The week of Christmas

I'm finally into it.  The Christmas spirit has spread throughout the MSM household.

We're playing Christmas songs, the tree is up, the stockings are hung.  We made Christmas cookies!

This is a fun year because Babygirl is much more interactive than last year.  Last year was spit up and fussy and nap and pumping and fussing and breastfeeding and blankets and spit up and shit up your back diapers.  This year may contain some of that, but also words and running and smiles and pure unadulterated joy.  Even cutting a molar this week, she's managed to boogie her little butt to any Christmas song with a beat.  What a trooper!

This is an "off" year for us for having my Stepson.  In years past, we've delayed Christmas and still put a tree up with him and all the Christmas goodies.  This year, schedules conflicted and weather systems threatened, so we had to go get our tree without him.  The first time he hasn't decorated a tree with us as a family in seven years.  It just didn't feel right.

He makes an ornament out of a tree cookie every year, so we left those off for him to hang.  And of course make his for this year - which he made one side for himself and the other side for his little sister.

Anyway with him being here this last weekend, it brought the Christmas out of me. It's not ideal, but it is how our family is. Babygirl will have only a few memories of Christmas morning with her big brother (10 years her senior), but I know she'll treasure those.

She adores him to the point of it tickling a giggle out of her when she sees him - for the first time in a weekend, when she wakes in the morning or from a nap, when she returns from a diaper change, when she turns the corner... always.

She called him "Bruh'er" this weekend.  Multiple times.

That was their Christmas present to each other - a week early - time spent as siblings.