First Christmas (a belated post)

Kate imitates Uncle Scott.

Leah, Grandma, & Mila

Leah received one of these for Christmas, and now we can't get her off it; it's probably her favorite toy!!

Playing in one of Grandma's baskets.

Throwing gang signs with Grandma Teddy? Where did she learn those?

Playing with Great Grandpa.

Cuddling with Papa.

Her favorite: the nativity set.

Blowing raspberries in between sips.

Attacking the monkey from cousin David.

Learning to open gifts.

Our present.

So I know that Christmas was almost a month ago, but with limited time to write, I simply haven't had a chance to update Leah's first Christmas. Besides, better late than never, right?

Although Leah won't remember it, her first Christmas was rather drawn out (but that made it extra enjoyable). The three of us celebrated together on the 23rd since we left for Scott's parents' on the 24th. Leah didn't quite know what to make of the gifts; she was more interested in the bows than in actually opening her presents. After she had opened a few (with Daddy's help, of course), she had a better understanding of what to do with the brightly wrapped packages.

Christmas Eve we were in NY. Scott's cousin and her family, his uncle, and his grandparents came over to his parents' house to celebrate. We gorged ourselves on appetizers (well, Leah didn't; at least she still ate well during the holiday), and then watched Leah and her cousin Trinity (11 months old at the time) open gifts. Again, neither one was that interested. Leah was more interested in playing with the Little People nativity that Grandma & Papa had set-up. That did change when Leah opened her stuffed monkey from cousin David. Her eyes lit up when she saw it.

Christmas day Leah was plenty spoiled by her grandparents and great grandparents, which was (truth be told) fine by me. I loved watching her play with them; since she doesn't get to visit them regularly, all the extra one-on-one time they had together was a blessing... for all of us. The rest of the weekend was equally relaxing and enjoyable. We made and decorated cookies (soooo good), and attempted chocolate dipped pretzels (that won't become a tradition). And we spent plenty of time just visiting.

Monday we celebrated Christmas with the rest of Scott's family; his brother and sister-in-law, along with their girls, came over for birthday dinner and the opening of stockings. Since we didn't know how long the girls would last, we celebrated Mila's first birthday before "doing" Christmas. Grandma, Mel, and I had made and decorated a cake earlier that day for the occasion; what fun we had! We might not become professional cake decorators (ours didn't look nearly as fancey as the one Dib had made for Mila while they were in Maine), but it could easily become a hobby. We were rather pleased with our creation: a tree with flowers and a couple butterflies. Not bad for freehanding. (Plus, we knew we were successful since everyone else could actually tell what we had made.) Mila enjoyed her cake, even though it took her a little while to really get into (translation: she didn't make a mess... initially).

Then onto the stockings. Kate, who will be three in April, wanted to open everything; she was convinced that most of the gifts were for her. Leah certainly didn't mind the assistance. After all, opening gifts is a lot of work for a baby! Despite all the presents (clothing, toys), Leah's favorite was still the nativity set. Go figure!

Overall, Christmas was how it's supposed to be: relaxing and filled with happy moments with family. Though Leah might not remember this one, I will, and I'm so glad it was even better than I could have imagined.