baby's first christmas. . .is done, thank goodness.

We in the Paradis household are pretty happy Christmas has come and gone. The three of us feel like we've been going a mile a minute for about a week and a half. I finally understand why those with small children don't stay until the end of the party. . .ever.

The smallest person needs the most stuff. Diapers and food and bottles and toys and extra clothing (because I've already learned that lesson the hard way) and teething rings and rash cream (although we've never had a diaper rash) and don't forget the Tylenol because you never know what might happen. . .and while we're thinking about it, might as well throw in the thermometer because they probably don't have one where you're going. And oh, right. . .the Cheerios and snack trap and those little disposable place mats you bought that stick to the table to protect your hosts' dining tables. . .and how about some Aleve for mom, too? And where are the car keys. . .again?

Repeat that for about four days.

Then we get where we're going and it's miserable trying to keep Cole in one place because Christmas is exciting and the other kids are exciting and presents are exciting and putting ribbon in our mouth is exciting and stairwells with no gates are exciting and so are sharp-edged coffee tables. Which for some reason, doesn't matter how many times we pop our head on it we're going to do it again. . .and again. . .

And it's okay because it's Christmas and we love our families and want to spend time with them during the holiday. . .

But what all the other people with small children don't tell you. . .is that you don't really spend any time with your families at all. . .because you're busy doing all of the above and actually spend most of the day on your knees. . .roughly 6 inches in back of Cole with one hand ready to stop him from pinching his cousin, or putting that pebble that he found on the carpet in his mouth. . .

And we haven't even gotten into the amount of loot you come home with during this first Christmas with a baby. . .

Plastic toys as big as furniture that light up and play music are in every corner of the place. He was given 4 ride on toys. . .and he doesn't have any friends! I'll have to recruit neighborhood kids to start a bike gang so they can ride together. Everyone was so generous and we really are so lucky.

But the things he wants to play with the most? The boxes. . .the wrapping paper. . .the bows. You mean that's all we had to get him for Christmas? Does that last for the 2nd and 3rd Christmases?

The one thing we take solace in. . .is that we see other family members have come through the throws of the first few Christmases better for it. They trudge in, having spent hours in the car with one kid in each arm, one tiny bag slung over a shoulder, and are happy with happy kids. They say 'Merry Christmas' and mean it. We'll get there. . .we just need to find our groove. ;-)

Am I psyched about this seat or what?

I can't remember the last time I've been so excited about something that is absolutely not for me.

A good buddy got us a fantastic deal on a Britax Boulevard convertible car seat for Cole and it arrived in the mail yesterday! I would give her public praise and share her name, location, and other stats with you. . .but I'm afraid you'll bother her for amazing deals of your own. . .so let's just say "I know people." That sounds way cooler, anyway.

So I've been doing research (of course I have) on car seats for awhile now. . .which one do we want. . .when will Cole need the upgrade. . .will it fit in my 2 door coupe (which we're still not getting rid of). . .and that's when I came across the Cadillac of all car seats.

Besides being absolutely gigantic (don't worry. . .I measured the Subaru). . .it's more plush and cushy than any adult sized chair I have in this house. In fact, when we unwrapped it yesterday, Cole climbed right in, found his snack trap filled with Cheerios. . . and started watching the news. Perfect! More importantly, Britax has one of the highest safety records and folks everywhere swear by the comfort and safety of this seat. It'd better be that good considering the original price tag! ;-)

Hopefully Cole's new Britax will mark the end of his "extreme distaste for riding in the car." His car seat now sits low in the bucket seats of the car, and he can't see much, and I think the extra height will allow him to check out what's going by the windows. . .finally.

I took pictures for you. Just in case you wanted to get just as excited about the seat as I have.

Cole has also gotten his top two teeth in the last couple of weeks. It really makes him look different when he laughs or smiles. He's also constantly trying to feel them with his lips so he "pouts" to get the teeth on his bottom lip.

I tried to get a little picture for you. . .but this is a close as I got:

I'm a published author!

And. . . I'm published. Yes, you can tell others that you know me.

A buddy of mine turned me on to this website called Baby Cheapskate. It's a fantastic site that I've used pretty frequently to find great deals on baby gear, toys and diapers. Each week the author researches the best prices for formula and diapers. That's my 2 second plug for the site. . .check it out if you are a mom or not. . . you can find great deals for the little ones in your life.

Anyway. . .I wrote a review of Luvs diapers for the site and it was published today. They reimbursed me for the price of the diapers. . .so. . .that would mean I was officially compensated for my writing. So I'm published and paid. ;-)

Here's a link to the review. . .

http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2008/12/diaper-review-luvs.html

meetin' the big guy

Here is Cole's first picture with Santa. . .he mostly just spent the time tugging at his beard (which was real, I'll tell you).

new teeth + no sleep = an empty bottle of chianti

Cole has a new tooth! That's the only happy part of that news. . .the rest. . .has made for a tough few days.

Bill and I are walking around the house in sleep deprived vegetative states; reminiscent of those first few weeks with our little man. Cole has refused to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time all week. He doesn't want to be held, but he doesn't want to be put down. . .and he is biting everything and everyone around him.

He's a big fan of these teething biscuits I found for him. Just to see what they were like I tried to bite one. . .and couldn't. Cole had the biscuit in pieces within a minute! I've been freezing thick carrots to give him to suck and bite on and that seems to work, too.

This tooth will make his first on the top and has just broken the surface of the gums yesterday. There's another on the top that I can feel budding through as well . . .so I'm sure his restless biting will continue for some time.

Making matters worse, he has a pretty nasty cold to top it off. He can't breathe when he's eating, which makes him cry, which makes his nose run more, which makes him cry. . . repeat. . .repeat. . .repeat at 2:30 a.m.. . . repeat at 4:30 a.m. . . .which makes me cry. . .which makes my nose run. . .

In positive news, he's mastered crawling away from me at top speed the second he sees the bulb syringe approaching.

The house smells like eucalyptus. Humidifiers are going at a constant full speed. . .boxes of Kleenex on every table. . .it must be winter. The only time he's been sick is exactly one day after we've seen other kids. . .if only we could keep him in a bubble. ;-)

Cole did manage to play a little guitar with his dad yesterday. . .Bill pulls out the guitar and plays a little for him and he joins in. Cole actually cries when guitar time is over! At his request, Bill is not in the video. . .so don't tell me I'm horrible for only focusing on the kid.

It's a bit grainy and dark because the only light on was the Christmas tree, but I think it looks more rock star that way.