Sunday night we got Nolin bundled up (yes in Florida it has started to get cold), and went to the Boys Town Christmas Party. It was neat to see the kids dressed up and in a setting outside of our weekly run. They had cleaned up their houses and decorated them and you could tell how proud they were to talk about the program and give tours of their homes. They were also all very excited to see Nolin again, who has not been joining us lately on our weekly runs.
As we toured the houses and talked to the kids, you got the feeling that although they would all have difficult roads ahead of them, there is still hope because these are good kids.
Boys Town even had one of Santa’s helpers fill in and talk to the kids. Nolin seemed pretty excited when he came into the house we were visiting. With feet kicking and arms flailing, we handed Nolin over to Santa for a quick photo op. It was a relief to know that when he meets the real Santa on the 24th, he won’t spend the time screaming (hopefully).
We left the party and headed back home to get Nolin ready for bed and so that I could pack for my upcoming work trip. Jenn took Pancake for a walk and Nolin and I proceeded to our bath time and dinner ritual. After his bath was over, it was time to eat, something that Nolin thoroughly enjoys.
As he gets used to foods he really gets into dinner time. Sunday night was a dish I like to call Sweet Potato Di Jour (sweet potatoes, oatmeal and formula). Nolin couldn’t get enough. Every time I started in with more food, his eyes would light up. He would pull the spoon back to his mouth as I would take it away. If I wasn’t fast enough with more food, he would pretend to eat his high chair and then start laughing.
Nolin was putting on a show.
And for the grand finale, Nolin began to growl like a monster, grabbed his bib with one hand and ripped it off from around his neck. Whoa incredible hulk baby, I guess that means you’re done?!
Nolin instantly began to laugh and then turned his eyes back to the empty food jar. He had a proud look on his face as if he had just conquered Mt. Everest.
We spent a little more time upstairs playing before he went to bed. I brought out the guitar and sang a few songs to Nolin, who sat more attentive then anyone I have ever played for. When I stopped, he rolled (no he had not started crawling yet, that happened on Monday when I left on my work trip) over to the guitar and started trying to play himself. It went well until he tried to grab a handful of strings and pull them to him…yep time for bed.
I took extra time putting Nolin to bed as I wanted to savor every minute before I left for a four night work trip. I finally said goodnight and started packing for my trip. I guess Nolin wanted to get the most out of his time with me, because he woke up several times before we finally brought him to bed with us. Yes I know that goes against all of the parenting books, but I figured it was just one night…
Our Modern Family 