So, the best memory I will have of this year's Christmas, for Atticus, is that it was all about dromedary's. Back in September, GG came in to keep the kids while Vic and I attended Katie and Kristofer's wedding. She brought him a book called
Animal Parade and it has lots of animals. That weekend, the two of them spent lots of time on her iPad looking up the new animals such as tapirs, okapis and dromedary's. From that weekend, Atticus took away certain facts about them including a big one teaching us that a dromedary was a camel with one hump. Since that moment, he was very interested in dromedary's and if he saw a book with one or a picture of one, he would tell us immediately that it was a dromedary or better yet, that it was NOT a dromedary and was just a camel because it had two humps.
So, when Christmas started getting close and we started asking him what he wanted for Christmas, he would say a couple of random things such as wanting a toy computer (first time we'd ever heard of that one!) or new animals or new books. But, he still didn't quite have down the "making a list" part of Santa and Christmas understood. Then, he decided when he saw Santa in Santa's Wonderland that he wanted to ask for a dromedary. From that moment on, that was ALL he wanted. Our friends would hear that or people at church would hear that and ask him about this. They would ask him if he wanted a real dromedary and he would clearly state that he only wanted a toy dromedary (thank goodness!).
And it was always necessary to explain to most people what a dromedary was, when he was asked what he was asking Santa for. But, I couldn't help but love hearing him talk about dromedary's and if Santa would bring him one especially as December progressed and his understanding of Santa coming down the chimney and making toys at the north pole was understood. In fact, I loved this picture below of the list his teacher helped him fill out at school for what he wanted for Christmas. I was ecstatic that he stuck with what he wanted because I know he is shy at school and I know he could have just said what another kid said. And, I love that she didn't really know what this was either. I also think she made him explain it to him on the last question since she included "one hump" on the list.
It was a bonus to see dromedary's or even camels in all of the Christmas stories of Jesus being born. And of course, all of our nativities had dromedary's in them for him to play with.
And to top it all off, when we started preparing in Sunday School for our annual Christmas Program, that Atticus was going to be in for the first time, we realized there was a costume for a camel, or dromedary, as Atticus would tell us. At first, it was chosen by someone else, and for 2 Sundays in a row, I had to remind Atticus, who would tell me over and over he wanted to be a dromedary in the "Chwimpus pwogwam" that he could be a cow or sheep and how important those animals were. Then, on the Sunday of trying on costumes, the first girl changed her mind. We put the costume on Atticus and it fit perfectly. He was SO excited to be a dromedary and didn't even wince at putting on the camel head hat, which I expected him to not want to wear.
So, for our Christmas Program, we had a superhero themed program to go along with our superhero themed Sunday School year. The kids practiced songs each week for about 4 weeks and we practiced the hand motions and words at home with Atticus for Away in a Manger, Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem and Go Tell it on the Mountain. The biggest practice day was the day before from 9-11am where they all ran through the program together and the big kids ran through lines over and over. I learned my lesson this year that we had entirely too much practice for Atticus for the program. He was ok with the Sunday School practice times, but next year, I will just let him skip the Saturday practice. It was too much and as I'll tell you soon, it must have made it less fun for him because he was not his little self during the actual program and ended up crabby and whiney. I was sad for him but sad for those of us who had been so excited to see him in his costume and sings songs!!
So, first of all we had a really busy Saturday with the program practice followed by lunch and cupcakes for Jesus' birthday and then we went Christmas caroling with members of our church to some of our homebound members. GG had come into town for the weekend so she was home and Vic and Grace had planned to go run some shopping errands. Well, around 11 or so, Vic sends me a picture of Grace crying in the car and had just gotten sick everywhere. Poor baby! They headed home to clean up and snuggle all afternoon between fevers and just not feeling good. Atticus and I finished our duties and got home around 3 to everyone napping. After all woke up, Grace did better the rest of the night and felt better and while she still had fever on and off, she never got sick again and her fever went down with Tylenol. So, we decided she must have gotten carsick and didn't have a stomach bug of any kind, but was just fighting an ongoing cold.
She was pretty snuggle that night.
On Sunday morning, we all got up and Atticus and I headed to church around 9:30. This was too early again for him. We had over an hour to get dressed and wait around. Most kids either worked on lines or watched a movie, but the movie didn't entertain Atticus enough and I had things to do around the church so he just followed and whined. I figured he was tired because he stayed up late the night before but generally when he is excited about something, as he had been for weeks for the Christmas program, not having enough sleep for one night would not phase him. But, he whined and was grumpy and then happy for a few moments when everyone arrived (GG, Vic, Grace who had no fever and felt fine that morning, and Chris and Katherine). So, I had a stern talking with him about behaving and doing what he needed to do in the program and the program began.
First, let me tell you that he was adorable in his costume. It's just a fleece onesie and doesn't even have a hump or tale. But, it has a camel head. He was kind of cranky about keeping the onesie on before the program but thankfully, started the program with it all in place. It was funny because he didn't want to walk down the aisle with all of the other kids and not with me, so I followed him down there and then went to the side of the front row with the other Sunday school teachers to help kids sign songs and do hand motions. Right before, I took Grace from Vic. She was getting whiney and only wanted me and I didn't want Vic to miss the program. So, I've got Grace who is sitting with me on the front row but starting to whine. Atticus on the other hand, stayed with the group of kids after they walked in, but planted himself right in the front of the group in the middle of stage. It was pretty funny. The sad part was that he had no smiles on him. He looked bored and tired and not thrilled to be a dromedary on that day. As the program progressed, he would halfway do the motions to the songs (and really only when he could see me and do them with me while they sang) but otherwise, he would sit on the steps or lounge on the steps and then finally just laid down in the middle of the group as if he needed a nap. I was doing my best to get him to stand up, although I know that a cute part of every program is when the little ones just do their own thing up there. But, I felt like he knew how to behave and was just doing what he wanted to test me. I think it was 50% of that and 50% of just being tired. I also had Grace with me, who was not always behaving. At one point, I just walked to the side of the church with her. She was not feeling bad yet but very needy and wanting to be held or lead me around although this was not the time to do either of those things. I was afraid to leave the sanctuary because I didn't want Atticus to not see me there, although our family was right in the 2nd row. So, it was one of those parenting moments of hoping that I was not distracting to people dealing with Grace squealing or whining on the side, or that people thought Atticus was super misbehaved or just miserable in life based on his performance, ha! I also wasn't getting any pictures of this adventure but thankfully Katherine and Vic and GG got plenty of funny ones. Overall, his casting adventure as a dromedary was just spread too thin. Always tough with the first kiddo - we've got to learn how to do everything with him. For Grace and any others we have, maybe I will be more prepared!
But, of course, the point of doing the Christmas Program was to learn the story of Jesus' birth and to teach Atticus how important it is to share that story, even in the form of a Christmas program at church. And, honestly, I was proud. A year ago, he NEVER would have gone up to the front of the church or been comfortable enough to just lay down there or be up there at all without me or Vic and he might have just cried. But, he didn't. And what he did was exactly what any other toddler could have done. And, as Melbo said "that's what dromedary's do, I guess, is sleep". There is more "Dromedary Christmas" fun to come in my blogs!
So, here is a happy moment for our dromedary that Sunday morning.
And here he is getting kind of cranky while we wait in line to go into church.
And here I am trying to cheer him up by wearing his camel head and taking pictures on my phone.
And here he was at the beginning: front and center.
And here he is participating in a song at one point. And this is why I should not be hard on him. He is actually doing the choreography although nobody else around him is. So, he is actually doing a great job!
At one point, he chose to sit down.
Then, he chose to recline back.
Then, he chose to at least pay attention to the program that was happening around him again.
And then, at some point, he just gave up and slinked down to the ground to lay down and take a rest. This was towards the end. And as much as I was on the side trying to motion for him to stand back up, I pretty much just had to accept this ending and move on.
This was the only picture I got from my side view before Grace decided she needed to move around. he seriously was the cutest dromedary!
It was really fun to have GG come see us and go to his program!
And this was Grace walking the halls after the program feeling good and happy. This lasted a couple of hours and then she got super tired. After naps that day, she woke up feeling good and happy.
So, GG let Vic and I go on a date for dinner at Abuelo's and to see White Christmas in the theater! It is one of mine and Vic's favorite Christmas movies and was really fun to see on the big screen!
So, Monday morning, Grace woke up with another fever. This was her 4th day, so I took her into the doctor who said she had slight ear infections in both ears. She perked up with tylenol, we got her prescription and then she threw up. This was strange since she had not thrown up since Saturday. But, this turned into a normal kind of bug. She did lots of throwing up that afternoon and evening and just didn't' feel good. I will say that being a parent is funny; I mean - I was thrown up on twice that day and honestly, I didn't flinch. It's gross, but you feel so bad for your baby throwing up and you only want to help them that you don't think twice about that nasty mess on you. Even this part of parenting is ok with me.
She felt bad all night. She had no energy and just wanted to be held and comforted or curled up to watch Frozen or Paw Patrol. While I hated for her to be sick, it was extra sweet snuggling with her!
