Happy New Year!

Alright, technically, it is already the New Year - Happy 2008! We've just watched the ball come down, there is confetti filling Times Square...but in my beloved home town, New Year won't come for another hour...and my computer doesn't know the difference. :-)

So, let me tell you about my fabulous New Years Eve.

We started off the day with a late breakfast at a tasty little cafe. BBJ was pretty good...she ate some of my quiche, and she adored my honeydew melon. The problems came when she tried to clear up after breakfast. One arm swept her silverware onto the floor. The other arm swept her arms onto the floor. What's this? A large plate of glass? Covering the tablecloth? Well, that will just have to go. One arm swept it...and it didn't move. Despondency set in. The face was on the table. And the scream...oh the scream. I thought it was hilarious, but since I wasn't sure the other diners would agree, I quickly scooped my screaming bundle of despondency up and ran into the anteroom of the cafe. We could hear good ol' Frankie crooning about London, so we danced a bit (which, in turn, cheered up the people entering the restaurant through the anteroom! At least, I think that's why they were laughing...) Anyhow, after I explained about glass protecting tablecloths, we rejoined our party and were soon on our way.

We made a quick trip to Costco for some New Years party supplies, and finally got BBJ home for her nap near 2:00. She was so sleepy, but I couldn't let her sleep in the car - 10 minutes of nap would have kept her up for another hour! On the way home, it was like dealing with a sleep-walker. I'd ask her for five, and she couldn't hardly life a single finger. I tickled her, and this tiny yitty-bitty smile would play on her lips, but never go further than the corners of her mouth. I finally got a response when I asked if she wanted milk. She actually grinned and flipped her head so she was looking out the window - that meant yes.

We put her down for a much deserved nap and Daddy, Auntie W and I slipped out for a bit of (much needed) shopping. I won't go into the gory details, but let's just say Mommy is VERY happy with her purchases and they are long overdue!

BBJ took a fabulous 2 1/2 hour nap and we all went to Louh Gung's auntie's house for their annual New Years Bash.

Dinner was simple, but FANTASTIC. Auntie May made three kinds of soup, 6 loaves of homemade french bread, and set out a tasty salad bar. We all stuffed ourselves silly (because it's mostly water, right? Soup?) and then sat around watching BBJ's antics. She her all her aunts and uncles wrapped around her chubby little fingers. She clapped, she blew kisses, she gave 5's and kisses, she gave her fabulous little Chinese "thank you". After we'd cleared all the dishes, she climbed back up to the table, with her MaMa in tow, pointed to the soda pop still on the table, and gave her sign for "please." MaMa called me over and asked if she could have some soda. At 8:30! What would you do? Of course - I know you'd do the right thing.

I poured her a glass of soda.

I mean, after all, she did say please!

(Ok, it was just a little, mixed with water, and she wouldn't even try it....but aren't you impressed that she said please?)

Shortly after that, someone handed around chocolate coins, and then someone else showed BBJ what they were. Great move! She scored three of those before the night was over.

At 9:30, the last uncle finally showed up and we started our White Elephent gift exchange.

The set-up was a little different this year - his auntie found a clever poem directing number x to exchange with number y, or someone wearing blue, or someone smiling. We had so much fun! Of course, there were a few gag gifts, left overs from previous exchanges, gifts engrained in the lore of the family and absolutely necessary to their festivities. We all had fun guessing which box held the dreaded "obscene chia pet." This pet heralds from the reign of the first President Bush. Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever seen it. We all guessed wrong, and YehYeh was awarded the awful thing. He kept it in the gift bag it came in, only peeking in to make sure it was what he thought it was, once he saw the shape of the box. It was quickly traded to his younger brother, and there it would stay for the rest of the night. It will be hidden in his closet, away from his two young daughters, and brought back next year, cleverly packaged, in the hopes it will find a new home in 2009.

The other "unwanted" return gift was much tamer. It is a (very ugly) doll, handmade by LouhGung's uncle, to be a likeness of himself, complete with his photo printed onto the face of the doll. Randomly enough, the doll will find itself hidden in the same closet as the Chia pet this year! The entire family will be on the lookout for anything from that home next year. Plans were already underway tonight to send the "unwanted" gifts to another family to wrap and bring so that nobody would know!

There was one other gift that deserves a mention, despite this being its first year in circulation. Uncle Dennis searched long and hard for a gift that he hoped would end up with Uncle Ike (the originator of the Chia fiasco). He finally found what he was looking for on a recent trip to California - an elf hat, with a bell on the end, that is fitted with a mechanical arm inside. When you press the button on the front, the hat starts dancing and singing of its own accord, right from the comfort of your little noggin! The hat went off for the first time about 12 inches from BBJ. She jumped and screamed and landed in my lap with her face buried in my shoulder. Again, the screaming...and I was laughing for all I was worth. Poor baby! When I studied the hat, I realized that it did appear to be possessed by jolly snake wraith. A very jolly snake wraith.

We left the party early and put BBJ to bed. She had quite an exciting New Years Eve!!!