Looking Back

I came across this photo and wanted to share. She's about 5 days old here. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed and how much she has changed! (And how much she has changed everything.)

Willa Turns 1

Willa's birthday, being only two days after Christmas, presents a challenge. The weather is unpredictable, schedules are full, budgets are tight, and everybody has had their fill of celebrating. So we decided on an unconventional plan to hold a small get-together on December 27th, and throw a big half-birthday party on June 27th each year. We kicked off this tradition Saturday, by hosting an intimate dinner at our house followed by birthday cake.

The birthday girl donned an adorable white tutu dress with puppies on it, a pink and white striped cardigan with babylegs and her gold tennies.

And even though it was so unnecessary, Willa received some very special gifts. They include two amazing block prints by Chris, a set of Russian Nesting Dolls, several great books, including one I wrote just for her, a set of alpaca finger puppets, a German-engineered pseudo-scooter, a keepsake bracelet and ring that were mine as a baby, and a huge box of hand-me-down comic book characters from Ira.

She stayed up well past her bedtime, playing with her new toys, and practicing walking (she's almost there.)

I get pretty emotional when I think about the past year. It's hard for me to accept that an entire year has gone by, in what seems like the blink of an eye. Learning to be Willa's mom and adjusting to the role have taken both a physical and emotional toll on me that I wasn't quite prepared for. But the love and fulfillment my daughter has brought to my life are beyond my wildest dreams. I am not the same person that I was a year ago. I have realized more about life, love, family, friendships, my own priorities, strengths, and weaknesses, than I ever realized was possible. These lessons have changed my perspective, my attitude, and, well, me.

So here I am, Mom to a toddler! The new-mom-excuse has officially expired. I guess I'm going to have to start acting like I know what I'm doing, and doing like the mother I strive to be. Whoa, the pressure!

Her First Christmas

Every year, on Christmas Eve, to Grandmother's house we go...Sandy makes chili and tamales and a whole bunch of cookies, and all of the Heeps gather for dinner and a gift exchange. The house overflows with Sean's brothers and sisters and their kids and dogs, and throughout the evening extended relatives and friends drop by. If you are familiar with the family, it's needless for me to say that there is never a dull moment. Willa ate half of a Christmas cookie, got a sugar buzz, and became the center of attention. (Imagine that!) And for Christmas, her Grandma gave her some miniature board books, a retro Fisher-Price Corn Popper, and doll, a sweet little white rocking chair.

Christmas morning came early, as Willa was eager to get up to see what Santa had delivered. Sean and I were only mildly reluctant to roll out of bed at 5:30 and start the festivities. Willa's eyes lit up when she spotted the tree and all of the colorful presents, and she headed straight for the refurbished baby bed, which was thoughtfully passed down from her cousin Alli. In it was her very own Madame Alexander doll, much like my dear old Suzy. After she gave her baby some attention, she delved into the rest of her gifts. She rolled around on her big green donut pillow and devoted minutes (at least) of concentrated play to her wooden stacking blocks and sorting block set. And with my help, she gave her Sit and Spin a whirl. I know she was enjoying herself, even though she never cracked a smile. It was an awful lot for such a little girl to take in. And she is so busy and determined, there just wasn't time for the nonsense of interacting with us. We had pancakes for breakfast and then a good, long nap, while Sean went hunting.

Lunch was spent at Chris's and Wanda's house, where Willa played with her cousin (actually her cousin's cousin,) Gage, who is just a few months older. I forgot to take my camera along, but there were some precious moments shared between the two of them. Willa got MORE presents...some books and puzzles and one of those cute ride-on inch worms.

Finally, we headed to my mom's, where we gorged ourselves with more good food (chicken spaghetti) and opened a ridiculous amount of Christmas presents. Willa's loot included a bunch of fun little items from Dooley's, like noise-making batons, horses, and a Santa light saber of sorts. She also got a barnyard set, a couple of outfits and pajama sets, a little push along car, a melamine feeding set, activity books, and twin African American baby dolls. Once again, she was overwhelmed, overstimulated, and overjoyed with the family and fun.

It was a wonderful first Christmas for Willa. She is so loved by so many. And times like these, spent with family and good friends, always remind me of that. It sure does make a mama proud.

This Epitomizes Me

If anyone was wondering why they haven't received a Christmas card from the Heep family, well it's not because I'm a deadbeat mom. In fact, I worked on designing one for hours, but I never could get it just right, with the perfect photos, text, layout, etc. This kind of thing happens to me a lot. I work long and hard on creating something, often over-thinking it and even losing some sleep, but it still never quite reaches my own "standards." And then before I know it, the moment has passed, and I've missed my opportunity to get them in the mail by the holiday. My inability to make a simple decision like this is clearly a problem, and I'm working on it. In the meantime, enjoy not one, but two digital cards from us...a Disco version and a Charleston version. I just couldn't decide...

Ditto

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

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.