Owen is 17 months old and ready for his second Christmas!
I have to say the holidays are so much more magical when you have children. Experiencing the traditions and excitement with little ones really is the reason for the season. Of course, Owen still doesn’t understand what the heck is going on when it comes to Christmas. But that doesn’t keep him from enjoying the music, the lights, the ornaments on the tree, the Christmas cookies and all the bubble wrap and paper from packages arriving in the mail.
Like every holiday season, these past few weeks have gone by much too fast. Owen’s second Thanksgiving was better than his first because he actually got to eat the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes this year. His favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner? The whipped cream from the pumpkin pie. Since Thanksgiving, Owen has been busy – he picked out a Douglas fir at the Christmas tree farm, he watched the Parade of Lights, and he celebrated his uncle’s 30th birthday on the dance floor.
Little O also experienced his first real snowfall. Last winter we barely got a flurry of snow. This season we’ve already gotten over 10 inches. And Owen was absolutely enthralled by the falling flakes. He could barely contain his wonder and delight. Owen’s joy made me forget that I don’t particularly enjoy being outside in chilly snow.
Owen did not share the same enthusiasm for Santa. Two words come to mind when describing Owen’s feelings about St. Nick: fear and hatred. We visited Santa twice and neither went well, although he seemed to like the second Santa a little more (or rather hated him slightly less). When we plopped Owen on Santa’s lap, he acted like we left him in the arms of Freddy Krueger. He was so upset, his screams were actually silent (much to my relief and the people around us). At least his Christmas sweater looked cute, even if his face was redder than Rudolph’s nose.
Owen does like the Santa on his pajamas. I like to ask him “Where’s Santa?” and he smiles and points at the Santa stitched on his PJs. Our little guy is getting so smart. He’s getting better at telling us what he wants. He loves answering questions with an enthusiastic “YES” and luckily still doesn’t say no very often. And at times he’s such a sweet boy, holding my hand tightly or rubbing his nose against mine. But then he smacks me across the face with the remote control.
The most entertaining (and also horrifying) moment from Owen this month happened during church one Sunday. He farted loudly, giggled hysterically, and then lifted up his butt cheek and smacked his ass. I swear he did not learn this from me.
Owen probably has gas problems because he eats a ton of cheese. When he’s not eating cheese, he’s pointing at the fridge and asking “Sheeze?” It’s a good thing he’s not lactose intolerant. His obsession with cheese has led us to our first parenting fibs; we tell Owen there’s cheese in everything he’s eating even when there’s not. I hold out some vegetables on a fork and say “Look, it’s yummy CHEESE!” and sure enough Owen will try it. He might spit it out, but at least I get it in his mouth. Parenting is all about the small victories.
Anyhoo, here’s Little O with his favorite thing this month – cheese!
Owen continued to check things off his list in the holiday season. He picked out his first Christmas tree at a local tree farm. It was very cold, so Owen wasn’t the happiest out in the chilly air.
And then he built his first house! With Mom and Dad’s help, of course. And using gingerbread, frosting and candy. Owen enjoyed eating the building materials.
