Christmas 2014

We've had the most magical Christmas!  It was already made when I received news at the start of break that I did NOT have to have surgery on my shoulder (due to an injury from the car wreck we were in over Thanksgiving).  Thankfully, the MRI showed damage that can be repaired with physical therapy alone.  I still can't lift Jonah well, have a lot of pain, and the added appointments during the week are already wearing on us even over the break, but mercy am I grateful for not having to recover from surgery - and for being alive at all after that experience.  It could have been so much worse, and it has made me soak up my time at home with my little family that much more these past couple of weeks.  The whole experience has given me new awareness for the people I know who live with life-changing disabilities from accidents that weren't their fault.  I was preparing to accept a new normal for only the six month period it would have taken to recover (with a 16 month old) from surgery.  I can't imagine having your life changed forever.  It's amazing how much our bodies impact our every day.

Well, we are so fortunate to have had a big combined celebration at Oma and Opa's.  We had an ugly Christmas sweater contest and a white elephant gift exchange.  It was a grand time with lots of laughs.  I am so glad my people - Nonni and Grandpa and my brother Greg could be here!!  

But of course our little butterball has made us like snowmen in summer.

Jonah, seriously - how do you get MORE fun and MORE precious?  He enjoyed every gift, every time we looked at lights, every new schedule.  He has been so cuddly and tender lately.  He is blowing lots of kisses when we wave goodbye, he pats us a lot and grabs our faces to lean in for eye contact and 'forehead.'  And he loves to hold hands.  He is a sweet soul.  I think I'll build him a basement so he can live with me forever.  I know that sounds crazy.  The soil here is way too rocky.

Jonah is 16 months old now.  He is 31 inches long and weighs 27 pounds! He can get his message across quite clearly one way or the other...usually by taking our hand and leading us somewhere.  His vocabulary now includes:

Shoes

Socks ("agock")

Uh-oh

Ball

Juice

Moo

Quack

Cracker (food related, not racial as far as we can tell... : )

Outside (sounds more like "ow hie!"

Pet

That's

No no

Pear

Hi

Nonah (his name)

Turn 

Of course the last one on that list is used in our frequent and lengthy discussions of windmills.  We are still very serious about windmills in this house.  And there are quite a few words that didn't make it onto the list because we're not sure they belong to any particular language spoken by more than one person.  We could be wrong, though.  

I'm pretty sure he understands everything we say.  And he's catching on to our code words: "cm" for "chocolate milk," and "double consonants" for "M&Ms."  

No, we don't eat Paleo...why do you ask?

Jonah's been working on back molars and I love it when he finishes a tough round of teething because his good eating habits return.  He's been noshing on tacos, breakfast sausage cups, pears, beef steak and bean enchiladas, chicken tamales, and Chipotle chicken quesadillas lately.  He loves dinner time!  That's my boy!  I think he's in the right part of the country too. :-)

When we're not discussing windmills (or watching a documentary about them) Jonah and I are working on our new hobby of backyard bird watching.  Santa brought him a book about it in his stocking and we've had fun trying to spot the different ones.

Oh - above is pictured our other new hobby.  Washing dishes.  It requires lots of soap, lots of towels, and lots of time, and somehow they still don't get done. :). But it gives us a chance to look for birds out the kitchen window.

Between the windmills and bird watching combined with the fact that we are both exhausted from having a very busy 16 month old, combined with the fact that we are even more exhausted because we have injuries (Howard's still healing a rib from that wreck)...I feel just a day over 93.

Goodnight world.  This old lady needs some sleep.