Merry Merry Christmas!

We had a very Merry Christmas. It wasn't what I would have expected for Dakota's First, but that almost made it better. We all became very ill with a stomach bug in the days preceeding the holiday. Dakota got so sick that we ended up having to hospitalize her after she threw up blood and had a dry diaper for over 12 hours. She got to come home for Christmas Eve, but she still wasn't completely better, so she wasn't quite herself for Christmas. Nevertheless, I did everything I could to make her First Christmas special.

My family has a tradition where we all gather on Christmas Eve and have fondue. Its delicious and I look forward to it every year! Afterward, we sit in a big circle in the family room and read Christmas stories. We end by reading the Nativity Story in the Bible and follow along with puppets. Dakota liked this part a lot! :)




We also followed a tradition in the morning by taking a picture of Dakota as she came down the hall to see what Santa had brought her! Santa brought her a Fisher-Price Lion Ride and Walk that can be a cart or a walker. Its nose lights up and sings when you push it or when the wheels roll. She saw it from down the hall and got excited and crawled right up to it. First thing she did was push its nose, and it lit up and started singing. It was wonderful to have that moment!



Later in the morning she found a Lindt chocolate truffle ball and used it as a teether. I thought, "no harm" because she didn't even know it was candy nor had she figured out how to unwrap it. Well, I forgot that after you put chocolate in a warm mouth, it melts! She got a taste and was like, "I didn't know there was something yummy in here! This is even cooler than I thought!" She was enjoying it so much that I let her chew on it for too long probably, but she was enjoying it so much and was so cute it was worth the mess!



Later in the afternoon we went to Doug's Aunt Julie's for potluck and games. It was fun. A huge snowstorm came in that night and blanketed the earth on Christmas night. Unfortunately, that night, everyone in my family also got sick with the same bug Dakota had :( We felt awful... didn't know it was so contagious.

Since she wasn't up for playing much on Christmas, it wasn't until a few days later, at home, that she discovered her toys! :) For memory's sake, she got: Lion Walker from Santa, A magnet Barn from Mamma and Daddy that makes the animal noises and sings songs. Its perfect on our ground freezer for her to play with when I'm in the kitchen. She also got a toy lap top since she's always after ours! She got a look-alike Cabbage Patch Doll from Grandma D, and a Horsey Ride from Jichan, a wooden Bear pull-along train from Gma Yuk, bath squirters from Aunty Anna, and a toy cell phone from Great Aunt Karen.


I love this picture... the Coca-Cola box made the perfect seat for her! :)