Christmas, Part 1

This weekend we celebrated Christmas early with Molly's grandparents (on her dad's side) and her aunt and uncle too. We had a delicious roast and yummy potatoes and veggies, and opened lots of gifts and generally celebrated the season. Luckily Grandma was there to capture it all on film. We plan to celebrate Christmas day with Daddy's extended family, including Molly's little second cousins! Right after Christmas Mommy's parents will come to visit and we'll do Christmas again with them, and they will see the new house for the first time. This has meant a lot of cleaning and trying to hide clutter around our house.

This weekend was also the first winter storm of the season -- the roads were icy and we hunkered down and stayed inside for much of the weekend. We also got to shovel our driveway for the first time. Boo! But it wasn't too bad; we have a small driveway. Molly thought the snow was fascinating, until she fell into it. They she didn't like it so much. Winter is tough with a toddler. We spend a lot of time cooped up inside and she gets antsy and restless. Any ideas for how to occupy a 2 year old during the winter months are much appreciated.

More later as our Christmas celebrations progress...

No Grinches Here

We had a very Christmas-y weekend. On Saturday we went to a Cookie Party -- all the guests made cookies to share and swap. It was great to see good friends and let Molly run around and play with new toys in a very kid-friendly environment.

On Sunday we got a Christmas tree! It's our very first tree. Usually we are not at home on Christmas so we haven't bothered with one. But with my parents coming for a visit and it being our first Christmas in our new home, we went for it. It's leaning it a bit to the side, and we barely have any ornaments, but I'm so glad we have it! Between that and the string of lights on the porch, it finally feels like Christmas around here. Again, sorry no photos yet. I'm hoping Santa (ahem) will get me that battery for my camera before Christmas morning.

In everyday Molly news, for the first time today she told us that she needed to use the potty before she actually went. Usually she tells us after she's already gone. So saying she wanted to poop before she did it was a big step. We put her on the potty and waited expectantly. What did we get? Well, er, it was a little "toot," shall we say. But you know, that's great! She felt something was going to come out and she asked to be on the potty. That's a great step. It will probably be a while before she actually "produces" on the potty, but one step at a time.

The Insidious Power of TV

A couple of years ago, I read a book all about the huge marketing industry aimed at babies and toddlers - not school kids, mind you, but actually aimed at babies and kids under 2. It was pretty eye-opening, and made me want to be extra vigilant about not exposing my kid to too much TV, marketing, etc.

What do I get for all my worry? Well, among the 20 or 25 words my daughter can actually say, one of them is "Elmo." Great. (I would like to point out that it is her Daddy who watches "Sesame Street" with her - and "Word World," and who knows what else. He is also the one who introduced her to her favorite show, "The Big Comfy Couch.")

Anyway, I guess it's not the end of the world - I grew up on a steady diet of "Land of the Lost" and "The Muppet Show" and turned out OK.

I am assuming that she didn't learn her other new word on any of these shows. What word is that? "Butt!"

On a different note, I must apologize again for the lack of new photos. The battery for my camera has gone kaput and Daddy is ordering a new one. But I can report that we all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa T., including a trip to the rediculously packed Natural History Museum and lots and lots of delicious turkey, stuffing, and gravy, and an insanely good pumpkin pie. Thanks!