Lead Baby

Christmas is such a funny thing -- I love giving gifts, thinking about what someone else might need or want, trying to get good deals, stretch the dollar as far as it will go and it's fun to see what other people share with you -- t-shirts that describe your son perfectly (Little Bull Dozer) or a baby sized mop. I've thought more about the story behind Christmas -- of what Mary went through to give birth (!!) in a barn! She was riding a donkey 9 months pregnant -- I didn't even like riding in the car at that point - and she was on a donkey. And divine intervention I'm sure helped along the birthing process -- it still was likely bewildering for her and Joesph who was likely wondering how did all this happen!
It's also bittersweet when I think of people who are lonely or hurting - who don't have people who love them close by or at all. The people who are coping with war and uncertainty in their lives in so many ways. People who have been forgotten. That makes me sad.
I think of the hope that you feel this time of year -- moving from the darkness of the season into the light of a spring not too far around the corner. The new year is also a chance for new beginnings, new habits, and opportunity to commit to make changes in your life. I like the idea of all of that -- the follow through -- now that's the hard part!
I hope to create fun traditions for Victor around this time of year -- he's still pretty unaware of it all -- a little freaked out about the tree at first- happy to move ornaments - interested in the presents (except when it came time to open them, then he could have cared less!). I like the magic that children bring with them this time of year.
Victor is a brave or perhaps fearless (I think there's a difference) little guy -- today we went to a park at the local elementary school to burn some energy before nap time - we let him go down the baby slide - loved it. The mid-sized size -- couldn't get enough! So then we put him down the biggest slide of all (tube shaped so he couldn't escape) -- and he wanted more more more! What fun. If you were the tosser (vs. the catcher) from the tube you could hear the echo of happy giggles of father and son -- if that doesn't put a smile on your face -- I don't know what will!