Christmas time

I finally finished my semester on Monday, so now I can breathe a bit. One of the worst things about being in school is how close to Christmas students have to work. It makes it really hard to get into Christmas with only a week or so left. I just started making Isabel's stocking last night and will hopefully have it finished today. Nothing fancy, just a green felt stocking with a white cuff. The idea is each Christmas I'll add another decoration as she gets more interested in things. This year I think I'll start with either a Christmas tree or one ornament. Not sure yet. I'll post a picture when it's done. I'm also working on making her a Frosty the Snowman soft book. That shouldn't be too difficult either. I'm trying to work my way up in difficulty to baby shoes. Soooo expensive to buy - I'd rather be able to sew my own.

We decided against a photo with Santa this year for a few reasons. First, she doesn't have any idea what she's "missing" out on. Second, the wait in line. Third, the cost. We went to a nice shopping mall over the weekend (not the one ECG went to when she was here) and got there about 25 minutes after they opened. The line for Santa was already super long and we didn't feel like waiting and risking a no-nap melt down. Plus, for 2 3x5 it's $17. Granted you get a $10 Shutterfly gift card also, but we still have one from when we registered for her baby shower that we haven't used. And, ultimately I didn't like the way the Santa looked. Not quite Santa-y enough for me. No worries though - we ran in to Scooby-Doo at the Comcast booth and she had her picture taken with him. No fear of costumed characters (good news because I love them) - she actually wanted to get closer so she could touch him

Our plan this year is to take her to the snow on Christmas day. The tiny bit of snow we got last week didn't cut it. Nothing fancy, just a drive up the hill. I'm sure we won't even stay that long.

It looks like her second tooth may be ready to make an appearance soon. I can see a little bit of white starting to show. She is now squealing like a guinea pig which is the cutest thing. It's fun to see how she changes the way she talks to people. I like the squeals so it's okay if that hangs around a while.

We toured the childcare center on campus last week and loved it. It's well organized, extremely sanitary (gloved hands for diaper changes and the caregiver and the baby wash hands after each change), lots of activities and no television. They hire a lot of students majoring in appropriate subjects so they are basically overstaffed. Each infant room has designated nap areas and the kids can nap when they need to & not on a pre-established schedule. They have a cook to make all of the food (breakfast, lunch and 3 snacks) plus they make all of the purees, too. I really hope we get in, but we have to wait until January to find out.

It seems like there should be more to write about, but I don't think there is. I still haven't regained full capacity of my brain yet. Maybe I'll be fully functional just before the next semester starts.