Christmas Shopping - Warning! May Contain Spoilers!

In the last few years I have discovered the joys of internet shopping! Not only do you get to avoid the crowds, but you also have so much more to choose from! And as I tend to want to find things for my many nieces and nephews that they will find super fun, and interactive and also stimulates creativity or curiosity! And sometimes the toy store just doesn't have things that meet my educational fun standards!

My oldest niece wants to be a science teacher when she grows up and there is no way that I am not milking that for all it is worth with circuit and Electricity and Magnetism kits!! I will totally admit it! I like physics best for some reason! Though I would argue that I'm not completely biased in my selection of gifts because for young children, experiments and demos where you can see stuff happening instantly after something you've done is a huge plus! Rather than having to wait weeks and weeks for plants or crystals to grow.

And did you know that the most stolen item out of elementary school classrooms is magnets? They are just that magical! That takes care of the younger two nieces!

And my oldest nephew is determined to become a spy when he grows up. I don't even know how one goes about that! But I found a bunch of little spy equipment gadgets for the imaginative aspiring stealth agent.

And then it hit me! I'm am getting science related everything for all the girls and make believe accessories for the boy! Take that gender norms!

And I realized a whole second later that I had forgotten the youngest nephew - he was born only a week ago though, so I suppose those mental pathways just aren't quite solidly in place yet. I'm certain he will forge some huge mental highways in my head in no time at all! And then I had just as much fun pouring through online directories of cardboard books and bright dangly things you can bat at.

I'm telling you, shopping for children is like one of the best things on this earth! It's just so fun! And it's not really the shopping that is fun - it's the anticipation of how excited they are going to be. And the stories and pictures my siblings send to me after the gifting when they are in the thick of whatever it is.

So I've found something for everyone and I'm in the process of checking everything out when another thought hits me like a brick wall.

It never even occurred to me that I should get something for Cyrus.

I sit there staring at the screen for a bit, struck dumb. Because it occurs to me that I don't really know what to get him. I have been telling our extended family that he needs winter clothes, which he does! But when I'm shopping for clothes I feel like I'm shopping more for myself - finding cute things that I love, but which he could care less about. He doesn't really respond to most toys - even the bright dangly bits. I suppose I could get him something super flashy. His occupational therapist had something that lit up and spun around into all kinds of patterns that he found positively riveting, but he already has a few of these and the interest has started to wane. He can't sit up so many of the mini cars and scooters and bouncers just are pointless.

And it kills me that I don't know. I continue with all my other purchases figuring it doesn't matter anyway. Cyrus will never know the difference. Only I will.

He will still go. He will be surrounded by those that love him and truly see him. Christmas last year failed to manifest any smiles, but he was more engaged and aware than he had been the whole six weeks prior! So I know it's good for him. And I would be shocked if there were no smiles this year.

But a week goes by and all my orders start to show up, and I find that it still bothers me.

What would he enjoy that could be just for him?

And really I just needed to think about it. Because the ideas start coming!

He loves dancing! Spinning in circles. Especially when I sing to him at the same time.

Cyrus and mom - both a little congested.

He also is a huge fan of his dad's roller coaster rides.

And honestly these are huge gifts of delight for him, as we may not be able to give them to him forever as he grows too big for us to spin around.

And he loves cheesecake and still has the ability to eat it! Gotta take advantage of that too!

So maybe I just need to be more creative.  Maybe I need to expand my definition of what a gift is. Because the reason shopping for my nieces and nephews is so fun is because of the joy it brings to them. So anything that I can do or share with my son that brings him joy should totally be defined as a gift.

To me, the most important gift is that he feels loved.

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PS. I mention this conundrum to my husband shortly before posting this and his response was immediate.

"He needs a blanket."

"What?"

"Another big floor blanket - like that one!"

I dunno. I liked my answer better! ^_^

Cyrus hanging out on his floor blanket. 

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This week we've all been sick and while that prevents us from getting out much (like to meet the aforementioned new nephew!) we keep working hard. Mom's been writing a lot of tests, fiction, and in this blog (as you may have noticed)! Dad's been painting miniature figures for various board games. And here is Cyrus working with his therapists on supporting himself:

Cyrus learning to get into the crawl position.

Cyrus standing up!!!