First Christmas

We got through the first Christmas with a minimum of fuss. He took it as just another day with the families. We celebrated Christmas Eve with Dave's side and had a lovely and delicious feast prepared by John. Darren was much more enthralled with the bow he got on his first gift and after that the bow was all that mattered. He got some lovely gifts, clothes and eletronic toys. I think the adults were playing with the electronics more than he did by the end of the night. Christmas day was spent mostly at home during the day and we eventually headed to my parents home for dinner. More gifts and his first Lego set (the big block kind). He slept through dinner which was fine by me. I'm so lucky eh?! Simone fed him dinner when he woke up. She's practicing for her new arrival in March, Darren's first cousin.

I should announce that my brother, Jason, is going to be a father. His girlfriend, Simone, is due March 1, 2004. She's been told it's a girl by the ultrasound tech because she wanted to know. So Darren will be 1 years old by the time he's got a cousin. It's good that they will be the same age. My cousin, Julia, is also having her baby as I write this. His name is Arlan Gabriel Klapproth. So Darren now has a third cousin his age. Of course they live in Germany so it won't be so easy to see them often but ce la vie.

His new passion is to stare at the lights of any building we are in at the time and sticking his tongue out at people. He's also changed the bedtime ritual to crying after I turn the lights out and wiggling out of my arms. He tries to anyway. I take it all in stride and soothe him into a relaxed stage and then put him to bed. He cries a little bit but I let him fall asleep on his own. He is also very curious to try everything we eat. He has had macaroni and cheese one noodle at a time and tonight he tried my ceasar salad. Nothing seems to stop him from trying and liking everything we give him so he's making it easy for me to feed him. I was told I was a terrible eater and fussy, fussy, fussy!

The girl in the pink hat is Darren's other third cousin, Braedyn. She kinda looks like him doesn't she in this picture?