Baby's First Christmas: Lessons Learned
Christmas was three days ago and I'm still having a hard time getting my behind in gear. Holy! With the holidays came late nights, tons of sugar and dairy, and countless car rides. I don't mean to say I didn't love it but it took its toll.
I'll be sappy for a moment. I've always loved Christmas but being the one to create traditions for my daughter made it so much better. As I hunkered down in the kitchen after Millie was in bed whipping up The World's Easiest Cinnamon Rolls from Minimalist Baker I thought about how as she grows up she can say "it's a tradition". I love being able to create that for her (when she knows what's going on of course). Christmas as a mom is awesome!
Our first Christmas with Amelia didn't come without its lessons, which I live for. If you can embrace the lessons you can improve. This year was amazing but some behind the scenes work could have made it a little bit calmer. I'm always looking for ways to maximize the energy I have so I can be present with Millie. Here are the five lessons I took away from Christmas this year:
1. Prep in Advance
Seasoned parents probably could have told me this but I suppose I had to learn from myself. To say I left everything to the last minute would be an understatement and Christmas Eve came up fast. I hadn't wrapped a single gift or made cinnamon rolls, which meant basic self care went out the door. Don't get me wrong, I still loved baking and wrapping but I would have enjoyed watching a Christmas movie with Arthur had I planned better. Wrap gifts as you purchase and prepare any food you can a little bit at a time.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast (where you can)
We started our tradition of cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning breakfast but next year I'll be adding in a fruit salad. My skin, my digestive system, and my energy is all giving me hell for throwing the rule book out the door and over indulging. I think that's key - indulge but don't overdo it. We were so busy I found sometimes we'd arrive having not eaten anything (myself and Arthur, Amelia was always fed of course) and then binge eat because we were starving. This is likely why I still am recovering three days later. Take the time to eat something nutritious in the morning before the big feasts begin. Don't over indulge on foods you know you're going to pay for later. Enjoy the amazing food that comes with the holidays but squeeze in much needed nutrients where you can.
3. Bring a water bottle with you
Piggybacking on eating healthy food where you can, I am pretty certain I spent most of the holidays dehydrated. Sometimes that feeling of "I'm starving" was likely "I'm thirsty". I am a huge water drinker so the change took a big toll on me. The experience reaffirmed to me why I carry a water bottle everywhere I go (which Arthur loves to tease me about). I'm sure my skin would have appreciated it, too.
4. Make time for each other
Albeit busy wrapping gifts because I was unorganized one of my favourite parts of this Christmas was spending some one on one time with Arthur. Once we finished up all our Santa duties I made some Simple and Delicious Vegan Eggnog from Jillian Harris' blog to enjoy with a little rum. OK, let's talk eggnog. I LOVE eggnog but it really bothers my stomach (who knew). Jillian Harris' recipe was SO simple, delicious, and made with ingredients I had in my fridge already. The name definitely sells it. Back to connecting with your spouse - I digress - it was so nice to find a little downtime in a busy day to check in with each other. Learning from lesson #1 I think Christmas Eve rum & Vegan Eggnog will be our thing!
5. Don't forget about yourself
I'm guilty of this a lot but I'm working on it. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays I found that after getting Amelia ready, prepping food (lateeee), and trying to keep on top of the house I had zero time to actually get ready myself. I like to do my hair and my makeup sometimes LOL - it makes me feel pretty and, these days, it's a treat. It's hard to remember but taking care of yourself is important too and you'll appreciate that time as the day unfolds.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't overcome with emotion this Christmas. I loved every minute of it. Even the chaos. With baby's first Christmas under our belt I'm looking forward to building traditions, enjoying quality time, and indulging but with a little more organization!
