A Special Christmas Eve Visit

Christmas Eve is packed with magic - the glitter of the holiday, the anticipation of the big man in red, and for those that celebrate, the anniversary of Christ's birth.

Our Christmas Eve was a little more magical than usual. We went 'home' to visit my side of the family, and spent a sunny day hiking with a few of my sibs, my mom, my husband and of course, Noah.

My sister in law commented that it didn't *feel* like Christmas Eve. The ice on the pond and the chill in the air proved it was winter, but there was something missing... something not quite Christmasy about the afternoon.  

All that changed on the way back when someone suggested stopping by the MCFD office. "Who knows, Noah's guardianship worker might be in today." 

I suppose I should clarify that suggestion with a general warning: most people (social workers included, but people in general) do not appreciate walk-in visitors. But it was Christmas Eve, and we were in the neighbourhood, and we thought, Why not? He's either working or he's at home with his family, and seeing ours won't affect his workload too much. (We hoped.) 

We were delightfully surprised.... not only was he in, he had a few minutes to come on out to see us!!! We were so excited. Noah's adoption was a bit serendipitous, and we remain grateful to this day for all the people who helped bring him home to us.

We feel especially grateful to Noah's guardianship worker, who was behind our application 100%. He was absolutely delighted to see how far Noah had come since that pivotal moment over a year and a half ago when we sat around the dining room table drafting Noah's adoption plan together.  

Noah was his charming self. Rosy-cheeked and close to exhausting from our hike, he still had enough energy to wish the office "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" as he munched on a little candy cane. 

On our way out the door, Noah's worker stopped us and pulled out the thank-you card and photograph we'd mailed him more than a year ago. He'd kept that little thank you all this time, and we were so touched to know that maybe in some way, Noah had made an impact on HIS life, too. 

We had a very Merry Christmas after that meeting. 

When we woke up on Christmas morning, and Noah scampered up the stairs, Kevin and I had to stop and look at each other in wonder.... every day with Noah is its own miracle, and we were glad to have that moment to remind us that his presence in our family is a gift to be celebrated every day.

Noah vs. Santa

I'm not sure what possessed me to take my two year old to visit Santa today.

My husband had to work, and I'm currently sporting a wrist brace that leaves me fairly incapable of doing anything useful with my dominant hand.

But I decided today would be a good day to visit Santa. St. Nick found time in his busy schedule to visit our local mall, though I'm not sure why. This shopping area is typically a ghost town, but it does transform into shopping central on the last Saturday before Christmas.

We walked, which was wise - not as wise as the three magi, but well, smarter than driving. It meant I could strap young Noah into his stroller and have a chance at shopping while we waited for Santa to arrive.

You see, timing was my first mistake. Normally Noah goes down for his nap around 12:30pm, a nap he desperately needs considering his fall-asleep-for-the-night time has been around 11pm lately. So rather than check Santa's schedule, I just assumed he would be there waiting for us when we arrived at 12:15.

No way, Momma. Of COURSE Santa's only working limited hours. It's practically Christmas, after all.... so we shopped around locally for 45 minutes until the big man in red finally arrived at 1pm.

In the meantime we got a few last minute gifts, and Noah practiced his four-limbed attack on all things shiny and breakable. We were only banned from one store this time around, which is a 300% improvement from last year's holiday banishment score.

At 12:55 Noah spotted Santa taking his seat in his tinsel-covered throne. 

"SANTAAAAAAAAA!" Noah screamed across the mall. "DON'T HIT SANTA!"

Oh for the love of St. Nicholas.

I'm glad that we taught Noah the "don't hit" rule. It was perfectly effective in training him to keep his hands to himself in regards to other children, friends' babies, and small dogs with big teeth.

But it makes people stare when he uses it indiscriminantly (even though it's still a correct self-affirmation).

In the last two weeks alone, he's publicly declared:

Don't hit Jesus!
Don't hit baby Jesus!
Don't hit the doctor!
Don't hit old lady!
Don't hit Grandma!
Don't hit the candy!
Don't hit Mickey Mouse!
Don't hit Oprah!
Don't hit Nemo!

and finally..

DON'T HIT SANTA!

Santa actually HEARD that decree, and looked up across the crowded mall to raise a white-gloved hand and share a hearty "ho ho ho!" with my hit-obsessed son.

That sent him over the edge. "I SEE SANTA! I SEE HIM! NO HIT HIM! I SEE SAAAAAAAAAAAAAANTA!"

Thank God the line was short. Noah leaped from my arms and waddled like a hurried penguin over to the big man. Santa scooped him up and placed him expertly on his knee.

It was like watching a horror movie. Noah's excitement drained from his face, his lower lip quivered for a moment, and he looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

"SANTA ALL DONE!" he announced in desperation.

Sigh. Another year, another photo with Santa.

Oh well. At least Noah didn't hit him!

Counting with Noah 101 ("I Have ONE, TWO, THREE Eyebrows, Mommy!")

Noah and I were counting this morning. I'm not convinced he understands the concept. On a good day, he can count as high as thirteen before he starts mixing up or repeating numbers. But today we weren't having much luck.

"I have ONE, TWO, THREE eyebrows, Mommy!" Noah announced with a giant grin.

"Oh really?" I laughed. "Noah, most people have two eyebrows." (I didn't mention that some unfortunate souls have ONE, and others have NONE.) We looked in the mirror together. "Noah, do you have THREE eyebrows?"

"Nope." Noah replied. "Seven!"

Okay... obviously counting needs work.

We tried counting the lights on the Christmas tree:

"One, two, three, Mommy!"

We tried counting the cars on the street:

"One, two, three, Mommy!"

We tried counting the wheels on his toy truck:

"One, two, three....fourfivesixseveneightnineteneleven."

"Eleven?" I cackled. "Eleven? That's a lot of wheels, Noah!"

He looked at me wide-eyed and replied emphatically:
"Nope. Not eleven wheels, Mommy. SEVEN."

Sometimes Even Adoption Support Coordinators need Adoption Support!

Today was a really great day! We had our staff Christmas party, and I had the pleasure of driving one of our regional colleagues to the celebration.

This particular colleague is an old family friend (the friendship is old, NOT the friend) and we hadn't seen each other in yeaaaars. It was so fun to catch up and hear all about her family, her kids, grandkids, and adventures along the way. 

Along with some great conversations, it was really great to bounce some of my own motherhood experiences off her. It was nice to get some feedback from another adoptive parent who's seen and done it all before. I have the luxury of working on a daily basis with some phenomenal people who have strong adoption connections; but it was really affirming to talk to someone who's known me from childhood and also had a great amount of knowledge to share.  

So thanks for the chat today! It's nice to know that when adoption support coordinators need an ear, there's more than a handful of people within our organization who will be happy to listen!