My Christmas present from Trey...

I got my Christmas present from my little guy early this year. Last weekend he finally started giving us kisses!! I am so excited. I kiss him lots on the cheeks & hands & blow him kisses when I am leaving to go to work. He started hugging a few months ago but never would kiss.

Now he is holding up his hands for us to kiss & then will kiss the top of my hand. He has also kissed my cheek a couple of times which was especially sweet. I can't describe the joy I feel when he hugs & kisses me. Its one of the best feelings in the world. He also has started sqeezing us when he hugs us. I want to stop time & enjoy him at this age longer. He is so close to being 2 & acts so grown up sometimes. Not to mention that he is sooo tall!

Today he napped for 3 hours! He is fighting off a cold & didn't nap much this week at daycare so I tried to make sure he got a good nap to catch up. Plus we were going to Zoolight Safari tonight so it worked out well b/c he was up very late for him. Lots of "ights" to see as Trey calls them. Photos to soon follow....it was beautiful & the weather was good for it. He still does NOT like Santa though.

Trey will one day be a grown man & I often wonder what he will do, where he will live, if he'll have children & how many, & how often I will see him when he's all grown up. I can't really imagine it b/c he still has so much growing to do. I want him to enjoy his childhood & have wonderful memories to carry him through life. Christmastime is a very special time & will be one of those memories...

I'm so glad to have Trey for all my Christmases now! Kisses & all!!

Santa...

We were warned, read about, saw it happen, but didn't want to believe it...that 2 years old cry when they see Santa....

We stood in line to see Santa at the Galleria a couple of nights ago(new Santa this year) & Trey was fine until I placed him on Santa's lap. Santa told him he like his shoes and Trey burst in tears! I couldn't believe it-our little man who never mets a stranger & has not been afraid of anything it seems. The photos are in between a cry & a tiny smile only b/c I tickled his belly & jumped back. Not his best photo op for sure!

Santa at least has on a Santa suit this year unlike the one last year that wore a plaid vest. But he is a "thinner" Santa w/ no Santa belly! I heard that the mall hired him to show the kids a healthier, thinner version of Santa. Christmas is about a lot of things but being health-conscious is not one of them-it originated as an indulgent feast to prepare for the brutal winters. So he was an ok Santa but I object to the mall boycotting the original jolly Santa! Interesting parallel that Santa is associated w/ both-guess he needs all that extra fat for surviving the North Pole!

Maybe next year Trey will be more "jolly" when he sees Santa & can tell him what he wants under the tree.

Another peanut butter lover is born!

We decided to let Trey try peanut butter last Sunday even though he's not quite 2. But w/ the holidays coming up & nuts everywhere, I decided it would be better to try it now while we're at home instead in out of town. Luckily, no reaction occurred other than the universal one to peanut butter-lots of "ummm" & "more"! He was licking it off a spoon & reminded me of the scene in "Meet Joe Black" where Brad Pitt's character tries it for the first time. Love at first lick!!

The best part is now he can have PB&J sandwiches!! Easy, protein (which he doesn't like a lot of), & fairly cheap.

Downstairs...

In the mornings when I go up to get Trey, I tell him we are going downstairs. Yesterday he said "downstairs" when I started to walk down w/ him before I said it. I said "what did you say?" & he said "Let's go downstairs"! I was amazed. He has been saying Let's go for a week or so b/c this is what I tell him when we're ready to leave home. But he put them all together for a little sentence! Very exciting.

He is sleeping late again today in this dreary rainy weather we are having-again! Good for sleeping though.

Trey's latest words...

Trey saw Elmo on TV today & exclaimed "mo-mo"! He said this a few weeks ago in a store when he saw the new Elmo Live doll. I thought it was a fluke but apparently that is what he calls Elmo. He is getting the live doll for Christmas so I'm glad he has taken an interest in mo-mo! He also is calling TV "t-t" in an attempt to say TV when he's trying to wrestle the remote from us.

He pulled my toenails today & I squealed in mock pain. He loved the noises I was making so much that he giggled louder & more than I've ever heard him do. It became a fun back & forth.

Lots of fun Christmas events coming up soon...Trey is almost 2 & they say that's when they want nothing to do w/ Santa. We plan to take him next week when I'm off to have his photo made w/ Santa @ the Galleria & I'm hoping he proves to be the atypical child who's not scared of Santa or shy around him. We'll see...I should get our Christmas photo cards tomorrow featuring, who else, but the little man! I can't wait to see them!

Trey's Turkey Day

Trey had so much fun at the grandparents house last week that he has slept until 9am Monday. Then went to bed before 6pm & slept until 9:30 yesterday! That is a record. Today he is back to his usual 8am wake-up call. I have been loving the extra sleep!

Trey ate ham & turkey during Thanksgiving! This was amazing since he usually snubs all meat. We worry about him getting enough protein so we were glad to see him eating Grannie's ham & turkey.

Damages done at grandparents house: broken coffee pot, broken coffee cup, broken ceramic cat, & broken container for honey. That's all we know about for now! Luckily, Trey escaped unscathed in all these incidents but needless to say their house is not child-proof or at least not Trey-proof! I told him Grannie will not want us back at her house. But of course they were just glad Trey wasn't hurt. What a little tornado he is!

Christmas Time!

Our tree is up! I'm so happy that's done & we're way ahead of our usual Christmas crunch schedule. Trey got to run around & see live reindeer at Pine Hill Tree Farms in Tarrant. Ruben & I were the "elves" that put up the tree & decs after Trey went to bed that night. Luckily, Trey has not bothered the tree much at all(knock on wood) but did seem impressed w/ it the next morning. Sampson is happy because his favorite nap spot (under the tree) is back.