Christmas 2014
We were everywhere we could go this Christmas. I was up at 5am on Christmas Eve to go exercise before I worked until noon, at which point I came home to see Essie and Mykala dressed up, Essie’s bottom half looked like a candy cane and Mykala was resplendent* of course. Then it was off to my parent’s for some home-made Dr. Fuhrman lasagna and cookies and presents. Essie opened first, her little hands grabbing each piece of tissue paper. I love to see her touch, feel, grasp things and she has suddenly become so skillful at grabbing everything. The presents were exhausting for her, though, and she needed a nap. This was a theme throughout our presents opening—frequent breaks!
Next, we drove to my grandpa’s to celebrate his birthday, have some of Mykala’s phenomenal Christmas guacamole with pomegranate seeds† and see my mom’s side of the family.
Back into the car, up to Forest Lake, where we saw Mykala’s mom’s side of the family at Mykala’s parent’s house. Essie got to see everyone and was so excited she couldn’t even fall asleep. We popped her into her car seat and she finally slept all the way back down to Woodbury, where we went to St. Ambrose midnight mass with my mom.
Ess was snuggled up in her car seat with her Christmas-colored dog from my parents, “skinny dog”, and she slept through the entire mass. Through all the singing, the readings, the homily, the incense, trumpet-playing, clapping, the entire thing. We went home for some sleep.
Then back at it on Christmas Day! Mykala made me the best cup of coffee I think I’ve ever had‡ and we opened presents from one another. We got Ess one thing: a little, adorable bunny whose tag read “My name is Isabella, please look after me.” We’ve been looking after her.
Then, up to Mykala’s parent’s for mac and cheese paninis and family gifts. Things were going swimmingly until (during one of the breaks in present-opening) I reached for whipped cream, and Essie, perched at my chest in the Baby Björn, employed her rapidly developing skills to grab the edge of a large cup of very dark hot chocolate. I caught the glass, Essie was shaken up but not burned, but the hot chocolate was everywhere. I felt like such a doof. Everything into the laundry, backup clothes on Ess.
Kourtni’s fiancée Arlene then surprised us all with a lovingly crafted and stunning painting of our daughter. So many tears! It was just so unexpected and so different from store-bought gifts to get something we immediately treasured: this hand-crafted visage of our little Essie.
* That’s an excuse to use that work, “resplendent”. I can’t actually pronounce it, so I might as well type it. Plus, it is a good descriptor for how Mykala looked.
† Ok, so, how is it “Christmas” guacamole? Avocados are green, pomegranate seeds are red… and they taste ridiculously great together.
‡ I’ve had some good cups of coffee, but I’ll tell you, the taste is really enhanced when you consume the beverage on your first daughter’s first Christmas morning the day after an exhausting but really without strife, drama, or discord Christmas Eve. Plus, Mykala is great at making coffee.