Ok, sticking to a New Year’s Resolution to update this blog more, and do more writing in general…Already a little tardy in getting a Christmas and New Year’s blog out there, but just doing it alone is progress.
In a lot of ways, this was their first true Christmas…remember, last year they were mere morsels at less than two months old and while they still don’t get the whole baby Jesus or Santa Claus elements, they do really enjoy the lights, music, and gifts. Also, in a lot of ways this Christmas and New Year's marks a true milestone for us as parents. See with them being born the first of November, we rode the momentum and newness of them through Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, not to mention all the family around to help during both holidays. So when all the festivities ended and all the family members returned home, Catherine and I came to the quick realization when 2011 hit that it was now all on us as parents, sink or swim.
Crazy to say this, but this holiday season seemed even more meaningful than last year since we were able to start to see Christmas through their eyes…and on top of that, with Christmas as a backdrop and significant point of reference, more and more we’re starting to see babies grow up into little kids before our eyes. Not sure if it's the Christmas spirit, extended amount time off to be around them, or a combination of it all, but I'm definitely noticing more now than ever the fact that we now have little people, not babies, we're raising. One such moment that stands out, happened a one morning over Christmas when, as I was sitting at the base of the Christmas tree rearranging and replacing ornaments and lighting (again), Cate spotted me from across the room, walked over (albeit like a drunken sorority girl), stood looking up at the tree with her face all aglow from the lights, and simply reached up, took down an ornament and gave it to me…Now that is not something that I consider “my baby girl" doing, that’s more of a move “my little girl” would make.
Speaking of them acting more like humans…As I mentioned before, Cate is off and walking now – completely lapping her brother who was crawling a full two months before she was. I’m already wanting to take back everything I said about wanting them to go ahead and start walking…Not only do we need to anticipate whatever Cate might trip over, but also look ahead of where she’s going to see want she might face-plant into. The other big problem we’re having with Cate’s walking adventures is her wanting to walk with things, particularly pointed objects, in her mouth. She basically loves to pick up whatever peeks her interest, put it in her mouth, and then take it for a stroll around the house…which, for the chosen object usually involves several spills out onto the floor when she falls, then - while damp and dripping from drool - rolling around in dog hair and dust, and then re-insertion into the mouth (repeated over and over). My comment before about her walking like a drunk is true…To find her equilibrium I presume, she walks with her stomach out, arms in the air, and sways from one side to the other with each step.
Cate not only walking with a round wooden top in her mouth (knob side in mouth), but also an air pump in her hands that came with some other gift she obviously didn't care nearly as much about.
As for Logan, he will stand alone at times and occasionally take a few, let’s call them “overly enthusiastic”, steps forward, but when he really needs to get where he’s going he still resorts to his speed crawl technique. I don’t blame him really, he sees his sister walking, but he also sees how long it takes her to get from point A to point B. So like I said, when he sees the need for mobility, which primarily only comes from the desire to move from one item of entertainment to another (not to mention that in most of these instances he is racing his sister there), crawling is definitely the most effective option.
Anyway, back to our “first true Christmas” as I’m calling it…So what as their favorite gift? Hard to say, but my favorites of the ones they got are a remote control matchbox car and a giant bongo drum, which we'll get to in a minute. But their favorite (and probably Catherine's least favorite due to the safety concerns - see video below) is the wooden slide I found on Craig's List for just $20. They both, in their own ways, attack the slide with reckless abandon, so much so that Logan is so ready to go back down it that he tries to climb UP the slide immediately after, and never to any success (he literally hasn't made it up this way once), but yet he won't give it up and crawl around to the stairs. Then Cate, who loves to take a seat, or more like a perch, in various high-profile spots, will just sit at the cusp of the slide like a Queen on her throne, kicking the advancing jester back down the hill...while at the same time laughing at the fact he can't reach her, and she's the only one that knows it.
We really got lucky finding this thing...Based on my internet research, the only indoor wooden slides they make anymore are at least $400 or more. The lone exception being one from Ikea, which usually is great source for us, but theirs' just didn't seem very safe (at least not for our kids' age). The actual slide part was accessed from either side and didn't have any sort of hand rails on the platform - which just dropped off in the back (see pic). So after striking out over and over, I happened to be searching Craig's List again one night and, while I had expanded to a 100 mile radius of Charlotte, this one miraculously turned up in south Charlotte near Carowinds for just $20! I could hardly believe it, this is exactly what we'd been looking for all along, but unlike eBay I couldn't just locked it up right then and there...the only recourse is to just email the seller to see if it was still available and promise to buy it if so. Well long story short, several long days went by waiting to hear back from them, but then sure if enough, the slide was still sitting in their garage and we went and got it the last weekend before Christmas.
So anyway, back to the giant bongo, or better known by the search term it was finally found under on eBay, a "pow-wow drum"...Just searching for a bongo drum on eBay or google didn't work, it came back with a slew of the typical small double bongo drums and searches for any combination of "wide, large, floor bongo" didn't produced anything along these lines either. But eventually I stumbled across one with the term "pow-wow drum" included the title, bingo! Now I was well on my way to finding this gem, but I had no idea there was such a high-end market for them. Many of them out there are at least $300, but I found this guy in New Mexico that makes and sells them himself out of his own little SouthWestern boutique shop in Albuquerque...his email address literally ended in "@southwestgifts.com", which in of itself I was impressed with by just securing that email domain. Nevertheless, we struck an offline deal for our ideal size and also so he didn't have to pay eBay fees.
When I dreamed up the idea of this bongo (or should I say pow-wow) drum as a Christmas gift, I felt like it worked so well on so many levels...and, as I sold the idea to Catherine, it met the tri-fecta of criteria we consider when adding another large toy to the mix:
- Tolerable toy - While by nature the drum is an audible toy, it is so in a much more pleasant and peaceful way compared to some other ear piercing, battery draining, annoyingly repetitive toys they have in their arsenal.
- Parent interactive/entertainment toy - Icing on the cake when toy shopping, especially at this age, is when we find a that we actually enjoy playing along with them as compared to let's say an electronic, robotic cat that scurries around the floor blaring the same "Catch me, catch me…" song over, and over, and over. On any given night, you can find a percussion ensemble that might rival what you’d see in the parking lot of Widespread Panic concert taking place in our living room between the bongo, moroccos, tambourine, and xylophone. Better yet, there is one Baby Einstein video in particular ("World of Rhythm") that really strikes a chord, no pun intended, because we can all jam right along with it.
- Acceptable appearance, borderline decor - In case you missed it in criteria #2 above, this bongo drum resides in our living room. Well for those that know my wife, there isn't much, toy or not, that can pass the test to become a worthy fixture of the living room...but this did! And for it to pass that test, it must not only be pre-approved by Catherine before purchase, but like anything found on eBay, it must live up to expectations to pass inspection upon arrival...and again, luckily this one did! I'd even propose that Circa Interiors should import these from my guy and re-sale them at a 400-500% markup. After all, it is made of real wood and real cowhide and I could totally see them accessorizing a mountain house with something like this as an end table and subsequent conversation piece. I actually did bring this up to one of Circa's owners while sitting next to her at their Christmas party recently...she seemed somewhat interested, but for whatever reason hasn't bothered to follow back up for my seller's contact info.
As for the other one of my favorite of their gifts, which, even more than the bongo, could be considered truly a gift to myself is the remote control matchbox car…Not sure if anyone’s noticed, but the advances in technology in the remote control vehicle industry have been remarkable. Case and point, I stumbled across the r/c matchbox car while checking out (and trying to rationalize the need to buy) remote control helicopters at the kiosk at the mall. Remote control helicopters have been the rage for a while, but they’ve finally figured out a way to control them rather than them just lifting off, hitting the ceiling fan, and crashing back down in a thousand pieces. The guy at the mall was able to make it hover right in front of Logan in his stroller, send it back up, fly around the kiosk and land right back in front of him…problem was, we don’t’ have enough no room for all that and it was like $75. So anyway, knowing that he had me on the hook, the guy showed me their remote control matchbox cars - which I was already somewhat in the market for something they could chase around on the hardwood floors - sold! This thing is great, it really is the size of a matchbox car and has the speed and maneuverability to allude the twins as they try to chase it down all over the house…bottom line, it provides a good solid twenty minutes of entertainment.
Anyway, not that gifts and toys define Christmas, but when you’re constantly looking for ways to entertain and occupy them, the ones that do really stand out. Not much else to report from this holiday season, just a lot of time with family (especially those coming from far away), which is exactly as it should be...My big idea of giving Catherine tickets to Widespread Panic on New Year's Eve (with hotel room and overnight babysitting) didn't materialize, I chickened out after getting the vibe she wouldn't be all that into it.
Hope everyone had a great holidays as well…here’s to a great 2012, hope to be back in touch with more frequency this year.
