Rui CarmoA quick note of thanks to the well-wishers who sent us best wishes via mail, SMS, IM, Twitter and Facebook, since responding to everyone is nearly impossible as the Xmas break winds down and we try to run pending errands and visit family.
The kid had so much of a good time with his grandparents and aunts that he’s still a tad above the squealing threshold, but he should be coming down from orbit over the next few days (even if it’s likely we’ll have a couple of busy nights until he settles).
As to gifts, even though we set a few rules (he’s only nine months old but the only kid on this side of the family, which means we are very concerned about his aunts and grandparents spoiling him with toys), he did manage to get the two banes of quiet parenthood on the same Xmas: a drum and a football1.
Both of which have already become his favorite toys even though he’s too young to bang or kick around either of them effectively (or in the right order). Still, it was loads of fun.
As to me, I got the requisite pairs of socks and toiletry items – as you age, people become increasingly concerned with keeping your toes warm and your smell nice (even if my current fashion challenge is the beard I’ve grown over the past week).
And, to give you an idea of how my priorities have shifted, the single gadget I bought myself for Xmas was a Eur. 20 cordless presenter with the grand total of three buttons (previous, next, and blank screen), a stowaway transceiver2 and a sensible reliance on a single AAA battery – a sharp contrast to the over-designed and exotic pieces of junk that I repeatedly tried over the years.
Times are different, and that’s good.
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1 That is a soccer ball, for those of you who equate football with helmets.
2 Someone ought to build them with a Micro-SD card slot (that way I could carry my entire presentation kit inside it). Something to add to my Wishlist, I suppose.