El Nino's Big Adventure

I apologize for the delay in posting. December is a busy month, and we had a few bumps along the way. El nino was in the hospital with a fever just before Christmas. He exhibited no other signs of illness and was a real trooper through the whole ordeal. Hospitals are not our favorite places anymore - too much time was spent in them in 2006. But he got better quickly and was able to come home for the holiday which made it all the more sweet.

Wow, this parenthood thing is fraught with worry, yes? It is horrible to see your child ill. And how a nurse could suggest I will spoil my child by holding him "too much" is beyond me.

Our first Christmas with el nino was spent at his grandmother's house. He had no interest in the presents or the tree, just grandma's arms. When we were all too busy to hold him, which was not often I might add, he did very well sitting in the stroller grandma has for him. And the car ride to and from grammy's house went very well. We just had to make one stop each way. El seems to like riding in the car.

We had a pleasant New Year's Eve weekend. El's cousin R was in town and able to spend some quality time with El. He adored her and fell asleep in her arms. She is a trooper as well and held him for at least an hour while he slept, relinquishing him only when the pizza arrived. R will be joining us on our trip to Mexico in the next couple of months. So we'll have more to say about that exciting event as the time draws near.

Tia A (auntie) from Chicago arrived on New Year's Eve to meet our el. While the trip was short, she managed to squeeze in a lot of holding and a lot of advice. She wanted us to feed el nino any time he made a peep. Food is the balm for all ills apparently. We tried to explain the concept of spitting up, but I'm not sure if we made our point. Ah well. El is a lucky little boy to have such devoted family memebers.

Mommy started work this week and was glad to be back part-time for now. It's nice to have the adult stimulation. I admire women who stay home to raise their children, but I do like my day job. It took some doing to get it in the first place; so I'd like to hold on to it for a while. They are accomodating us very nicely by allowing me to work part-time for the first two months. So el nino doesn't have to get through too much of the day before mommy is back at home with him. And I have to admit that I appreciate the time I spend with him even more.

So our wishes for the New Year are for health, prosperity, and joy. We are glad to ring in 2007 and look forward to all it has to offer. Peace, love, and prosperity to all of you. Happy New Year.