Nothing Like Waiting Until The Last Minute

 I'm tired.  But it's done. I said I wasn't going to do it this year. I wasn't going to wait until Christmas eve to get everything done. But here I am, having waited until after five pm to even get started on this stocking.  It's not like this baby just suddenly appeared. He's nearly six months old. You'd think I could have found an extra 30 minutes somewhere in those six months to put together a simple stocking.  In fact, I knew he was on the way when I made everyone else's stockings last Christmas.  So I cut out an extra lining and jeans sections from both the blue we used for the guys and the red we used for the girls.  I wasn't sure what I would have at that point.

 And since the pocket had to have the name embroidered on it as the first step in the sewing, I couldn't continue until we knew for sure the name.  Anyway, it's done now, and filled with little rattles and toys.  We didn't get him too much this year - only what could fit into the stocking, and I didn't wrap any of his presents.  He can't open them anyway, so I figured he wouldn't care.  He is getting a big bouncer/walker thing that I picked up this summer at the thrift store.  I think he'll really like that.

Not to worry - he's still getting plenty.  The stocking is really big.  He could probably fit into it if I tried - except that the opening would be a little tight.  I'll spare him the trauma of attempting it ;)

 So here they are all together - seven stockings.  The first on the bottom left is our oldest son, who is in the Air Force and won't be home with us for Christmas for the first time ever.  It's hard having an empty stocking, but I wanted it to be out with the others.

 We've done some other Christmas crafts.  In the daycare I had the kids make reindeer out of hand and foot prints.  These are the ones my three year old and seven year old made.  There's another craft I want to show off too but it will have to wait until my oldest gets his Christmas packages opened.  Don't want to ruin the surprise.

 As is our tradition, we had a dinner tonight of snack foods - hot wings, barbecue little smokies, crackers, cheeses, summer sausages, olives, chips, and several goodies left over from our holiday baking.  With the new diet restrictions of the baby, I had to only eat the meats and crackers, but it was good, and it was plenty.  I'm still adjusting to the restrictions, but getting along well.  The baby is responding very well.  I don't know how scientific it is, but I feel like he is waking up out of a fog.  He used to be so quiet and lethargic - even in the womb - and now he's so expressive and talkative.  His skin is clearing up and he's always happy.  I don't know if it's just a coincidence that the timing worked out this way or if the allergies really were causing him to be lethargic, but I feel like he is literally waking up out of a fog.

So like I said, I tend to procrastinate.  I was determined to have all my wrapping done ahead of time too, but tonight I had to sit in the bedroom wrapping for about an hour while the rest of the family played Scrabble.  This is our game of choice lately.  I should have gotten everyone a dictionary of their own for Christmas.  Everyone fights over the one we have now and the game takes a long time.  I'll have to put that on my list.

So there you have it.  The stockings are not hung by the chimney with care, because we don't have a chimney.  But my daughter did find a video on the internet (over an hour long) of logs burning - and you can hear the crackle of the fire too - so we hooked up the HDMI cable and played it on the television.  We're going to have that up and running while we open our presents tomorrow.  The plan is to get up early enough to do stockings before church, then open the rest of the presents after church.  We'll see.  If I'm going to make it, I'm going to have to go to bed, as it's quarter to one am now.  Told you I was tired!  Good night, and Merry Christmas!!