Christmas with a Toddler

Although this isn't technically Sophie's first Christmas, this was the first one where she could actively participate, and we had a total blast.  Having a toddler on Christmas is a whirlwind experience marked with tiny pieces of wrapping paper strewn all about the house, but the concept of "opening presents on Christmas morning" also sort of makes me feel like an incredibly inconsistent parent.  More on that in a minute...But first, a cute and tired kid in adorable too-big Christmas PJ's.

Alright, I'm up. Are we doing this Christmas thing or what?



Whoa! You guys got me an All-Clad Belgian Waffle maker for Christmas? I'm the luckiest toddler on the block! (Just kidding, people.  It's mine, care of Steven Steele, who always goes above and beyond in his gift-giving ability...)

So, we sit down in the living room to "do Christmas." And of course, as a first-time parent, you are trying to stage the Happy Christmas Moment photos, where your grinning kid holds up the perfect gift, or perhaps hugs it to his or her chest in glee.

We got more of an ambivalent attitude from our sweet baby.  And this is why I feel so inconsistent as a parent -- we spent the last 30 days or so, repeatedly telling her NOT to touch the presents: "Don't rip the bows, honey!" "Don't tear the paper!"  "Stop picking at the presents, Sophie!"


Um, I'm touching these and you aren't doing anything to stop me...what is going on here?


No, seriously, I'm about to rip this open.  Is that ok?


Needless to say, she was amazed that we'd suddenly changed our tone: "Go ahead, Sophie, tear the paper!  Rip it to shreds, dear! Go for it!"

I sense this confuses young children, somewhat.  She mostly let us open the presents for her (you know, the whole plausible deniability thing and all...)


You know she's thinking: If I just sit here and watch you open them, then you can't get upset about the paper being torn.  Hah.  I win.


Once they were opened, however, she started to get more into the spirit.

Elmo shirt!


Let's see, how much did Daddy pay for this shirt?

After Dad helped her open a few presents, we traded off the photog duties so that I could open a few with her also.


The fun thing that we decided to do this Christmas was that both Steven and I bought gifts for Sophie, but we didn't tell each other what we'd bought.  So, opening gifts from Steven to Sophie was a surprise for me, also!

Daddy hit the motherlode with the Elmo gifts.  She nearly refused to open any more presents, because she just wanted to go ahead and play with the Elmo stuff, already.

However, the next day, she did seem to enjoy her new dolly stroller from Mommy, too!


I'm glad I got a rather sturdy stroller for her, because she drags it right over anything in its way.  Dolly off-roading.


Yeah! Stroller!


Nana and Pop got her a ride-on horsey, which she really likes, but she can't figure out how to swing her leg over the side to actually get onto the horse.

What, you said to sit on it?  I am sitting on it!

She also likes her new dollhouse, but mostly because the second story of the dollhouse is also a nice place to sit.


But, at the end of the day, Elmo always wins out.


Grammy and Grandpa sent Sophie a beautiful crocheted dress that matches her cousin, Kate, which I will show you in a separate post in a few days!

Merry Toddler Christmas!