Dark December Days

The Dutch have an expression of sorts de donker dagen voor kerst, which translates as the dark days before Christmas and today was certainly one. During the night a steady rain washed the ground clear of all yesterday's lovely snow, returning the landscape to a dull and muddy grey. So we played inside while David worked at his desk and during the day we both remarked on how Cal has changed so much in the past few days. David nailed it when he said that he seems so much more aware of the difference between himself and us. It means more tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants from us, but he's also become more playful with us and it turns out we're pretty darn funny for the little dude. At this point in time Cal loves nothing more than to slap the back of David's head while shouting loudly, which frankly is funny for everyone.

A little forest of trees on every canal bridge

Cal, December 2012

Essential 'dark December' reading

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads