MLO has done an absurd number of adorable things in the last month, not the least of which I detail below. So much has happened, in fact, that I can not tell you about it in one post. No, this is days worth of hilarity, updates on rash and sleep, and descriptions of shit fits you won't believe. So without further ado, the cuteness...
In case you haven't noticed, the Christmas Season is upon us. I. LOVE. CHRISTMAS. I love the decorations and the warm, cozy feelings they stir. I love the spirit of the holiday. I love the excuse to search for the perfect gift and to give it without feeling guilty about spending money. I love how people take the time to wish each other happy holidays. I am not a Christian, but I love what celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ brings out in people.
So when December 1st comes along I start bugging the Hubster about buying a tree and I break out the decorations and, literally, deck the halls. You can imagine my excitement at getting to share this wonderful time and all the flashy and unusual things that go along with it to a 9 month old baby. For those of you that don't have kids, bright colors, lights, shiny things and anything different from the norm are like brain candy for infants. You never quite know how they'll react. Sometimes they just sit and stare. Sometimes they cry. Sometimes they squeal and do their version of jumping up and down. Regardless of what they do, a baby's reaction to these things is generally one of the funniest things a young parent can witness.
The first thing we did was put lights up: lights under the bar on the island, lights and ornaments in vases, lights around our stump (see picture below). MLO tripped out on the lights. He would sit and just stare up at them, as though hypnotized. They don't flash or anything, they just provide little colorful points of light in places where there were none before. So yes, ok, that's cute and all. But then, we got the tree.
Crawling, curious, mischievous baby + Christmas tree = Anxiety
MLO will attack every 'No' region in his play space repeatedly and in succession, dashing from one forbidden spot to another with great relish. The thought of a tree (he loves plants) covered in lights (he loves lights) and ornaments (which are shiny and sparkly) all within reach of a child that will pull himself up on anything made me cringe. Disaster! I thought. Mayhem! I fretted. But hubby talked me down and we got our standard 5 foot tall tree and yes, put it on the ground.
The hunt for a perfect tree is not something we take lightly. We run about our tree lot (I say "our" because we go there every year and absolutely love the people that run it) sniffing, sizing and circling until we find the perfect one. We usually chose a smallish, quirky tree that fills the house with that "Christmas" smell. Taking MLO this year was an absolute joy. He seemed to marvel at the lights strung about the lot, hardly noticing the contrivance of the forest we wandered through. He gazed, fascinated at the reindeer they brought this year.
That evening, after we got the bare tree situated in our living room, I brought him in to see it. He immediately sucked in his breath and did his coy nuzzle. This is a signature move of his that occurs as follows: If being held by one person, and another person he adores comes up to him, he turns quickly away from the newcomer with a giggle and a grin, burying his face into the shoulder of whoever is holding him. It is SO cute. So he did this repeatedly in reaction to the tree, each time turning cautiously to look and smile at it before quickly turning away, giggling and hiding in my shoulder. I brought him close to it and he reached a tentative hand out to touch it, recoiling and squealing as soon as he touched it.
By the next morning we had still not decorated the tree. Hubby brought him through the living room on his way to me and the little mister's eyes widened and he smiled as soon as he laid eyes on the tree. for the remainder of the day he would act shy and fascinated, reaching for the tree and snapping his hand away, sometimes even before he actually touched it. When he played in the living room he very carefully avoided the tree, crawling around it and near it, but never touching it.
So today the tree is decorated. He saw it early this morning, the colored lights glowing in the morning darkness. He simply stared at it as we passed by. I can't wait to see his reaction when he awakens from his nap, cheerful and anxious to explore his world. I will be sure to let you know how it goes.
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| The Stump |
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