Homemade and starting traditions

The apron and the pants are both homemade by me.  I am not naturally talented at sewing like my mother and sister.  I have to rip seams up, hate,  don't like, can't follow patterns, jam up my sewing machine, and use "inappropriate words" while sewing.  But when I am in the mood, sewing is fun and it relaxes me.  I haven't made Celia pants since before I started working, meaning summer 2008.   So I found this great corduroy fabric on sale and I made her some pants.  They are okay.  The pattern accomodates a diaper, which she doesn't wear, so the crotch and butt are quite baggy.  I like projects like this though because I can make them in about an hour.  The apron has been in progress for a long time.  I have worked on it every so often.  I actualy started it this summer, just really would work on it for a few minutes here and there.  I didn't intend on finishing it for Christmas but I got in the mood last night and voila there it is.  Celia was curious so I gave it to her right there.  She was so excited to try cooking in it that we rushed upstairs to get out her play stuff and then she took it off and said "I'm all done, I don't like it anymore" and that was that.  I hung my head and fought back the tears.  I tied it onto the back of one of her little chairs and it now has a spoon and little rake in it.  At least she modeled for the picture.

She is getting a homemade blanket from me.  She needs a bigger blanket for her bed, not an adult sized one, just a "big girl' size one.  So we will see if she likes that.  I made it so that she can use it as a sleeping bag type blanket, or she can just lay underneath it.  It is funky looking and pink, she loves pink.

This morning I hope that I started a tradition with Celia, I hope to do it next year.  I bundled her up and we went over to Wegmans to get some ingredients for my cherry cheesecake that I making for Christmas.   I also wanted to buy an ornament with her.  Wegmans didn't have a huge selection, but I knew they also deeply discount them around this time.    We found a delicate angel with red wings that look like leaves, it is pretty.  Celia chose it.  We decided it was a gift for Jesus's birthday.  She does associate Christmas with his birthday, primarily because of her methodist daycare.  In anycase, these ornaments that I hope to pick out every Christmas eve are going to be her ornaments.  They will be the ones that she gets when she is grown.  Next year I am not so sure it will be a Wegmans trip.  The store was crazy- it was 8 am!!   I hope to expand it to breakfast with Mom too.   Breakfast with a two yearold is not all that relaxing, 3 will be better, right???

Celia is actualy over at my neighbors right now playing.  It isn't often that I don't have her and am not at work, it feels strange.  She was excited though!! 

Tonight we have our church's childrens service at 6pm and then may be going over to our neighbor's afterward.  I wish that the service was at 5.    6:00 is just dinner time to me!  But I am looking forward to dressing Ms. Celia in her christmas dress and seeing her have fun with all the songs.  Our children's service is extremly kid oriented, it is very cute.

Merry Christmas!

A Year in Review

January

We celebrated Granny's birthday and you started sitting in your big girl booster chair. We started cloth diapering this month, yeah!! No more red bum for little Celia!

February

We went to visit Emmett and Katie for their birthdays. We also cheered Mom Mom up after her knee replacement surgery.

March

We celebrated St. Patty's day with no heat! It was fixed fast enough but it was a chilly St. Patty's day. You started really loving our library storytime! Oh and guess who crawled and is crusing along the furniture??

April
You wore the sweetest pink velveteen dress and white knit stockings. Remember those stockings. You started getting very, very, silly this month and it was super cute. The baby monitor was your favorite thing.

May
Beautiful Mother's day pictures. We are having fun with our small playgroup and still enjoying our friends at the breastfeeding group.

June

We went on vacation and you saw the beach for the first time!! Oh.. and Mommy started a blog!! Your favorite thing in the world was your little green ball.

July

Brush, brush, brushes... We thought that we kept losing your brushes. However little Miss smarty pants pulled out three from a hiding space when Mommy was searching and searching for one of your brushes. Little Miss Celia has become very, very chatty. She has perfected apple, da da, and ma ma. She is signing away too. Guess who has two new teeth?? You and not a peep of complaining.

August

Guess whose walking??? That's right you are little girl. You would have been walking much earlier if you hadn't been a scaredy cat. Mommy and Daddy both caught you taking steps but you didn't want to show off until August. It only took you a few days and you were off. Mommy was so thankful for that as she returned to work at the end of this month, big sob. You got your first illness, from Mommy, on her second day of work- the stomach bug... Ugh, Mommy felt so sorry for you and all she wanted to do was cuddle all day long but she had to go to work. So Mom Mom took over. Oh 2 more teeth little one without a complaint again.

September

You started daycare and boy do you love it!! You were a Chatty Cathy prior to going daycare but your language just takes off. You have your own little friends- Olivia (Ahh!! is what you call her), Mae Mae, and Addy in your class. Mommy thinks that her students are going to kill her but she is happy that you enjoy school. The teeth keep coming and you are still an amazing teether.

October

Halloween. Boy did you like going house to house with your little trick or treat bag. Well daycare has been great for you but you have been sick. Not primarily from daycare, but from Mommy bringing germs home from work. No new teeth, you get a little break!

November

Mom Mom gave you a new (to you) coat and Mommy got you a new hat. You are so, so into shoes now. "Shoe shoes" is what you say when you see them and you insist upon wearing them all around the house. Your feet are still tiny (the size of a 9 month old) but growing slowly. You are 21 lbs and 29 inches- 15% for both.

December

Goodbye 2008. We had a great Christmas in Lancaster but we missed Granny. You especialy loved the stroller and cabbage patch doll that Grandpa and Grandma gave you. We then went down to Virginia to see Aunt Vickie, Uncle Jack, Katie, Emmett and your favorite- Mom Mom. There are not many people that you prefer over Mommy however the entire time it was not "Mommy" that you called, it was "Mom Mom" actualy you yelled "Ma Ma" for her. You were not too fond of her cat Thomas but when you saw him you said "Meow". Your language is so amazing, over 40 words. You dance and chant "Hey Celia" which cracks us up. You have said some sentences "I see Celia" and "I see a dog". Oh and also you are saying "Oh shit"... Really you are and we are not proud, perhaps that is another blog post. You know most animal sounds and are eager to show them off!! You love to give hugs and blow kisses. You love your books, especialy "No David". You are such a big girl that we gave up sippy cups this month, now we are moving on to straw cups. Oh and remember those stockings?? Remember them, the ones you wore when you were 4 and 6 months, they still fit... Your short little one! Oh well I love you tiny, I wish you would stay there forever. Mommy is back to thinking that her students might still do her in, but she thinks they are alot of fun too!!

So that is that, Celia's year in review.

Some Prayer/Thought requests

Sweet Granny

A Friend who lost her Mother

A family who is dealing with a 2nd child who has cancer- a 10% survival rate

Baby Stellan who is doing better but still needs some thoughts

My students' parents when I tell them that we have no school next week due to a massive water pipe bursting.

Pete who doesn't believe he is getting up tomorrow with Celia while I sleep in for the first time in months, changing her poopy diaper, and feeding her breakfast.

Thankful

My family has so many things to be thankful for, really. In this horrible economy, we both have jobs that pay the bills. We can afford a sweet daycare in which everyone genuinely loves our little girl. Our little girl loves that daycare so very much that she looks out the window and asks "school?". She doesn't want to go home on some days!! Not only that but I know that I can give some credit to daycare for her advanced vocabulary and social skills.

We are healthy, goodness I want to say knock on wood. But the truth is that besides catching little colds, stomach bugs, etc. we are healthy. We have a cozy home with heat and water. We are doing fine. As of next week we will also have someone who cleans our house once a month. I feel frivolous for this but it will give me a week (okay maybe 2 if I can stretch it) of relaxing about cleaning. Pete doesn't understand why we need one. Okay we don't need one, I want one. I want to have a week in which I can cuddle Celia and play with her in the afternoons and not have this nagging feeling that I really should be doing something around the house.

We have a wonderful extended family that we don't get to see enough but we at least get to spend the holidays with them. My Mom has been so amazing since Celia has been born, we literaly would not have survived without her. She has been helping with Thanksgiving prep this year and with Celia. Not only that but she is giving Celia her Christmas gifts now so that she can watch her play with them. That is so sweet. Celia loves the gifts but really she just wants "Mom Mom" and she is satisfied. Pete's family (sadly his sister has to work) will be joining us for the feast tomorrow.

Celia had her Thanksgiving holiday show today and my Mom was able to go and see it. Celia was a chef and had a little shirt on that said "Kiss the cook". She sat in one of the buggies but my Mom said that she really would have liked to have been able to dance and join the older kids.

Okay well Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Anyone up for Black Friday shopping? Mom and I are off for some shopping on Friday, Celia is staying with Pete this year. Last year she was comfy in my Moby wrap while we shopped. Last year I was getting up at least 3x a night to nurse her for an hour each time!! I watched so much Fresh Prince of Bel Air... It is on at any hour of the night.