Baby's First Christmas!

Namastè!

I hope you're experiencing copious amounts thereof tonight.

I am still buzzing about how much fun we had for Baby Namastè's very first Christmas.

First off, we have moved and settled into our new home, so we were already extra excited. It feels amazing to be here and know that this is the spot Kids Namastè will grow up in. This is where they will hang out with their friends, where they will play Monopoly and have birthday cake, where they will each have growth marks on the wall!

I digress, slightly.

Kids Namastè usually have big holidays. I cook tons of food, plan tons of activities, and give tons of fun presents. (We do tons of community service and outreach as well, to balance the indulgence.)

This year, Baby Namastè got to be a part of things.

I was determined to NOT go overboard with toys and stuff for him, as he is still young. I love seeing him explore and discover with his favorite things, so I decided to expand on those for his presents.

Note to all my wonderful readers: Don't EVER let what's under another person's tree, or your inability to meet your own expectation, make you feel any kind of way. You have done your best and that in itself is a wonderful gift, one you give all year! ♡ Besides, there are people in the world who would rather have ALL the clothes, toys, and shoes BUT won't put in the same effort to be independent. People will literally work overtime for presents but will not extend the same effort to secure a better spot in life. All that to say this-- You never know a person's means to their end, and not everything is as glamorous as it appears. Don't measure your success by what's on your holiday photo queue.

More digression, but I can never resist a moment to shed an encouraging perspective.

I didn't want to overwhelm him OR his playroom with stuff he wouldn't use yet, so I kind of went with the basics--music, lights, and his first ride-on toys! He loves trains, cars, and Mickey Mouse.

The day was about as sweet as I could ever hope for.

For one, Hubby Namastè got the day off!

This is a rarity. In his line of work, the rewards are many but the time to rest and enjoy, not so much. He works six days of any given seven and he has not had more than 48 hours off since our last vacation--in August. *sighs* Given the two to four hour commute, he leaves early and gets in late. We cherish any extra time together, and our holidays rarely go by the book because if he is summoned, he generally must go.

But Christmas, he was home. His presence was the biggest present of all, honestly!

Baby Namastè's his father's kid, one hundred percent. His little world revolves around his time with daddy, and I think it is precious. So all day on Christmas, he was putting on the cuteness. He stayed right in his dad's arms most of the day, occasionally getting down to show off a newly-mastered skill. (He can stand so well now, y'all--first steps are on the horizon. Also, he can climb!!!)

While we assembled toys and programmed new gadgets, Baby Namastè enjoyed his trains, blocks, and assorted goodies.

I only got educational toys for him. He likes music and story time, and his ride-on train (which I'll review in a future post) is perfect. He loves his new pajamas, and I've never seen a kid get so excited about dinner! A lot of the holiday meal items were things he already loves: sweet potatoes, turkey, Mac and cheese, and cornbread dressing (NOT stuffing--croutons are for salad, people), and collards. We also had a couple Sri Lankan and Indian staples. Yumness. While he probably only ate a few spoonfuls in all, he was good and full. He doesn't always eat well, so that in and of was a treat for me.

I believe the best part of the day was just seeing him enjoy. He's always such a happy baby, but he was all aglow. He didn't even give a fuss show at bedtime because he was plumb tuckered. He fell asleep holding on to his Sophie, smiling.

Now he is onto the business of another round: celebrating his first Kwanzaa! (We do American Christian, African, and Hindu holidays in our home--we are a very diverse family. Our cultural tapestry is richly woven of beautiful threads in different hues of wonderful.)

I hope you all enjoyed your day as well!

Namastè!

-- Tayè K. ♡