Monthly Newsletter #27

Dear Landon,

This month marks your third and best Christmas so far. You had an extreme interest in Santa Claus. (Tanta Caw) Santa Claus items, Santa figurines, heck you even seemed to enjoy standing in line to see Santa, and the idea of sitting on his lap to tell him what you wanted for Christmas. Yup, you were totally down with the idea of it. Execution, not so much. Because we waited for so long in line, we couldn't just walk away. I'm in the picture this year. Next year, you're on your own or we don't do it at all. I'm just saying. Oh and presents. Now when you see wrapped boxes you know what they are and that there's some loot inside and that loot might just be for you.

On Christmas morning, when you woke up, my plan was to bring you down to our bed as normal, and let you have your wake up time. You finished your first bottle and I was trying to turn on the tree on the way back from making your second bottle so that when you came out it would be all pretty, when I heard you behind me. "Pwezents? Op-eh pwezents?" You are all about "Op-eh pwezents." In fact, it might have been a good thing that I didn't get all the presents wrapped prior to the day before each one got opened, or you would have been terribly upset. You know you can't just have presents lying around unopened.

You really raked in the loot, and as we did last year, we took about half your toys and put them up for later. This allows us to not be over-run by tiny plastic things and for you to have "new" toys every three to four months. Santa was good to you, in that he gave you some really neat stuff, but he misjudged your height a little, so the tricycle he gave you will be good to go in a few months I'm sure. You just need maybe another inch or two. Although, not being able to peddle hasn't stopped you from performing circus trick on it.

Your father and I took Christmas Eve through the end of the year off of work, and we cashed in on your school vacation weeks, so we spent almost a week at home together after the dust settled from Christmas. I'm really glad we took the week after rather than the week before because despite your nap strike and the ensuing fits, we've been able to spend quality time playing with some of your new toys. And, since you're all about helping, we got a few things done around the house. I actually got the Christmas decorations down prior to Valentine's Day. It's a record! We finally put the blinds back up on the new windows, so you can stop waking up on weekends at the butt crack of dawn. And even though it's been great, returning to our regularly scheduled naps and bedtime is going to be possibly even better.

Beyond Christmas, you have a continued curiosity in everything. You are learning new words every day, and are always asking "whaas sat?" Which is great, if you would LISTEN TO THE ANSWER! But instead you just repeatedly ask "whaas sat?" over and over and over again until someone distracts you with something else.

You continue to be very polite, adding "weh-come" (welcome) to your repertoire. You were already saying "teen-coo" (thank you) and for a while you were saying "teen-coo, weh-come." But it seems you may have already separated them and say them at appropriate times. But if someone hands you something and you say "teen-coo," and they do not say " you're welcome," you occasionally begin chanting "teen-coo, wehcome, teen-coo, wehcome, teen-coo, wehcome, teen-coo, wehcome."

Daddy's been working on teaching you a few other very important key phrases, like "rock & roll." We'll be driving along and you bust out the devil horns and start saying "wok a woh." It takes you some time to get the right fingers up, and you generally have to use your other hand to make them move into the right positions, but you work diligently at it until it's right and then begin chanting. We also occasionally can get you to say "I ahhsun." (I'm awesome.) But generally you're more about the rock and roll.



It's been a fun month, and you are awesome.


Love,
Mama