Christmas Elf

The week of Christmas festivities at the Sloan house has begun with a wonderful weekend of celebrating Christmas in Eastland this weekend. Robby could not have been happier there with dogs to play with, golfing to do, and leaves to crash about in.

Pahpah and tah gave Robby a Robby-sized table and chairs which he loves. We spent all morning getting in and out of the chairs.

Tonight, we celebrate Christmas at our house, and then we will go to Houston on Christmas Eve.

It is an exciting time, and in honor of it, I thought I would post a couple of pictures of Robby getting into the Christmas spirit.

Let it Snow

A week or two ago it snowed at the Sloan house. I know what you are thinking...but it hasn't snowed in North Texas yet this year. Well, this snow was not outside but in my kitchen. It might not have been freezing, but to my son it was wonderous. He received a package of goodies from my aunt and uncle in California, but the goodies themselves were of no interest (at first). What he liked was the box full of styrofoam popcorn. He didn't just like it. He loved it! I will say that after he exhausted himself and went to bed, Mommy and Daddy did not enjoy Project Snow Cleanup, until I came up with a brilliant (if I do say so myself) idea. I used Clingwrap to pick up the pieces, and it went so smoothly after that. All those little pieces that had eluded me in my sweeping efforts clung to the wrap and did not stray again, so if you get a Christmas present with popcorn in it, that is my hearty recommendation.

On a side note, Toby and Lori, you guys are brilliant gift buyers. He LOVES the Christmas book. The last two pages have 25 flaps that he can open, and most of them are Christmas ornaments on this huge tree. He loves to open that page and open all the "balls." He sits and plays with it forever saying "ball" over and over again. I kept the LeapFrog toy in his closet until this week, but it too is a huge hit. He gets frustrated when he can't get the letters in, but he loves to make it sing to him. Way to go on the presents :)

Other recent Robby accomplishments: jumping, somersaulting (seriously he can do a full somersault on our bed), tiptoeing, and saying cup.

Christmas Music!!

Okay, so I have not yet decorated my house (anyone in need of a bunch of gords, cause I still have them), and I haven't wrapped any presents, and I had not started the Christmas music...until about half an hour ago. My friend Minda made me a Christmas CD, and I put it in as I wrote this afternoon, and suddenly a world that was overwhelming in how much I have to do suddenly became full of cozy happiness. I always forget just how much I love Christmas music! And, this CD has a wonderful version of "Baby It's Cold Outside," which I think is hard to find. I am now ready to decorate and get this holiday started!!

Yay to Minda! I guess what Buddy says is true--"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear" :)

Robby's Last Checkup

So, we took Robby to the doctor for his 15 month check up and latest round of baby torturing shots last week. He is, as ever, doing wonderfully. He remains, at 33 and 1/4 inches in the 90th percentile in height, and he is right at the 50th percentile in weight at 24 pounds.

The doctor spent most of her time talking to us about handling his newfound sense of pushing boundaries, which he promptly displayed by repeatedly trying to play with the trash can liner (see, Mommy lets me play with plastic sacks at home!) and then walking over to Mommy at one point and calmly smacking on her face (hitting is a normal part of our routine, Dr. Audrey--see?) Both times I firmly told him "no" only to be notified that the only way to correct this type of behavior is to pretend that it does not exist. I was raised in a household with a firm belief in the concept of using the word "No," and I think that No! is the best course of action for certain situations, just as is ignoring him when he is acting out. So, we took her advice but plan to use it as only one suggestion among lots of other valid suggestions on the best course of disciplining a toddler.

However, the visit did end on a positive note when the doctor was about to leave and turned around to say, "He really is very cute isn't he? Most babies his age are scared of me, but he did very well." Then she told him to come visit her any time. I like to think that it is a high compliment when a pediatrician who spends her whole life looking at children notices your child's particular brand of cuteness.

I thought I would add a couple of pics of some of my favorite Robby parts taken by my very talented uncle on a recent trip to California (and the beach!). There will be more pics of that trip later.