Stunned

I put Crosby's Superman shirt on today simply because I bought it in Bangladesh and wanted to see him in it; just wanted him to try it on. But I got this feeling it had to stay on and now I know why: our baby guy decided to walk - really walk - today!



SuperCroz. Saturday night when D and I got home from Bangladesh he was walking 4-5ish steps at a time between people... pretty steady but still kind of unsure. We were thrilled! My parents said he must have been saving that for us since we've been gone for a month... they said those were the most steps he's taken. We've been doing it at home all day ever since because it is the ONLY thing he wants to do.



But up at my parents' this afternoon he just went to town with it and is the most proud little guy I've seen. We are so proud right along with him. He is such a focused little person. He concentrates and once he got the hang of it and was walking all over the place, pivoting, balancing so well, and STILL staying up (yay!) I tried to make him laugh, but nope. He stayed incredibly focused. I'm amazed. He just decided he could do it and now he wants NO help! Even Snoop couldn't get in his way; he just went for it. I am so oozing proud that it's almost ridiculous. D and I sorely missed Crosby while we were gone and, despite some setbacks with being quite sick, being completely exhausted, and having a sorry (messy) excuse of a living space, we are eating up every bitty second with him. I knew I'd be floored by how much he'd change in a month, but I can't get over how I am seeing him become such a real person with real feelings, ideas, strategies, and thinking. He AMAZES me!




I am stunned. Not just by my son. We just got home from a month in Bangladesh and though that is a short time, it was enough to see and feel quite a bit. I'm stunned by all kinds of things, good and bad. Strokes of bad luck that run in a constant string. The sheer comfort of home. Conditions that people survive in. How happiness abounds even in the poorest homes and saddest of circumstance. How certain looks explain everything. How 12 million people coexist in the most disorderly traffic I will ever witness. How being gracious can mean everything. That stickers can be the most valuable thing on earth! That traveling never fails to teach lessons if you're willing to learn...

I have a story for every picture, of course! One of these days I'll get a slideshow together. Who knows when, but for now here are a few pictures.

BANGLADESH

We'll miss you! (Kind of)



D bonding with his family in Belkhain village



The rickshaws - the humble rickshaw wallah, the work of art on wheels, the way it weaves through insane traffic - they are amazing and I would even say magical.



The fetching colors and fabrics that greet you at every turn... incredibly beautiful!



Squiggly geckos, enormous roaches, insanely huge spiders, stifling pollution. Adios.



No more nights out to the Buddhist temple in a sari



No more exploring the pirate ships



No more squat toilets day in and day out (including when diarrhea is POURING out of your body)



No more fitting seven - I repeat, SEVEN - people in a BABY taxi! If you've ever seen/been in one you will think I am telling a joke. It really happened on more than one occasion (;



The elders in white - Belkhain - D's family



Hard labor for dinner... food made over stoves built in the dirt



D's cousins' kids... Susmita and Plabon



More pictures to come someday... so many stories and sights and memories and happenings. It really is true when I say our heads are still spinning a bit. It was an awesome journey, and it will continue to settle in for a while now!

Dear Crosby,

The time has come and we are leaving on our trip. We've been telling you about it for a while now. We know the time will pass quickly but we will miss you every second we are gone. We will be thinking about you. You lucky guy, you get to be with Nan and Grandpa! We know you'll have the best time together... try not to wear them out too much, okay? Otherwise they might have to put something other than hot cocoa in these mugs (:



Make sure you eat well so you can keep on growing! We gave Nan your puffs so she'll make sure you have a supply.



Don't get too rowdy with Uncle Pat and Uncle Steve. Snoop, you can lick Crosby's face but just don't whack his tender baby cheeks with your iron-clad tail.



If you miss us too much, Nan and Grandpa will send you to us in the mail. How's that idea?



*** REMEMBER ***



"You should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
We never will be far away."



Love,

Mom & Dad

IN THE MEANTIME...

Here are Christmas pictures.

Nativity reflecting on the water



Crosby's first Christmas!



We gave Steve his... what... 43rd pair of collectible drumsticks?! From the Cleveland Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Museum.



Thanks Pat! Hopefully we can play this with ya soon



Pat in a hat



Mom and Dad got a TV! They were so surprised!



All you need is love



Crosby had so many presents he had to open some during lunchtime. Guy, we only read one Curious George book. Oh well, we'll read more soon.



D has an uncle (his deceased dad's brother) who lives in Salt Lake. This is Pratap:



And his wife Anita (when they visited us in the fall):



D's brother and his family are here for the holidays and so we all went out to D and Suman's uncle and aunt's place on Christmas... Lis, Eden, Lindsay, and Crosby



This is D's cousin's wife Orysa. She's awesome and she walked everywhere with Croz! She and Ripan are visiting from San Diego. They announced they're due to have their first baby in June!



This is Orysa's mom Miro visiting from the Ukraine and she spoke only a spot or two of English. She fell in love with Crosby from the second she saw him; it was really sweet. No language needed. She watched the grandfather clock tick-tock with him and just snuggled him like no other like he was her own grandchild (: Such a cute lady.



D's aunt Anita attempted a shot of us all on the stairs, but D's cousin at the top has no head in this picture. Inevitable, right?!



Then it was off to Beth's where Crosby dilly-dallied in her sea of Christmas bears



And then home to bed after an event-packed day.

Baby Guy...

YOU ARE TEN MONTHS OLD!!!



We had so much fun putting you in this outfit that Aunt Jessie sent you from India. It took us around 10 full minutes to get your squirmy legs and arms in it, though. Once we got you all dressed up, we couldn't stop smiling! You must have known you looked handsome because you couldn't stop smiling either walking around in this little number! Had to open his present early Jess (;

Today's been a fun one, Croz. You had your favorite for breakfast - mango - and then we played all morning and did lots of walking around the house. You helped Dad empty clothes out of his drawer. Then you had a nap. Then you woke up with kind of a cold and you helped Mom wrap a couple presents. Then we had lunch and you came to the store with us for groceries where the bakery lady offered you a doughnut sample. Then you had about a 3 hour nap, so we hope you slept off that cold. Then we went to see the Christmas lights downtown with you bundled up all snuggly warm. Then we went to Grandma Beck's and then Nan and Grandpa's to say Merry Christmas Eve. Then you got on your Christmas jams and played chase with us for a bit. And very last you gulped down a bottle and fell asleep for the second night in a row in my arms. I have to tell you that I savored every single second and kissed your baby cheeks maybe a hundred times! And a hundred more snuggles on top of that.

Love you Crosby!

Mom and Dad

Family

What do this decadent chocolate cake...



... and these two cuties have in common?



They are both waiting for Cam! My brother lives in Cleveland and had to come to SL to interview for a dental residency at the U. Unfortunately he had to leave the rest of his family at home since he's here for such a short time, but it is so very fun to have my brother here! I miss him. Especially around Christmastime! Croz and I went with Mom to pick him up at the airport. It was just a good day; lots of excitement in the air it seemed.



Cam and Miles



We are all so excited to have you here, Cam!



The other night Crosby got to spend a little time at (Great) Grandma Beck's...



She had this snowman dancer she thought he might like, and boy was she right. He was totally fascinated with the thing and I was trying to video the little dance Crosby would do but I only got a little bit of it at the very end. So cute, I almost took the toy home!



CHRISTMAS FUN
From: Joanna

1- What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night sung slowly, a cappella, and with emotion. I love the Enya version because her voice is so pure. Even though it is in her language, I get chills because she sings it with such reverence.

2- When was your most memorable Christmas? Lots of nice memories but I recall around 5 years ago me, D, my parents, and brothers all hauled coats/sweaters to the homeless shelter on Christmas Eve in the stark freezing cold and it felt SO GOOD to do something like that on a night like that, all of us together.

3- What is your favorite Christmas treat? Les biscuits de sucre by Kim

4- What do you dislike most about the Christmas season? Idiotic drivers and pushy people. No one seems to say excuse me anymore; manners are out the door most of the time. It's so much more peaceful and easy when shopping is done throughout the year in order to enjoy Christmastime.

5- What do you like best about the Christmas season? Being in touch with a feeling of peace on Earth. Christmas lights, too, I LOVE! And I love how it is a given that Christmas day is all family, all day, with fun traditions.

6- Who is the hardest person to shop for on your Christmas list? No one really; I can always find a little something for someone as long as I know them well enough.

7- If you could receive one gift without money being an issue, what would it be? Hmm, that's a toughie... maybe I would wish for a perpetual stream of $$$ so I never have to fret about budgeting.

8- What is your idea of a perfect Christmas Eve? A fireplace, a family, a story, and snuggling. And some kind of cold fruity drink because that sounds really good right now.

9- Which do you like best, eggnog, or hot chocolate? Depends on the mood, do I want an ice cold drink or a steaming hot one?

10- Do you prefer a fancy Christmas tree, or one decorated by the kids? Depends but I love meanings behind ornaments and so it's neat to accumulate those and have a tree full of memories to reminisce about! I love dressed-up sophisticated trees too. Like Lucy's pink tree in an adult size sounds awesome. At the thrift store I saw a KILLER aluminum vintage Christmas tree, so all the branches were shining silver and it was about the coolest tree I've ever seen. Price tag? $99. Ha!

11- What is your favorite family Christmas tradition? Excitement all through the night, sleeping with my brothers all in one room and saying, "Shhhh. Did you hear that? That must have been the reindeer." Cam wearing Dad's watch and checking it every 10 minutes, being awe-struck by the bit-off cookies Santa munched on, not being allowed to look when you pass the living room, piling on Mom & Dad's bed together for a prayer. I remember as we got older we knew we were about to be lavished with gifts and there was something about that that made us feel overly grateful for our blessings and made us want to stay forever huddled on the bed together as a family! Traditions with me and D: stockings, laying on the couch staring at Christmas tree lights forever, prayer before presents, creme brulee French toast every Christmas morning.

12- Do you like fruitcake? I can honestly say that I've never tried it.

13- Do you prefer skiing or snowboarding? Not much experience in that department, considering the first time I skied was at the age of 18. I went with my pro friend who "accidentally" took me on a Black Diamond (where I scooted the entire mountain down on my butt) and to top it all off I fell off the lift. From quite a ways up. I will admit now though that once I got the hang of sailing down the mountain (for one run!) the sun on the snow was exquisite and it was so freeing and beautiful.

14- Are you dreaming of a White Christmas, or do you say “Bah Humbug” to snow? I think the snow is really pretty and this is the first year I've felt so loving towards it! I used to be such a summer girl. At the store today there was a guy who looked EXACTLY like Santa wearing a sweatshirt that said, "Ahhh Bumhug," ha ha.

15- What was your favorite gift from Santa when you were a child? I got a waterproof Cabbage Patch Kid so she could take baths with me! I also remember the smell of my strawberry LipSmacker that I'd get in my stocking, which I really loved.

16- What is your favorite Christmas movie? California Raisins singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on a Claymation thing.

17- Have you ever eaten snow? Yes. Crosby and I ate some two days ago, fresh from the sky. I love the texture of it!

18- Who do you wish could be with you this Christmas? My brother Cam who has to leave Christmas Eve day ) :

19- When do you put up your Christmas lights and decorations? First-ish week of December.

20- Real or artificial Christmas tree? Fake because I am severely allergic to pine. Too bad, because I love the smell!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Mr. Sandman, What is Your Deal?

If I don't write this down, I'll forget. My dreams are a bit embarrassing though. My neighbor made us some curry soup the other day but I never got to try any. So last night I warmed some up and ate it. Then I put aside all of my to-do list items so I could finally finish the last twenty pages of New Moon.

The outcome of these activities? I dreamt last night that I was taking a bath with Edward. In CURRY SOUP!



Yep. Bella was seething mad at me too.

Reasons for the Season

Ah, Christmas traditions. Despite D and I wanting to keep the meaning of Christmas to a maximum and emphasis on commercialism/presents a minimum, we're gonna have to include this sucker in our little family Christmas circle:



Is there a gift that this Santa bag can't hold? This thing is so large that it is almost touching the star on our 6' tree. Never too early to start up the traditions! Don't ask me what we're going to do with it. Until we decide though it'll make a killer carryon.

Mom and Dad... Crosby loves his Christmas ornament. Almost every day we take it off the tree, he turns it upside down so the snow flurries around, I wind it up to hear the music, he gives me a satisfied smile, and then he turns it around and around to stare at it. Then of course he studies the bottom to see how it works. Every time!



Codi. Seriously. What a joy Lucy is. I WANTED her to stay and play because we were having so much fun together. I love her! And you, of course. Better post those great shots I know you took! I want to see them. And Lucy and Croz need to play together more often, let's face it. Do they have the same chins?



D playing with Croz:



Me "playing" with Croz:



Another irresistible cousin shot: