The Perfect Day

At least it was perfect in my mind. And it was Father's Day. So I hope Tony enjoyed it too.

I let Tony sleep in yesterday, which means he woke up a little past 8am. I was.. ahem... not feeling well, due to a little too much fun at our friend's wedding the night before (Congrats Sarah and Adam! Such a blast). So I threw on Buzz and Woody and let the kid veg in front of the tube as I rested my eyes on the couch. Why yes, I am a fabulous mom, thank you.

It was a beautiful lazy family morning. We spent a few hours recovering, munching on breakfast, and getting ready for the day.

We had lunch at our favorite Mexican place. Des was a funny little angel, a bit of a change from recent antics in restaurants. Mad props to my boy for that.



And I enjoyed a little hair of the dog. It did the trick.



That afternoon we went for a long walk, as the weather was amazing, and we stopped for ice cream. Des enjoyed his first bites of a chocolate cone and kept coming back for more. So okay everybody, he is officially Tony's son now. I know you were all worried.



Later we filled up the kiddie pool and laughed as Des climbed in and out and splashed all around, giddy with excitement. I'd post pics but they're mostly nudes. And that would be creepy. What, the kid enjoys the fresh air on his nethers. Again.. his father's son.

Later after Des went to bed Tony took a bike ride down to the baseball field and caught up with old friends. I enjoyed some alone time with laundry and the Real Housewives.

We both fell asleep early with the windows open and a kitty purring at our feet.

We haven't had a day like that in a while. It was much needed.

Happy Father's Day, my love. You are the most incredible father I could have ever hoped our son would have.

Check out my Father's Day piece on the Patch. It was a fun one to write.

Pretty Tree

We were a little nervous about getting a Christmas tree this year. We had visions of Des, in his new mobile and curious state, ripping off branches and ornaments like a baby Godzilla. We imagined him splashing in the tree water and ingesting smashed up bits of glass ornaments. I don't know where his parents are in these scenarios, but we always fear the worst.

We thought we'd have to put a big gate around it. But the first week it was up, he barely even noticed it. He'd give it the side eye every now and then and go back to playing. So we held off on the gate.

Gradually he started to get more curious. He'd point to it and smile. Each time I'd say, "Pretty tree!"

Now when we carry him down the stairs to the living room, he points to the tree and says "Bshdee!" We walk over, plug in the lights, and his face lights up right along with it. He'll reach out and delicately touch the needles with his fingertips.


Certain ornaments catch his eye and he'll cradle them in his palm. When he's on the floor, he crawls over to the 'bshdee,' points to one of the red bows, and bats at a dangling Santa.


He's always gentle, even hesitant at times. But we encourage him to explore.

If he's upset or sad, we say "Where's the tree?" Inevitably he'll stop crying, turn around and point, forgetting what the fuss was about.

Our short little lopsided tree is not going to last much longer. It's drying up. Despite our frequent watering and sweeping, there is a constant ring of needles on the floor underneath. We're holding on as long as we can. I will be so sad to take it down.

I'm partly dreading the undecorating process, which.. ugh. How tedious and depressing is that. But I am also going to miss Des's face every time we walk down the stairs. His little fist pointing forward and his squeels of delight. I am so afraid our boy will miss his tree. He's at an age where he understands many words and he babbles with the best of 'em. But of all the syllables he has spoken in his short life, none have been as clear or joyful as "bshdee."

Pretty tree, I was not kind to you at first. But you are a part of what has made our first Christmas as a family so special. For that, we thank you, bshdee.

Photo Update

So.

Hi.

Been a while.

My lazy, pajama-clad self is not able to put these past few days into words yet. Once I get back into the swing of using my brain and forming sentences and making any kind of sense in written form, I'll post a proper recap of our first Christmas with Desmond. Or maybe not. Maybe it was all too magical, wonderful, warm and sweet for words.

Anyway... For now, I give you photos.


Auntie Jaclyn came home. She did not let go of Des for many hours.

He was totally fine with that. As were we.



There was Christmas Eve.




And Christmas morning.



And Christmas day, which was apparently so crazy I don't have a single photo of it.


Then there was snow.


Shoveling and 'blowing' of said snow.


And watching of said shoveling and snow blowing.


Then someone came to the house, took our baby, and replaced him with this toddler looking kid.

He will be 1, as in year old, in 19 days. Which is a whole other can of worms.

I am off to bed for a good night's rest, during which I will hopefully become bathed, skinny, and totally ready to do actual, real life, grown-up work this week.

I am in trouble.

You have such a pretty face, you should be on a Christmas Card!

I didn't want to post this until we mailed them. And since we have sent out the bulk of them already, here is the final version of our 2010 Christmas Card:



Despite some of the challenges that come with photographing babies, we were able to get a few options to choose from. And by few, I mean two. So I'll go ahead and show you the other version as well:



I'm still second guessing whether I should have used that one. But the amputated left hand really got to me on this version. Ultimately, I'm happy with the final product.

Obviously none of the viable options included Des actually looking at the camera. For some reason, he goes all droopy face when he sees the lense. You'd think he'd know the drill by now.

I love seeing all the photo cards come in from family and friends. So I was super excited to be able to participate this year. So excited that I sent most of them out well ahead of Christmas day. I hope I'm not coming down with something, cuz that's not like me at all!

Oh Christmas Tree

Okay, so the whole Christmas tree ordeal started off a little rough. But all's well that ends well. Here are some photos of the process, from the ugly beginnings to the beautiful final product.


Our sad panda of a tree. I totally choked under the pressure, guys.


Tony's quick fix. Way to salvage it, Salamone.


Let's get to decoratin'.


Halpin'.


See Desi, the ashtray ornament Daddy made in the 2nd grade goes waaaay back here.


Final product. Blue lights and an angel that almost doubles its height. Not bad though, right? I think we pulled it off.

And I'd like to note that Tony's ashtray ornament made it front and center. I did not realize it until going through these photos. I'm so full of the Christmas spirit, I just might leave it there.

Maybe.

Christmas Gram

I am big into the holiday season. About a week before Thanksgiving I start to get all giddy with anticipation. I'm not the kind that goes nuts decorating or shopping or wearing jingle bell earrings. I'm more the kind that sits on the couch with a cup of cocoa and a warm blanket, listening to Christmas music and looking at the tree. Ahh the music, the movies, the nostalgia. This time of year gives me the warm and fuzzies.

I think it also takes the edge off the slow descent into the depths of New England winter. But let's not talk about that right now.

And can I take a moment to thank the lord baby jesus for online shopping? Because if I had to go near a mall during this time, my feelings on the holidays might be leaning a little more toward the dark side.

So far, introducing Des to his first holiday season has been a blast. He helped with the lights:


We watched my favorite holiday movie together.

He is a fan. How could you not be? 'Oooh what's a Christmas Gram, I want one!'

We attended our town's tree lighting ceremony on a super chilly night, which was quite a shindig.



Des was not that psyched about the fact that Santa came in on a Fire Truck. Little boys with sensitive ears are not keen on fire trucks. But it was a fun night.

I bought Des a new pair of PJ's just for Christmas Eve. They may be Christmas PJ's or they may just be 'winter scene' jammies. Jaclyn will decide in t-minus 12 days.

There are still some items left to do. For one, Des does not have a stocking yet. I have my eye on one. I guess I'm waiting for a sale at Pottery Barn.

We also have to bring him to see Santa so he can tell him what he wants. Today I had the TV on and Des discovered Pillow Pets. I have a feeling they will be on his list:

Oooooh...

Just a Tree

Maybe it was a bad omen. On the day we planned to get our Christmas tree, Tony dug the tree stand out of the shed and found that a critter had eaten through the bottom and built himself a nest in it. Thankfully, the nest was unocuppied. But this meant we needed a new stand.

Target, typically a one-stop-shop for anything and everything, was all out. So Tony found a tree stand at a local drugstore. When he brought it home I thought he had mistakenly gotten a stand for one of those table-top trees. It was tiny. But the box said that it could hold a tree up to 7 feet tall with a 4 inch wide trunk. Um. I guess we'll see!

We all bundled up and headed down the street to pick out our tree. We looked around for all of 5 seconds, and Tony picked one up for inspection. Sure, looks fine. No major deformities, holes, or rogue branches. A symmetrical, healthy looking tree in our price range.

But wait, we can't just get the first one we see! Let's look around a little. After all, it's freezing out and we have a baby with us. We can totally take our time.

We look at a few more. Too skinny. Too fat. Broken branches. Crooked. Then we forget which one was the first one we looked at. We are lost in a sea of trees. They all look the same. I am overwhelmed and over it. Tony picks out another one and I say, "Fine, that one's fine. Pay the man and pack it up!"

This is why Tony does the grocery shopping. I'd go all Supermarket Sweep in the store, throw anything in the cart and get the heck out of there. I'm easily flustered when it comes to making decisions.

As the tree is wrapped up and strapped to the top of our car, I notice it's a little on the small side. I justify that it only appears dwarfed because it's on top of our big SUV. But the car ride home was silent, as I mentally convinced myself that it was the ugliest, homeliest looking tree I've ever seen. I tell Tony of my reservations and he responds in calm, reasonable ways like, "It will look beautiful when we get it all decorated," and "It's just a tree."

And I respond in true lunatic fashion.

"It's not just a tree! It's Desmond's first Christmas tree ever! This is the focal point of our home for the next month! My happiness during the holiday season relies on the beauty of this tree! Just a tree?! As soon as we get home we're throwing it in the fire pit. Then we're going out to buy a new one. Just a tree."

"Okay," Tony says. "The fire will smell nice."

We both knew we were not going to do that. We would just deal with it and make it work. But sometimes I have to vocalize my irrational, over-the-top reactions to things. Usually in a high-pitched tone with my arms waving. Then Tony says "Okay" and we go about our lives. Love and marriage, like a horse and carriage.

I continue making snide remarks about the tree as Tony lugs it up the stairs. Aren't I swell?

He gets it into the living room, sticks it in the stand, holds it up for me and I start cracking up. It's very short. Hilariously short. There's a big hole in the side. The tiny stand makes it look even smaller and unstable. I took photos but they don't do it justice. You'd all think I was being a snob because it doesn't look half as bad in pictures. So you have to take my word. The tree was ridiculous. But at that point it's funny to me. We will make this tree work.

Tony, god love him, decided that he would build a platform for the tree to sit on. I try to tell him not to bother, it's no big deal. See? I can be uncrazy sometimes. He says it will take him no time at all. I think he thought of it as a fun project.

"Four minutes. Time me."

The platform was perfect. It gave the tree an added 5 inches in height. We put the skirt on top of it and you can't even tell it's there. And it serves an additional purpose of raising the tree up above the baseboard heat, so we'll save this to use for years to come.

That was a nice positive among many little mishaps along the way.

Then we put the lights on. Tony bought new LED lights this year. Our old ones were getting pretty dim. When he plugged in the new lights I noticed a slight blue tinge to them. Blue lights? Oh god, my Nana would be mortified. They're also super bright. So I remove one strand, separate them a little bit, and move them in more toward the trunk. Better. But the blue is still there... oh, the blue.

Here's a crappy cell phone photo that I sent to my sister with the text: "look! we're protestant now!"

No offense to any protestants out there...

We haven't gotten around to fully decorating it yet. I'm hoping that will solve all the problems, make it look fuller, taller, and less... blue. I promise to post pictures of the final product. And to not take it all so seriously.

It is just a tree. And it's going to be beautiful.

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

Phew, it's been a whirlwind holiday weekend. What day is it? Monday? Jeez, even today flew.

Thursday was Desmond's first Thanksgiving! Full of family, food, and football. Just as it should be.

As is tradition, we first attended dinner with Tony's family:



Even Jaclyn was there! Virtually, at least, as you can see by the laptop on the side table. We Skyped with her for a little while. It was good to hear her voice, kinda like she was there in the room with everybody.



Des tried a little of everything for his first Thanksgiving feast. Turkey, squash, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (his fave), carrots, stuffing. He loved it all.

After dinner we headed 45 minutes south for drinks and desserts in Braintree. Des was a little cranky by the time we got there. And my family can be somewhat... overwhelming. It's all the kids. The zillions of kids. And loud people. And scary men in suits who grab babies out of their momma's arms.


I promise, Uncle Dickie is harmless.

Such a fun time. Overall, Des did very well. He even stayed up past his bedtime and wasn't a total basket case about it. We got home around 8:30, and it felt like midnight. Exhausting day.

Friday was a whole lotta nothing. Just what we all needed.

Saturday was another crazy day. Desmond's daycare provider has a Christmas photo taken with all the kids every year. So we got him gussied up and took him over to her house. Lots of kids, parents, and one photographer/baby wrangler.

Saturday night we attended a friend's birthday party, which meant another trip down to the South Shore. The theme was grunge, and we took it very seriously:

It was the first party with friends where kids were encouraged to attend, so there were a bunch of little ones running around. It was crazy to see these people who we used to hang out with at punk rock shows chasing after babies now. Crazy and awesome. I wish those kinda hangouts would happen more often.

Then Sunday was another lazy day. Des napped for a total of four hours that day, which is waaaaay more than usual. A few times I made Tony go check on him to make sure he was still breathing. But all was well. The kid just had enough of our shenanigans and needed a day of rest.

Now we're in full holiday swing around here. I am beside myself with excitement for Christmas!

Thankful

It's pretty obvious what I'm most thankful for this year, right?

My adorable, hilarious, curious, growing, healthy baby son.

But there are many other things too. I'm thankful that Des slept until 6am this morning. Sleep. I'm very, very thankful for sleep.

This guy. The raddest person on earth. And I get to share a bed with him. Visual!

I'm thankful that Jaclyn comes home in less than a month for Christmas. And that she is realizing her dream of living where it's warm and there's a beach outside her window, and I'm thankful that she is coming home for good next year.

I'm thankful that Janet married Nick and that they live less than a mile away from us. And they will never ever leave me!

My mom and my sisters. They are so much a part of who I am, they are like my limbs. See this leg? It's Maureen. The other one is Deanna. Janet is like both of my arms. My mom is my head, because it seems that in everything I do (especially lately) I think, 'What would my mom do?'

Our amazing families.

Things, jobs, homes, money, vacations. They're nice. But they come and go. It all means nothing without the people you love.

Sorry to go all sappy on you like that. It's the holiday spirit. Talk to me mid-January and I'll be back to cynical and sarcastic.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Christmas Photo Outtakes

This weekend we attempted to take a photo of Des for our holiday cards. It was a team effort. One of us would take the picture, and the other would hop around like a lunatic trying to make the him smile. We learned some things. For one, Desmond enjoys early 90's dance fads, such as The Running Man. Skankin'-it-up is a close 2nd. Hip hip! We also learned that the attention span of a 10-month-old is about as long as my pinky finger.

We took two thousand eleventy guhzillion and one photos. There might be one or two that will work. Maybe.

Most of them look like this:


Dudes, this dog is WACK.


He's behind me, isn't he.


How's the hair, is it okay?


So over it you guys.

I'm seriously considering another photo shoot this weekend. Tony better get his dancing shoes on.

p.s. Check out the blog of our friend Chris, of Chris and Jeannie, parents to adorable little Logan. It's called Dad Gut. Adventures of fatherhood, health, fitness, and family. It's already a daily read around these parts!

Wish List

Both Christmas and Desmond's birthday are coming up and we're already getting a lot of "What should we get the baby?" requests from family and friends. Instead of responding, "Umm, ya know, like toys 'n things?" I figured I should come up with some concrete ideas. So I created a wish list on Amazon.com for him.

The problem is that instead of adding things each day, I keep taking things OFF the list.

I hate having too much stuff around. Also, Des doesn't need too much stuff. Living simply is one of the concepts I hope to instill in him. It will help him to become more imaginative with what we have. As it is, he's perfectly content to play with an empty box. Or a few tupperware lids. Or a broom.


Seriously, he played with the broom for like 45 minutes that day.

So his wish list has been pared down to books, puzzles, a few movies, and a couple of outdoor play items. Oh, and this of course:

Start 'em early!

But honestly, I think if we wrapped the toys he already owns and loves in spankin' new cardboard boxes, he'd be psyched.

Neely might enjoy it also.

Happy Halloween!

It was a busy day. Daddy and Grampa have been doing a lot of work on the house (pics and updates to come!), so Des and I went to the park for a while.



Then Daddy took Des to a couple of the neighbors houses for trick or treating tonight.


Desmond as pirate and Tony as... Terry Francona?

Des doesn't quite grasp the concept of dressing in costume and knocking on doors to request treats. It was really just so our friendly neighbors could see him in his costume. They got a kick out of it.

However, Des does grasp the concept of bath time. And how freakin fun it is.



Yeeeah!

Great day.