1st Christmas

So, our first Christmas with Tom, and it was a super day. Tom helped out in a big way by giving us a good night's sleep; he didn't stir between 11.00 and 6.00 and then woke up at 7.00 in a good mood that lasted (almost) all day. Granma and Pop Pop had prepared individual stockings for Tom and Jake, full of little toys and nik-naks that went down very well, which we opened on the bed.

We then had a normal breakfast before putting Tom down for 30 minutes sleep before the big present-opening session got under way. There were so many parcels in the lounge, 80% of which were for the boys, that it was hard for all of us to fit in. We managed somehow, though, and got through the pile in about an hour. A good haul was had by all, with the result that we won't need to buy Tom any new outfits, toys or anything for quite some time. We may need a bigger car to get it all home in though.

Simon & Clare did a sterling job getting Christmas lunch ready, which we sat down to eat at about 2.00. Pheasant, turkey and all the trimmings appeared, along with a variety of strong drink. Tom, despite having had a good sized lunch at 12.00, nibbled away on carrots, parsnips and sprouting broccoli very happily. Where does he stick it all? We decided we really needed to get out for some fresh air before the sun went down, so we loaded Tom into the rucksack again and marched him round a lap of the village. As with yesterday's jaunt, he loved it and giggled most of the way round. In fact, he felt so energised by the experience that he went one better than yesterday's record crawl and managed it all the way into the kitchen this time.

We sat him down for his tea as usual at 5.00, thinking that he wouldn't be that hungry after his extra lunch. 1 sachet, 4 whole carrots, 2 roast potatoes, a parsnip, a sprouting broccoli and a fromage frais later, we thought we'd better call it a day before he burst. Incredible. Nik then had a bath with him, but his charming mood ended the second I lifted him out of the water; he screamed the house down, but as he'd been up non-stop since 2.00, he must have been awfully tired, especially with the extra excitement. He drained his bottle of milk straight down and disappeared into the land of nod. A lovely day, couldn't really have gone any better.