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Christmas Time

It finally feels like Christmas at the Heep's. Sean was in charge of outside decorations, and I tackled the tree and anything else interior. He got right on the ball and completed his duties on Thanksgiving weekend. I, on the other hand, came down with a slight bout of the bah-humbugs as soon as I took a look at our dusty artificial tree and considered the daunting task at hand.

My mother's claim to fame is her Christmas Tree. We've even tried to come up with a way for her to parlay this seasonal skill into a full-time career. However, it is probably best that she reserve it for us, rather than letting it become a job. We wouldn't know how to react if she ever lost interest. It is so much fun to see how she will top the previous year. She does it every time, adding an extra strand of twinkle-y lights, rearranging the nostalgic ornaments and sprinkling buckets of fake snow, which, by the way, isn't tacky at ALL! It is always beautiful.

I wish I had inherited that passion of her's when it comes to decorating my own tree. I mean, once I get going, and have gotten past the branch-spreading and light-wrapping, I do enjoy myself. In fact, the other night, as I was putting the final touches on the tree, I stopped to soak it all in. (I know, I say that a lot, I am just so proud of myself when I do it.) Anyway, I realized right then, that as we were all busy doing our things, we were creating Willa's first memories of the holidays, establishing for her, the sense of family and tradition (and all of that warm and fuzzy stuff) that is so important to me. Not that those things didn't matter when it was just the two of us, but now that we have Willa, there's a much greater purpose to everything that we do. And that simple, yet sweet, concept is something I have long craved.

It was a storybook kind of evening...Here we all were, at home on an otherwise quiet Monday night. Sean was in the kitchen cooking up something delicious for dinner (It was spaghetti and it smelled wonderful.) We had a warm fire going and Christmas tunes blaring (one of Sean's fab compilations.) I was singing and dancing (yes, the cd was THAT good) and as I searched for a few vacant branches to place the last of the ornaments, Willa circled the tree, touching and grabbing everything she could, without me noticing. She kept pointing at the bubble lights and saying "hot" (with a silent "h" and a very exaggerated "t.") But the best part was the few times we caught her bobbing to the music. She was really into it, and actually has pretty good rhythm and serious moves. There's the basic bob, which she performs either standing or upright on her knees. She can also "raise the roof" and "dribble" like nobody's business. But most of the time, she just extends her pointer and conducts. One day, I'll teach her my signature Runningman and Roger Rabbit dance moves.

So here are some pictures of our Christmas decor. I'm a less-is-more kind of girl, remember? So the fact that we have a snow-skiing polar bear on the roof is a pretty big deal. Also, notice the snowman...it was a gag wedding gift from my brother, and we have proudly displayed it every year. Today, I'm going to use my Willa-Wednesday to wrap presents at the shop. I'm just feeling so Christmas-y all of a sudden. Must be the decorations.

Happy Birthday, Jordan!

I hope you had a fabulous 30th! I am so glad I got to be there to celebrate with you, just like you did with me on my 30th. (Isn't it interesting how much our lives have both changed since then? And it has only been two years!) I'm wondering what on earth you wished for as you blew out those candles... an uninterruped night's sleep, perhaps? Anyway, you don't look a day over 29. (Or anywhere near it, for that matter.)

The Bug Bites!

{Warning...If talk of baby vomit makes you queasy, skip this post.}

As much as I try to keep her out of germ's way, with my trusty Clorox wipes and hearty German breast milk, Willa has gone and gotten sick...again. Only this time, its the stomach bug. Dreadful. The poor baby was uncharacteristically clingy and a tad extra fussy a couple of days ago, and I just assumed it was because she was tired. She was especially whiny at dinner and refused three different meals before I gave up and moved on, to her bath and bedtime ritual. I was rocking her to sleep when disaster struck. Without any warning, she threw up all over the both of us, more than I ever could have imagined. And as soon as it was over, she was talking and pointing and directing Sean to her toys. Little trooper. I wasn't sure if it was something she had eaten or the real deal, until the next day when it happened again. This time, I was at work, standing with her in my arms right outside my office. Again, it was all over us and our cute outfits. I stood there, frozen, holding Willa close, and pondered the meaning of unconditional love. In that moment, soaked in baby vomit, I felt completely maternal. Sick as it sounds, it was kind of neat. Conveniently, Willa and I were able to find some alternative cute outfits just steps away at Root and Beulah's. And Billie Jean, our go-to-girl at the shop swooped in to help with the mess. I really owe her one...really.

So, Willa's been laying low, sleeping a lot, downing fluids and bland foods, and I think she's pretty much over the hump. Oddly, in the midst of all the sickness, she picked up the sign for "milk," and, brace yourselves, she took her first brave steps. I'm the only one who witnessed it, but I'm positive that it was not my imagination, because it happened more than once that evening. She took a couple of single steps first. Then she took two steps! That was last night, and she has shown no interest in stepping today. Oh well.

I took these pictures today at lunch. Willa was having a tummy-friendly feast of applesauce and dry toast. And she thinks phones are the most fun toys ever invented. So she kept pretending that her toast was a phone, putting it up to her ear and inflecting her voice to sound like "hello?" Enjoy!

Christmas Parade '08

Another tradition I'm excited to make ours is attending the Christmas Parade. It was tonight, and we stood out in front of the shop to watch. Willa was in rare form as the marching bands and illuminated floats passed by. She was an observer, for a change, not the star. She worked her flawless parade wave and made a few attempts to say "dog" as the SPCA float rolled by. Other than that, she watched quietly, purely mesmerized. Sean was even impressed. This was his first Christmas Parade, too. He kept talking about how neat it was. So I am pretty confident that this tradition will be a keeper. I've always felt blessed to live in such a charming town, but tonight, I am especially appreciative.

Welcome, Wolfgang!

Wolfang Legend Parsons was born this morning at 1:34 am. He weighed 7 lbs, 14 oz, and was a whopping 21 inches long! I LOVE his name! Its proud and strong, and something the little guy will have to live up to, but I can already tell he will handle it just fine. (The nurses told us about a recent delivery, a baby named Jesus - that's Geez-us, not Hey-seus. Now THAT kid has his work cut out.) Wolfgang belongs to Rebekah of Beulah's (and her husband, Jamie, of course,) so we'll be seeing a lot of him! I had to get some shots of the proud siblings, Camden and Brooklyn, wearing gigantic grins and some cute t-shirts.

My (baby) fever just spiked a couple degrees. Congratulations all of you!

A Big Month Ahead

December is here! That means its time to start preparing for Willa's First Christmas (pause) and also her First Birthday. As tempting and natural as it would be to simply lump them together, these two very significant milestones deserve some individual attention. Willa's birthday may fall only two short days after Christmas, but mark my words, it will not be overshadowed. It'll be a busy week for sure, but I'm a mom on a mission, and I embrace the challenge. I've rounded up some great gift ideas for each occasion. And these are my favorites:

(Clockwise from the top) Kit+Lili Big Red Dot Dress, Wooden Stacking Chicken, Elephant Puzzle and Carrying Case, Monkey-in-the-Box, Eco-friendly Doll Stroller, Madame Alexander Doll (just like Suzy,) Olive Felted Wool Boots, Wooden Puppy Pull Toy, Elmo, Colorful Wooden Building Blocks, Pretty Christmas Stocking, Slipper-fetching Hound

(Clockwise from the Top) Owl Beanie, Mod Teepee, Classic Sit-n-Spin, Plush Bunnies, Designer Denim, Pink Donut Pillow (in lieu of the dog beds,) Wooden Sorting Blocks, Actual Sneakers, Activity Book for the Outdoor-sy Girl, Numero Uno Tee over Long Sleeve Kit+Lili Wave Tee