Oh my gosh...

Yayyyyy!, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

...I'm giving David his first time out right now. He's throwing a complete tantrum right now because a) he's tired and b) he wants me to give him a package of dark chocolate. I gave him a small piece of chocolate after giving in initially but he absolutely flipped out when I put the package back in its place on the counter and walked away from it.

I know I can't give in to this type of behavior and he wants nothing to do with cuddling, reasoning or distraction with other toys and/or activities. So I calmly put him down on the floor of his room, told him I loved him, that he needed to calm down and that I would be back in five minutes.

He's still angry and crying, but he's got another two minutes to go...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You wouldn't know it by this photo...

Not happy about the nose, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

...but we did have a lovely Christmas. Davey just wasn't fond of wearing his blinking Rudolph nose. Great shot tho, eh? :-)

Dave and Dee came over for supper on the 23rd but, unfortunately Mark started coming down with a stomach virus an hour or two before they arrived. By the time they got here, Mark warned them to not get close and we could see him getting more and more ill.



We quickly did a gift exchange, I packed up a big container of dinner to go and they headed back home, hopefully before contracting what Mark had.



Now, likely, Mark came down with the same stomach bug that Davey started having symptoms of on Thursday afternoon. By Christmas Eve, Davey was eating a little big again and was still a bit clingy, but on the upswing. Mark, unfortunately, was hit hard. He spent a lot of time in the bathroom and was so so weak. At one point he was lying on the hallway floor, next to the heater, cold, cold, cold. I brought him a pillow, a glass of water and two blankets, and he lay there until the next trip to the bathroom. He's said he's never felt so sick in his life. Poor guy!

By the next morning he wasn't having to hug the toilet anymore, but he was still under the weather. By lunchtime, however, he was at least sitting up on the sofa and reading his email. I figured if he read email, he had to be doing a bit better.

Bonnie came over on the afternoon of Christmas-Eve and played with Davey while I wrapped some gifts, made a pear/apple (papple) pie and got our dinner in the oven. She stayed for supper with us, though Mark ate only a tiny bit, and we had a gift exchange. Davey was again doing better, a little clingy, eating a little more than the day before, but still had less appetite than normal.

By Christmas morning, Mark was feeling a bit better and Davey a bit better as well. And I was still feeling well. Phew -- looks like I dodged that bullet!

Davey woke to find that Santa had visited and filled up his stocking, left him a pile of gifts, a new big-boy car seat and a TRICYCLE!



Weeee! Of course, we had to help him open gifts, but by the end of the day he started getting the hang of it.



Mom, Michael and Jack came by around 1 on Christmas day to hang out a bit and exchange gifts. Santa left a stocking for Davey at their house too -- they were nice enough to deliver it to Davey on behalf of Santa. That's where Davey found the flashing Rudolph nose. Believe me that he does like the nose when it's blinking on someone else's face. LOL

THEN, Mark, Dave and I headed to Polly's house for a Freiberg family gathering. Jon made bbq ribs that nobody could resist, Laureen made delicious cranberry relish, Polly roasted a beautiful turkey, Linda made luscious mashed potatoes and I made braised fennel bulbs. And, of course, Polly made berry and cherry pies, chocolate crinkle cookies and fudge, Gregg made poppyseed bread and I brought papple pie. *urp*

Then today, Boxing Day, Mark was feeling considerably better and Davey finally was back in his usual fine form. Davey's appetite was back with a vengeance and he ate a BIG breakfast. Then we played all together through the morning and, after Davey ate a BIG lunch, we went to the Northgate mall to exchange some shoes I received for a different size, pick up some tree ornaments for next year (on big sale, of course), get a gift for Linda's birthday (January 2nd, people -- don't forget!) and let Davey run around. And boy, run around, he did! Back was his energy and joyful attitude. He walked and ran and walked and ran and walked... wow, boy did he walk!! Plus he downed a full bottle of soy milk and, when Mark and I got Thai food for our late lunch at 3, Davey ate a very large portion of my chicken and carrots as well as most of the baggie I'd brought, filled with his favorite dried fruits. The boy ATE.

Then, we came home and Davey ate a bunch of cookies (his cookies -- they're actually quite nutritious) and a bunch more soy milk, and a lot more play. Heck, the boy only napped for 15 minutes today. He had energy bursting out of his ears!

6:30 and it was time for a bath:


You can see by the look on his face: Sick boy was banished and happy, healthy boy was back in the game.

After a good bath, lots of fun with bubbles and bath toys and reading one book, Davey was out like a light, ready to rest up for what I can only expect will be another fun-filled and happy day tomorrow.

This year we all got a lot of great gifts -- Santa and family were all really generous this year. I feel really lucky to have such great family and good fortune. And, it must be said, my favorite gift I received this Christmas was from Mark -- an iPhone!

Absolute elfy-silliness

Way too funny!

I love this time of year!

P1150847, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

We've celebrated Hanukkah, I've got all my Christmas shopping done, Davey's getting to experience the small living tree on the dining table and the fake, fiber-optic, tree in the living room. We've got Christmas cards hung across the mantle, the stocking hangers up... but where are those darned stockings?

Anyway, it's warm and cozy inside and cool and wintry outside.

It's a time to make cozy, wintry, home-food and Davey's appreciative.

Davey's walking gets better and better every day, and his personality cracks us up. Yesterday he was in hysterics while watching Mark pull on his jacket, hat and getting ready to go outside. Why he was laughing, we don't know, but it was adorable and contagious.

Vacation starts in two days. Woo hoo!

21 Performers, 2 Minutes, 1 Christmas Saved.

21 Performers, 2 Minutes, 1 Christmas Saved.

The last night of Hanukkah with Grandpa

The last night of Hanukkah with Grandpa, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Grandpa lighting the menorah on the last night of Hanukka

Grandpa lighting the menorah on the last night of Hanukka, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Afternoon at the front door

Afternoon at the front door, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

And now, a moment of cuteness

Firstgiving - Menu for Hope 4

It's that time of year -- time for the Menu For Hope charity event. This year 100% of the funds raised will go directly to food programs in the tiny African nation of Lesotho. It's a marvelous cause and the prizes are tempting. I hope you'll find a spare $10 or more to help!

Happy 14 months!

Hee hee hee, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Today was Davey's 14 month birthday. Strangely enough, we didn't really do anything to celebrate. Bad mommy!

We went to Kindermuzik, where Davey had a lot of fun singing, dancing and shaking bells and rattles. Then he played with Marina for a few hours and, when I was done working and Marina left, we went grocery shopping. Big day, huh? We did read a bunch of books together, played ball and snuggled a lot tho.

Love that boy!

In and out

Putting things away - the new coolest thing, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Putting things in to containers and taking them out is so in for Davey now. Today Davey was thrilled to take every one of his books and methodically put them in to his hamper. As Dad said, when I told them about this: Dirty books!

Later, David felt the need to pick up as many rocks as possible from around the fish pond and throw them in, all the while laughing with gusto.

At dinner he took handfuls of pasta from his bowl and made a big pile of pasta on the placemat beside the bowl. Then he ate a couple bites from the pile and placed the pasta back in the bowl.

Once I'd taken the books out of his hamper, he felt the urge to put a few back in to the hamper, just for good measure.

Then, lastly, while bathing he caught sight of the bath toy bag. I could see the twinkle in his eye and he clearly communicated his desire. So down went the bag, to a level that he could reach. Oh, happy day! You could hear the joy in his voice! All the toys went in to the bag before the bath was done.

What a fun and wonderful boy he's turning out to be. Not that I'm surprised, of course...

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah!, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

The holiday season is upon us and Davey's old enough to form some memories. We'll do our best to give him some happy memories this month. Tonight was the first night of Hanukkah, and what a treat to light some pretty candles for him. Soon, of course, we'll also get a tree and put up some lights.

Happy holidays!

Meeting Santa

davey_santa1, originally uploaded by jessicafm.

Last weekend, after getting his hair cut, Davey got to meet Santa Claus. He wasn't thrilled with the prospect on sitting on Santa's lap, but he was content to sit on my lap, next to Santa. They had a little discussion and the elves took photos. This one turned out rather nicely.

I wonder what Santa will bring Davey this year!