Santa and his Reindeer

The day after Charlotte's 1st Birthday we made the trip to the local zoo for their Reindeer Festival.   All the animal sculptures are "decked" with garland.  Each animal exhibit includes a creative explanation of how the animal helps Santa - the lemurs are his sentinels, the wallaby are mail carriers, ... Best of all, a team of reindeer are on display just outside the cutest little house where Santa greets little boys and girls.

I am hopeful this will become our tradition.

Mainly because this is where we were the day before Charlotte was born last year. I found out about the induction and insisted Natalie see Santa because I wasn't sure when we'd be able to venture out of the house again ... it was a good call because December included recovery and a NICU stay and very cold temperatures and round the clock pumping/feeding ... it was such a blur!

I contracted the entire time, but I am so glad we went! 

My tiny baby bump {aka Charlotte} is tucked beneath my red peacoat.

This year, that baby bump is a little elf  in my arms!

We've had Natalie's Santa photo taken at the zoo for the past three years.  There's never a crowd or a wait.  Santa is in his own little house, just a short walk up a hill and past his team of reindeer.  It's magical, if you ask me :)   I cannot believe how much she has changed, and I cannot wait to add to this collage next year!

Santa, Baby

Despite my strong feelings against it, there were some major advantages to an induction ... like the fact that we were able to squeeze in a visit with Santa ... on the day of my scheduled induction, which makes this post about three weeks late, but who's counting?!

Once I had a date, I was getting done everything I could, especially those things related to the holiday season ... things I knew we would be hard-pressed to accomplish once our lives were invaded by a newborn ... things that were important to Natalie as a two-year old and to memory-making (and photo-taking) as a family. A Christmas celebration isn't complete without a visit with Santa.

Once again this year we avoided the mall (a four-letter word, in my book, because I hate it with a passion anytime of year but especially during the holidays) ... and instead had a delightful and authentic experience at our local zoo.  For the first 10 minutes, Natalie didn't want to have anything to do with Santa ... but that all changed.

We saw reindeer grazing ... well, there aren't actually any reindeer in that photo of me and NHV, but trust me that enclosure was full of reindeer, and their antlers were huge!  I love this photo because I know under my red pea coat is a cute little baby bump ... and it was taken just about 24 hours before CJV was born!

After our visit with Santa*, NHV also enjoyed a candy cane ... with much concentration and enthusiasm and stickiness.  While she devoured her cane, daddy helped her write a letter to Santa reminding him of her wish list*.

When we arrived at Santa's House, he was no where to be found.  A little note explained that he was "checking on his reindeer" and would be back shortly.  We took the time to get acquainted with Santa's decorations, including lots of stuffed animals and two trees full of ornaments.  Natalie pointed to almost every ornament and asked, "Wat's dat? and Wat's dis one?"  As much as I enjoyed that game, I was certainly glad to see Santa just a later.  He walked in, took his seat, and invited Natalie to sit on his lap.   Our once not-so-sure-about-this-whole-Santa-thing toddler, climbed right up but never got completely comfortable.  You can see how her arms are just slightly outstretched ... as if she may reach out for mommy and daddy or make a run for it at any moment.

But she did great and looked pretty darn cute, too!

When Santa asked what presents she was hoping to get this year, she quickly listed these three things ...

a ba-bee dowl,  yittle pe-pole, and a toof-brush.  Apparently, dental hygiene is very important to this two year old!

Merry Christmas!