Santa thinks he's got a tight squeeze!

I am publishing this entry currently pressed against a wall with a sloped ceiling 12 inches from my face.  A girl who is about 1/10th my weight and a third my height has me in this ridiculous position as she sprawls out on my pillow  To her right is her brother, who is snuggled up against his mommy... my lovely wife.  We are squeezed into this shoe box of a double bed because our cherubs can't sleep.  It's Christmas Eve, I have a crick in my neck, a knot in my back and my foot keeps falling asleep... but laying next to my family, hearing their soft little breaths, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. Looking over at the two of them illumined in the dim glow of the laptop light, I already got the two best presents a person could ask for.  Just don't tell Santa. ;)

On the bright side, the only way I could get closer to hearing the jolly man's landing is if Donner's hoof comes through the roof and crushes my face.  Even then, I don't think either of my kids would stir in the slightest.

So I sign off wishing a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!  :)

ps.  Dear Santa, some advil in my stocking would go a long way.  Thanks pal!

First real steps!

So the other night my two little ones were playing with each other in their playpen.  After being content playing with each other for a while they both grew bored with play time and opted to call "ma ma ma ma!!"  So mommy, who's been swamped with work, decided to take a little break and go over to them to say hi and play with them for a while.  While she's talking to them, playing peek-a-boo, which they found absolutely hysterical and having them try to put their binky in her mouth, our son goes and takes 2 un-assisted steps across the play pen to get to his mommy.  "He just took two steps!" my wife exclaimed!  I was watching the Ranger game and doing some work myself on the couch, "Really?! Alright buddy!!" I replied excitedly.  My wife set him back up on the far side of the playpen and called for him to come to mommy.  Sure enough he did it again, two big well balanced steps!  "YAY!!" we cheered as he beamed with pride!  So we did it again and again, each time him taking two to three solid steps towards mommy.  Each time our cheers and clapping getting louder and more exuberant!  Meanwhile, our daughter was sitting in the opposite corner of the pack-in-play watching this all play out, for the most part just playing with her block.  Well, one time our little rambler stumbled over his sister's leg on his transreceptacal  journey so mommy skooted her leg over and told her "schooch over a little honey, so your brother doesn't trip".  Well that was the last straw apparently!  The next time he crossed and we cheered like he scored the game winning touchdown... she had had enough!  Red faced and pouty, she started to tantrum that she wasn't getting any attention and her brother was getting the spotlight!  It took us everything we had not to start laughing out loud at the scene.  Here's my boy walking on his own, so proud of his accomplishment and beaming at his parents, and there's his sister, who's got a bevy of accomplishments of her own that mommy and daddy have cheered just as loudly and proudly for, like the fact that she's already saying "good girl" (well, she still needs to get the articulation down, but it's clearly "good girl" and she says it with a smile like she knows, she's the "good girl") freaking out because she's not getting the attention that he's getting at that particular moment!  A portent of things to come no doubt.... God help us! :)


Oh and Day 1 of the Advent Calendar!! The official countdown has begun!