Delinquency

I was going to try for a full month of no posts, but Kallee’s plea (see spitting post) has moved me.

Where did I leave off? Oh, yes, a long way back.

Elliot turned 6 months old.

He is healthy (26 inches, 18 pounds and 3 ounces), happy and my little cuddle bunny (still!).

He is sitting up, rolling over and screams like a little girl when you place him on his belly. He prefers, however, to sleep on his stomach (although I always place him on his back). Go figure.

He adores his sister and he loves to laugh. Just the other day I was upstairs cleaning the kids’ bathroom. Elliot was a little fussy in his bouncer when suddenly I hear both babies dying with laughter. I glanced down to the family room and there was Jane doing some weird movement with her Swiffer and she and Elliot just thought it was the funniest thing ever.

The last two months we have seen very little of Lane. He has been working very hard at his new job and will very often leave before the kids get up and come home after they’ve gone to bed.

These have been hard days. Jane misses her Daddy very much and will wander the house saying “Where Daddy? Where Daddy?”

So, on Saturdays, Lane has made especially sure that he is the one to get up with the kids. This means he’s been dressing Jane and doing her hair.

But the biggest event, and what I claim as my excuse for Blogger absence, is that we went home to my parents’ for Christmas.

The babies and I left a week early since, shockingly, Lane had to work.

The flight out was very difficult for me. I’ll spare you all the details and give you a quick run down of (one of) my convo with the American Airlines ticket check-in man.

Me: “Can I get a gate pass for my husband so he can help me with our children?”
Rude, emotionally-devoid Man: “No.”
Me: (tearing up) “Please?”
REDM: “No. It’s only for unaccompanied minors and people with special needs.”
Me: “I have special needs. I’m flying alone with two children under the age of 2.”
REDM: (glancing at my husband and babies): “No.”

Regardless, we made it and the early departure also meant we arrived a week before all my siblings.

This meant we had Grammie and Grandpa to ourselves.

Jane had the run of the house (and Grammie and Grandpa).

Elliot developed a very strong attachment to Grammie.

My dad spent all his free time with my kids and I got to spend their sleeping hours alone with my Dad Christmas shopping.

And we got to help my Mom set the house up for Christmas (Elliot especially enjoyed this).

During vacation, there were also a couple of firsts in our family.

Elliot graduated to Gerber 2nd foods.

Jane had her hair in a ponytail for the first time.

(She’s an old hat at it now.)

Jane had her first taste of In N’ Out (of course, she loved it).

Jane got her lips done for the first time (thanks Aunt Diana, who also taught her to say chocolate. Awesome.).

Lane joined my brother and brothers-in-law for the Christmas Day Polar Bear Swim.

And Lane wore his first boa as we had our Dance Dance Revolution Contest.
Of course, what would a family Christmas be without a little tragedy?

With everyone arriving on the 23rd, Lane was going to be the last to show up at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve. Of course, a blizzard slammed the Midwest and Texas that day. Thanks to weather and the poor scheduling of the American Airline folks, Lane’s flight was delayed 6 hours. (Can you tell? I’m not a fan of American anymore.)

Although I was teary nearly the whole day with fear that Lane would not be there for Christmas, the celebration went forward.

The nativity re-enactment was done with the Baby Jesus (Elliot) wearing his “I’m sweet, I break things, I’m in charge” onesie and leg warmers.
The Imperial Margarine Spokesman showed up (my nephew, 5 weeks older than Elliot) as one of the Three Kings.
And Jane was the angel we all know her to be.
On Christmas morning, the chaos gave way to Jane’s thrill at seeing her Daddy.

Elliot loved the football Santa brought
though Jane was a little unsure of her Elmo (she has since taken a liking to her life-sized Elmo).
Days later we returned. It was a wonderful Christmas and I hate to call home to hear all the people still visiting, enjoying each others’ company. But, we are resettled and anxiously await the visit of my baby sister next week.

I resolve for the new year to be a better blogger, Kallee.

(This is why I try to avoid the long posts. Who reads all this?)