presence, presents, and a paper trail

Well, today Ben got a present thanks to my lack of presence.  Former Wichita neighbors Bruce and Cheryl sent Ben's Christmas gift weeks ago and it's been coolly and calmly sitting on the hearth waiting for the rest of Christmas to come fill in around it.;)  I was bopping around this morning attempting to do just that when I came up from the basement to discover a pile of crumpled wrapping paper.  I looked at Ben who proclaimed, "look what I got, Mom! It's just for me!!," as he held up his gorgeous new sweatshirt.  My overwhelming joy at this mis-step was hard to contain and Ben's ear-to-ear grin made it doubly hard.  The fact that our Ben, who could still take or leave nearly any gift and who sometimes had to be bribed to open them, was so excited over his gift, made me absolutely elated.  I managed a grimace and calmly explained that this was a gift for Christmas that it was not ok to open.  "Ok mama, ok mama, but look, it's just for me! Can I wear it on?"  Of course I let him "wear it on," and was beaming with joy at his interest and excitement.  I also discovered he had opened the wrapping paper downstairs and carried the box to our bedroom before opening it.  It makes sense he wouldn't have understood the restriction when his whole life we've begged him to open gifts.  He's already started negotiating the fact that it's indeed "Merry Christmas," already and that means we can open gifts.

 

Proudly wearing it for lunch and The Good Dinosaur with Nana, Papa and the Witherspoon crew.