March 18th is Forgive Your Parents Day.  Really.

My friends and I often joke about what our kids will eventually complain about when they’re adults.  We work so hard to be the best parents possible but it’s rare to find people who make the claim that their parents did everything perfectly.  Most of us can only hope for our kids to say “My parents did the best they could do” when they’re adults because no matter how incredibly hard we try to be the best parents we can be, there will always be something we do wrong.

Well then, thank God for Forgive Your Parents Day.

What will my kids eventually need to forgive my husband and I about? The first thing that springs to mind right now is my husband’s absence.  As a military member he comes and goes and sometimes spends months away from home.  We’re all proud of what he does, but I know his absence takes a toll on the kids.  They’re stuck with me, and since I’m trying to be both mom and dad while also holding the house together and meeting all my writing deadlines, I’m sure I’m less than pleasant sometimes.  Maybe years down the road, on a future March 18th, my kids will make the following proclamation:  “I forgive Dad for being gone all the time and Mom for being so busy.”

I’m a lot stricter than my parents ever were with me when I was a child.  They were very laid back when it came to parenting; my brother and I spent a lot of time wandering around and playing instead of doing anything structured.  There weren’t many rules other than “come home when the streetlights come on” and “if you’re going to swear, don’t do it in front of your Nana.”  So it’s a little strange that I’m much more strict with my kids, although I wouldn’t say I’m extremely strict.  At any rate, on a future March 18th, perhaps the proclamation will be, “I forgive my mom for being strict.”

What do I need to forgive my parents for? I don’t know.  There is nothing incredibly profound that sticks out, and I can honestly make the statement that my parents did the best they could.  I can only hope that someday my kids can make the same claim.

On April 4, 1968, one of America’s best known Civil Rights leaders was murdered. Martin Luther King, Jr., was known for his leadership in trying to end segregation without resorting to violence. This idea put him at odds with some of the other African American leaders of his time.

One event for which King was popular was a successful boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus system, which had previously required black riders to sit in the back of the bus or give up their seats for whites when the bus was full. King persuaded other African Americans to refuse to ride the bus until they allowed blacks the same privileges as whites. He also helped lead as many as 300,000 people into Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. The marchers wanted to convince congress to pass Civil Rights legislation and to bring national attention to the bill.

Soon after King was assassinated in 1968, followers began campaigning to make his birthday (January 15, 1929) a national holiday. But it was not signed until 1983 (Ronald Reagan) and was not observed until 1986. Even then, some states, especially in the south, combined it with other observances. So it was not until 2000 that all 50 states recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Usually, on the first Monday following January 15.

Many educators used to take advantage of the day to teach children about Martin Luther King’s life and goals, about the Civil Rights movement, and about other issues of prejudice today. But now, many schools have the day off from classes. So, how do you celebrate such a day at home with your children? Here are 10 ideas.

1. Be active: Many employers recognize the holiday by giving employees a day off of work. But why not use it for a “day on”? In 1994, Congress suggested that people use the government holiday to contribute to community projects. This year, January 19 will be the largest such holiday, with over 12,000 planned service projects. Find one that your family can do here.
2. Serve others: Coretta Scott King encouraged Americans to “commemorate this Holiday by making your personal commitment to serve humanity with the vibrant spirit of unconditional love that was his greatest strength.” Maybe participating in a planned event isn’t right for your family. But shoveling your elderly neighbor’s driveway might be!
3. Read: learn about King’s life, either in a book or online. Or, read his letter from the Birmingham jail, or some other piece of his writing.
4. Write: King’s letter from the Birmingham jail is now famous. Follow his example by writing a letter to someone in your life.
5. Listen: to one of his speeches, of course!
6. Go to a religious service: King was a Baptist minister and got his ideas heavily from the Bible. But in his honor, you could attend any house of worship that supports his idea of treating all people as equally valuable.
7. Throw a birthday party: decorate with every color, serve cake and ice cream, play his favorite music (gospel). If you are serving dinner, bring in many different kinds of ethnic foods.
8. Attend a parade: Many places, like Lafayette, Colorado, celebrate MLK day with a parade to commemorate the walk on Washington.
9. Pray for people who are being persecuted all over the world today for their beliefs, their ethnicity, their race, or many other reasons beyond their control.
10. Watch TV?: many stations will play specials on Monday, Jan 19, 2009. Check out the History Channel’s special show, or even watch Oprah!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years ago since I had my youngest daughter.  She was born 10 minutes after midnight and was the first baby born in the county.  My daughter was “The New Year’s Baby.”

“Anna” (not her real name), wasn’t due for another two weeks.  I was slightly surprised when I went for a routine appointment on December 30th.  The routine appointment was all but routine and  the midwife decided to schedule and inducement for the next day, December 31st.

I was slightly frazzled as I left the whirlwind appointment because it was a lot to digest: there had been problems and I was going to have a baby tomorrow.  As if that wasn’t enough, I had to find child care for my 3 older children.   I remember the panic that set in as I discovered that most of my friends and relatives had already made plans to celebrate the New Year.  Some were going out of town and out of state.

I finally ended up asking my aunt to watch my children, even though my cousin was close to her due date.  She said yes, but incredibly, my cousin ended up going into labor on the 31st as well.  My father and step mother cut short their vacation and came home to help with child care so my aunt could help my cousin with her labor.  Note to self–NEVER have a child around a holiday again.

After a long labor, Anna arrived, and was greeted by us and the hospital staff.  They were thrilled to have the New Year’s Baby at their hospital and we all celebrated the New Year and new life.  The next day, the newspaper and television crews arrived to interview us all.  Anna was on TV and in the paper even before she was a day old!

I, of course, looked like a woman who had just had a baby.  I finally got my “15 minutes” of fame, and I was washed out and haggard looking! Oh well.

We still celebrate my daughter’s birthday much like we did that first year.  Every New Year’s, we wait until 12:10 am and sing  “happy birthday” to her.  We have cake, ice cream, and sparkling grape juice….and then we go to bed.

Today, I went shopping with my son.  Most of the “Christmas craziness” has passed and the stores weren’t too crowded.  I did find lots of deals at the different stores.

At Target, little boy clothes were on sale from 30-50% off of regular prices.  I was able to find shirts and pants for $2.75!  I also looked on the clearance rack.  Clothing on this rack was discounted by more than 80%.  The clearance rack had winter clothes, sweatshirts, and other winter items.  My son has grown and needed some warmer clothes.  If I had found a coat in a larger size, I probably would have bought that to save for next year.

I do buy second hand clothing for my children at times at thrift stores to stretch our clothing budget.  However, it was possible to purchase new clothes with discounts like I found today cheaper than I purchase second hand clothes.

The thought of going to the mall, which appeared quite crowded, didn’t appeal too much to me.  I’ve heard that there are many discounts at those stores too.

If you plan on taking advantage of post-Christmas sales, check online to see if you can also print out coupons to maximize your savings even more.

Here’s hoping that you score some great post-Christmas deals this season!

My colleague Science-Mom wrote her Holiday feasting and healthy eating article just a few days ago.  I remember writing my own healthy eating guideline in my blog a few years ago.  A thoughtful friend sent me a humorous rebuttal to healthy eating, an anecdote to my post.  Here’s some of the funny bits:

“If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.”

(Read more of the tips here.)

So am I really telling you to eat unhealthily?  Well. Yes.

I tried dieting during the holidays once and that was enough for me.  It’s hard to be cheery when you’re cranky from being hungry.  Or cranky from passing on your favorite dish of pot roast and potatoes.  Or cranky from people once again asking you “are you sure you don’t want some of this?”, while they lick the gooey residue of the said dish’s sweet goodness from their fingers.  Save everyone from a potentially violent reaction from you, and take a piece.

But that’s the key. A piece, a morsel, a bite, a slice.  You can and should eat the Christmas feast you stumble upon at your Christmas party.  It’s only right…It’s the HOLIDAYS!  But don’t gorge on a whole mound of mashed potatoes with a pool of gravy in the middle (despite what I quoted earlier).  You’ll probably feel sick to your stomach, anyway.  And then nobody will be inviting you to next year’s party.

Besides, if you’re a reasonably healthy eater the rest of the year, this season’s goodies probably won’t add a frightful amount of pounds to your weight.  Nothing that the quick follow-up of a New Year’s resolution to lose weight won’t cure anyway.  If you know you eat terribly the rest of the year, this season probably isn’t the best time to embark on a diet.

So gather around the fire and enjoy the hot cocoa and s’mores you roast with the kids.  Bake cookies and eat your share, then give the rest away to family and friends.  Toast with an eggnog.  Have some ham.  These are the things you and your family will look back fondly on in the years to come.  Do you really want to remember this season in the future as that holiday you didn’t get to eat anything with butter in it?  So eat anything with butter in it; but pace yourself.  There’s more to come.

As my favorite line of that alternate holiday eating tips I got in an email says:

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ;WOO HOO what a ride!”

I took the baby to see my sister’s production of The Nutcracker over the weekend. It is always amazing to see how my sister pulls this show together each year.This year she has three kids of her own to care for, ages 9, 5 and 6 months.

Unfortunately, I screwed up our family calendar, so my husband and older boys were busy at various sports events. We usually all go as a family and plan to do so again next year.

What struck me was the fact that the baby watched, mesmerized, for the entire performance. Okay…after the intermission, he squirmed a bit in his grandmother’s arms, so my mom carried him over to me. He watched the rest of the show from my arms.

This little guy seems to love music and the other day he even enjoyed watching a ballet performance. I’m sure it was the whole thing that held his attention: the colorful props, costumes, lively music as well as the dancing. Maybe 7 months is a little young to instill a love for the arts in a child but it just so happens that my sister is an accomplished dancer and now, teacher. We have always tried to maintain a balance with our kids. We are O.D.’d on sporting events but as my husband and I always enjoyed art, music and live theatre on occasion, we want to instill some appreciation of all of this in our children.

Once or twice a year, we take our boys to the Philadelphia Art Museum. Special exhibits include headsets which  give  you a narrated tour, sharing insights into the paintings (or other art forms) as well as into the artist’s life and history. There are two options to choose from: the adult version and the children’s version. Our kids enjoy it. We’ll do the same with our new little guy.

The kids especially like taking a trip to Chinatown for lunch, afterwards! I want to be sure that my kids are cultured and allowed to explore the exciting world outside the tiny bubble of our neighborhood, school and everyday lives. They learn a lot in school but it is also our job, as parents, to expose them to new things, educate them and be sure that they are well-rounded.

During the busy holiday season, I’ve found that when you need to order specific gifts for kids, like board games, video games, and sports jerseys, it’s best to save yourself the hassle of running around. Instead, place an order online. With these gifts, it’s not the thought that counts—the kids have already done the thinking.

Save your precious time for more interesting things—that is, of course if you’re a shopper, like me. I rummaged through toys at a discount store and found a couple of quality gifts for our baby and my baby nephews. Babies don’t have Christmas lists, so we get to have fun picking out things that will make them laugh, smile or squeal on Christmas morning (and, hopefully interest them for a long time afterwards).

Despite a tight budget this year, Santa is still coming to our house. We’ve decided to skip some gift exchanges between adults. I just have to give something to my sisters, though. I’m spending less on them than usual but putting a little extra thought into their gifts. I bought them soft, snuggly slipper socks, small Yankee candles in a jar and plan on buying them each a box of yummy tea, maybe a holiday flavor or something to help them relax and unwind (they’re busy moms, too). I’ll put it all in a little basket with a tag reading: “Have a warm and cozy winter!” Smaller, thoughtful gifts can have a big impact.

Also, instead of filling the kids’ stockings with a bunch of junky toys, I’m trying to fill them with useful things, for the most part, like Chapstick for my older son who’s always complaining about his chapped lips and sticky notes.

Does anyone else have any tips for smart shopping on a budget this holiday season?

I am not a shopper. I don’t know why I don’t like to shop, I just don’t. Every year around this time, I’m reminded of my shopping phobia as I fight the crowds to get gifts for my 5 children. Sometimes, when my husband is traveling with work, I have to take the children with me while I shop.

Once, I lost my blind child in the store. I thought she was holding onto the cart, but when I looked around a few minutes later and discovered that I’d lost her. We did find her a short while later sobbing in the next aisle. That experience prompted me to make some changes in our shopping routine.

During busy shopping seasons, I don’t take the kids with me. If my husband is traveling on business, I pay a neighbor to watch the children for me. If I have no choice but to shop with kids in tow, I go early in the morning or in the evening when the stores aren’t so crowded. I avoid the mid-day shopping rush and also the rush at the stores at 5pm when people are getting home from work.

I’ve found that it’s best to go shopping with a game plan. I make sure I know what I want and where I’m going to get it. This means that I research before hand to find out where the best sales are. If an item I want is not in stock during a sale, I ask for a “rain check” at customer service. This means that I can get the sale price on the item when the store gets the item in stock.

In recent years, I’ve found that I can find great deals online. This has cut back my shopping time and saved me a lot of stress! Many online stores offer free shipping deals during this time of year and that makes it worth my while to shop there. However, it may still pay you to shop at an online store even if you have to pay shipping. For example, how much gas and time will you spend driving to that brick and mortar store? How much will it cost you in “aggravation dollars” to have to deal with the kids and the other stressed shoppers? When you look at it that way, shipping and handling costs are a deal!

This year, will you do most of your shopping online, or at a brick and mortar store?

Every year around this time, many people take their infants and young children to visit Santa. Some years, we’ve taken the children to the mall to visit with Santa; some years we’ve had Santa visit our house.

This year, I found that Bass Pro Shop will take your child’s photo with Santa absolutely free! The best part about getting your child’s photo taken here is that you don’t have to wait to see Santa either! If the lines are long, you can ask for an appointment with Santa. The store personnel will give you a time to return with your child so you can bypass the long lines. That’s wonderful.

The store we visited also had coloring pages for the kids, free crafts, and free snacks. The best part was that there was only one other family in line and our wait time was very short.

The store has also set up a virtual Wonderland where your relatives and friends can use a special code to log onto the site and view your child’s photo. If they like the photos, they can purchase a portrait package online. In our case, we live far away from all of the relatives. I’m going to be sending the site information to all of them so they can see how much our son has grown since we visited last year.

Will you take your child to visit Santa this year? Do you take your child to the same place every year, or do you look for photo specials?

Reflecting on what we are thankful for is a tradition for many of us on Thanksgiving, but this year, it may carry more meaning than usual. The number of people losing their jobs and struggling to pay their bills and feed their families, is so much greater than usual.

My mom just told me that her husband (of three years, so not exactly my “step-dad” but a great addition to the family!) won’t be able to retire when he was planning to because of his diminished retirement account. I?ve heard other similar stories.

I know a few other moms who have recently taken on full-time jobs outside the home for the first time in years, due to necessity. One, the mom of my oldest son?s friend, told me that her oldest son was “set” for college until recently, when they lost a lot of money due to the current financial mess.

My own husband is an Investment Officer, or Financial Advisor. I swear that the number of gray hairs on his head have doubled in the past month…He is particularly drained from having to be the sounding board for many of his worried clients. He needs to be reassuring to them, all the while dealing with the reality of just how tough things are with the current economy.

All of this is depressing, but true. I’m sure everyone has his/her own story to tell. I hope, though, that this Thanksgiving will give us all the chance to put our worries aside-at least for a day. To appreciate our children and what a joy it is to watch them grow and do amazing, new things just about every day. To appreciate a delicious meal and be thankful that we are able to have it, while more people than ever before will be turning to soup kitchens and counting on donations for theirs.

My family has to dig deeper into their pockets than usual to put together this year’s big feast, as do so many others. I will take the time to enjoy every bite (if my kids will let me) and the company of family and friends. I will miss my grandfather, as usual, and be thankful for the memories I have of him. I will be thankful for the chance to spend yet another Thanksgiving with my grandmother, now 86 years old.? I hope we can all take the time to reflect on what we do have during this time of hardship and find the faith to believe that it will get better.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon?I’m reminded of the Thanksgiving not too long ago that went really, really wrong.? I wasn’t the hostess so it wasn’t like I was the one who felt the bulk of frustration for everything that happened, but since the hostess was a friend of mine I could feel her frustration.

My friend always puts on a perfect event.? She reminds me a lot of Martha Stewart in the sense that everything has to be perfect whenever she has people over.? Our daughters were both about to turn three, and since we don’t have any family nearby she invited us over for Thanksgiving to join some other members of her family.? It was a sweet gesture and we eagerly accepted the invitation.

When we arrived I noticed tension in the air immediately.? It became obvious that her mother was driving her a little crazy.? Every so often her mother would march up to my friend and tell her about something she was doing wrong.? “Darling,” she would say, breathless and condescending, “don’t you think we should start seating the guests?” To this my friend would snap back, “Mo-ther, this is MY party and MY guests and I will do things as I choose!”? Then she would take a deep breath and pleasantly announce that it was time to find our seats.

You have to understand that I grew up with very laid-back parents.? I was also brought up as a strict vegetarian, so you can imagine what our Thanksgivings were like.? Picture pizza and soda and lounging on a sofa.

I wasn’t sure how to react to the tension, so I ignored it.? Then my friend’s mom brought me into it.? “Tamsen, how old is your daughter? She must be older than my granddaughter.”

“No,” I replied.? “Your granddaughter is actually a couple of months older than my daughter.”

To this she gasped and then dramatically declared, “My goodness! Your daughter speaks so much more eloquently than my granddaughter! I just can’t get over the difference!” She then turned to my friend and said, “Darling, doesn’t she speak really well?”

Through gritted teeth my friend replied,? “Yes, Mo-ther, she speaks well.”? You might think this would be enough to make my friend’s head explode, but?her mother wouldn’t drop?it.? All through the meal, whenever my daughter would say something, my friend’s mother would make a face as though she?had just?encountered something fabulous.

My husband and I were incredibly uncomfortable.? We started to make motions to each other that it was time to leave, when all of a sudden my friend’s daughter threw up all over the place.??Not only did my friend shriek and lunge for a carpet cleaner she had in an adjoining room, but I swear her mother stood there with a look on her face that indicated that she was incredibly disappointed that her granddaughter would?dare to throw up on such an important holiday.

We left soon thereafter.? My friend never called me again.

I tried to call her a few times but she was very cold. I later found out through the grapevine that her daughter had delays in speech and was seeing a speech?therapist, so I can only imagine how tough it was to deal with her mom lamenting about my daughter’s verbal ability.

This year we’re going to a different friend’s house, and my kids will be the only kids present.? Unless my?friend wants to compare her dogs to our kids I don’t think we’ll get another experience with fierce?rivalry.

My first child was one month old when Halloween arrived. I remember dressing her up like a pumpkin and keeping her with me when I handed out candy to the neighbors’ children.

My son is the youngest child of 5 and we dress him up so he can enjoy the festivities with his sisters who canvas the neighborhood for goodies. While we are out, a neighbor hands out the candy to children who come to visit our house.

Whether your baby is accompanying you and your older children around the neighborhood on Halloween night, or whether she is staying home with you while you hand out candy to the neighbor children, you should start planning her costume now. It does seem a little bit early to be planning for end of October festivities, but I’ve found that Halloween costumes go quickly. For the best selection, it’s important to shop early.

If you are looking for frugal costume ideas, you can do a search online for ideas that are easy and inexpensive to do. If you can sew, or know someone who does sew, it is fun to look through the costume patterns at the local fabric store.

I have bought several costumes for my children online through different auction sites. If you are thinking about this option, now is the perfect time to start bidding on costumes. Remember that you must allow time for the costume to be shipped once you win the auction. Also, it might take a few tries to win an auction!

I have also found gently used costumes for sale at some of the local thrift shops. Again, it is best to shop early for the best selection.

While you are deciding on this year’s costume, remember to plan ahead for next year. Costumes are incredibly inexpensive after Halloween! It would be wise to purchase next year’s costume at that time. If you decide to purchase a costume for next year during the clearance sales, remember to buy a size or two bigger than your child wore this past year.

My “little pumpkin” is now 15 years old. Believe it or not, I saved her first Halloween costume and it became a tradition for each child to dress up in that costume for their first Halloween. I have to admit though, when, I pulled the costume out for my son’s first Halloween last year, it looked worn.

We decided to start a new first year Halloween tradition. In keeping with this new tradition, my son dressed up as Batman and the dog went as Robin.

Good bye pumpkin, hello super hero and super sidekick!

Babies Online would like to wish you all a very happy and wonderful Mother’s Day.

Please feel free to share any of your special moments, surprises, or experiences from your special day.

So many religious feasts and national holidays and not enough people in the churches to celebrate them. Why should they? The beach resorts and ski resorts are much more beckoning. Belgium is a land of so many holidays. Public national holidays are quite numerous, and along with the mandatory 30 days holiday for all employees, people are working only 9 months a year. This is the perfect way to take away a person’s prerogative to complain of being overworked. School holidays are just as plentiful. If we could work as many days as the kids are in school, you can calculate more than 14 weeks of days off! That’s definitely more than the mandatory 3 months off from work. The following lists Belgium’s official school holidays:

• Autumn half-term break: or Herfstvakantie, 1 week, including All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen) on November 1
• Winter holiday: 2 weeks, including Christmas (Kerstmis) and New Year (Nieuwjaar)
• Winter half-term break: or Krokusvakantie, 1 week. The crocus is one of the first buds from a bulb, very beautiful in white, purple or orange, that starts to bloom in late February or March (but this was before the earth’s temperature started to increase in a significant way) and so it is one of the first announcements of Spring.
• Spring holiday: Paasvakantie, 2 weeks, including Holy Week and Easter Sunday
• Easter Monday: Paasmandaag, Monday after Easter Sunday
• Ascension and Labour Day: Feest vakantie dag & Hemelvaart, May 1
• Whit Monday/Pentecost: Pinkstermaandag, Monday after Pentecost Sunday or 6 weeks after Easter
• Summer holidays: from July until the first Monday of September, when the children come back to school, coinciding with the beginning of the Carnival (Kermis)

Belgians really know how to live it up come holiday time. Who knows, 50 years down the road, they just might turn churches into holiday oases — then we’ll see a resurgence of the young going INTO churches again.

There is absolutely nothing in the world that compares to holding your new baby. The bond and draw you feel knowing that they are just as much a part of you as your own two hand. The countless hours you spend carefully studying your baby’s face and every single detail you can find about them never seems to lose it’s first-time wonderment. It is exciting to feel the embrace of your child and your partner as two have all of a sudden become in a flash both one and three.

As an only child myself, I breathed a sigh of fulfillment that I would never again have to worry about growing old alone. While I think everyone has this fear from time to time, it is a fleeting but constant fear through an on only childs’ life that they will be left alone by accident or fate. I find that I can barely remember what my life was like without my daughter. She is only now turning eight weeks old and I feel like these last few months have been simultaneously the longest and shortest periods I’ve ever experienced in my life.

On one hand I am amazed that he is growing so fast and barely have time to enjoy one moment to the next before it changes, while on the other I am so excited to see her grow up and learn about her world that I almost can’t sleep at night! Sometimes at night I wake up to her soft cooing and in my drowsiness almost startle to the realization that she is no longer a figment of my childhood dreams, but a living breathing human being lying in a bassinet not feet from my bed. It almost scares me to get up and look, fearing that somehow this all had been a dream and I had imagined it all. It all feels so surreal. I feel like she has always been there waiting for her time to come into the world. I find it fascinating to think that when I was in my own mother’s womb, I had my daughters’ egg already inside of me, and within that egg the key to my family history and the sequence that will eventually make up my grandchildren.

I don’t think that you can understand the feeling of being caught in a single moment while at the same time feeling stretched across the ages until you yourself become a parent. I found my thoughts dancing over all of the nights my mother had waited up for me to come home, and all the mistakes I had made as a teenager that in one way or another hurt my family. All of those nights that I came home late and dismissed my mother’s worry and frustration with me all of a sudden came around full circle. What would I feel like if my daughter had not come home on time? Will I now be the one losing sleep waiting for the door to click open and heave a sigh of relief when the door quietly squeaks? Will I pretend that I am asleep to cover up the fact that I had been up late worrying? Will I get up and stand in my doorway as she comes upstairs to her bedroom to ask her if she is all right?

I find myself singing the same songs my mother used to lull me to sleep with, and comforting her with the same loving touch I always savored before bedtime. No matter how much you may feel like you are different from your parents, there is never a time that you feel so completely molded in their image as when you have your own child. Seeing my father hold her for the first time tonight was truly the perfect gift I could have received for Christmas. I stepped back as he pulled her into his arms and smiled down at her, her eyes lighting up as she peered up at his face as a smile grew across her lips.

All I could think about was how I used to be that small baby girl in his arms that he was smiling down at, and now I am watching him hold the baby that will carry on in his likeness and memory years after he is gone. He paused for a moment and looked up at me and softly smiled, only remarking that I would always be his little girl even if I’m not so little any more. I bit back tears and smiled back, replying that he would always be my daddy and he was going to be the best poppy in the world. After his near-fatal cancer scare earlier this year, I am so thankful that he is here with us to experience the birth of his grand daughter and relish in the quiet completeness that only a baby can bring to your heart.

Happy holidays to everyone celebrating their first Christmas with a new family, and to those dreaming of the Christmases to come, enjoy the love and warmth the togetherness allows us to experience and remember to make your memories count. Please comment back to this post and tell me what your perfect Christmas gift or moment was this year and a little bit about yourself so that we can spread the holiday cheer here at babiesonline.com!