The Neverending Christmas

Christmas goes by too quickly. One day its here, and then its over. 3-4 weeks of preparation for just 1 day of celebration. Then its just a long wait until next year. That's what I used to think. This year, I'm not so sure.

It started on Christmas Eve morning. Clearly Kaylani's not old enough to truly appreciate Santa/Christmas since we had to wait for her to wake up. And when she finally did wake up (at 7:30am), we pumped her full of anticipation and excitement by talking about the presents and Santa. So when we went downstairs, she didn't give us the reaction we expected. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Kaylani rounded the corner and immediately saw the presents and said "Santa brought me gifts!" But the best part was when we told her to look at the cookies and milk she left for Santa. That got the following reaction:

"Santa ate all the cookies. And he drank all the milk! I'll be right back"

Then she picked up the cup and plate and went to the kitchen as Mommy and I stood there in disbelief at as she ignored all the unopened presents to clean! It was a great moment that we'll never forget. And after she came back, she went straight after all the presents (mostly hers, but also ours too). She opened everything from us and a few others, including a giant teddy bear (that she asked Santa for), a countless number of Dora related toys, and much more. But that was just the beginning of Christmas.

Sadly, we left most of that home (especially the giant teddy bear) and were off to Yin Yin and Yeh Yeh's house for the annual Tam family Christmas (which is always on Christmas Eve). There, she opened up more presents, including an awesome train table and a Geotrax set. For the rest of the day, she played played played, and in the morning, it was off to the next stop.

After a quick 5 hour Christmas Day drive, we made it to Titi Glenda's house for more present opening, which was a baby changing table/sink/highchair playset. She also got a new tricycle from Madrina Maria, and then a magnet book and xylophone from Titi Mayte and Tio Alan. And it didn't end there since she got a purse from Titi Carmen the next day, and a shopping cart of groceries from Titi Sonal a couple of days after that. So that brings us to December 28th, but we still weren't done.

New Year's Day might as well have been Christmas Day part 2 since Kaylani woke up to her train table actually assembled. Ever since she set eyes on it, she's been super excited and jumps all around while playing. She's actually so excited that she won't even let Papa play with it (which is a problem since its Papa's first train table too).

Anyways, now that we're well into 2011, you'd think Christmas was over, but you'd be wrong. We still have 1 more celebration coming up (3 Kings Day) which Mommy celebrated growing up in Puerto Rico. So we've got at least 1 more morning with a gift coming up, but with much less fanfare. And until Kaylani goes a few days without Christmas (or when we take down the tree...which will be interesting), she'll probably keep talking about Santa bringing her gifts everyday. In the meantime, here are some pictures from Christmas. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Kaylani!!

One year. In my life, one year is nothing. It's only 3% of my entire life, but for Kaylani, today it officially marks 100% of her life. She's one. I have a one year old. Just one year ago, I was writing about how I had a 1 hour old. And here I am now writing about how I have a one year old. Crazy.

What a trip it's been, and I mean that in the best way possible. We've had some hard times when Kaylani wasn't sleeping, or when she was sick, or when we were sick, but for the better part of this year, it's been absolutely great. Kaylani's grown up happy, healthy, and quickly, and so have Mommy and Daddy. Most people talk about how they survived the first year. We didn't just survive...we survived and had a blast doing it. And to celebrate Kaylani's first year, we had ourselves quite the weekend.

If you've been reading along, you already know that we've celebrated every one of Kaylani's monthly birthdays since the day she was born. So it really shouldn't surprise you that for her official one year birthday, we'd have not one, but two celebrations! Yesterday was the first, and I'd say it was pretty good. We invited over all of Kaylani's friends and were glad that most of them could make it. We even invited over our family, and they all did their best to make it too. Yin Yin, Yea Yea, Bat Bat, Auntie Shannon, Connor, and Zoe were here, and so were Titi Glendalys, Abuela, Alisha, and Rohan! Add to that 7 more of Kaylani's friends, their parents, and Padrino Tim and Meredith, and you have yourselves one rocking one year old party!

Not only did Kaylani get a ton of great presents, but she also got her own cake! We bought a 1/2 sheet cake for all the guests, and knew it was going to be way too much. Our actual thought was that Kaylani would dig her hands into the entire cake, and whatever was left, we would serve. Little did we know that Kayalni would (unwillingly) put her hand in the cake, then freak out. Who knew my little girl would be a neat freak?

To top off her birthday weekend, we went to the farm on an unseasonal 70 degree day (in November??) for some pizza, animals, and tractors, then came home to have dinner and more cake. This time, Kaylani got her very own cupcake which she made a bigger mess with. Maybe she was just shy with 20+ people staring at her messy hand because tonight, she had no problems ripping apart a cupcake and eating it too.

Anyways, now Kaylani is sound asleep, and hopefully will stay sound asleep even though she's had a ton of cake and cupcake in the last 24 hours. There was so much more than went on this weekend (like her teacher from Music Together coming to put on a show, and a pinata, and everything else), but I don't need to write about that. Instead, you can check out the 130 pictures I just posted. Only 100 of them are from her birthday. The other 30 are from the couple of days before her birthday, so check them out. And if you want to see a video of Kaylani and her cupcake tonight, check out YouTube (or just scroll down!)

Let's hope that Kaylani's 2nd year is just as good as her first. And if the first was any indication, then I think we're all gonna be just fine. Happy Birthday Kaylani!!! We love you!

Weekend Presents

We had such a busy weekend that this is the first chance I'm finally getting to sit down and write a post. While I don't normally like to just write recap posts, there's really no way around it since this weekend was full of things to recap. It all started Friday night when Daddy thought he was getting the first present of the weekend.

I was at Yankee Stadium on Friday night for another game in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. I thought that Rob and I could watch the game and get home in decent time so we could wake up early the next day to take our girls to swim class. Of course I also hoped that we would leave the game celebrating a victory (which we did). I just didn't think it would take so long! After 15 innings of baseball, or 5 and a half hours of baseball, the Yankees won giving me the best present of the night. Meanwhile, Kaylani and Mommy were getting their own presents at home.

Madrina Maria, Lulu, and Carmen all came down for the weekend which was the perfect present for both Mommy and Kaylani. While Daddy was "stuck" at The Stadium, the 5 girls were at home (with Jen and Sofie too) hanging out and having a great time. Kaylani went to bed early, but the party kept on going, and ended around 2am, right before Daddy finally made it home from the game.

Bright and early on Saturday morning Kaylani was up. And besides the fact that she had 3 new people in the house with her, it was also her 9 month birthday! Can't believe it's been 9 months already, but we had the best celebration with Kaylani getting all types of presents. It's quite possible that she's getting a little spoiled since she got a handful of presents during a "month birthday", but I'm sure she's okay with it (and so are we)! Then, to top it off, Vanessa and Tom came over too and we partied on for the rest of the night (after Kaylani went to bed again at 8pm).

Sunday meant it was time for a real birthday celebration...Connor's! Connor turned 3 yesterday and today was his big 3 year old birthday party. It was Kaylani's 2nd ever birthday party and she had a great time. Not only did she get to see her cousins Connor and Zoe, and Yin Yin, Yea Yea, Bat Bat, and Auntie Shannon, but she also got her first goodie bag and a present from a friend too! She may have gotten just a little bit cranky towards the end, but when all was said and done, she did great. She took a nice nap on the way home, and now is quietly asleep in her crib, hopefully for another 10 hours like last night.

Overall the weekend was busy, tiring, but great. I hope this week is just the same, especially if you add "quick" to that list. Next weekend we'll be headed to Cape May for a week for vacation. That'll be a great time too, just like everything else we do with Kaylani. And to cap off this weekend, here are some great pictures from the last few days. As for me, I'm headed downstairs to watch the Yankees-Red Sox series finale and get some work done for the week. Happy belated 9 month birthday Kaylani, and 3 year birthday Connor!

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's official. I'm old...er than I was yesterday. I am now the ripe old age of 29. To most people, 29 isn't old. But to most of the people I work with, I have a house, a baby, and I'm almost 30, so that means I'm ancient. Ahh, I love agency life. But seriously, if this is what "old" looks like, sign me up for 30 and beyond right now!

At precisely midnight, Kaylani wished me a Happy Birthday. I'm not sure how she knew, but we were just getting into bed and all of a sudden heard her cry out through the monitor. Thankfully she went back to sleep immediately, but it definitely scared me for a second. I mean, anytime she cries out in the middle of the night I start thinking thoughts like "what's bothering her" or "seriously Kaylani?" But last night she actually had me thinking "how did she know???" instead. Then when she woke up 30 minutes later and cried for 30 minutes, she had me back to my normal thoughts.

After a long day at work that ended up being really productive and ended with a great client meeting, I came home to a whole lot of love. First, Kaylani was waiting for me outside as I pulled into the driveway. I mean, sure she was actually sleeping in the stroller, but I like to think of it as her waiting for me. Then, I got a ton of presents from Mommy and Kaylani, including certificates for things like a guilt free day of golf, a hug from Kaylani, a homemade dinner of my choice, and other things that I won't mention (wink wink). And I also got a new guayabera, some nice boxers, a pair of jeans, and the highlight of the presents which were engraved bar glasses with select quotes from this blog! And to top it all off, I got an awesome lasagna dinner, another cake, and a great big hug and smile from my 2 favorite girls.

But my day of love didn't stop there. When I finally got the chance to check my Facebook account and my messages, I saw an overwhelming number of posts to my wall. While I started to respond individually this morning (silly me), I realized I'll never get to all of them. So for all of you who posted and didn't get a response from me, thanks! And to show that I'm really grateful, here are a few of the birthday wishes I received, and my official blog response:

Mayte: Hola Jonathan, We hope you continue celebrating your special day, having Kaylani around this year. Feliz Cumpleaños! Have fun celebrating with your loved ones :)
Me: It certainly is more special this year with Kaylani around! And no offense to my co-workers, but I wouldn't consider them my loved ones :)

Jay: Happy Birthday man! Go Red Sox!
Jeph: Happy Birthday Bro!!! Also, C and Z say Happy Birthday Suk Suk!!!! We're also glad we were able to celebrate with you and hope you have a great day today! For your birthday, I put the Yanks in 1st place. Enjoy!
Me: Thanks! I appreicate the Red Sox going to 2nd place for my birthday from both of you!

Mommy: Happy Birthday Paaaaaa! Love u, K and B
Me: How could I not include the post from my 2 favorite girls?

Vaughan: Happy Birthday - Hope Kaylani let her dad sleep in!
Me: Thanks, but at what age do they start to actually listen to that request?

Tristin: Age is just a number. Old is a state of mind. Try to have a Happy Birthday!!
Me: True statement, but my number and my state of mind all point to old.

Rina: Happy Birthday!! I'm hoping Kaylani will give you a good poop story for your birthday. I've been missing those.... :)
Me: I've got one, kinda. I'll post it soon :)

Steph S: Happy Birthday- you are old and I'm glad you finally admit it!
Steph R: Happy Birthday Jon!!! Better watch out, pretty soon you'll be as old as me :)
Heather: Happy Birthday Old Man! I hope it's a good one!
Me: Thanks, even though you're all still older than me...and always will be!

Cindy: Happy Birthday JT!! :o) If only I could trash your office to celebrate! ;o)
Me: My former boss and friend remembered my birthday...and yes, she used to trash my office. Ahhh good times!

Danika: ...
Me: Oh right, my current boss and friend didn't remember my birthday this year. Ahhh good times!

Titi Glenda, Alisha, and Rohan: Sang happy birthday to my voicemail and told me they made me 2 cakes and love me. Oh, and Alisha asking me "what you doin Tio?" thinking I was actually on the phone was the best!

And to the countless others that wished me a Happy Birthday, thank you for remembering (or at the very least, for paying attention to the Facebook reminder that's out there). It meant a lot to me and it was the best birthday ever! To thank you even more, here are some pictures from the last couple of days of Kaylani. Enjoy!

Opening presents on Christmas Eve

My family was never strict on traditions , and that was definitely tru about Christmas. We would have the big dinner on Christmas Eve and open presents, and then Christmas Day was spent playing with all our toys. For us, it worked out great to do things this way as we got older, especially when both my brother and I had significant others and their families in our lives. Christmas Eve became a Tam family tradition in a way, so I guess we were pretty strict about that.

Well this year, we did everything on Christmas Eve Eve at my house because of some schedule conflicts. It went great, but everything was kinda off today. There were no presents to open, no big dinner planned, and it felt just like any normal day. I wasn't sad necessarily, and I got practically everything I asked for the day before so it's not like I was expecting more presents. But it was Christmas Eve, and I felt like I should open something. I mean, especially with Kaylani now, we should start our own traditions, or at least make sure to stick to some of our old ones.

Knowing how I felt, Kaylani helped me out. Around 8 o'clock tonight, she decided to give me one more present to open. She knew that I wanted to open something, to have that excitement of Christmas Eve still, so she delivered. She gave Mommy and Daddy a big ol' present...in her diaper. After all, it is the only thing she could physically give us.

Being Christmas Eve, we were going to skip bath time, let her stay up a little later, and just sit by the fireplace and enjoy. But when she was sitting on Daddy's lap and mimicked the sounds of an elephant without using her mouth, our plans were altered. I thought it could have just been a lot of noise, but a small stain appeared on my jeans and I knew I was wrong. It also made me wonder how poop could possible get through 2 onesies (not just one), and a pair of pants. It just doesn't make sense, but I guess that's a different story.

Anyways, it's Christmas Eve, and Kaylani is all clean and as good as out right now, so it's time for Daddy to see how his new camcorder records in the dark. Keep an eye out for videos in the future, but for now, check out pictures from the last 2 days (separated into 2 albums), which include Kaylani's 1st Christmas. And if you're wondering why I'm wearing a tie, it's because I'm ridiculous, embarrassing, and ridiculously embarrasing to my family. Anyways, Merry Christmas to you and your families!

What a Christmas!

As most of you prepare for the craziness that is Christmas, we're starting to wind down and get ready for the New Year. Tam Family Christmas happened tonight so that we could open presents with my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece before they headed up to Connecticut. It may have been a few days early, but it wasn't any less special.

Kaylani had a great "Christmas." She woke up, went for a car ride, took a nap, looked around, took some more naps, and was held all day by someone. And I'd say her first Christmas went great from a presents standpoint as well. She got clothes, books, a bouncy, toys, videos, and pretty much everything a 6 week old would want, and probably what kids of any age would want to!

And since this was Daddy's first Christmas as a daddy, I had a great haul as well. The 3 most special gifts were a HD camcorder (keep an eye out for videos of Kaylani coming soon!), a collage of pictures of Daddy, Mommy, and Kaylani, and a large framed picture of the "I thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee" signed by Mariano Rivera!

Being a Dad is pretty great in case I haven't mentioned that lately. Kaylani's first Christmas is something I'll never forget, even if it happened before actual Christmas. But for now, we've all had a crazy day and need to get some sleep, so good night, and have a great Christmas wherever you are! And Happy Hanukkah too!