One last Christmas dinner

Who doesn't want Christmas to lsat for days on end?  We really like to spread out our Christmas joy.  In fact, tonight we realized that somewhere along the way Christmas really changed for us.  It seems to us that when we were Children Christmas was a one day event that we waited for all year long.  Now, as adults, Christmas isn't a day, it's a season, and we find ourselves trying to spread the spirit out across days, or even weeks.  And Christmas is less about the gifts we get and more about the gifts we give, and even more about the people we share it with.  With that in mind, tonight was Christmas all over again!  Tonight we had our traditional Christmas dinner with the extended Hiller family, only this year the table was graced by three members of the next generation.  Calvin was the youngest baby there, his second cousin Iris is five months older than he is, and Iris's cousin, Dylan, is about ten months older than he is.  And we also enjoyed the company of family who travelled from all over the world, including California and The Netherlands.  Calvin even received a very speical gift from his cousin (once removed) Kate, who brought him a Dutch children's book, something we will enjoy sharing with him to help him embrace his heritage.  It sure would be nice if there could be a little bit of Christmas every day.

It may not be a box, but...

It is a well known fact that if you give a kid a special gift he will find the box it came in more fun.  Well, we bypassed this issue by removing the big gifts from their boxes before giving them, like the Learning Home and the Grooving Table (cool names, huh?).  We were outsmarted, though.  Clearly it's not the box that is so appealing, but the box's simplicity.  We learned this because even though Calvin clearly loves the door and the table, and pretty much all of his new toys, his absolute favorite new item seems to be the rolling cylinder that his uncle Steve and aunt Rachel gave him.  Yes, it's just a beach ball like inflatable cylinder, and it is possibly the most fun he has had yet!  It encourages and allows him to be much more physically active and mobile - and he just loves going crazy on the thing. 

He does exist!

Santa does exist!  It may have been years since either of us was visited by the big man in red, but we know he exists because he was in our house last night and he left a bounty of gifts for little Calvin!  He graced our sitting room with the evidence of his visit in the tradition of the Hiller family - a full stocking and a handful of special gifts left unwrapped by the tree.  The stocking itself was a big hit with Calvin, who thought emptying it was more fun than the trinkets he pulled out from inside (including, his own soft cell phone and camera so he can be just like mommy and daddy).  He did get a kick out of the learning home (read: door with lots of kiddy gadgets) that Santa left, though, and his parents really enjoyed that one, too. 

And after a quick overview of Santa's drop, we headed to the Hiller household for a Christmas morning including stockings, great food, and gifts all around.  We had a wonderful time and Calvin was on his very best behavior - he just loved all the activity and all the interesting boxes and toys (even the ones that didn't belong to him).  The best gift we got that morning?  Calvin took both of his normal naps (9-11 and 1-3) while we were there without any difficulties - yay!

We finished off the day with a Christmas evening at the Ophoff household, including a beautiful dinner and dessert.  We had a wonderful time opening gifts in front of the fire there and, again, Calvin was really on his best behavior.  The best gift we got that evening?  Calvin took his normal evening nap without trouble - yay (do you see a pattern here?)!  We had started the holiday expecting to deal with the stresses of a long and grueling day away from home, and the consequences of a fussy and over tired baby, and we were pleasantly surprised and pleased to return home with a very happy infant.  Calvin really revelled in the attention and the stimulation of the day and that is more than we could have every hoped for, and his happiness was the best gift we could have asked for.  It was a true Christmas miracle!

Merry Christmas one and all!

Watch the Calvin's 29th week album for the pictures from Calvin's first Christmas Eve and Christmas!

A big week

We have been very remiss in updating our journal here, and the only thing we have to say in our own defense is that it has been one crazy, and fun, week!  We'll see if we can give a brief recap.  On Wednesday our friends Steve and Rachel arrived to spend a few days before Christmas.  This is an annual tradition in our home that includes lots of Christmas shopping, video games, and Christmas movies (particularly "Christmas Vacation").  This year was no disappointment.  As usual, Steve arrived from Seattle having neither done nor planned any of his Christmas shopping.  But as stressful as that sounds it has become a traditional challenge for all of us to help him get it all done in just one or two days, and we have yet to fail!  This trip was also their first chance to meet Calvin.  Unfortunately, we can't say that he was on his very best behavior, which brings us to the next big happening of the week - Calvin's first tooth!  At this point it has fully cleared the gum but isn't all the way in.  This is a bittersweet milestone, as it means that we will be saying goodbye to that adorable gummy grin of his, but we know that toothy grins can be just as cute, which brings us to the last happening of the week, Calvin's very first birthday party!  Not his own, obviously, but a birthday party just the same!  Last night we joined in celebrating Liesl's first birthday.  One thing that we have learned - the first birthday party is mostly about the adults (hence the wine being served in the kitchen).  Nevertheless, Calvin seemed to have as much fun as we did.  Liesl got some great new toys for her birthday and was more than willing to share (like the wine, the easy sharing is likely something that won't be seen at birthday parties again for many years to come).  We had a great time meeting other young families, and taking notes on how to throw a great first birthday party.  We see a grilling party and a new turtle shaped sandbox about six months into our future...