We made it through another year. Another milestone. Ellie is two years old today. Whoa, I now have a two year old. When I look at her, it just seems like the next step and it’s not a big deal. But when I say it out loud, “two year old,” it sounds momentous. It has so much weight to it. Two year old. That’s major.
IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS
With budgets being tight and expenses being high, sometimes you have to get creative with gift giving. I always have a hard time sticking to a budget, but this year I was determined to not go over. And because of that, I had a really hard time deciding on what to get my family for Christmas, especially my brother. After roaming around the mall for a total of 5 hours on two separate trips and coming home empty handed (except for the Mrs. Fields cookies I bought for myself), I realized that sometimes the best gifts aren’t purchased. I decided I would make him a homemade gift. It would literally be the most thoughtful gift ever. The Thought Transfer Helmet!
CHRISTMAS EXPECTATIONS
My Christmas morning started at 3am when I went to bed and woke up at the same time.
To say I didn’t have any expectations this year, whether intentional or subconscious, I’d be lying. It’s just what I do. I build images in my head. Last year for Christmas, Ellie was sick. And in addition to being sick, she was barely a year old and didn’t quite get the whole Christmas thing at all. But this year, she knew(okay, I trained her to know) what a snowman was, could point Santa out on the Christmas tree, and she was excited at the site of seeing wrapped presents. So even though I knew she wouldn’t be tearing down the stairs in the morning with super excitement quite yet, I still had a certain image in mind of what this Christmas would be like. But just as life with a toddler is, not many things go as expected.
VACATION WITH A TODDLER?
I ended after a very long, stressful, irritating, exhausting flight asking the question, “Isthis what vacation is like from now on?”
“This” being not really having a moment alone, a moment to relax, a moment to feel rested, a moment that feels like an actual vacation. You know, like you had pre baby. Well, the short answer is, yes. Yes, this is how vacations will be from now on, which sounds awful. But the long answer isn’t a simple yes or no, and it really isn’t as dreadful sounding.
FAMILY, FOOD, & KARAOKE
Every trip to Japan, Aya’s family usually has some sort of reunion. I guess it’s pretty rare for families to stay in touch as much as Aya’s family does, and it’s really cool that they use our “home coming” as an excuse to get together. Since they are all spread out around Japan, the reunion location is usually somewhere in the Tokyo area. Aya has a lot of aunts and uncles, and tons of cousins.  Most of her cousins are now married with kids. They all have a great sense of humor and love to have fun. So combine that with some good food, a few drinks, and one guy who can’t speak Japanese…it makes for a great time.