Ayla Blair & Jasper Paul: Christmas Time in Salem

We stayed in Salem for Christmas Day this year. We knew that Santa would bring Ayla her toys to our house anyway and that they would be waiting at home under the tree when she came home for them. It was so nice to be at home in Salem for a couple days. When we got down there Monday night, Ayla played with Nini and Pappaw for a bit and then went to sleep. She gave us our own Christmas gift by sleeping in till 8:00 the next morning! The next day was Christmas Eve. Nini and Pappaw both had to work until noon, so Ayla, Blair, and I just relaxed at home. When it was getting close to noon, Ayla and I took Blair down to the shop so Blair could have pizza with the guys (a tradition that Bobby has with his employees each Christmas Eve) and then go out to visit with Pinky for a few minutes. When we got home, we helped Nini get ready for Christmas Eve dinner and then we relaxed a bit more. Around 6:00, Grandma Junie and Grandma Mary came out and we all had barbecue sandwiches with lots of yummy side dishes. Then Craig, Lesley, and KK came over and we all opened Christmas presents. Ayla likes to pull at the wrapping paper some, but she doesn’t quite get the concept just yet. Kinsley helped her open all of her gifts. J She got an adorable outfit, some money, a vibrating piggy, and a really fun activity cube. I’d say it was a success! Ayla started getting very irritable and so I put her to bed hoping she would get some good rest for her 1^st Christmas the next day. But boy were we unprepared for what her night would be like! Starting around 2:00 am, Ayla woke up with a fever. She wouldn’t let me put her down to sleep, so I brought her into bed with Blair and me and held her for the rest of the night. She would only sleep if I was holding her. She would wake up about ever hour and whine a little until she got comfortable again. By around 5:30 Christmas morning, I finally took her to the basement and gave her a cool bath to help stop the fever. She finally calmed down a bit, the fever went away, and she slept until about 8:30. The rest of Christmas day was spent loading her up with Motrin to keep her fever away. She was happy playing when we went out to Mammaw Mary’s house for Christmas. She crawled around everywhere and played with her Aunt Sara who she absolutely loves. And Mary gave her $50! We stopped by Cousin Shelley’s house to say Merry Christmas to her, Allie, and Jonny. And she slept the entire way home that evening. It wasn’t the way we envisioned it in our heads, but it was definitely a unique 1^st Christmas!