some great gifts! Before Jeff went out shopping, my parents stopped by to see our tree and visit for a few minutes. I have never had a live Christmas tree and was so thrilled to get one this year.

On Thursday, Jack and I had a little dinner at my parent's house, and then Mom, Jack, and I went to the Comboni Missionaries Center for their animated nativity scene. We used to go there every year when we were little and it was really special to bring Jack this year. They have re-created the town of Bethlehem and then they have a narrator tell the story of the birth of Jesus, along with really beautiful Christmas hymns. Jack was so still and calm during the experience, which was neat.

Jeff had the day off on Friday, so we planned a family day downtown. It was such a blast! We parked in one of the city's parking lots and walked to the Duke energy center, where they had their annual train display. It was quite a holiday sight! Lots of families with children, all clamoring to get a good look at the display. The trains were traveling through snow-covered towns and mountains and Jack was pretty entertained, although he thought that the free cookie was the best part! He even got to say hello to Santa. We decided to eat lunch downtown and, lo and behold, Jeff spotted a Jimmy John's sub shop! I had only eaten at Jimmy John's in Chicago and had not eaten there since before I was pregnant (I tried to avoid all cold cuts while I was pregnant), and there have been many times when I have just craved one of their sandwiches! Even though I eat the plainest sub around, there is something so tasty about theirs - yummmm. So, I picked up a sandwich and then we walked on down to the Tower Place Mall so that Jack and Jeff could eat something in the food court. There was a little Santa's workshop at the Mall, which we walked around for a bit. Jack was amused by the big bear band! After eating lunch, we walked around downtown for a while, by all the decorated store-fronts and fountain square. It reminded Jeff and me of Chicago a little bit. We used to really enjoy walking around the city and just taking in everything. Jack loved people watching and seeing all the funny things you only see in the city, such as window washers of sky-scrapers!

I worked for a few hours today (Saturday), while my mom watched Jack. She and Jack headed over to my grandparent's house to visit and Mom said that they had a fun time, with Jack being the entertainer. Overall, she said that Jack had a really great day. Her house is so decorated for Christmas, with lights and decorations all over, so Jack is in holiday heaven there. We and my parents have those plug-in window candles, which Jack finds so cool! He loves to ask you to turn one on and then proceed to all the others, asking to turn on each of them, and then he always says "Oooo" after each one is lit up. It's so amazing to see his excitement for such a simple joy! Work was not too busy, but most of the patients I met with had some major stuff going on, so it took me a while to finish up all of my assessments. The census was pretty low today, so there was time to talk with some of my co-workers more than usual, and that was wonderful. Jeff also worked today, but got off pretty early, so we were all able to eat dinner together. We invited my mom over, too, since my dad is in Alabama for the Bowl game. He hardly ever travels anywhere without my mom, whereas my mom travels a lot for work and takes an annual trip with her girlfriends, so this weekend the roles are reversed. My aunt and uncle had extra tickets to the game and they invited my dad. He was really looking forward to it, especially since UC was playing, and UC ended up winning - yay! After we put Jack to bed, Jeff and I did some Christmas baking, while listening to Christmas music. Jeff is such a good sport. We made lots of sweet treats and had fun in the kitchen together.

Tomorrow, we're planning to go to Mass, and then Jack and I are really hoping to travel up to Columbus for a Malone reunion with some of my closest friends! Unfortunately, Jack has come down with a little cold, and he's not looking too good or sounding too great... poor baby. So, we're going to have to wait and see how he's doing tomorrow - fingers crossed for a healthier little guy.

Christmas is just three days! I'm definitely feeling less stressed about the holiday "stuff" and just more and more thankful for the time that I get to spend with my friends and family and joyful about celebrating the birthday of Jesus!

a tale of two cities

Our New England adventures began on Friday, November 30, when we headed off to Massachusetts, to visit Jeff's mom and "step-dad." the drive was such a long one. we had a plan to drive through the night, with Jeff and me alternating between driving and sleeping, hoping that jack would sleep most of the way. jack was a super champ for us, sleeping well and boasting bright smiles during all of our stops! however, we ran into some nasty snow storms in New York. the kind of storm that looks like you are driving through a snow globe. the lines on the highway were not visible, nor were the signs along the road. it didn't help matters that it was 4 am and dark outside. the storms held up our trip by a couple of hours, because we were, literally, scooting along at 5 mph and then we decided to wait it out at a service station for about an hour or so. jack was as happy as a clam, though. we brought him inside and he instantly started smiling and dancing to the music playing inside. overall, the trip took us about 20 hours. when Jeff and i arrived in North Andover, we practically collapsed!


Jeff's mom and David seemed happy to see us and greeted us with open arms! after resting for a bit, we felt, somewhat, rejuvenated, and ready to visit and eat some pizza from Pizza Factory, Jeff's all-time favorite pizza shop! North Andover is home to the small, privately-owned sandwich and pizza shops. They're all over that little town and we love it.... although, we really only eat at pizza factory when we're out there. I love North Andover. Love it love it love it! It's the most quintessential town, so quaint and small-town. They have a main street, which is a five minute walk from Margo and David's dutch colonial home. Main Street could have been the model for Charles Dickens's Christmas Village series. It has the old-fashioned street lights, the cobble stone sidewalks, the small post office, library with a clock tower, park with little benches, two Churches, both with beautiful architecture, several store-fronts, ranging from sandwich shops, coffee shops, pizza places to hardware stores, old-fashioned candy shops, barber shops, etc... With the snow covering the ground and the buildings, it truly felt like I could have been a character in the Christmas Village series. Jack became quite familiar with Margo and David and it was neat to see him interact with them and show them affection. They ate it up! We spent four nights in North Andover, and some of the activities we did while we were there included going to Mass, shopping at the mall (we headed up to N.H., where there is no sales tax - yeah!), trips to the children's section at the library, walks around North Andover, visiting with Jeff's best high school friend, Dave, and his girlfriend, Shannon, taking a trip to Market Basket, where Jeff worked for many years, during high school and college summers, celebrating Christmas early, visiting with David's mother, Betty, who lives below Margo and David, and many stops at the Pizza Factory (of course). When it was time for us to leave, David and Margo became quite emotional, and it was hard to say good-bye to them. We're hoping that we can see them again over the summer.


On Wednesday, we headed up to Jeff's dad's house, in Hudson, New Hampshire. Jeff's dad had
never met Jack, so we had great anticipation prior to arriving at his house. We were welcomed with loving hugs and excitement, especially from Emma, Jeff's 4-year-old half-sister. Jeff's dad has been remarried for 8 years. His wife, Lorrie, has two teen-aged children, Matt and Shayla, from her first marriage. From the moment we arrived, Jack was a blissful state. There were toys everywhere and the house was so kid-friendly. He wore a silly smile on his face as he made laps around the house, carrying a toy in each hand, at all times! He also did lots of dancing to the Christmas music, that was played on a constant basis while we were there. He has a new dance where he bounces and just shakes his little bottom. It's adorable! During our visit there, Jeff's dad made us all kinds of meals and helped us feel so welcome. We also went to the mall with everyone, and Jack and Emma both visited with Santa. Jack studied Santa, and while he didn't really look thrilled, he didn't cry, either! Jack and Emma also rode the train in the mall. We weren't sure how Jack would do, but he loved it! They rode in the caboose, and each time the train came past us, Jack flashed a huge, open-mouth smile, flapped his little hand, and said "hi hi hi!" That image of him is tattooed in my mind. It was really the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen. To to see him so exuberant and ecstatic and to wave at us just lit up my heart! We also did a special Christmas celebration with Jeff's dad's family, which was so neat. Jack does not, completely, understand what is going on and why we are celebrating. However, he does get excited about toys he sees and loves playing with the boxes and wrapping paper. Everyone, including Margo and David, was so generous to us, and we are extremely grateful. One night during our visit, Lorrie's mom and brother came by for a big, turkey dinner. They are so sweet and we enjoyed spending time with them. After Jack and Emma were asleep, we played some cards, which was super fun. Saying goodbye to Jeff's dad and his family was as equally hard as saying good-bye to Margo and David. Rick became real choked up and thanked us so much for making the trip out to visit them. It was another emotional goodbye. Why can't we all live closer??


The drive home, while safer weather conditions graced us, was more difficult for Jack. We were hoping for Jack to sleep through the night again, yet he woke up at 1 am and was not able to fully go back to sleep until 4 am. He's definitely getting better at letting us know what he needs and I think that we're pretty attuned to his needs, as well. However, there are times when we're just not sure what he needs, and since he can't really tell us, it can be frustrating, for everyone.

We made it, though, and Jack did fall asleep and was able to have a peaceful trip from 4am - 10am, when we finally arrived home. An early breakfast stop at Bob Evans helped tremendously. Jack ate so well, as he usually does, and he waved and "talked" to the other patrons and our servers. Jeff and I are completer biased, as we are his parents, but we just think he is too cute.... from his mannerisms, the way his little voice sounds, the smiles he flashes, the funny dances he does. I could go on and on - we can't get enough of him! Shortly after we got home, my parents, graciously, accepted our request to watch Jack for a couple of hours, so that Jeff and I could rest and recover from the drive! That was really wonderful.


Jeff and I had such a great time together during the week, too. It was so nice to not have any home or work worries. We could just parent and enjoy family together! There are many days when I really wish that Jeff could work from home. It would be awesome to spend our days with him. Jeff is such a fun, patient, loving, and tender-hearted dad to Jack. He totally adores Jack and Jack, in turn, loves loves loves Jeff. Jeff is so not intimidated by any parenting issues. I don't think I changed one diaper by myself over the week. WE either tag-teamed them (the poop ones) or Jeff changed them. Jeff is also very supportive of continued nursing with Jack. He sees how nice it is for Jack and how it calms and comforts him. On the drive to and from New England, nursing Jack was a saving grace for the long trip! Jeff is actually the one who said so.


During our visit, I really enjoyed learning more about Jeff, which happens each time we visit. Anyone who knows me, is probably aware that I ask a lot of questions. I'm just so curious and interested in learning about others, and, particularly, my husband as a child. I like to ask about family traditions, what holidays were like, funny/cute stories about Jeff. One story that really struck me was when his dad told about some neighbors who had lost most of their belongings in a fire and how Jeff wanted to help, so he donated just about everything he had to that family. I think that Jeff has carried that generous spirit to his adulthood!

So, now we're back and it's been a week since we left his mom's and traveled to his dad's (I started this blog on the day we arrived home). We commented on this today and became a little melancholy, musing over our week of family time and togetherness! It was quite wonderful
and, definitely, worth the drive.