Our (Slightly Different) Christmas

It was looking more and more like we wouldn't be in our home for Christmas, so I decided to make Christmas here, at my in-laws, just for the three of us to share together. We cleaned out a little bit of the downstairs rec room and cleared a space perfect for a Christmas tree and it was even the first year we were able to hang our stockings on a mantel. It might not be what we had in mind for Christmas 2011, but it truly is very homey and lovely.


Alas, about a week after we set up for Christmas in Reading, we got approval on our loan. Woohoo! We close on our new house on Monday (the 19th). We are just so excited (and a little nervous). It looks like we will be staying here for Christmas (we've already set up-- and how do you move a decorated Christmas Tree after all?) and will be moving in just after the New Year. What a perfect way to start of 2012!

Onto cuter, lighter things. About a month ago, Eliot witnessed an excavator tearing down a house that had some snow damage from last Christmas. Just a few days later, he began working on his own project; a demolition and renovation of the "Jesus House" at Grandma's house.

Notice the cement (aka white play doh in the dump truck)
The only way he would let me take a photo of him is if I offered him my camera and let him take a photo of me. So here it is, the debut shot of Eliot Baker Photography:

Baby Jesus and his family had to temporarily move into the doll house until renovation would be complete (completion date is still unknown-- we are told we are getting closer, but not sure if it will be done by Christmas. Grandma would like it done by Christmas).



Eliot cracks me up lately. He says the FUNNIEST things, which of course, now that I am writing I can't remember. He's attached himself to a little stuffed Eeyore that he won at a fair on his 3rd birthday. Eeyore pretty much goes everywhere with us these days. One time, Eliot even blamed a mess on Eeyore.

His favorite words lately are "actually" and "otherwise" and comes up with logical explanations for most things. He's pretty smart.

This is the first year we had a visit from the Elf on The Shelf (of course named Digger). When he first got it, he asked if we could throw him in the trash, but now he's come to love Digger. He has a lot of fun searching for him every morning (as he comes back from the North Pole and lands in a new spot in the house every night). I think it will be sad saying goodbye to Digger on Christmas Eve.

We had a lot of fun at Nana's Christmas party last weekend. He was in disbelief that not every present for him was a truck (boy, is he going to have a rude awakening on Christmas!). He was a good boy though, despite being a less-than-helpful elf and throwing presents at people when asked to pass them out.



Oh, one funny thing about Eliot is that he hates to see people's bellies. In the middle of the night if he sees Ted without his shirt on, he'll ask him to put his shirt on "I don't want to see your belly." Apparently, the same thing happened with my niece about a week ago; she lifted up her shirt and Eliot told her he didn't want to see her belly. I asked him last night why he didn't like bellies and he said he didn't like the "knot." I am thinking he meant belly button?

On that same note, Ted started going to Weight Watchers with me a few weeks ago. We told Eliot we were going to our diet meeting so that Daddy could lose his belly. The first time we came back, Eliot asked Ted why he still had his belly. (Of course this makes sense in the mind of a 3 year old, but it's still hysterical to me).

He's in this phase right now we call the 'save for later' phase. He wants to 'save' everything for later that he doesn't finish; lolipops, sandwiches, pasta, peppers, pickles, etc. Usually, he doesn't touch it again, but in his head, he is convinced it will, in fact, be saved for 'later,'

He also doesn't like bathrobes. He has to line the stool up with the tile in the bathroom before he gets on it to wipe his hands, and he has me hold onto the little metal fixtures that hold the railing beam to the wall whenever we go downstairs (instead of holding onto the railing itself). I'm starting to worry that he might be picking up some OCD tendancies. He's also shown a little anxiety about swimming class. I think they moved him up a level too quickly and he doesn't like jumping in. Still, I notice these things and worry about them because I never want him to go through what I go through in terms of anxiety and OCD.

Well that's about all. Hopefully, I'll be back with photos of the new house soon!