Last-minute holiday cheer

So I've finally stopped being so Grinch-like about the holidays. Thanks to Nico, who helped me snap out of my Bah! Humbug!-ness with his cute, crafty holiday projects; my friend Bethany, who brought me a tiny Christmas tree to my office; and my pal Claire, who strongly advised me to have a martini (or three) at her holiday party last weekend, I am now officially feeling the Christmas spirit. Plus, I watched "Love Actually" a few times, one of my favorite sentimental holiday movies.

I'm still not finished wrapping gifts and have not yet mailed out our holiday cards, but at least I'm not feeling as overwhelmed and crabby about it all as I was a few weeks ago. I have to say that Nico's excitement about Christmas has been contagious. When we decorated the tree together, he was totally fun and lovable about it. So when he begged me to take cameraphone pics of him and Nolan wearing reindeer antlers and Santa caps, how could I resist?

Happy Holidays!

What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?*

Nolan seems to have an uncanny way of channeling Arnold from the old TV show "Diff'rent Strokes".

Weird.

* My ever helpful husband informs me that it is not "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" but "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Thanks, Vic! Would you like me to review your software code now? :)

California crybabies

Nico and I are crybabies. We hate saying goodbye to people and places we love.

We're back in Cleveland after a fun, but short, trip to San Francisco. Vic and I went there to attend his company's holiday party and we brought the boys out to spend some time with my sister, the fantastic Auntie Linda.

Even though we were only in town for a few days, we were able to see some old friends, which was really awesome. I would have loved to stay longer to visit some other pals, but there just wasn't enough time. Nico had a blast spending time with Linda and her girlfriend Joemy. Lin and Joemy babysat the boys and spoiled them with gifts and attention. Nico enjoyed his time with Linda so much he didn't want to come home. He wanted to stay with her and lobbied hard to move in with her. He complained that "Cleveland is stupid! It doesn't even have mountains or the Pacific Ocean." It was heartbreaking to see him crying after saying goodbye to his beloved aunt. He cried for a long time.

During our stay, as I did last year, I visited the hospital where Nico was born and the apartment complex we lived in when Nico was a baby. It's hard to believe that six years have passed since we lived out there. I remember the day Vic and I first brought him home from the hospital. Vic carried Nico, snuggled in an infant car seat, up the steps to our apartment, where my sister had taped a big, homemade "Welcome home, Nico!" sign on our front door.

Also, like last year, as the plane took off for Cleveland, tears welled up in my eyes. I'm not sure why I get so weepy thinking about the time we spent living in the Bay Area, but I think a lot of it has to do with the powerful emotions associated with first-time motherhood.

I think Nico and I both left our hearts in San Francisco on this trip.

It's the most terrible time of the year

OK, now that my favorite holiday is over, the most stressful time of the year is here. Call me a Scrooge, but the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas really stress me out. I'm not alone either - I think my boys feel the same way. Last week, while my sister was in town, I tried to get a nice photo of her with the boys in front of our just decorated Christmas tree.

Nico looks like he's going to cry and I'm not sure what's going on with Nolan. He looks completely miserable - kinda like my friend Chris this football season.