Merry Christmas Baby!

Dear Baby I
Merry Christmas Monster Baby!!! What an amazing time we are having! I feel like you have grown so much this holiday! I was worried you would be in people overload upon arriving in NEPA, but you seemed to have adapted very well. You strut around Noni's house like you own the place, babbling your silly stories to everyone and anyone who will listen, all while toting your box of Teddy Grahams like it is a prized possession. No more Mr. Shy guy for you!!
Your Second Christmas was quite a success! The parties started early on. Last Week your some of your cousins came to play with you and we had a big Sunday dinner. All week long the house was filled friends and family in town for the holidays. You were quite the entertainer. And when not entertaining you can sure keep yourself busy here! All of Noni's cabinets and cupboards were like an early Christmas present! You would empty and refill every cabinet you could pry open,( which was actually very helpful for my video application footage to get your Noni and Nono on "Hoarders" :)
Daddy, Uncle Ronnie and Uncle Ralphie got here on Thursday and from there we were in full holiday swing! Cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, unwrapping, entertaining, and of course - building the annual Nardell family Holiday pyramid! Good times were had by all!
Twas the day before Christmas and all thru the house you were tearing up the place and eating every thing you could get your hands on! Ugh. Mommy was not a fan of that! Every time I turned around you had a new snack to munch on - cookies, eggs, capeletti, candy canes, carrots, pretzels, not to mention everyone luring you around the house with the can of Puffs!! They are going to roll both of us out of here! By night time you were ready for bed in a big way. You actually went to the stair case and pointed to go up! SHocker!!! Once we got all snuggly in our Christmas PJs (which I must say , you made the CUTEST Christmas baby I EVER saw!!) off to bed you went while Mommy and Daddy helped Noni (and Uncle Ralphie of course) Get the house ready for Santa's big arrival.  Apparently Santa NEVER got mommy's letter a few weeks ago about how we were trying to keep it simple this year. You had presents everywhere! Quite a pile for such a devilish little angel!
Christmas Morning you woke up bright and early - 5AM, right on schedule, and we headed down stairs to see if Santa came. I think Mommy and Daddy were WAY more excited than you. Daddy scurried down the steps first to get the video camera all set up and I was all excited to see your reaction. You got to the bottom of the steps, made eye contact with the pile, and then headed straight to the kitchen to pick up your box of Teddy Grahams. Not exactly America's Funniest Home Videos Material. You did seem a little curious about all the shiny packages for a bit. Especially the unwrapped ones. The Barney and Thomas toys just drew you in, from there it was all down hill. Paper and boxes everywhere - but that was mostly Daddy. :)
 Santa brought you all sorts of goodies - Santa must not have been reading my blog all year!! You got tons of Thomas stuff, Barney dolls, race track and cars, a puppy on a string and lots of clothes and jammies. Im not sure how Santa thinks we are getting all this stuff back to Denver but Im sure he has a plan - or better yet a plane for us!....Rumor has it he even stopped at house in Colorado too!
You seem to be WAY more vocal since we got to NEPA too! You yell at the dog with such gusto! YOu call NONO all the time and I am pretty sure you are starting to put names to faces. You definitely know your Nona!!
All in all we had a great Christmas! You  - and Daddy and Max - played with your toys all day and by dinner time we were all ready for a(nother) good meal and a nap! Its is so fun to watch you play and discover all these new things around you. It really is amazing. I cant help but think of how tiny and helpless you were last year and in a few short months (ok, 12) you are up and running around, ordering people around and rearranging the Christmas Tree. We are a lucky bunch to have you little Monkey Man. Mommy is doubly lucky to have You AND Daddy. We make the perfect trio if I do say so myself!
It really is the most wonderful time of the year, but I cannot help but feel sad every Christmas Day when I think that all the holiday hoopla will soon be coming to an end. Soon we will head home, Daddy will go back to work, and the days will pick up where we left off. But I must remember that each new day I will be watching you grow and exploring the world around you and we will be one day closer to an even more exciting 3rd holiday season! Yipeee!!! Ahh Next Christmas, I have so much to remember!! Most notably, as your dear cousin Miranda told me - Buddy the Elf (On the shelf) Flies away on Christmas Eve!!! How Could I not know that!!?? I better start crackin on the books now!
Well Honey my Bunny in a few more days it will be New Years Eve and we will ring in 2011! Soon after, off to CO we go! I know you wont be able to remember this holiday but it will be one I will never forget!! YOu are an amazing little creature and I am so lucky to have you in my life! I look forward to another fun filled year with you and daddy and all that life has to offer us!
I love you my little baby heat miser!
Love, Mommy