A Visit with Santa
Okay, we held off as long as we could (okay that’s a lie, we started back in October), but I think it’s Christmas season here! We’ve pulled out the Christmas PJs, and we’ve even squeezed in a visit with Santa! The boys did great, mostly. E always goes into his happy place and just sits there quietly when put in a new situation, so I knew he’d do fine. Baby G was the question mark. When we handed him over, Santa looked at him and said “Oh hello, I love you!” It might have helped that he was dressed as a tiny elf.
We got a few pictures taken before G looked around and realized he wasn’t sure about his situation and started to cry. A quick reassurance, and he calmed down, and then we were done! Afterwards E let me know that he doesn’t actually like “Big Santa” and would rather be Santa himself haha. So even though they were both unsure, we got our picture, and they got a new experience.
We’ve gotten a few comments lately about how good E is in new/uncomfortable situations. For example, doctor’s sick visits. They sometimes ask you to do uncomfortable things like stick out your tongue and hold still while they do a throat culture. And E automatically does everything they say without complaining. It’s odd that we get complimented, like we taught him to be obedient or something. But he’s still a two year old, and everyone knows you can’t really train a two year old.
It’s more a survival thing, I think. When he’s uncomfortable, he just gets quiet and still and watches and observes. It’s something I think both Tom and I do to an extent, so he comes by it honestly. Which is probably a good thing, because we’re able to recognize it when it happens, and give him whatever support he needs, even if it’s just holding his hand and letting him know we’re here.
So far, baby G wants very different things from us. He doesn’t want to be pinned down and cuddled, but he wants us there. He wants us talking to him, reassuring him that he’s not alone. It’s fun to watch them, and discover where they’re the same, and where they’re different. Some things are obvious, like the fact that E crawled everywhere and G has decided that stomach swimming is better, but other’s are different, like how they react when they’re tired.
Different or the same, the thing that I love the best, is watching their relationship together. I love how fiercely protective E is of his baby. He will tell everyone that baby G is HIS and back off and get your own baby. He likes to pat G’s hair before he goes down for a nap or if he’s crying. He likes to hold his hand during diaper changes, and gives him pacifiers if he’s upset. They do this weird thing where they touch their foreheads together and it makes baby G laugh and laugh and laugh. And of course G looks for E first before anything. On the few times where I’ve had only baby G in the car, he’s just so sad to be alone. I hope they always have each other.