Just a Few Little Things for Christmas

It was very difficult to return to the normal routine today. My morning started at 5:30 a.m. with pilates. I had to wake up earlier than usual because the studio is no longer just around the corner. Over the holidays it relocated to a bigger, much cooler location about seven blocks away. The new place is sweet but I hate that I have to wake up early enough to run or walk or, on a morning like this morning, drive.

When I left for work around 8 a.m. Christian and La Luz were in serious lounge mode and I was seriously jealous. It was painful to leave them after so much time together over the past few days. The worst part of the day was, however, finally facing the reality of what was waiting for me on my desk. The blow was lessened by a delicious cup of P.J.s iced coffee, something I missed while we were in Atlanta.

Since I did not get to post over the holidays, I missed out on attempting to capture La Luz's state of mind as she tore into the gifts that were presented to her. It all started with Julian's visit on the 23rd. He brought her a stuffed animal moose from Vermont which she insisted was a reindeer and she didn't put it down until she got to GG's house after mass on Christmas Eve. When she arrived at GG's she attacked the gigantic teddy bear and baby doll that GG got her and then almost went into a coma when she opened the life-sized doll she got from Austin. It was all down hill from there.





By the time Christmas morning rolled around she fully understood that what was under the tree was hers. She was concomitantly mystified and terrified by the Elmo chair Christian picked out, wouldn't get out of the wagon I didn't properly put together at 2 a.m. the night before since Christian was sick (who needs those 2 extra plastic pieces anyway?), and played so hard with the kitchen from mom-mom and pop that she cracked the counter before the day was over.



If that wasn't enough, two days later when we finally made it to Atlanta she started hyperventilating when she opened up the Little People dollhouse, one present among many waiting for her at Nana and Papa-T's. Is it possible to spoil an 18 month old? I hope not or else we are probably in trouble.