Thanksgiving Eve

Tonight Tate and I are at my parents' house for the night.  I worked until 2 today while Tate toiled away at school, not napping.  Daycare was pretty empty today, with less than half their normal number of teachers needed with so many kids able to be home with their parents for this long holiday week.  I'm ever so grateful to have a job, a job that pays me well and a job that does a great service to many little people.  And this job, this 'career' has afforded me the opportunity to travel all over this gorgeous planet, afforded me most anything I could ever want materially and afforded me the ability to have a child on my own without really worrying about how I would have paid to try to have him had I needed to (Though to put myself in that kind of debt put me in a tailspin when I knew I would consider IVF had I not gotten pregnant on my own.  I had been debt free for over 5 years with the exception of my home when I decided to try to have a baby.  And I have had no credit card debt for almost 9 years.  Taking out a loan yet again was heartwrenching, but I would have done anything, anything to have a child)

Yet, it haunts me to have to drop off my child and be separated from him when the holidays 'begin', even knowing the holiday doesn't really start until tomorrow.  But I want this prep time with him.  I want to sit down and hang out before the craziness tomorrow, knowing our get together will be FAR from crazy with the few of us.  

So, I raced out of the office as soon as I could, ran home and changed and picked up the last of the goodies I needed for my parents' and tomorrow's feast.  I picked up sweet Baby Tate and we went to see Santa Claus.  We've gone every year to see the same Santa since he was born at the mall by my parents' house.  There is never anyone else there visiting with Santa.  The first year we just stumbled upon him, my mom, Tate and I and got a great picture, because of course that's all it's about that first year.  Ever since we've gone back.  He is the best Santa EVER!

2009

2010

2011

2012

Tate was a little hesitant when we pulled into the parking lot today.  Well, he was exhausted from his no nap, so that's probably why when I said we were going to see Santa he screeched "I don't want to see Santa Claus!"  By the time we got to the mall he was sound asleep.  I got him up and out of the carseat and into the stroller so he could continue resting.  Amazingly, he wasn't whiny at all.  We made our way to Santa, and there was absolutely no line.  Noone else waiting to see Santa Claus.  Tate hopped out of the stroller and told me (yelped with glee) that he was going to go tell Santa about his trains.  He was gone with a flash.  I got the stroller situated and came around the corner and saw my sweet son ensconced on Santa's lap happy as could be.  Now he wasn't saying anything, but he was so happy.  I asked him if he told Santa what he wanted for Christmas and he immediately got shy.  But Santa pointed to Tate's shirt and said "Oh he told me!"And this sweet, gentle man remembered me and my son.  He said "You two came to see me again this year!! He's gotten so very tall."  As Tate sat on his Santa's lap, Santa and I talked about his 4 sons, his 5 grandsons and his 2 granddaughters.  It was a very special moment on this very hectic, long, long day.  

So today I'm so grateful that I opted to take Tate to see Santa Claus.  Though I know Christmas isn't for weeks I am so glad we have the opportunity to spend some real time with Santa Claus.  I'm thinking that next year we'll bring him some cookies, and I'll really play it up for Tate.  I didn't mention to him that we were going until yesterday, and I don't think he quite gets the whole Santa Claus idea, but I know he will after we get our tree up and go have breakfast with Santa next week.  I actually had hesitated to go today because I didn't want the experience to simply be about a photo-op;  I wanted Tate to enjoy himself.

I shouldn't have worried.  Santa made it oh so very special for my Tate.