Christmas Eve..Eve

I've been away from my fledgling blog.  Living a life that now has a life of its own.  My Tot & I are moving along.  Both learning the ropes.  Tomorrow my Tot will be away spending time with his dad.  So many things my boy is learning and moving through in his young life.  He now has separation anxiety.  To fix that, I have taken to going to bed when he does.  He stays up way later than your average 3 yr old and I have racked my brain trying to figure out a way to get him to go to bed when other toddlers go to bed.  You know what I surmise?  The boy is so much like me, he's going to do it his way.  No matter what.  On a completely selfish note, it works quite well going to bed during the work week at 9 pm.  10pm at the latest.  I get up at 4:30 am Monday through Friday.  And now my boy does too.  Go ahead and scratch your head and wave your finger in my direction.  Kids are so much smarter than we adults.  He's figured out he can spend more time with me by waking up at the crack of dawn.  He's forcing me to take care of my tired spirit (going to bed earlier than an 80 year old). 

So here we are.  This week off.  Time to bond.  My Tot got so flippin excited he literally made himself sick.  I don't know about you, but I'll be a happy person if I never see goldfish and grape juice on the flip side of an upset stomach.  This was the first year I was able to watch him build his snow man.  I missed it last year because of work and I cried for a week.  It's a milestone much like walking, talking, and laughing for the very first time.  I was able to watch "Despicable Me", "King Kong", and "Mighty Joe Young" with him.  Him.  Curled up by side.  "Save me, Mommy.."  That's his cue for me wrap my arms around him while we snuggle on the couch watching King Kong defeat the blasted, ignorant dinosaurs.  I still have 3 baskets of clothes to fold but nap time wins precedence over that every single time.  3 hour naps and I ain't afraid to brag. 

Santa whispered in my ear last month to buy his presents and wrap and hide them promptly.  So.  I complied.  Thank God I did.  A mountain of bills don't measure the wonder on his little face as he looks at the Christmas tree telling me over & over what I should tell Santa what he wants for Christmas.  Last month, I was really in the dumps.  Now? I am excited.  Christmas music playing in the kitchen as Mamaw and Tot argue kindly on the best way to load the dishwasher. Tot and I fairly agree that bowls belong on the bottom rack but that is so beside the point. 

So tomorrow, my oldest brother and his tribe will flounce around this house.  Our voices will carry into the next neighborhood.  We're German and Irish through and through.  We hug, argue about the tightness of such hug, yell in absolute disgrace, hug again, eat, watch mindless T.V., tell the same stories, and argue about the telling of these stories.  Tot, like he did last year, will take mental notes and meet with me later. He'll laugh and talk endlessly about his favorite cousin.  We'll both go to bed with sugar plums dancing through our head.  Christmas day is mine to spend with Tot.  We'll laugh.  And laugh a lot.