Christmas at Home

This was the first Christmas where we stayed at home in....well, actually it hasnever happened before! I have been at my parents' house for every single Christmas since birth, but this year, Eric had to be on call for work, so we obviously decided to stay here. But actually, I was looking forward to not having to travel and to Asher waking up in our house to see the presents under the tree.

Eric's parents flew up here to be with us over the holiday, and Asher has really enjoyed having them here. In the past, he has been very lukewarm toward them, but for the first time, he has really warmed up and let them play with him. Although I know he has worn them out, they definitely love the attention!

On Christmas morning, when Asher discovered the presents under the tree, he was pretty excited to start opening them up. We had saved all the presents from friends and family, so he had quite a few to open, and he had tons of fun discovering all of his new toys and books!

We gave him a tricycle, which he loved, and he immediately wanted to watch one of his new Elmo dvds while sitting on it. Later, he had a conversation while hanging out on it (he also really enjoys being pushed around on it since he hasn't quite mastered the pedals!).

I had secretly gotten Asher a doll stroller. I say secretly because Eric threatened to put me on the street if I actually bought one because he vehemently opposes a boy having a stroller. However, Asher loves any of these that he encounters, and I had found one that didn't have a trace of girly colors anywhere, so I bought it anyway! And guess what? I'm not on the street!Asher put his new Tickle Me Elmo in the stroller and has been giving him rides ever since.But I have to say that all of our gifts were trumped by our neighbor and friend, Paula, who bought Asher his very first train and track. Playing with the "choo choo train" has been the highlight of this weekend for Asher!The most important thing about this Christmas was that we were all together. Although we were hoping for Eric to have a quiet work weekend, his busiest day so far was actually Christmas Day! We were really disappointed that he had to be gone pretty much the entire day, but we were grateful that he was home in the morning to open presents and didn't have to go in during the night.

Earlier in the week, I had read about a mom whose 2-year-old son had drowned in their swimming pool, and my heart broke for her and her family. I am so thankful that Asher is here with us and healthy! We are so blessed to have him and to have another on the way. That alone made it a great Christmas!

And a bonus: My mom will be here on Tuesday!