It’s over. It’s all over. Christmas and Hanukkah have come, gone, and now are in the past. And this tired pregnant woman couldn’t be happier to see it all go. Oh sure, I like seeing family, decorating the tree, eating good food, and getting and giving presents, but I put so much energy into it that I barely have enough to get me through to the end of the year.

Christmas Eve was the more formal party night. We went to see my dad’s side of the family, and this year’s gathering was being hosted by my cousin at his enormously beautiful new house. I can’t even fully describe how big that place was. As we walked up to the door, Cordy said, “Look, a palace!” and Aaron and I had to laugh and agree that she wasn’t far off. The place has three full floors, a sunken formal Italian-style dining room, a two story living room with a wall of windows looking out onto a lake, etc. The downstairs was a funhouse: a game room with a pool table, air hockey table and pinball machine, a full bar (seriously, when you stepped into that room, it looked like a well-kept small pub), and a home movie theatre, complete with leather theatre seats, a projector and a very large screen taking up an entire wall. I was blown away by it all – clearly we’re in the wrong lines of work. It was stunning.

Cordy was very shy at first, but soon warmed up and was wandering through the crowd of about 35 adults and 20 children. Although there were a few other kids her age, who tried to interact with her, she ignored them and continued doing her own thing, as usual. Santa visited the kids, and while she wouldn’t go near him without me holding her, she did at least say thanks for the gift (which we provided). All the kids then ripped open their gifts, and I found it funny that all of the other little girls squealed with glee over their princess dolls and dress up kits, while our little girl was excited to unwrap a Backyardigans pirate ship.

Next was the gift exchange for the adults. By this point it was after 9:00pm – a full hour past Cordy’s latest bedtime – and by 9:30pm she was done. She climbed off my lap, laid down on the floor in the middle of all the chaos, pulled a pillow over her head, and fell asleep. Everyone had to carefully step over her, and the loud conversations did nothing to wake her. She slept for the rest of the night.

Christmas day we spent at home, with all of my mom’s side of the family joining us for dinner and gift opening. Cordy started the morning with her big gift: a trike!

That is the face of a happy kid.

She probably spent a good half hour sitting on that thing, saying, “A bike! A bike!” over and over again. She doesn’t know how to pedal yet, but she’s happy enough to sit on it for now. We can work on the logistics of locomotion in the summer.

Once family arrived, the day became a blur. Food was being prepared while gifts were being sorted and then opened. Then it was time to eat, followed by clean up and before I knew what was happening, it was 3:00pm, everyone was leaving, Cordy was down for a nap and I felt a strong urge for a nap myself.

Cordy got a lot of very nice gifts, including lots and lots of books, a playhouse for the backyard, an Aquadoodle mat, and megablocks. But, as can be expected from many toddlers, she had no interest in opening those gifts or playing with them. Instead, she was far more content to play with the boxes.

Huh? An awesome toy? No thanks, I’ve got this box…

(More tomorrow, including the Gift Hall of Shame. Although the winner should be no surprise to you, you probably can’t guess what the worst/weirdest gift will be.)

We’ve been busy here trying to finish the last of the wrapping, while keeping a certain toddler happy. Tonight is the big party with my father’s side of the family, and then tomorrow my mom’s family will all be at our house in the morning. Here’s some pics of the day.

In PJs and red hat (she really loves that hat)

Playing with the tree

And finally, here is my first belly pic at one day short of 19 weeks. This Thursday is the big ultrasound, where hopefully we’ll find out if this baby is a girl or boy.

I’m a believer that good things happen on the solstice. Of course, Summer Solstice is my birthday, which, well, I think is a pretty good thing, except when I turned 30. Winter Solstice marks the end of the days getting shorter, and the return of the sun shining just a little more each and every day. Well, if you actually get to see the sun where you are – our part of the country is known for most winter days being cloudy. But this particular Winter Solstice had other happy connotations besides more daylight.

First, my entire house now smells like yummy chocolate and peppermint. I made this recipe for dark chocolate peppermint bark last night, and despite my lack of culinary skills, it turned out very well. Of course, it helps that it was one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever followed. It’s now hardened and today I have to break it up into small pieces and box it up for gifts. I promised Aaron I would make more so that we get to have some as well.

Second, our Christmas and Hanukkah shopping is finished. There are a few small packaging items still needed, but for the most part, we’re done. It’s a good thing we’re done, too, since the marathon begins tonight with a Hanukkah celebration with Aaron’s family.

I’m also glad to be done, because my irritation at other people was hitting a peak. Driving to the few remaining stores last night, I used more expletives than I normally do in a month behind the wheel. The rain and the rush to get their shopping done were turning people into road rage asshats, weaving in and out of lanes, cutting in front of others, and lacking any respect for fellow drivers. Now that the shopping is done, I can relax again.

Third, Cordy and I got to attend a birthday party for a local blogger’s twins. Stella and Grant turned two yesterday, and a casual party was held at a McDonald’s with a very new, very posh playarea. Cordy had a lot of fun with the other kids, and for the first time (and second, third, and more) went down the slide without my help. I enjoyed catching up with friends and meeting some new moms.

And finally, to top off Winter Solstice, we had a message on our answering machine when we got back from dinner. It was the police detective working on our break-in case, and he was calling to give us an update. Thanks to the DNA extracted from the tiny blood spot I found on our curtain, they arrested the robber, and he confessed to the crime! Woo-hoo! Aaron will be calling today for more details – there is little chance any of our stolen items will be recovered, but the police may be able to find out where the guy sold our stuff.

It feels satisfying to know that this guy will likely be spending Christmas in jail, where he won’t be able to steal from anyone else and ruin another family’s holidays. Justice came through, and I want to give a big thanks to the Columbus Police Department for keeping up with such a minor case compared to all of the larger crimes that require more attention.

So that was my day yesterday, and I’m pretty impressed with how it went, even if Cordy did skip her nap and leave me feeling frazzled. Now I must spend today resisting the urge to eat the chocolate peppermint bark calling me from the kitchen.

Time spent in bookstore to pick up a gift: 5 minutes
Time spent in parking lot trying to find one single stupid parking spot: 20 minutes

Right around this time every year, my holiday cheer is momentarily thrown out the window and replaced by a grinch. OK, maybe not a grinch, but certainly a person who doesn’t like society very much. I know it’s partially my own fault. I should have started shopping earlier for Christmas/Hanukkah gifts. I should try to shop when no one else is around. (Although even at midnight the lines are long.)

I’m generally in a good mood when I set out on a shopping expedition. I try hard to be polite to others, not get in anyone else’s way, and overall make the experience as pleasant as possible. But then I run into the other last-minute shoppers – stressed, frantic, and grouchy – and they start to wear me down. They cut me off in traffic, steal parking spots I’ve been patiently waiting on, run into me with their shopping carts, cut in line, leave junk they decided they didn’t want in the aisles for me to trip over, let their kids run around like mad and run into me, and yell at me when I take the last item before they got there.

It’s no wonder my grip on my steering wheel gets tighter and tighter until my knuckles are white as I approach a store this time of year. “Just get in, and get out,” I tell myself. And then other people make it take ten times longer than I planned, and I leave with a massive headache and the feeling that I’ve been beaten up. I want to enjoy shopping, but during the holidays, the one time I must shop more than any other, I’m forced into a bad mood by the chaos.

What is it about shopping in December that turns people into such monsters at the mall? What happened to remembering simple etiquette? If you’re walking through the mall at a snail’s pace to examine your list and discuss where else you need to go, can you at least not take up the entire path so others can get around you? I understand the pressure to find the “perfect” gift can make anyone feel edgy, but is it necessary to take out your stress and frustration on strangers who are just trying to get their shopping done as well?

It’s no wonder that internet businesses are reporting record sales this year. With traffic jams around the malls every evening at 5pm and every weekend, long lines in the stores, and bad attitudes on top of it, it only makes sense to shop online.

I’ve avoided brick & mortar stores as much as possible so far this month, but with a few people left to shop for, and shipping deadlines passing, I now must face the angry crowds. But after last night’s trip to the bookstore, as well as a few other stores, I realize that this insanity might be enough punishment for my procrastination to force me to plan ahead on gift buying.

So next year, I’m going to make that list early and preferably shop online as much as possible. Or become rich enough to afford a personal shopper.

And to the big athletic guy who stole the parking spot I was waiting for (with my blinker on, no less): I hope you felt at least a twinge of guilt as I walked past you later with my pregnant belly poking out from under my coat.

For years educational experts have told us that it is important to introduce a second language to our children while they are still babies and toddlers. This is the prime learning time for new languages, when little brains absorb words like a sponge. And with today’s emphasis on the global economy, the world wide web, and the constant influx of immigrants, a second language really is helpful for just about anyone.

I’ve generally agreed with this, since my school system didn’t offer languages until high school, making it difficult for anyone in our Spanish class to incorporate a second language into their lives. A year after the class, few of us could say anything in Spanish other than asking where the bathroom or library is. I took Spanish in college also, and while I can still read some basic Spanish, I’m lousy at speaking it or understanding spoken Spanish. It’s a shame, too, because our city has a high number of Spanish-speaking immigrants (especially on my side of town), and breaking that language barrier would have been handy on several occasions.

Cordelia, however, seems to be listening to the experts, and has a strong interest in languages, as seen by her new preferences in TV shows. She used to love shows like Oobi, Higglytown Heroes, JoJo’s Circus and Blue’s Clues. But most of those shows hold little interest for her now, because at the moment, it’s all about Dora.

Dora is her new idol, followed shortly by Diego, and the newest member of her obsessions, Handy Manny. All three of these shows teach a little bit of Spanish in each episode. Not enough that a child will be speaking Spanish fluently, but they do provide some basic words and phrases to build and expand on.

Now, in full honesty, I have to tell you: I hate Dora. I can’t stand the whiny, football-head shaped girl, and her loud and obnoxious monkey. When Cordy first happened to see her, I didn’t mind, because it seemed like a decent show, and it is, until the repetition finally gets to you, and you go to sleep at night saying, “Tree…bridge…Treasure Island!” And don’t get me started on the messed up relationship she has with Map.

But, this little bit of TV each day is actually teaching Cordy Spanish. Besides parroting all of Dora’s annoying catch phrases (“Where are we going?” “Come on, let’s go!” “Swiper, no swiping!”), she’s also repeating things that Dora says in Spanish. A few weeks ago I caught her repeating something slowly to herself, over and over, and I struggled to figure out what she was saying. It sounded like, “uno, dus, gwace, quando, seeko.” And then I realized she was counting to five in Spanish, using some creative pronunciations.

At that point, I realized that I now needed to watch these shows with her, just to figure out what she is saying and praise her for learning new words. If no one reinforces these new words with her, she’ll stop using them. So while she’s learning Spanish, I’m re-learning it as well, even while rolling my eyes at Dora. (Thank goodness for Handy Manny and Diego – they aren’t nearly as hard to watch as Dora.)

Last week, my mom called me at work (she was babysitting Cordy that day) and asked, “Can you help me? She’s going up and down the stairs, and each time she goes up, she keeps saying something I don’t understand. It sounds like sue-bay. What does that mean?”

“Oh yeah, she’s saying sube. It means climb in Spanish. She learned it from Diego.”

“Oh! OK! That’s all I needed, thanks!”

So I suppose it’s good for me to learn Spanish as well, just so I can serve as a translator for Cordy. Otherwise she’ll be five years old and telling me off in Spanish, and I won’t even know she’s doing it.