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One of the great things about having family and visitors over the Christmas holiday is that our house gets cleaned from top to bottom (or any holiday for that matter). I have to admit that the housekeeping around here has been very low on my list of priorities since, oh...about the 7th month of pregnancy. That means I have let things slide and pile up for at least 6 months. There is an awful lot of crud that can accumulate during that time period and it could be worse. If my mom and ana hadn't strapped on their rubber gloves and cleaned like mad molly-maids while I was in the hospital getting ready to bring Rowan home (thanks again for that.) I 
am pretty sure there would be bags of dog hair being pulled out from under the couches now. I have never really *liked* cleaning the house, but I like everyone else, hate the filth and feel wonderful when the house is sparkling like it was last night. The trick will be to keep it prestine until at least Christmas Eve. Luckily the little man is quite content to sit in his swing these days or to be toted around in the ergobaby by a daddy that is an excellent house-wife. Here is my house-wife mopping the floors...
Did I mention that I almost amputated my son's finger with nail clippers? Yes, I have learned to exaggerate well. I come by it honestly. But seriously, the blood that came out of the place where the chunk of skin use to be was enough to make my head light and my knees buckle. John on the other hand was completely calm and had enough witts about him to suggest a Band-Aid. Rowan didn't cry for long but I am still getting over the incident. Can you get post-traumatic-stress-disorder from something like this?
Needless to say, I won't be cutting his nails anymore. I hated it to begin with because of the thought of what *could* happen. I hate it even more now. I feel my chest tightening and my heart pounding even now as I write about the experience. What will I do the first time he bangs his head or scrapes his knee you ask? My answer--that isn't going to happen because as soon as he is able to walk he will be wrapped in bubble wrap from head-to-toe. I am fully prepared for the consequences associated with being an overbearing and overprotective mother.
Yes, that is another exaggeration.
Here is a photo of our little guy with all 10 fingers and 10 toes. I am proud to say we have done a pretty good job keeping him alive so far even if he did almost swallow the Band-Aid that we had to use to stop the blood from flowing. My trusty risk-assessment skills saved us again because I wouldn't let him out of my sight with that thing on the thumb he likes to suck and well, as it turns out, for good reason. I pulled the Band-Aidout of his mouth when he started to gag in the line-up at the grocery store. Oh the trials of parenthood...
If the US government has its way the link I posted for Etsy will be in danger as of February 2009. The US is attempting to pass a law that requires all children items to be tested for lead content which will put a lot of small businesses out of business...
I learned to knit and crochet when I was about 8 years old. Yes, that means that I have been wielding needles for 26 years. In the beginning I didn't know how to follow a pattern and so I often just "winged-it" and made my own designs. Today, because I am pattern literate and because I don't have a lot of time to make things with my hands anymore let alone come up with something new, I am ashamed to say that I rarely produce things that are originals. I also seem to have lost some of my creativity with age which I am hoping will be revived again thanks to spending so much time with Rowan. Play does wonderful things for parents who have become too serious and have forgotten how to pretend. I know this because everyday I come up with a new song (as stupid and simple as it may be) and I make the most absurd faces just to get a laugh out of that little boy of mine. Perhaps, in 2009 I will start using my hands and imagination again...but if I don't, I plan to support people who do. If you look right, you'll see that I have added a link to Etsy--a site that sells nothing but handmade stuff. There are some seriously talented people out there and Ithink that for Christmas next year I will try to buy something for each person on my list from someone out there who is trying to make a little money by using their talents.
As promised, here are better shots of Rowan at swimming lessons. He doesn't look all that enthused but he does really like the pool. He especially likes to drink the water. I guess he doesn't understand the meaning of cryptosporidium and ecoli yet. That will come. 
Rowan and I stuck around the house most of the week even though we really needed to get our Christmas shopping done. I didn't want to mess up the nap schedule after working so hard to get his routine ironed out. What I have come to conclude is that he needs to sleep at least every hour and he doesn't like long naps. I call them "snaps". He might rest for 30 to 60 minutes and although it is hard on me because I can't get anything done between snaps, he is so happy and fun when he is awake that it makes all my unproductiveness worthwhile. We have been putting him to bed as soon as he shows sleepy signs which happens anywhere between 6 and 7pm. It is really hard to put him down so early because I want to be with him and John in the evenings, but the early bed time has resulted in a week's worth of long sleeps and fewer feedings. Last night he slept straight from 6pm until 7am this morning. How did we get so lucky?
Speaking of lucky...we have been preparing the Shepherd's Of Good Hope Hampers and everyday since we started thinking about the hampers I have been overwhelmed with gratitude. This year I am particularly sensitive because I can't help but think of all of the little kiddies who are born into less fortunate families and how they won't know the kind of life that Rowan will have. I hold Rowan a little closer and a little longer when I think of the families we will be helping this year, especially the single mom who just a had a baby a month ago and who already has two other little ones to worry about. I simply can't imagine what it must be like to dread the holidays because of the knowledge that I couldn't give my children a gift or even a Christmas dinner. Again, how did we get to be so lucky?
I held a Christmas Cookie Exchange this year. It was a success although I won't be able to eat any of the goodies that were brought by my 12 guests. They probably all contain that nasty stuff called soy. why does God have to be so cruel and put soy in chocolate (and flip the canoe)? What I wouldn't do for just a little taste...Actually, hurt my baby is what I wouldn't do, but the cookies sure did look good.
am pretty sure there would be bags of dog hair being pulled out from under the couches now. I have never really *liked* cleaning the house, but I like everyone else, hate the filth and feel wonderful when the house is sparkling like it was last night. The trick will be to keep it prestine until at least Christmas Eve. Luckily the little man is quite content to sit in his swing these days or to be toted around in the ergobaby by a daddy that is an excellent house-wife. Here is my house-wife mopping the floors...
As promised, here are better shots of Rowan at swimming lessons. He doesn't look all that enthused but he does really like the pool. He especially likes to drink the water. I guess he doesn't understand the meaning of cryptosporidium and ecoli yet. That will come. 
