Solstice, Christmas and oh, so close to ONE

Dear Pea,

Yesterday was your first Christmas. We indoctrinated you into the world of Jewish traditions: Chinese food and a movie. Except Daddy and I prefer The West Wing, so that's what we watched. You had a ball at the Chinese restaurant, happily eating rice and my veggies-it turns out we are perfect friends for Chinese food because I hate baby corn and you happily ate it for me.  You also were quite smitten with the staff and spent a good amount of time in the arms of the servers and cashiers, coming back to the table with treasures they gave you: oranges and fortune cookies. It's so funny who you want to go to-the woman came to take our order, she made some goo goo noises at you and you reached out for her to take you.  Our dining companions, good friends who we love spending Christmas with? Not so much as a snuggle.

We had a lovely Solstice celebration as a family and then I went out for my first girl's spa night out with your special aunties R & B. I hadn't been in the saunas and pools since you were literally the size of a pea in my belly; this time was much nicer as I wasn't nauseous in the water.

our Solstice altar

Since Hanukkah, you have been sick. You came down with Roseola the second night and spent a couple of days with a little fever, though no other symptoms.  Then you got a little mild cold with a runny nose for a couple of days.  I hastened it along with some gua sha: BOOM, did it come out, and strong. You had such a fever and were miserable, we gave you Tylenol (again, half a dose) for the second time. But, as these gua sha helped along illnesses tend to do, it came out, burned through and left you feeling totally fine the next day, though still with a cough and runny nose.  And so, here we are, a week out from your birthday and you sound a bit like Darth Vader and look a bit like Rudolph. But you are happy and playful and requesting that we read you book after book after book.

Your favorite things this week:

• My wallet.  Oh, do you love taking apart my wallet.  This will keep you occupied for an hour or more-it's perfect for when I have a phone client. 

My empty wallet behind you, its contents strewn about

• The xylophone app we downloaded on the iPad.  I never wanted to be that parent, Sweet Pea, the one who turns to technology. But, oh, do you love this. 

xylophone!

• Books books books!! You play with them on your own, you request that Daddy and I read them to you (by holding it out to us and then sitting expectantly), you take them off the shelves constantly. 

• Dancing to music.  You have progressed from your arm in the air dance to bending both knees and bouncing while music plays. This is adorable, and yet throws us for a loop when we try to get you ready for bed by playing your sleepy music and you start dancing.

• Chocolate. Oh, yes, you love chocolate. It's the good stuff: 85%, very low sugar, fair trade, organic.  

This was taken the day you had the fever and were miserable.  This is you sick. Of course, the whole day wasn't like this, but you rally and have fun and generally love life. It shatters me, Sweet Pea. I have so much to learn from you