All Things Bright and Beautiful. And Noisy. And Fun.

Christmas is much more fun with little children around. I would also venture to say it's more meaningful. Though I argue against the "Christmas is for children" sentiment, adding a small child (or two or eight) to the mix seems to make the season bloom. It's easy to disconnect from the joy and realities of a newborn baby causing such a holy ruckus if there aren't little kids amongst your celebration.

Our family is blessed with a passel of children these days. At our annual family gathering, ten of us were under the age of 9. Even the uncles, aunts, and cousins without children of their own were carrying a baby or talking wide-eyed to a tot on the knee. It was the first Christmas for GrandBoy Liam and his little 4-month-old cousin Elijah. Lucky for them they had lots of older cousins to show them how to party with the family.

A baby's first Christmas also begins new family traditions for the mama and daddy. Which gifts do we wrap? Which are from Santa? Do we open anything on Christmas Eve or leave it all until Christmas morning? How do you put this darn thing together (now that it's very late and we've had several glasses of wine)? Who's in charge of taking pictures and video? Traditions, of course, evolve over the years, but many are set that first year.

Church on Christmas Eve is a big part of that tradition, though we moved from the formal evening service to the 3pm wild and woolly service more suitable for little kids. GrandBoy was decked out in adorable green overalls and his tiny little saddle oxfords. Daddy took him outside during the homily, but Liam was good as gold the rest of the time. He took it all in stride.

Christmas morning was filled with colorful toys that blinked and sang and made funny noises. Mickey Mouse and his crowd welcomed Liam aboard his new firetruck. A little tool bench lit up and made a multitude of sounds, as did play tables, keyboards, and a variety of baby-type cellphones and musical instruments. (Remind me to buy Fisher-Price stock.) GrandBoy knew something special was going on, though he had no idea why trees and lights and stockings and good smells suddenly filled his home.

And he got his first taste of warm cinnamon rolls. Well, it is Christmas, after all. He can eat carrots the rest of the year, right?

It's very easy to understand angels, wise men, and an adoring mother when your own little tot is giggly and wide-eyed. Even dirty diapers and tantrum tears bring us into the reality of cherished babyhood.

Thank you, sweet GrandBoy and all of the little children, for helping us experience the holy and wonderful mysteries of Christmas.

A Winter Solstice, A Lunar Eclipse, & A 10-month Celebration

Lots of things happen on the 21st of the month, especially in December and most especially this year. While the winter soltice happens every year, GrandBoy's 10-month celebration of his birth and a lunar eclipse that hits on the shortest day of the year are rare events, indeed.

It's a grand time to turn 10 months old. So many tasty ornaments, packages, and - oh, yeah - cookies!

Our best Christmas gift came 10 months ago. We love you, sweet Liam!

Read Me a Sto-Ho-Ho-ry

Do you have a favorite Christmas picture book? We've accumulated quite a stack over the years, and I treasure each of them for one reason or another: a funny premise, a meaningful story, incredible illustrations, and plain, old nostalgia.

The Christmas book that taps into my earliest memories is the Little Golden Book version of The Night Before Christmas. There have been a lot of iterations over the years, but the one I'm talking about is from the early 1950s. I was just a little thing when I first saw it, but to this day whenever I hear the Clement Moore poem, I'm seeing those Little Golden Book pictures in my head. And that's the long-lasting power of picture books.

One of my very favorites from my motherhood days is Peter Spier's Christmas! (1983). As with most of Spier's books (Rain, People), there are no words - just detailed illustrations containing lots of little gifts for the eyes and imagination. The book shows all the preparations and excitement leading up to Christmas - getting money out of a Christmas Club account (so banks still have those?), making Christmas decorations and cookies, caroling, snowball fights, Christmas Eve church service, and the aftermath of taking down decorations and looking forward to, yes, next Christmas. Daughter and I spent a lot of time looking through this book when she was growing up.

Now, GrandBoy's not old enough to appreciate the intricacies of Christmas! or most of the books we have on hand. His current favorite is That's Not My Santa, probably because it's a board book with a fuzzy-bearded Santa and real tasty corners.

Once he outgrows the urge to taste his books before opening, he'll enjoy the Christmas ones we've collected over the years. And think of all the fun of adding to the stack year after year! I can't wait to have GrandBoy on my lap or cuddled next to me finding new ways to love these books. They are meant to be shared.

What are your favorite Christmas picture books?

Baby Meets Turkey

Happy First Thanksgiving, Liam! (Who is now a big fan of turkey and pumpkin pie.)

Can babies have Thanksgiving, too?

Seems they can, according to this article in BabiesToday.com. How about Turkey and Cranberry puree? Or Baked Acorn Squash? I don't know about you, but that's sounding pretty good to me, and I'm no baby.

Or try Wholesome Baby Food's One Pot Thanksgiving Dinner, that includes turkey, winter squash, white potato, sweet potato, and cranberries. Mmm-mmm, good. You can also find recipes for baby-fied apple pie, pumpkin pie, and squishy squashy sweet potatoes.

Go to the Parenting website to see which Thanksgiving foods are fine for baby, as well as a list of those to avoid.

So pull those high chairs up to the table, and let those sweet little Pilgrims share in the feast!

It's 9 (months) in November

We love you more and more each day, sweet GrandBoy, and can't imagine our lives without you.

Baby-socialization

There comes a time when first-borns and children without sisters and brothers have to be thrown into the ring with other kids. GrandBoy is starting his baby-socialization stage, thanks to birthday parties, family and church events, play dates, Gymboree and the Y, and so forth.

It's just the beginning of all those life lessons to be learned as he figures out how to negotiate the big wide world: sharing, playing nice, NO biting or hitting, and, of course the ultimate: Hey, I may not be the entire center of the universe!

I wish him well on his socialization process. His GrandMary knows that he'll put his easy-going temperament, big flirty blue eyes, and light-up-a-room smile to good use along the way.

Good Books for Bad Children

Mmmm. Subversive children's books. Right up my alley! At the risk of causing a kiddie-book burnin' amongst some of my more unsubversive friends (and I know you're out there, so we're hiding your matches), I just had to amplify this little NBC story, 9 Most Subversive Children's Books Ever Written. Curious? Here's what made the list:

1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
2. The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse
3. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
4. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
5. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
6. Yurtle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss
7. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
8. Curious George by H.A. Rey
9. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Except for The Lorax (1971) and Click, Clack (2000), these are the books of my childhood. Explains a lot. I could add a string of equally subversive books to the list, like Eloise (or how a precocious 6-year-old rules the Plaza),  Make Way for Ducklings (or how an uppity mama-duck controls traffic in Boston), and The Giving Tree (or how a self-sacrificing tree can spawn generational environmental activism). And all Dr. Seuss books and fairy tales are subversive, right? Nancy Drew? Laura Ingalls? Whoa, yeah.

Obedient, always-follow-the-rules children (or turtles or bulls or inanimate toys) just aren't that interesting, face it. We like our literary and movie  heroes feisty, a little (or a lot) naughty, and to have the ability to think for themselves, whatever the consequences. Their thoughts and actions add spice to ordinary day-to-day living. Adults learn from - and often envy - these characters. Very dangerous stuff.

Must remember to pick up that Click, Clack book for GrandBoy.

Feel free to add to the subversive children's book list (and I'd love to hear from my friends in the UK regarding your favorites).

Happy Monkey-ween!

Our little monkey's first Halloween. He's unhappy because he can't eat the Snickers or Butterfingers.

And October Makes 8 (Months)

The handsome feller with his mouth full of cereal puffs hit the 8-month mark today. Lookin' good, Little Guy! We've got plenty of time to work on those table manners. Enjoy messy eating while it's still socially acceptable for you!

High Aspirations

Every mountain-climber has to start somewhere. It won't be long before GrandBoy's scaling tall bookshelves and jumping off.

Ah, the adventures of toddler-hood!

I love the look of "Uh-oh! Busted!" in the top picture.

Then he turns on the old smiley-charm in the second one.

Yes, it won't take him long to figure out how to climb to the top of anything with a suitable hand-hold/foot-hold.

My advice? Make the house as safe as possible. Anchor everything to the wall. Train the dogs to provide cushion when Liam falls. Stock up on band-aids.

Then do what my mother did: say a little prayer and just don't watch.

Congratulations and best of luck in all of your new mobility ventures, Liam buddy!

Look At My Two New Teeth, Everybody!

Trading Pictures for Words

An article in the New York Times today reported that based on sales figures and research, picture books are no longer a staple for children. (Clarificaton of my original post.) I find that incredibly sad if it's true. Seems parents are pushing their young children to put down the colorful, imaginative picture books and move on to reading chapter books. Not that chapter books aren't imaginative - they are, if the reader is old enough to understand the concepts and situations.

But, oh, what those children are missing by not being allowed to wallow in divine illustrations and limited text! All the different types of illustration genres, all the opportunity to breathe life into pictures on a page through imagination, all the beyond-words experiences - missed, to push a child ever onward as quickly as possible. It makes me want to weep. Who are these parents?

Yes, Goodnight, Moon and Dr. Seuss still sell well, but fewer and fewer new offerings are flying off the shelves.

I suggest building up your young child's picture book library. Don't know where to start? Go to the local book store and spend time looking at picture books. My bet is that you'll get stuck there and never want to come out. But if you need more ideas, the New York Public Library has a list of 100 essential picture books here. What memories that list brought back! Strega Nona, Make Way for Ducklings, Corduroy, Miss Nelson is Missing . . . and so many more.

Children's picture books are one of the most creative mediums on the face of the earth. What rich experiences are missed if those picture books are tossed aside for chapter books too soon! Picture books encourage conversation and figuring things out and "this is what I see." Who wants to miss those conversations with your children and grandchildren?

Not me.

Pulled This Way and That

I am an absentee GrandMary. Well, "absentee" is not the right word; I am a long-distance GrandMary. That's not so unusual. Many grandparents and grandchildren live in different places, separated by miles and mountains and rivers, skyscrapers and strip malls. It's a hard thing.  Even with phone calls, digital pictures coming through email, and Skype, I'm not there to lend another pair of hands, arms, and eyes when needed, or to take advantage of opportunities to attend fall festivals, church events, or a restaurant meal with the family.

I have a job I love in New York City - 850 miles from Atlanta and GrandBoy. Jobs of any kind are hard to come by in this economy, especially for someone my age. Just quitting and heading home is not a viable option. Pulling up stakes and heading home would involve all sorts of chaos in all sorts of ways. But I have to weigh that reality with the tug on my heartstrings.

Because I'm so far away, I'm missing family time that I can't get back. Well, boo-hoo. That's true for most people. For whatever reasons, folks who love each other live apart. Fact of life. And face it. Even if I moved back to Atlanta, I'm not sure how that would work, day in, day out, anyway.

Comes with the territory, I reckon. Things are they way they are. Period. I love my job. I love New York. I love Kate and Greg and Liam. I love Atlanta. I suspect it's going to get harder as time goes by, and sooner of later I will want to figure out a way to get back home. But for now I'll have to make do with Skype and email and LGA/ATL plane trips. Ah, me.

Bath Time!

Celebrating Fall and Month #7

As we welcome the first day of autumn, this GrandMary is also celebrating GrandBoy's 7-month birthday.

I know, I know. How many of these monthly countdowns must be celebrated, right? Answer: all of them.

So, here's to the end of summer (yea!), a big welcome to fall, and seven great months with Baby Liam!

Day 8: Thankful, Relieved, Loved

My reign over GrandBoy and his three doggies is almost at an end. His parents are due home within an hour or so and - no surprise - they can't wait to get their hands on the babe. Now that Liam is safely tucked into bed (until his parents come home, at least), I can confess what most worried me as I started the week. Only three things, really, and I'm proud to say that none of the worries came to pass.

First, I was scared I'd drop Liam coming down the stairs. Yep, I did it a month or so ago - my foot slipped on last step and down came baby, GrandMary and all. (Fortunately, I broke his fall, mostly. We're both fine.) Anyway, with that on my resume, I've spent this week counting each step out loud (there are 18) as we come down. And of course I hold the banister. Whew. I must've come down those steps with Liam 234,629 times, more or less, this week, and we both got through it unscathed.

Second, I was afraid he might slide out of my hands as I got him out of the bath. No problem. At all. Never even an issue.

Third, I was terrified that I would forget to disarm the house alarm in the mornings. To help me remember, I stuck reminders at each of the exterior doors reminding me to turn off the alarm. Never set it off, not once. All those little sticky notes really helped. 

GrandBoy and I had a busy but happy Day 8. Not much napping happened, but a lot of food was consumed (on Liam's part). We played hard and giggled a lot. We put pennies in his piggy bank and did a couple of errands that took us out of the house. 

And now, with Ma and Pa's arrival imminent, GrandMary is thankful for so much time with her precious GrandBoy, relieved that none of her fears came to pass, and feeling very loved by a sweet little guy. 

Day 7: And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Well, not quite, but at one point in the day, I wouldn't have been surprised if somehow a partridge worked its way into the schedule. Four calls from the recycle company scheduled to haul some of my junk out of Kate and Greg's basement. Three dogs ('nuff said). Two AT&T guys who came to install Uverse, one of whom got his schedule mixed up (supposed to come Saturday). And one sweet GrandBoy.

Throughout the chaos, Liam was a real sweetie pie, an excellent eater, a superior laugher, and a patient receiver of kisses. Craziness all around, but GrandBoy was the strong center. And his GrandMary didn't for one minute forget the focus of attention.

Were there challenges? Certainly. Especially trying to sort out the AT&T scheduling mixup, which happened during Liam's afternoon nap and my ONE chance to eat lunch. Hmph!

However, life was so hectic today that I didn't get a chance to take any cutie-pie pictures. You'll have to make do with this last-minute effort as he was cuddled next to my leg - great little profile, chubby yummy arm.

Tomorrow is my last full day as Lone Ranger GrandMary. It looks to be another hectic one, especially since I have two work meetings via phone and an important errand to run all before noon. Hang with me, Liam! We'll get through this!

Day 6: Snap Frustration

Another timeless question: Are snaps really the best closures for baby garments? In the 21st century? Really? That's the best we can do?

Do the folks who pound those little suckers onto onesies and footed jammies ever try close those snaps on a wriggly, twisty, kicking-like-a wild-mule baby? And do all the "testers" have perfect eye-hand coordination? Grrr! Those little snaps are so stress-inducing, for both the snapper and the snappee. I mean, it's tough enough working chubby, flailing little arms through the sleeves of baby garments, but then to have to match up fifty itty-bitty snaps is more that GrandMary's hands and eyes can handle most days.

No, I have no solution to better fasteners, but then that ain't my job. I can see where zippers might be uncomfortable (unless they were really soft and flexible) and velcro might cause problems (though nothing comes to mind). I'm looking for something magical. Preso-chango! You're fastened up! I realize snaps have a certain nostalgic quality, but we can do better.

OK, so beyond the snap difficulties, Day 6 was fraught with very short baby naps, resulting in low-grade, needy whimpering for little stretches of time. Otherwise, GrandBoy scarfed down all his solids and all of his bottles. He managed many a chuckle, despite the lack of sleep. And who can resist that precious smile and those huge blue eyes? We had to forego lunch with a friend (sorry Richard!), but it was for the best for all concerned.

Now, sweetly sleeping with his tiny butt in the air, GrandBoy is erasing all the day's frustrations. He is a dear and darling little feller. His GrandMary couldn't love him more. Sweet dreams, baby Liam.

Day 5: A Baby's Eyes

Holding GrandBoy tonight before he drifted off to sleep, I spent a few minutes staring into his eyes. We really studied each other for a bit of time, accompanied by his little half smiles and my cooing, when a great universal truth hit me: babies don't care a flip about whether you're old or young or ugly as sin or having a bad hair week or you haven't brushed your teeth yet or put on a clean t-shirt in two days. No, babies don't see any of that stuff. They just feel the love. 

And that's it. That pretty much sums up our day today and all of our time together.

That said, here are some cute pictures of my Mr. Smiley  Cheeks just after his bath. On to Day 6!

Day 4: Too Tired To Move

The day started early. 4:30am. Normally, I'd've let GrandBoy tough it out and go back to sleep until a more civilized hour, but in the back of my brain, I knew he hadn't eaten as much solid food as he should have the day before. I cut him some slack and gave him a bottle at that ungodly hour. Fortunately for both of us he settled back down to a real dozy sleep and didn't ring my chimes until a little after 8.

So. The entire schedule was a little off, but we managed to work in all the naps and required bottles. Plus, I found the secret to getting him to finish off his solid foods. I just plop him in his Bumbo on the table on the back deck and feed him outside. The only distractions are the breeze through the trees and a few crickets. He seems to like it that way. He finished everything I poked his way sitting out on the back deck.

GrandBoy's a little frustrated with the crawling situation. He's pretty good going in reverse, but he just hasn't figured out how to put it in "drive." He can scootch along, not really crawl, forward; he knows something's not working and after a bunch of tries, he reverts to the scootch. Or crawls backward. Still, it's just a matter of time. Maybe tomorrow?

Well, tomorrow's another busy day, and this old GrandMary needs to hit the hay, sending up prayers that the babe has a full enough tummy to take him to at least 7am.

Remind me to book a massage. G'night.

Day 3: Big Questions

Now that I've settled into the baby-routine, certain questions keep coming up. Funny thing, seems as though I had the same questions 27 years ago with GrandBoy's mama. Hm. So, if anybody has the answers to one or more, I'd appreciate hearing them.

1. How can such a small, sweet baby contain so much poo? Good, rich fertilizer poo, certainly, but poo all the same. What comes out of him weighs about three times more that he does. How is that possible?
2. How - after hours of vigorous kicking and bouncing, a tummy full of carrots, bananas, and milk, and a dark room with a relaxing ceiling fan and ocean-wave sound machine - can GrandBoy still try to resist sleep? (GrandMary - 'way bigger than the babe - nods off quite easily with just half those elements in play.)

3. And speaking of vigorous kicking and bouncing, how on earth does this tiny creature keep it up for so long? Today he bounced in his little horsey bouncer for almost 45 minutes. Really. Didn't even break a sweat. Just boing-boinged minute after minute.

It was such a beautiful, cool morning, that GrandBoy ate al fresco, licking bowl and the spoon. No wonder he's Mr. Chunky Thighs. Then he amused himself for a while, giggling at himself in the mirror. We also ventured out for the first time in a few days - just drove around with the car windows down, getting a little fresh air.

Oh, and we really got into Sesame Street this morning and learned a new song: Let Your Piggies Breathe, whereupon we let our piggies breathe by going barefoot.

Looking forward to tomorrow's adventures!

And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Day 2: A Perfect Saturday

Well, things could've gone one of two ways after yesterday, up or down. Fortunately for all concerned it was up, up, up. A day filled with a couple of long naps (and yeah, I took advantage of GrandBoy's morning nap to take one of my own), sticking to the schedule, eating all the designated food, playing outside and letting the breeze blow through our hair, laughing, singing, and dancing.

I'm trying to introduce some new songs to his repertoire. His top two favs - "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "If You're Happy And You Know It" - are getting a little old. Our standard mealtime song is now "Sing, Sing A Song." Liam particularly likes the "La la la la la, la la la la la la" part. Always makes him smile, even with a mouthful of peas. I'm also getting him ready for Christmas caroling with "Away In A Manger," "Midnight Clear," and "First Noel."

We welcomed in the 2010 college football season with a photo session, complete with his baby TCU t-shirt and his mama's Alabama cap. Alas, neither game was televised in Atlanta and both were scheduled after his bedtime. I'm sure he'll have several chances to catch up with both teams later on in the season.

Baby Boy is sound asleep after his busy day. Wish you could see him right now, in his little footed pajamas, tiny butt up in the air, sweet little hands next to his face. A good day deserves a good night's rest.

Sweet dreams, sweet GrandBoy.

Day 1: Successful Morning, If-fy Afternoon

The good news is that both Liam and GrandMary survived a full day. The babe is down for the night - well-fed, duly bathed. And as you can imagine, GM is plum tuckered out and, for all intents and purposes, is down for the night, too. The dogs are sympathetically a-lounge. We've all played our parts in keeping the Young Prince as jolly as possible.

The morning went right on schedule, even though it started very early by getting the ma and pa on their way to the airport by 6am. The nap, the meals, the playtime - all perfectly wonderful. Alas, the afternoon proved more troublesome. That nap didn't last quite long enough, and GrandBoy's temper went a bit downhill afterwards. We played, we bounced, we strolled to the park and played on the swings, and one of us was a bit of a Grumpy Gus. I won't say who. (Liam)

But do not think that the day was at all dreary. GrandBoy and GrandMary got in plenty of laughs, lots of songs, numerous dances, and kisses, kisses, kisses. Such a yummy little baby!

Despite a few last-minute tears before guzzling down his last bottle, GrandBoy settled down to sleep very quickly. I'm counting on not hearing a peep outta him before 6:30-7 tomorrow morning. (Please, God.)

After all is said and done, I find my arms and shoulders really sore, and I don't have much of an appetite. A hot bath and a cool bed are sounding pretty good. There seems to be plenty of gin and tonic around, but I do believe I'm just too tired for a drink. Ho-hum.

Now, on to Day 2.