Christmas Day

Christmas Morning.  It's mostly about tearing and eating wrapping paper.

Christmas Day Dinner.  It's mostly about the pickles.
 

Christmas Eve

Eleven Months

One year ago at this time of year I was very, very pregnant.  

A few months before that I thought pregnancy was the best thing ever.  Eat all you want, have people do stuff for you, feel this crazy creature in your belly doing somersaults.  Good things.  

Then the extra weight (51 pounds of it) and the exhaustion took their toll.  Physically, I was Miserable with a capital M.  My hips hurt, I couldn't walk ten feet without feeling out of breath, I woke up nearly ten times a night to pee.  I longed to sleep on my back, but when I tried, I felt like I was suffocating.  

I wanted this baby out.  Out and in my arms so I could kiss her and squeeze and love her.  And so I could sleep on my back again.

This year I'm happy to report that my hips no longer bother me, I can walk up and down the steps repeatedly without feeling like I will pass out, and I only get up once during the night to pee.  (Was that TMI?)  And I can sleep on my back again.  Heck, I can sleep on my stomach if I want!  It's so liberating.

Enough about me.  You want to read about the Abster.

At eleven months, Abby. . .

• walks around the house with her wagon, though she can't turn yet
• makes noises that sound like cat, tree, mama, dada, though I'm not fully convinced it's speech
• shares her food and toys with anyone who will take them
• pulls on Desmond's tail
• signs milk
• plays peek-a-boo by covering her face with a blanket or random piece of clothing
• can turn a perfectly organized space into a disaster area in 60 seconds flat
• eats most foods, still adores whipped cream
• climbs to the top of the stairs
• tries to climb on her toy piano and wagon
• giggles at herself in the mirror
• sits in a big-girl car seat now
• cries and/or yells when she doesn't get what she wants even if it's dangerous, like a cup full of hot coffee or an electrical wire
• throws her food on the floor when she's done eating
• has the time of her life with a spoon, suction-cup bowl full water and a few blueberries
• rolls and throws balls back and forth with Mommy and Daddy
• loves to read her books
• has three teeth
• makes the most mischievous yet absolutely adorable faces.

Here are the pictures.  Once again Abby was on the move; there's no stopping this girl when she wants to play with her toys. 

The Mall

Abby, Nana and I went to the mall for Santa pictures a couple of weeks ago.  Though I didn't take my own photos of her with Santa, I did photograph the heck out her during the rest of the trip.

Here's Abby and Nana.  Trivia question: Which one is more excited to be at the mall?

Abby enjoyed a crispy dill pickle for lunch.  

She went for a ride on the carousel.

 

Abby's favorite part of the day was playing in the tot area.  Once we let her loose it was "Mom, who?"  One little girl in the play area adored Abby.  She followed her around EVERYWHERE.  There she is.  The girl in the pink.

Oh, there she is again.

Hey, little girl!  Back off my kid a bit, OK?

Abby ponders the cat defense.  "If I stay real still, maybe she won't notice me."

You think she's gone, don't you?

Think again.

Overall, a fabulous day at the mall.

 

Santa Pictures

It's my first-born's first Christmas.  Of course, I went to the mall to get pictures with Santa.  

You have to do it.  

Sure, the line is forever long and the picture turns out so-so and the prints are way overpriced.  

But you have to do it.

I thought I would be able to take my own pictures while Abby was on Santa's lap and then I'd buy the cheapest package offered.  Apparently, taking your own pictures is a big no-no.  It puts you on the naughty list.  As most know, I fear authority, and so I was the dutiful mom, trying to get Abby to smile while sitting on a strange man's lap after waiting in her stroller for over an hour.  

And, yes, I was suckered into buying a bigger package of prints than I had planned because it came with digital access to the so-so photos.  

I had to do it.

Note to self: Next Christmas season, track down free pictures-with-Santa-in-exchange-for-toy-donation event and take 100 photos to increase likelihood of capturing the money shot.

Anyhoo, here they are.  Does she look annoyed or what?!

First Tree

I grew up with a Christmas Tree in a Box.  We weren't allowed to have real trees.  They were too messy.

It's a fabulous thing to be an adult and have the authority to choose your own Christmas tree.  

I get a real tree every year now.  A real tree that drops pine needles and requires watering and is a little dangerous to decorate because of the random super-sharp needle that appears out of nowhere and stabs you while trying to hang the owl ornament just so on that branch.  I love it.

AND I cut down my own tree.  OK, Greg cuts it down, but I'm sure I could do it myself if I wanted to.  I just like watching him do manual labor.

Abby helped us with the tree acquisition this year by being adorable and eating pine needles.

 

Farm

A few years ago Greg and I joined a community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm.  We pay our share in January and we receive produce once a week from May through November.  It's pretty awesome.   

When we first joined the farm the produce was brought in boxes from the main farm to a local house that served as a distribution site.  Each week I picked up my box and used a produce guide to figure out what what was in it.  

Which one is kale?  

Are these collard greens?  

What kind of squash is that?

We learned to cook and eat all different kinds of veggies.  I still don't love kale.

Since we became members, a second piece of land was purchased by the same farmers.  The new farm is a hop, skip and jump from our house, so this past season Abby and I went to the farm to pick up our weekly share of produce.  Abby loved the farm.  Most of the food was already picked and in the market area, but there was always some self-pick produce and gorgeous flowers out in the fields.  Abby spent many hours exploring those fields during the spring and summer.  But, of course, I rarely brought my camera and, when I did, I always got so busy with the food that I forgot to take pictures.  

Last week the farmers sent out an email that a few crops had a surprising growth spurt late in the season.  We went over to the farm as a family (it was actually Greg's first time there) and I was able to get a few photos.  Abby is donned in her designer reindeer line.