Christmas in our household is kind of a spectacle. We ended up celebrating Christmas with just us three a couple of weekends ago at home. We wanted to do something special and intimate with just our small family and since we left to head South the weekend before Christmas we really had no choice but to celebrate it quite far in advance. It turned out great. Sadie loved her presents. We kept in simple, we got her an outdoor slide and a Calico Critters Dollhouse. She loves both of her gifts madly and still even weeks later wants to play with them all day.
We actually very truly believed our own hype. All day long we believed it to be Christmas Day and would be shocked over and over again to see so many stores open on Christmas. All in all it was a quiet day filled with pajamas, coffee, toys and rain. It couldn’t have turned out any more lovely if I do say so myself.
The real Christmas wasn’t all pajamas and snuggles though. We live in Northern California and our family lives in Southern California… a good 10 hour drive during holiday traffic. We were nervous and stressed about the road trip with Sadie, but even though it was so painfully long she did very well. Better than could be expected, which was a great relief. I’m thankful that the ride down was good at least, because the rest wasn’t as smooth sailing. I’ll be totally honest. We have a child who is a terrible sleeper. Always has been. Sometimes it’s better, and lately it’s been pretty good. But when you take her out of her home, out of her bed, out of her routine it really all falls apart. She barely slept at all. One morning she woke up a bit before 4am and that was it. She wouldn’t go back to bed. So we had to get up too. Some mornings she slept til 5:30, but it never really got better than that. Most nights she refused going to sleep and it would take us hourssss to get her down. It certainly didn’t help things that we had to stay at three different places on our five night vacation. And the way Sadie works… if she doesn’t sleep, she won’t eat. So there was that as well. She wouldn’t stay put for a meal. Had no interest in anything I offered her. And barely ever finished even a snack. She also wouldn’t let me bathe her. So it was a fight to sleep, a fight to eat and a fight to take a bath. That translates into very exhausted parents.
Luckily, the first night we got back home, after another 10 hour drive that didn’t go as nice as the first, she went right to bed and slept through the night. And what do you know… she’s been eating like a champ again.
It’s hard to travel with a little. It throws them off so much. And Christmas is just added pressure to that, because there are specific times to be at places and there are people depending on you and wanting quality time. Which is such a beautiful thing, but hard when you’re already fully absorbed in managing a child while you’re sleep deprived.
But at the end of the day, yes of course it was wonderful to see family and spend the time together even as tired and frustrated as I was. It’s hard, but it is wonderful.
These little Calico Critters we got her for Christmas were a real life saver on the road trip. She had so much fun with them in the car, and took them with her on every pit stop to show them around.
We were very lucky to have Uncle Jared serenade us all day Christmas. He even taught Sadie a thing or two.
We got to see all of our family, minus our sisters. Devin’s lives in Asia. And mine was on her honeymoon in Costa Rica! But regrettably we didn’t get to spend the time with friends that we had hoped for. We’ll have to come back to LA on a different day to specifically see and catch up with friends.
Sadie is definitely understanding the “Santa” concept. She continues to ask if Santa is coming to give her another present. I’m so excited to see how she reacts to Christmas next year, when she is a full grown THREE year old!
Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!
