I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned before how much Gianna loves dogs. If I haven’t what a tremendous oversight on my part. To say she enjoys them is quite an understatement. For her, the company of a rambunctious corgi or playful pug is the equivalent of a four-shot latte, transforming her from a shy, cautious child into a squealing, bouncing, bundle of giddiness. What are her favorite parts about playing with the dogs? Well, the tongue-lapping of course!

Here’s a video of Gianna on Christmas Eve with Fallon, a young corgie, whom she just adores. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m going to have to be quicker with the video camera to get her reaction to the dogs’ wet kisses. Suffice it to say it was deafening and laugh-out-loud hilarious.

This must be the closest I’ve come to those college binge partying days where you wake up the next morning wondering how in the world you managed to do so much on so little sleep and your head pounds from sugar, alcohol, music and people withdrawal. Yep, not much is different except instead of rolling out of bed at 11am like I did ten years ago, our morning alarm clock–Gianna I mean–gets us up and jumping at 6am. Can you feel the Christmas joy?

After an entire day–and I do not exaggerate here, it took exactly 6 hours–of unwrapping presents at our house, we spent the morning after doing clean up. Do you have any idea how many damn plastic ties are securing that precious toy you offered her this year? Multiply that number by at least ten and then again by 25–the number of gifts she received–and you’ll have an inkling of the hell we went through just trying to unpackage each toy, let alone retrieve and dispose of that packaging. I really don’t understand why every non-moving piece of a toy must be secured to cardboard backing which can only be pried loose with crowbars and industrial scissors. It’s not like that barn silo was going to jump out of the box and cause a choking hazard. Those stupid plastic wire ties on the other hand are a perfect one. I’m going to give those guys at Fisher-Price a piece of my Christmas morning mind, now that I think about it!

For all my complaining, Gianna certainly had a great time in what I fondly refer to as Toy Insanity. It’s a state of mind that occurs promptly after opening the third present and does not dissipate until Mom and Dad confiscate all but three toys from the living room floor. She was worse than an ADHD kid on crack, moving from one toy to another every three seconds and then crying intermittently and looking dazed when we’d try to take her picture. We’ve decided to put some of the toys in storage and bring them back out in rotation, a few at a time so she doesn’t go insane. Next time, I think I’ll have to remember that it’s not a smart idea to stop buying her toys for three months ahead of Christmas. The toy pileup is not a good thing when it happens.

So here are some photos of our toy-glazed kid, unable to smile for the camera with the carnage of opened presents in front of her.

Gianna’s first Christmas has rolled around faster than I ever imagined. I am reminded of my failing grade in home economics as I stare at the Ben Franklin bag full of all the necessary pieces of felt, ribbon, bells and instructions for making Gianna’s first Christmas stocking as yet undisturbed from their places at the bottom of the bag. Thankfully, I don’t think her stocking will be missed this year as she is still too young to comprehend anything but the joy of tearing apart wrapping paper and bows. So, it goes on my lengthy to-do list and can safely be stored for another year of procrastination, hopefully not forgotten until Christmas Eve next year! But, I’ll leave the meandering wishes for a more accomplished self for my New Year’s Eve post.

For now, I write a fond wish that you all have a beautiful Christmas with your loved ones and safe travels this holiday season.

I leave you with a photo of Gianna’s first trip to Santa’s lap. It couldn’t be more iconic than this.

Merry Christmas everyone!

As promised, here is a video of Gianna’s first attempts at walking. She’s partial to holding a toy in her mouth while performing her two-legged march but this time it’s a stale piece of bread that has captured her attention and given her courage to do what those great apes cannot (great for teething gums, by the way).