Rian & Elia's Reminisces: December 2005

Christmas Carnage - part 1

We could open our own toy/bookstore now!

Everybody loves trucks and shape sorters!!

And I think Grandma loves Rian...

Sometimes you just need a little help from yer Nanna in opening all the presents!

But can Dad work it out??

And no photo collection is complete without a sleeping baby with his new bear!

Christmas on Kitchener St.

Its was Rian's first Christmas and I think he

loved it!
So many tags, paper and ribbon to eat on only one magical day!

First we opened our stockings but he was a little too taken with the bell on

the toe to realize that a whole family of Santas had left him pressies.

Then on to the multitude of gifts under the tree - seems Rian has charmed the world into buying things for him... Thank you all for his gifts of toys, books, clothes, etc. We just need someone to now buy him a new house to store the loot!

And the best present of all was having his Nanna here for his 1st Xmas - there's something nice about having a person who just wants to hold you and kiss you, and gives great bedtime massages!

We had our Xmas Feast with our friends the wonderful Dougans (Phil, Pam and their six beautiful girls Riley, Rebecca, Olivia, Emma, Lauren and Genevieve - with the bonus of Phil's parents this year too!)

It was truly an excellent Christmas for us - having Rian makes even the ordinary events seem special! He's such a wonderful little guy and we're blessed to be a family!

Rian's 1st Christmas - the Stocking!

Rian just got his Christmas stocking, hand made by the amazing Kirst (President, CEO and Supreme Goddess of Mythical Merchant for all you lucky Torontonians who can buy the most wonderful toys on earth).

And what a stocking it is!! Just look at those eyes!

I'm sure in future years he'll appreciate the finer details of the hand-stitched castle with the waving 'R' flag, snow topped trees, snowmen family, funky stars, celtic hook to hang it from the mantle... but for now, the big bell on the the toe is best part!

Thanks Kirst!

More of Rian, 8 months old today! Its so much fun to see pictures of my little guy on our little blog here so I thought I'd post some more from the archives.

Me and my little guy (Sept 05)

Love the shirt Doppleganger!

Ok, ok, I wasn't organized enough to take this picture actually ON Halloween but can you tell its Nov 1st? And he wasn't smiling so much in the rain until Nova (the dog - see below) took a leak just off camera. Rian thought that was great!

Can't resist a sleeping pic - dreaming of Prime Minister Jack Layton and world peace

Our pooch Nova works tirelessly to keep Rian's little fingers food-free now that he's started solids. And our floors have never been cleaner!!

And with the rabbit Binky. This picture makes me think of Raffi's song 'Joshua Giraffe'... "and when they come back, they're gonna free all the animals from their cages." If only Rian was wearing a PETA shirt...

And finally another from the Xmas photshoot... I figure I'm gonna see A LOT of this expression over the next 20 years...

The many faces of Rian...

Digital cameras have probably been the worst thing for babies.

With digital - for better or worse - we get every expression!

Gone are the days of getting the lighting and expressions right, I mean, you don't want to waste real film!

But had to end on a good note...

Tribute to Grandparents

The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy. Or as my Mom might say, "skip the children, just have grandchildren."

I think we can all agree that grandparents are, for the most part, pretty great. Especially Rian's.

My Mom returned early from Swaziland to make sure she was here for the whole month of April for Rian's birth and has seen him every few weeks since, even buying a house in Vancouver 10 doors away.

My Dad who wasn't at all overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a grandfather spent his first visit just holding and rocking Rian, calling him a 'pretty good kid' (which is his lingo for 'pretty amazing kid').

My stepmother Veronica shopped for the whole 9 months I was pregnant to get us all of the baby basics, from a carrier to receiving blankets to books to a compilation CD of greatest kids tunes.

Pete's Dad in the UK made sure Rian travels in the best-of-the-best stroller and

still calls us every week to check in on him.

And his partner Sylvia just lit up every time she saw him on their Fall visit which he totally responded to.

With my Mom due to arrive in a few hours to spend most of December with us - she didn't want to miss Rian's 1st Christmas - I can't help thinking how lucky Rian is to have so many grandparents who absolutely adore him. And how important family is to all of us.

The Christmas Photoshoot.

Its really hard being a parent, especially if you have to keep up with all the other better organized parents out there. You know the ones... they get the cute Sears portraits done weeks in advance.

Anyway, after getting Marissa's Xmas photo, I thought I'd try to do Rian's Xmas pic (and seeing as I'd missed the deadlines for Sears...). The only things I was missing were suitable child-friendly props.

Oh yeah, and happy smiley baby.