A Christmas Story

I have had a little bit of writer's block.  Or is it blogger's block?

Anyhoo...

So much has been happening, ranging from ugly viruses to Christmas holidays to work to everything J-man, that where to start and what to say has alluded me.  And to be honest, it still does.  So, in order to break this log-jam, I will just start with a little Christmas story.

We didn't know how Christmas would go this year.

Last year, J-man really didn't get the concept of presents.  And Santa??  Who is that??  And while it was clear that this year he could identify Santa, I was pretty sure he didn't get the concept of Santa. What I wondered, though, was would J-man finally understand the concept of presents?  That they aren't just pretty colored boxes under a tree, but that inside the package was toys? 

J-man totally has the concept of toys.  Daily we are bombarded with requests to go to 'Arget' for 'oys'.  Every Day.  His love of toys... especially new toys... has reached epic levels to wit we must nip in the bud lest we become financially insolvent.  So I suspected that once he opened one or two presents he would get the concept pretty quickly.

And he did.  By present #3.  And he could have stopped... at present #3.  Allow me to introduce...  

Mooooooooon  Baaaaase



J-man, Cousin A-man, and the MOOOON BAAASE
One of the few moments of interactive play between the boys.
Mostly, they fought over it.

Over the last few months J-man has become quite devoted to looking at toy catalogs.  Quite devoted.  Like reading a book, he would look through the pages, point to toys and want me to label them.  His favorite, by far, was this Alien Moon Base and Rocket.  So we took a chance... Grandma got the Moon Base and I got the Rocket.... and hoped that his devotion to the picture in the catalog would translate to toy-love at Christmas.
We had him at Mooooon Baaase. 

His eyes were huge, people.  HUGE.  He insisted on opening it immediately, and from that point onward all other presents took a back seat to his Moooon Baaase.  He wanted to make extra sure we knew what it was.  He was very... VERY.. possessive of it.  Many a battle was waged between J-man and A-man over playing with the Moon Base and Rocket.  Sharing is not easy at Christmas. (How ironic)

But other than the occasional toy battle, J-man shone bright.  He cuddled with 'Papa'. He went sledding for the first time with us. He was fully engaged in decorating the gingerbread house with 'Mumu' and A-man, putting candy pieces on the roof.

It was a charming, beautiful Christmas.

The best Christmas present I could ask for.

Christmas Peace

Peace...

It does not mean to be in a place

Where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work

It means to be in the midst of those things,

and still...

Be calm in your heart.

--Anon.

A Blast From Christmas Past

A Merry Christmas to you all!!! 

Or Happy Hanukkah (from earlier this month)!!!

Or Happy Festivus, if that is your brand of Holiday cheer!!!

Whatever you celebrate, wherever you are,

may you have those you love close

and find joy and peace this season.

Visiting Santa

Last Christmas, Santa was not a big success.

However, for some unbelievable reason, the Easter Bunny was.  Explain that one to me.

The question of the year:  How would J-man react to Santa this Christmas???

So we arrived at the Mall and worked our way to Santaland.  As we rounded the corner, there He was.  I had planned ahead, choosing a Tuesday morning on the hopes that it would be quiet at the Mall and have a minimal line to see Old Saint Nick.  And I was right... the perfect situation to see Santa.  No line.  Same great Santa. 

As we approached, J-man stopped in his tracks.  I knelt down, pointed to Santa, and asked J-man, " Do you know who that is?"

J-man looked wide eyed and said "Ann-ta".

"Yeah,' I said approvingly, 'Do you want to go say "Hi" to Santa?"

J-man grasped my hand, pulled me in the opposite direction, and said emphatically, "Nooooooo!"

Okay.  Message received.  No Santa picture this year.

And then, J-man's preschool had a family Christmas party.  And guess who showed up??

This is as close as J-man would get to Mr. Claus, but he was perfectly fine with him at a distance!   And now we have a Santa picture this year.  All is well with the world.

SNBH Question of the Week

So, I have decided to join the fun with the Special Needs Blog Hop Question of the Week.  I have never done this before, so be gentle with me...



The Question:  Tell us a funny memory involving your child.

I am going to share two.  The first happened this summer.  I am not sure why this memory strikes me, but it is a great memory.  Our friends were visiting from out of state, and we were celebrating a birthday of one of their kids.  The whole group of us (house of 9 people!) were sitting around the table having birthday cake.  I wasn't sure if J-man would eat it.... he has issues with new food, even if it is yummy stuff like cake.  He has trust issues.  So, we gave him a small piece and figured what will be will be. 

Good food and good conversation were flowing  and to be honest, I was paying very little attention to J-man.   I would imagine he might have been trying to get my attention in his subtle, non-verbal way.  Or maybe not.  Who knows. 

Anyhoo, we were munching and talking when... out of the blue...  J-man exclaimed "CAKE!" and pointed directly at the cake.  For a split second the table fell completely silent, and I looked at his plate.  His cake was gone.

So, apparently, J-man likes cake.  And wanted more.  And got more, immediately. 

That is my first really clear memory of J-man doing a spontaneous verbal request.  It always makes me smile.

My second memory is really just a fun video from when J-man wasn't even one, and before I knew something was 'developmentally off' (although there was a seed of doubt).  It is right before Christmas, and he is laughing at a video.  I just love the sound of his laugh.



Now, a question for you all. I am curious... who are you? Except you, mom... I know you read. And a handful of my friends... but what about the rest of you? I would love to know who you are. If so inclined, drop me a line and tell me a little of your story.   Or just give a hey-ho in the comments! 

A Blast from Christmas Past

This is from Jonathan's First Christmas.
He was about 9 1/2 months old.
He is still as delightful.