well thank god that's over

I love Christmas. Absolutely adore it. Why, then, am I so relieved that it's over? Usually the day after Christmas is sad to me, so I'm kind of surprised to realize that I'm so happy to be on the other side of it. I think having a baby might have something to do with it. It makes you very distracted and kind of on edge the whole time, especially when away from home. We have many childcare "aides" at home - the swing, the bouncy chair, the playmat. One of them always pleases Sasha. When out, all we have are laps and a car seat. Thankfully, Sasha has been a gem at every single outing. I, however, was not a gem last night. We had been at my aunt's house for three hours when my mom told me it would be another hour before dinner was ready. I had completely had it. I had a little conniption fit. I don't know why my mood was so foul, since it was my favorite holiday and we were in a room full of people that couldn't get enough of our darling baby. But I was pissed. And tired. And hungry. By the time we left we'd been there for five hours, a good two hours longer than normal. My aunt, who hosts this gathering, is getting older and slower and simply doesn't feel like rushing, I guess. As she helped me pack up leftovers after dinner, my mom swore we'd never do this again.

This week Sasha discovered that she can chew on her hands. She is a full-on slobber machine now. She also has her first cold, and it breaks my heart to hear her coughing on snot, or extra spit, or whatever it is. She absolutely hates the snot sucker thing. I wish it worked a little better. Between her squirming and my fear of poking her brain with it, I'm not getting very much snot out.

Sasha smiled at Micah last night. I swear he became instantly more smitten with her. It truly feels like a gift. Each day she gets a little quicker with her smiles, pays a little more attention to our faces, and is more easily soothed by a tight embrace. She's more content to sit on our laps. She's not really the type of baby that likes to be held really tight for comfort. She likes to be moving most of the time. My mantra for anyone holding her has been "if she gets fussy, try bouncing her on your knee." Then yesterday I realized I she had been sitting on my very still knee for twenty minutes without fussing. Clearly, she and her preferences are changing every day.

Oh, and speaking of smitten, she is completely in love with the television and all its moving magic. This is a fantastic development. Why, then, do I feel so guilty whenever I use it to my advantage? This parenting thing! Egads.