Christmas spirit has finally arrived here in Seattle and certainly in the Calkins Homes. Mom and Dad Calkins have decked the halls, covered the walls and set up the trees with twinkling white lights, and all the beauty of the Winter. Here at our place in West Seattle, the oven's been working overtime baking triple espresso peppermint brownies, sugar cookies ready for icing, and loads of other treats. The gifts are getting made, bought and wrapped and we've finally started our Holiday Film viewing with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!". The joy of the season was really impressed upon us when we took West for his first Santa Photo! He was completely indifferent to the fact that this Old, hairy stranger in a big red-suit was talking to him, let alone holding onto him, as you can see in the photo,
and we had a great time watching him interact and try to figure
out just what St. Nick is all about.
In other news, we are getting over the last of our various illnesses, planning for Westley's first birthday (Wow!) as well as a few other events coming in the beginning of the new year, and trying our best to enjoy the season, family, friends and watching Westley do and say new things all the time. Lately his word of choice is "up" and he's enjoying a couple of new foods, testing his limits when it comes to standing alone and cruising, and he is, as always, so very entertaining to anyone he encounters. I am especially in love with his gorgeous head full of curly blond hair!
Here are a couple of photographs from
our recent trip to the Ballard Locks,
a landmark water-passage way here in Seattle. 
They have beautiful gardens there and
it's the perfect place for a
nice quiet walk, and to get a little nature fix inside the bustling city.
Everyone is finally getting over the various illnesses running throughout the family, and we are all feeling a thousand percent better. We really enjoyed having Kaijsa here for Thanksgiving and are looking forward to her return very soon! There are parties, open-houses, lots of baking time, and the magic of Christmas coming our way in full force the next few weeks. We've gotten the lights up , the tree sparkling beautifully with visions of Bedford Falls, snowflakes, stars, Superman, and Friends from the Hundred-acre wood, and a few precious pictures. We are still on the hunt for the perfect "Baby's first Christmas" Ornament, but it's likely I'll end up making one instead. Everyone is looking forward to West's first Christmas and though I wish my family could be up here in Seattle to share it with us, I know we'll all be thinking of one another, sharing lots of pictures, phone calls, holiday cards and making the best of the season and all it brings.
Seattle had its' first snow of the winter a few days ago, which was beautiful. Westley wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He seemed very suspicious of all this white fluff swirling around him, falling out of nowhere. Sadly, the loveliness of snow has been followed by a 
continuing rainstorm that has caused major flooding, mudslides, road closures, power outages, some injuries, and a few fatalities. Hopefully, the rain will let up a bit and people will soon be able to enjoy the winter, instead of having to fear it and wonder what will happen next.
And now for the latest West report! Lately, he's had a fascination with standing with his head and one, if not both, hands on the floor, butt in the air and usually he's either playing with a toy in the free hand or he's spanking himself and has Neal, his blue giraffe, under his head so he can snuggle. He's quite the multi-tasker already!
Well, today as I was listening to him play in his baby jail while I wrote a couple of emails, West proceeded to pull himself up to stand! After a few quiet moments (a little too quiet) I turned to see him pushing Cd's around on the one shelf he could now reach. In my haste to stop him I didn't realize he was standing alone with a firm one-handed grip on the baby jail wall! As soon as I did realize what had happened, as most moms do with milestones, I got a little teary, then gave him tons of kisses, and of course, tried to get him to do it again for a picture to no avail.
He decided
to sit down as soon as I noticed he was standing by himself. (This picture is a photographic reenactment of actual events!)
He just looked at me, smiled, and gave me a few nana-nana-na sounds accompanied by a some good juicy "raspberries".
It was a very proud moment indeed!
