Grandma Claus

Oh my goodness! I don’t think we can live up to the spoilage. Seriously – thank goodness she is too young to understand or we’d be in real trouble! It started on Christmas Eve. I finally broke down and got a few packages for the munchkin, as I felt bad (even though she doesn’t understand AT ALL), but it was minimal and mostly consumables. She got diapers, a diaper genie refill, sippy cups and one toy. OK, reasonable. She’s a baby.

Then we got to my in laws… I don’t think I can remember all the things she got, but highlights include a lot of toys that make noise… A book that sings about shapes and colors, garanimals stacking blocks, a Mozart magic music cube (note – I think I have to recommend this one. It’s not necessarily her favorite, but it is one of the least annoying of the musical baby toys as it plays classical music.) and, the highlight, a talking dog that was programmed to say her name in its conversation. (There is an odd pause that makes me think of horror movies - I love you… munchkin. Let’s play a game… munchkin. …Bananas… are my favorite food. Are they your favorite food too, …munchkin? You can program in her favorite food, animal, color, etc.).

OK, so a lot of stuff, but maybe it’s not too overwhelming yet.

Then we got to my Mom’s. There was a stack of presents as tall as she was with a snowman doll (also about her size) stacked on top. Seriously – there must have been a dozen gifts. And really… they weren’t the consumables like diapers. They were clothes and toys (another talking book, a push toy to learn to walk, an Easter outfit, a first birthday outfit, some other cute ensembles, etc.). And then we got to my cousins… More clothes, more toys – a pony she can ride on (that HAD to be put together right away – at the insistence of the cousin who’d bought it so she could get a picture)! It was CRAZY! So much so that my Mom is bringing a few of the remaining items with her when she comes to visit next week because we couldn’t fit them all in the car.

I’m thinking that this is a first year phenomenon… Maybe. Certainly once she has siblings or cousins (or once my cousins have kids) this will slow. But it was overwhelming! Luckily, we didn’t have such an abundance of toys for her for this age, so she “needed” a few before (as much as any baby “needs” talking toys).

We are just so grateful – for the abundance of gifts, but more for all the love behind them. It was so cute to watch my Mom’s family when we arrived – they all just sat and stared at the munchkin – mesmerized by her cuteness! It really warmed our hearts to see how much they love her!