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Dear Diary,

 

I am anxiously awaiting Christmas this year, especially since Baby C is old enough to independently play with her toys.  She’s not old enough to understand the birth of Jesus Christ or the  spirit of Santa Claus, so for now, I look forward to her enjoying her gifts.  Last night, I recruited a handsome elf to assemble the gift I am most excited about placing under the tree–a kid-sized kitchen.   At school, she is drawn to the domestic play area, and at home, she is connected to my hip as I camouflage carrots and disguise broccoli with macaroni and cheese.

 

I’m a bit overwhelmed looking at one of the many piles of parts in my living room.

 

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For hours and a bottle of wine later, the base is built.

 

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I decided to take a break.  Well, actually I was only Santa’s little helper–locating screws and handing pieces of wood to the real worker.

 

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The next day, I took a crack at construction.  Took six hours and three Christmas movies!  That also included breaks to make mac and cheese, but not cleaning up.  As you can see, the bag of Mega blocks exploded on the floor.

 

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It’s so nice to be able to put together a Christmas gift right in front of the recipient!

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Stay tuned tomorrow to see the final product and if it’s a hit for the little queen of the kitchen!  In the meantime, let us know what you are building this Christmas.

 

 

About The Author

Vlog Mom/DFTM Creator

Not long ago, Heather Hopson hosted a television show in the Cayman Islands. Today, she's back home writing a different kind of story as a new mom. In her 15 years working as a professional journalist, this by far is her best assignment! Growing up, she dreamed of becoming Oprah Winfrey. She was the features editor for her school’s newspaper and a teen talk show host for her city’s most popular radio station. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University. After graduation, she worked as a television producer and reporter at CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates throughout the U.S. Instead of heading to Chicago to join Ms. Winfrey on her set, she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands instead. She arrived five days before a category five hurricane! She lived in paradise for seven years, hosted an award-winning television show and traveled the globe with a government delegation. She also served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and spearheaded a Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Then, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to obtain a teaching certification and instruct 8th grade reading at a high needs middle school. She later returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to raise her daughter Caitlynn, now 4-years-old. During her 10-month-stint as a stay-at-home mom, Caitlynn inspired her to create this blog, and Diary of a First Time Mom was born on Mother’s Day 2012. Two years later, she expanded the family to include 20+ writers. Currently, Heather serves as the communications director at Allies for Children. In addition, she is the owner of Motor Mouth Multimedia, which ranked #49 in Startup Nation’s Home-Based 100 Competition sponsored by Discover Card and Sam’s Club. Recently, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments selected Heather to receive an Emerging Black Artist award to develop Diary of a First Time Mom.

4 Responses

    • newmom0608

      OMG. For some reason, a third of her toys need to be put together! Tonight I’m going to assemble a toy vacuum. I’ve tapped into some hidden skills!

      Reply
  2. Christine

    Aww that is one cute kitchen! We bought my daughter one for her 3rd bday this year but it was not as elaborate to put together as that seems. I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of it. Come to think of it, I don’t think any of the kids’ toys needed to be put together 🙂

    Reply

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