Sarah's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 3/1/04 -------------------- 2/20/04 2/8/04 1/25/04 1/14/04 12/31/03 12/21/03 12/12/03 12/7/03 11/25/03 11/11/03 10/31/03 10/21/03 10/10/03 10/3/03 9/19/03 9/12/03 9/5/03 8/27/03 8/18/03 8/12/03 8/6/03 -------------------- Sarah's Introduction

Introduction

The Christmas Wrap Up

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly Christmas is over. There is so much preparation and stuff and then it's just over! We were lucky enough to have Christmas dragged out over the course of a couple different days though.

Christmas Eve

We celebrated Christmas with my mom, stepfather, and sister on Christmas Eve because we knew Christmas day would just be too hectic. I was supposed to work from 9-12 that morning, but when I went into the building I had that all too familiar feeling where my eyes never adjusted to being indoors. I tried working in denial for about an hour, but I knew that lovely aura would eventually lead to a wonderful migraine. Once my first twinges of pain started I knew I had to get home while I could still drive. Despite all the last minute things I had planned to do, I ended up spending the day in bed with my Percocets. At some point in the afternoon I dragged myself out of bet to answer the doorbell for what I knew would be Christmas packages from Michigan to sign for. Hubby came home with Hannah in the afternoon and she opened some of her gifts that came in the mail and then took a nap with me. By 4:30 I was up and feeling well and we all headed over to my Aunt's for some appetizers and gift exchange. We had ordered Chinese food in the morning for a 6pm pickup, so we left just before then. After waiting there for an HOUR it was finally ready around 7pm. The entire restaurant got to hear the wrath of a bored and hungry Hannah! Back at our house we ate and exchanged presents and played with Hannah's new stuff.

Christmas Day
Hannah was so cute Christmas Morning when she came downstairs. She was so excited to see all the new stuff waiting for her! She also had become a pro and unwrapping, so proceeded to walk around and tear random chunks of paper of whatever gift she could get her paws on. Her shopping cart and sleigh were all set up and she tried them both out in between other gifts. Peter was very excited with his new grill with the side burner. I had hid it at my moms so he had no idea he was getting it. At our condo we could only have a little table top one, and like most men it was his dream to have a "real" grill. I was way excited to get my portable DVD player, which I mostly wanted for our many long trips off Cape. I will be so nice to be able to drive and have Hannah possibly a bit more entertained. I also got a ski jacket and some new clothes among other stuff. After hurrying to get ready, we were at my Aunt's house (stepdad's side) by 11am for brunch. We do a yankee swap with that side of the family that inevitably included some joke gifts. We brought a Best Buy gift certificate and a remote control fart machine (picked out by dear DH) and left with movie tickets and a Simon card. And yes, the fart machine was the hit of the joke gifts this year. Peter had to work so we left there in the early afternoon for him to get ready and Hannah to catch a car nap. I had to be at another Aunt's by 4pm on the opposite side of the cape. Here we had a nice dinner and exchanged gifts with the rest of my mom's side of the family. Hannah is the first child in 18 years on this side, so needless to say she was very spoiled! My grandmother along got her more stuff than she did all day combined probably. She's 80 and not completely with it though, so not everything was age appropriate, but still very thoughtful. Her friend/caregiver said she just has such a fun time going down those baby aisles again that it is hard to get her not to buy out the store! She also got her the cutest little pink velour Tinkerbell outfit. It was a bit too small though, and the only other size they had was 24 mos, so it'll fit her next winter. Hannah was completely exhausted by the end of the day (as was I!), but had a great time. I know some people hate doing so much stuff on Christmas, but I actually like it. It is what I've done my whole life, so I think if I was sitting home I would feel like something was missing.

One More Christmas
On the Saturday following Christmas we celebrated with my Dad's side of the family at our house. He's a trucker and is only home on Saturday's. We had a big ham and exchanged gifts yet again. It was a little more low key and less rushed than our other Christmases, and they had a wonderful time playing with Hannah. They don't get to see her as often as they'd like, so they really enjoy her. They loved seeing her so excited about the Little Tykes house they brought for her. After dinner we took a walk in my neighborhood to a house that does a Griswold style light display.

The Aftermath
We very happily took down our tree last night and packed all the Christmas stuff away. The tree was such a stressor this year thanks to the cat who decided it should be her bathroom. The cat is 13 yrs old and has never done it before when she lived with my mom and was an outdoor cat. She doesn't go out now that she lives with us though, so I think she was a bit confused. Luckily for Miss Allie, we have a very thick tree skirt with a waterproofed backing. I was still fuming though and since have had to use Hannah's big Little Tykes toy box and top (kind of like a rubbermaid bin) to block it off in the corner. That and poor Hannah kept getting little pine needles stuck in the bottom of her feet no matter how often I vacuumed. Now in place of the tree, we have the Little Tykes Magic Doorbell Playhouse in our living room. I like it better there than in the dining room where it was, but it's just so big! She really loves it and spends a lot of time playing with it though, so it's worth it. The big slide she got is in the finished basement with her ball pit. I'm actually considering taking the ball pit upstairs too because she loves it so much, but I just don't want to be constantly picking up the 100 balls (she goes in and throws them all out, but usually gives up before she's tossed them all back in). Anything that will get her un-clung from my leg and allow me to get stuff done is a good thing though! She still loves her Little People stuff and got the house and Christmas Village to add to her collection. She still LOVES the Leap Frog table she got for her birthday, but hasn't really taken to the Little Touch Leap Pad I got her for Christmas. I guess it just isn't active enough for her. She's really rough and likes physical type stuff, but she loves books so much I thought it might work. We also got her a computer game for babies that I know she'll love, but we haven't tried it with her yet.

Happy New Year!
My husband is actually off tonight, so we may go out to dinner for New Years Eve. Last year it was the day I went off dairy because of Hannah's lactose intolerance and her nursing. I remember just being pretty miserable at the thought of my being on a chicken and rice diet for the next year or so! I think this year I'll eat something nice and cheesy now that Hannah is just on soy. Tomorrow we're heading to Bretton Woods for some skiing. Much of the family has had colds, so I'm hoping everyone is well enough to come. We've got a big five bedroom condo, so the more the merrier!

Here's to a happy and healthy new year for everyone! Julia, we're all wishing that this New Year will bring you the news you so deserve.

Thanks for reading,
Sarah & Hannah