Dear 2010...I'm done with you. Bring on 2011.

So, it's nearly a week past Christmas and the usual end-of-the-year chaos reigns in our household. Overflowing recycling bags of shredded wrapping paper and packaging has been stacked in the garage; leftover turkey and ham is dwindling in the fridge; batteries have been drained, recharged and drained again; Moon Sand packages have already been emptied onto the kitchen island; fresh bubble bath bottles have been added to much-needed soaks; snowmen socks have been ceremoniously added to the laundry basket for the first time; Ferrero Rochers and cashew cans have been opened; gifts that needed different sizes or working parts have been returned or exchanged; wrapping paper and cards for next year have been purchased at 50% off; and my new Xmas morning slippers have already fallen apart. Santa was good to us once again. I hope he was to you, too, dear readers!

I'm still in the midst of my holiday hiatus, soaking in the simple bliss of time at home with family and loved ones, watching the magic and wonderment of children that sparkles with the snow this time of year, and carving out childhood memories and traditions for my girls to cherish, so I'll make this a short post.

Highlights of this Christmas:

• Watching Avie learn how to clap. She now claps for anything, anyone, anytime. Love the accompanying grin that goes with it!


• TSO concert with my Hubby.


• Christmas Eve Day cookie baking with B.


• Getting Mike Rios' Christmas card and trying to explain the nudies to my mother-in-law.


• B setting out milk and cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph. (Hubby's first time drinking the milk and eating the cookie. He left the end of the carrot and some credible crumbs as evidence of his handiwork. I wrote a Santa letter to the girls. It was too much fun!)


• Brooke jumping around, saying 'I knew it! I knew it!' every time she or anyone else opened a gift. Grandmaman pulling B around the living room in the sled.


• Brooke actually hugging and kissing the box with the 'Singing in the Bath Ariel' doll in it (given to her by Grandpa and Grandma Louise).


• The kids' faces and shrieks of delight when Hubby set off the Christmas Day fireworks. Awesome!


• My jewelry box handmade by Hubby.


• Grace's Christmas Day 'bumpy' candy skirt and her cool hightops. Very chic.


• Rich shovelling the wrapping paper off the floor with his new snow shovel.


• Dylan's expressively unimpressed face when he received underwear as a present.


• Jackie's delicious Boxing Day crepes.
  
• Avie learning how to crawl--well, crouch and scout, anyways. She's never the same place I left her!


• Playing WTF with Hubby, Jax and Bren and answering some of the raunchiest and thought-provoking questions I've ever been asked.


• The kids and Brooke's new doll (dressed in it's tiny rubber boots, of course) on the sledding hill.


• Avie folded in two on the floor, falling asleep while sitting.


• Snapping photos of B's first venture on her new skates today. She may have wobbled like Bambi, but she was a terrific sport!


• And, the best one--Brooke's last chemo treatment on Dec. 20th and the resulting 'WINNER!' medallion she picked out of the Medical Day Unit's treasure box.

Lowlights of this Christmas:

• Christmas slippers that fell apart precisely 1 hour after I put them on my feet. Shame as they are so comfortable! Damn you and your poor stitching, Giant Tiger.


• And, tonight---B is once again at CHEO.

Apparently, my eldest daughter has started her own Christmas tradition--injuring herself every Christmas season. No real worries, people. She fell down and bumped her head, leaving a half-inch, and seemingly very shallow, gash behind. Might need stitches, so Hubby has taken her to the hospital.

We had a blood test yesterday afternoon, so we know her numbers are very high this week and she is at no risk of infection, which is good. Still, we called ahead and ER staff have currently placed her and Hubby in an isolation room. I am waiting to hear more details.

Deja vu from last Christmas. At least this year, we are better prepared. Certainly helped that Santa brought B her very own Netbook, pre-loaded with her favourite movies and websites. Sigh.

As wonderful as Christmas has been to us (I didn't even mention the rest of the pressies Santa brought all of us!), I'll be happy to have this humdinger of a year behind us.

Merry Christmas, folks! May 2011 bring you all the joys you deserve.

Update for January 10, 2011: I never got around to editing and posting the previous bit during the holidays, but I thought after this morning, I ought to.

I was on here, listening to my playlist when, Brooke asked me to play 'her' song. (It's a song we attributed to her upon her birth. Part of the birth video Hubby made years ago. It's on the playlist. Reader challenge: Can you guess which one it is?)

Anyways, she said she wanted to dance to the tune. So, I whipped out the camcorder, keyed up the song and she started twirling around. It was beautiful--until her legs slid out from underneath her and she toppled into a sidetable! I put the camera down, thinking she had just bumped herself and would need a kiss on the boo-boo, but when I saw the blood droplets on my little klutz's shoulders, I did what all mothers do. Raced her to the washroom to get a better look and get a washcloth to stem the flow of blood.

A gash on the top of her head--another one, not two weeks after the first one--about a half-inch in length and about six inches from the one already healing on the back of her head. Applied pressure, washed it with antiseptic towelette, put on Polysporin and a bandage and called Hubby. Met him halfway to CHEO, where he is now with Brooke. At least we're getting the use out of that little Netbook Hubby got B for Christmas....

B cried for a bit, but as soon as the initial pain receded, she was fine. She was more upset by the blood on her new favourite shirt ('favourite' as of two hours before when I unearthed it from the bottom of the drawer), which I promptly soaked in the sink with the washcloth. Myself--I'm still wearing my bloodied shirt. I should probably soak that one, too.

Anyways, don't know if it will require stitches, but we don't want to take any chances. (Last gash was simply glued together and bandaged, which B yanked off the next day.) Luckily, because she is an oncology patient, she is put in her own room and doesn't have to wait in Emergency with the rest of the walk-ins.

B has had one helluva 375 days! Just when we thought all of this was coming to an end, she has to go and bump her noggin. And, we are set to have her first post-chemo CT scan on Friday. So, it looks like it's gonna be one of those weeks again...Can we please get to Saturday already?!

Happy New Year, folks. Sorry for the long spiel.