Merry Christmas Eve
It's been a while since I blogged. It's also been a while since we spent Christmas at home. Seven years, to be exact; that was just after moving to Ottawa.
Not much has changed since then, and yet everything has.
We still rent the same condo at the same rate; we drive the same lousy car; I probably wear the same shirts and socks; I'm just as dangerously close to going bald.
On the other hand, having our dear little daughter has changed our world. She causes me to leave the house several times more per year. I cook more meals in a week than I had in total before Ottawa. And I have someone to go geocaching with!
Lily is maybe 23 pounds at 28 months. We have friends whose 6-month-old is 20 lbs already. Maybe Lily should eat what he's eating. It's not that she doesn't eat, but perhaps her metabolism was inherited from her dad. At any rate, while she hardly snacks, she's rarely discouraged from asking. Like the other day: "Dad, I need a little candy in my little mouf." Um, okay. So I first gave her what she didn't know she needed (a lesson in politeness), and then she got a candy.
She may not eat a ton, but she's certainly not fussy. Most of what she doesn't get down is because it's too stringy or hard to chew. She eats anything we eat. Like peanut butter or chocolate sandwiches at lunch with me. Or pomegranate seeds with her mom at dinner. A two-year-old should not know the term "pomegranate seeds".
Like all kids, she has a pretty good overhearing ability, but there is the occasional short-circuit. We had the ubiquitous Christmas ham for dinner this week, and she asked "Is this Abraham?" No, my dear sweet child, it's just regular ham. Very cute though.
She's a very energetic and happy little girl. She loves ballet, books, mermaids, praying and going to the store. I've learned that the latter will make life interesting once in a while. Like when we were doing groceries last week and she hollered "DAD, IS THAT A LADY?" This while pointing at the Asian dude within earshot who very much needed a haircut but I hadn't wanted to be the one to point it out to him. Dust bunnies flew as I hustled our cart to safer quarters two aisles over.
While we rarely use it, she's taken to the Lord's Prayer lately. She picked it up very quickly, and soon she could do most of it herself, proclaiming afterward, "I did the God's prayer!"
We're not actively toilet-training her, but it's been quite a few months since I changed a stinky diaper. She prefers the real toilet (obviously with a kiddy seat on top, or her skinny butt would disappear and end up in the ocean). But she doesn't mind the little kid potty either, even though "dere's nuffin' to flush, dere's no handle!"
Our happy kid does display a bit of attitude once in a while, but not even close to the "terrible twos" one hears about. She did say "Dad, kiss my bum" but then I realized it's because she'd fallen and needed a parent's magical ability to heal all things with a smooch.
And now for the photo dump you've been waiting for.
Last night we let Lily open one present, y'know, to hone her skills for the main event. She wasn't very good at ripping though wrapping paper; she probably didn't get enough practice on her 2nd birthday.
And tonight she got the rest of the presents, tearing through the wrapping paper with surprising confidence and ease. Another life skill learned. This playhouse is by far her favourite gift; may it provide years of enjoyment! (Or at least days.)
Merry Christmas!
