WEBVTT - Pregnancy and Parenting During the Holidays (and a WTE Gift Guide!) 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:09.039 Who baby, my baby, I need you, Oh how I 0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:13.200 need you? What to expect? As a production of I 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:17.239 Heart Radio, I'm your host Heidi Murkoff and I'm a 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:19.880 mom on a mission, a mission to help you know 0:00:20.079 --> 0:00:26.239 what to expect every step of the way. Has I'll 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:29.160 be home for Christmas taken on a whole new meaning 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:32.279 this year at your house, as in, we're stuck at 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:36.280 home and we're not going anywhere this holiday season. There's 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:39.760 no doubt a lot to miss this year, especially time 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:44.919 spent celebrating with extended family and friends, hosting and hopping 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:50.840 from party to party, sharing dinners and traditions, exchanging gifts 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:54.840 and hugs. But at what to expect. We're here to 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:59.160 help make your holidays as festive and fun and joyful 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:03.880 as possible in a kind of way. Today we're talking 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:07.880 about what to expect during an unexpected holiday season, how 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:11.160 to make your celebrations as special as they are safe, 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.240 and of course, what to give everyone on your gift list, 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:21.280 from babies to grandparents. And I am here with Emma, 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:25.840 who takes all of her holidays seriously, especially Christmas. I 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:29.120 really do. It's my time to shine, So this year 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:32.480 a little different, A little different. What are you looking 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:37.360 forward to this holiday season? Well, I personally am looking 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:39.880 forward to not having to make excuses why I don't 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:43.240 want to go out on New Year's Eve. Yeah. Yeah, 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:45.800 I'm looking forward to my husband taking a few days 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:48.680 off work, God willing, and having help with my kids. 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:52.480 Your gift, it's a real gift. That's the gift that 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.960 keeps on giving. I'm really looking forward to just like 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:59.559 having that quality family time that maybe we wouldn't necessarily 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.480 have of if like there was all these events. And 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.240 I know Simon has a lot of work parties usually, 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:07.080 so I think it's going to be more just like 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:10.240 close knit and nice. And I mean it's only one 0:02:10.320 --> 0:02:13.600 year hopefully, and you know we'll just be a year 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:16.680 to remember, Yes it will. What about you? Ours is 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:20.800 pretty much the same as usual, except I don't have 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:24.440 to set the table for as many people so or 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:28.400 prepared quite as much food. It's just you guys are 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:33.239 little pod the kids, Whyatt and Simon, That's it. So 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:37.359 I do feel somewhat less pressure. But that said, we 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:39.799 never go anywhere on Christmas and New Year's anyway. I 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:41.880 think the last time we went out for New Year's 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:45.320 Eve was the first year we got married, So we're 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:50.280 talking a year or two ago exactly. Oh boy. So 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:55.360 something that a pandemic can't take away at least as 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:59.080 long as there's an Internet and you, Emma, is meaningful 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:03.160 gift giving. And I know it's a little late in 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:04.920 the game. We got what like a week and a 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:09.760 half until Christmas, But if you haven't quite scored those 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:13.400 gifts yet, we are lucky to have a true expert 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:17.720 in that department, the world's most gifted gift giver with 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:22.360 us today. Trust me, Santa would be lost without and 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:26.440 so would I. So am I. Yeah, let's talk a 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:30.600 little bit about your gift for gifts and why giving 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:32.720 is better than receiving to you. Well, first of all, 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:34.480 I was talking to my girlfriend the other day and 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:36.320 she's like, oh, I hate this, like I can't go 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:38.240 to the stores, And I'm like, are you kidding? I 0:03:38.360 --> 0:03:41.120 never go to the stores. I always shop online. So 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:43.760 there's nothing new this year in like that aspect of it. 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:46.160 For me, it's so much easier. You can do it 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:47.800 in your under or you could do it on the toilet, 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.080 and you don't have to deal with the holiday crowds 0:03:50.080 --> 0:03:54.600 in the parking I prefer online shopping, and every year, 0:03:54.640 --> 0:03:58.200 for me, my favorite part of Christmas is giving gifts, 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:02.440 not receiving gifts. I can sometimes be a negative Nancy, 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:06.800 so it kind of keeps my glass full and I 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:11.559 get so much more joy having somebody be so happy 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.720 to receive what I gave them. It's so much more 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:18.800 meaningful to me. Yeah, So let's talk about gifts for 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:22.599 expectant and new moms, because they're giving the gift of life, 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:25.200 so I think everybody should get them a gift as well. 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:30.000 I always would have said a prenatal massage, because who 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.760 can really go wrong with massages? So I would be 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:36.800 like returned to send me too, me too. But most 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.960 moms do enjoy a good massage or manny petty. But 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:44.480 these days, with COVID precautions and shutdowns, that's not really 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:48.720 a great option. So I am going to go with 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:52.360 the food delivery service. Oh you know what. I was 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:54.440 going to say something, but I feel like for this 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.240 year it's talking to work. I would say a great 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:59.440 gift would be to give a mom maternity pictures, like 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:02.600 a cooper aternity pictures. And actually a lot of photographers 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:05.440 are doing distant photos on the computer like a zoom 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:08.640 photo shoot and they look beautiful, So like if you 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:10.479 want to do, like if you know your friend and 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:12.960 she's totally into like being sexy, so like a boudoir 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:15.720 shoot at which I did when I was pregnant with Seby, 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:18.800 But they're doing these photo shoots through zoom and literally 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:20.760 these pictures look like they were in the same room. 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.440 Oh that's actually all that's really cool. Maybe you could 0:05:23.480 --> 0:05:26.360 do that plus some lingerie for the pre I liked it, 0:05:26.760 --> 0:05:29.920 so she could wear that photo shoot. We also wanted 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:33.760 to hear from you, so we asked our moms at 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:37.200 what to expect the best community on the planet, what 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:40.240 is the best gift you ever got when you were pregnant, 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:46.039 And we got a lot of comfy, cozy maternity pajamas. 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:49.680 So I guess maybe not the lingerie as much, but 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:53.960 they definitely want some cozy and comfortable maternity pajamas. What 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:55.600 do you think about that? Um, I think that's great 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:58.679 because I literally would just use my husband's shirts. Yeah, 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:00.880 but a lot of things when you're pre that are constricting, 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:03.279 and you don't want things to be too like tight, 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:06.640 especially when you're sleeping because you're already uncomfortable. So definitely 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.440 comfy pajamas. I'm not mad at that. Lots of self 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.960 care gifts, so face masks, not the covid kind um 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:18.080 candles that smell yummy. I mean, that's debatable because a 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.320 little bit of queasiness up in here, and that's who 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:24.080 it depends. You know. That is tricky because depending everybody's 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:27.520 got a difference. Some people can't handle certain things. And 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:29.560 if you give them her candle and she like vomits, 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:32.760 and it's your fault, it's upsetting. One mom's yummy is 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:36.960 another mom's yuck. Yeah. Comfy slippers, that's good one. The 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:39.320 only thing I want to add to that is make 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:41.719 sure they're not slippery on the bottom. They should be 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:45.080 not skid, because pregnant women are tend not to stay 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:49.880 on their feet. Well, because I can't see them guilty. 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:55.400 Pregnancy pillows they are. I love me a pregnancy pillow, 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:58.440 and you know, I'm that person who would still sleep 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:01.200 with it afterwards until husband's like, Okay, I'm in this 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:03.880 bed too, if you want to cuddle, cuddle with me. 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:06.880 But yeah, they're great when you're pregnant. They're really comfortable. 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:09.440 We also ask what's the best gift you ever got 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:12.800 as a new mom, and of course your baby is 0:07:12.840 --> 0:07:15.000 the best gift. We're gonna start with that. I mean, 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:19.200 that's debatable when it comes to depending free the baby 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.320 Perry bottle was the best thing that's ever happened to 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:24.760 my vagina. That be coming out of your vagina wasn't 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:26.800 the best thing that ever happened. Now that ripped me 0:07:26.840 --> 0:07:28.920 a new one. But with my first pregnancy, I had 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.640 the hospital squirt bottle and that thing is a nightmare 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.560 compared to this thing. Like the Freed to Perry bottle 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.480 literally has a curb. There's not one person in my 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:40.600 life who I haven't bought it for who is pregnant. 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:43.920 And you can use it afterwards like a bid day, 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:46.480 like if you want to freshen up before sex or something, 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.720 or after it's a little squirt squirt and you're ready 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:52.600 to go fresh as a days. The Freed to Perry 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:55.080 is literally the gift that keeps on giving. And I 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:57.239 want to add that Emma does not get any money 0:07:57.280 --> 0:08:02.280 from Freedom constant endoors spend that. I just love it. 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:05.400 I love it. I have to say, every mom I've 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:09.080 ever talked to has the exact same feedback, um boppy pillows, 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:12.840 love a good boy, loved boy. Lots of moms said 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:17.680 meals and food delivery, gifts, certificates and certificates for friends 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:21.400 to come and clean, which is a great idea. Maybe 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.560 not during COVID though, so ran check. Maybe your husband 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:30.440 can give you that certificate. Well yeah, hopefully he's already cleaning, 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:32.880 like he doesn't need to give me a certificate for that. 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:37.360 Someone also said, and I think this is genius organizer 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:40.320 pouches because when you have a new baby of all 0:08:40.440 --> 0:08:45.360 kinds of stuff, every little bit of stuff needs a 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:48.480 home or it could be spread out all over your 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.360 living room. Yeah, I'm not about that organizational life, but 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.920 maybe I should be him. So let's talk gifts for 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:57.440 little ones. I think we can safely say we have 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:02.720 very different philosophies on this front. Like for me, mine 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:07.520 is less is more and I'm more. The merrier exactly, 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:11.600 and the merrier the Christmas, the more the gifts. But yeah, 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:15.200 I'm really not here to kill your gift giving dreams. 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:19.200 I'm here to save you money and time and space 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:21.640 in your home, which Emma, you don't have any of 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:26.800 anymore because capacity beyond capacity. So the reality is babies 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:29.040 and toddlers they don't really care. They love the bright, 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:33.240 shiny objects. They love ripping off the wrapping paper, right, Yeah, 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:36.200 you know, especially kind of depressing because you buy them 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:39.240 this amazing present. We bought Seby this car last year 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:41.800 and he didn't care. He just cared about the damn 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:43.760 bow on it. Yeah. They love the bows, they love 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.280 the ribbons, And I'm just gonna throw in a safety 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.880 bulletin that you want to keep those ribbons and bows 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:53.400 away from your kids after the unwrapping is done, because 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:57.160 they're safety risks. They love unboxing, and then they love 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:00.720 playing with the boxes. Right. It's a cliche. You've heard 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.240 it over and over, but this is a cliche that's 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.319 actually true. So just wrap a box full of ribbon 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:09.080 or like wrapping paper, you could do that. Just don't 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:12.320 let them play with ribbon unattended. Too many gifts are 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:15.079 just going to overload their senses and their circuits and 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:17.960 they're not going to be able to focus on playing 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:20.839 with any of the toys that you give them because 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.679 they're just so damn many of them. So, like, if 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:28.320 you can't help yourself, Emma, I'm not naming names, but 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:31.360 it's better to stagger the giving rather than putting them 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:33.760 all under the tree at once. I think that's something 0:10:33.760 --> 0:10:36.079 that Hanukkah has going for it, is that that it 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:39.800 naturally staggers it over eight nights. So that's that's that's 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.760 a smart idea. I'd also limit the ones that we 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:45.120 love so much, the ones that were impressed by that 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:48.880 makes so much noise and they move and have light shows, 0:10:49.000 --> 0:10:53.880 because it's more overload for their senses. And honestly, it's 0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:55.920 better to give them toys that you know they have 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:59.720 to do the work of play and play is their work. 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:02.520 Also like super depressing when you get your kids all 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:04.760 these gifts and they're like, what's next? And because I 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.280 get too badly, Yeah, it sucks. I hate it and 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:10.439 I keep for punishment though you always say they save 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:14.640 it for his birthday. Yeah, clearly you are go big 0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:18.400 or go home. Um more is more, and you buy 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:22.520 so much for kids that we actually just use your presence, 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:27.400 your leftovers for our gifts. Other grandparents have a tendency 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:31.680 to overdo One mom. She wrote that her mother gave 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:35.440 eight nights of presents to the baby who wasn't yet 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:39.360 born for ron Oh my God, wait until that baby 0:11:39.440 --> 0:11:42.600 is born. Not going to be spoiled at all. That's amazing. 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:46.360 So what about dad gifts? What are some gifts that 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:50.520 you've gotten for Simon that have scored Um? I'm super 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:54.319 into like sexual gifts, but also like sentimental gaily. Yeah, 0:11:54.760 --> 0:11:58.200 I had naked pictures. I took it myself and I 0:11:58.200 --> 0:11:59.840 put on our wedding veil and I had them pre 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.040 known pillows and then one day kids went in the 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.080 bedroom and brought them downstairs during a party and it 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.280 was not great. So you might not want to do 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.480 that one. I've done so many things with coordinates where 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:12.600 we met, where we had our first kiss. I don't 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:16.040 even remember that stuff. I mean I I do. There's 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:19.360 just so many things that I've done that he loved. 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:21.679 And I'm not going to tell you what I've done 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:24.520 this year because they're so good. But we'll also I 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:27.040 don't want him to know when we got married, I 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.360 used to write these love notes and I still has, 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:34.560 you know, and I wrote a poem about you when 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:38.880 you were born. Yeah, but we know the gift of love. 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:43.079 But you know what a good book like a coupon 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.520 book they homemade with like blow jobs and stuff is 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:49.120 always a winner. Yeah, I mean Christmas, don't spend it 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:51.960 all in one day. Sorry, I just made this episode 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:57.160 n C seventeen, So listen. Eric and I have been 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.800 on the receiving end of so many amazing gifts since 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:02.880 we became grandparents, and they are from you, of course, 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:07.280 the most personalized, the most thoughtful. So if you're looking 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:10.360 for a gift for the grandparents in your life, you're 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:12.560 gonna want to listen up. So you need a little 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:18.080 lead time here. Emma has turned drawings into so many 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:22.760 cool things. Drawings that the kids made, stuffed animals, necklaces, 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:26.400 one necklace that I have that I wear every single 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:30.240 time I wear a necklace. It's a picture of Lennox 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.840 and me holding hands and you had it made into 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:36.240 a silver necklace. Yeah. I found it on Etsy. This 0:13:36.400 --> 0:13:39.280 guy and I think Taiwan and he makes everything by 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:42.920 hand and it took months, but it was just such 0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:47.080 an amazing process. He did such a beautiful job for 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:50.640 the link. And yes, well you had the kids decorate 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:54.760 handbags and this is balsy because they were pricey handbags 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.160 and it was really stressful. I got these bags and 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:00.200 I had them one year. I think they painted it. 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:04.000 One year, they did handprints. I've done sweatpants and sweatshirts 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:07.720 with their handprints. All you need is fabric paint. I've 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:13.079 done blankets, bubble heads, calendars, those Russian dolls, those sackable dolls, 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:17.080 the Russian sacking dolls. Um one was Lennox, one with Seby. 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:19.040 One was the Dog. I think that's it. You have 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:23.359 pictures of the kids made into blankets, and my grandparents 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:25.080 talked about this like every time I see them. They 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:27.480 talked about the blanket that's with the kids on it. 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.480 Love those around my bed. And then the wall calendars. 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:36.880 You made a wall calendar that was epic, twelve Months 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:39.240 of Lennox. I think I did it twice. The first 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:41.960 one I did my dad's all times favorite movies, So 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:45.560 I bought all these costumes of my dad's twelve favorite movies. 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:50.800 So it was I don't know, like Godfather and Apocalypse Now, yeah, 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:54.160 Apocalypse Now. And I had Lennox. I did backdrops, I painted, 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:56.640 I did everything. And then another one. The first one 0:14:56.680 --> 0:14:58.800 I did was just the twelve Months of Lennox, which 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:02.440 was I think it was the New Year's Baby. And 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:05.160 then there was June Gloom with like a rain, and 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:07.720 then there was May he was a flower, and Valentine's 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:11.120 Day he was Cupid, and Christmas he was Santa, and 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:13.720 then he had a turkey costume for Thanksgiving. But now, 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:15.520 but like you know, because we're all at home, this 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:16.960 is a really great idea and you can do it 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:19.600 really fast, and places like snapfish they do it and 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:23.040 it's really inexpensive and they have amazing fifty off codes, 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:25.520 so you end up spending like twelve dollars for this 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:28.040 beautiful calendar. They're really the gift that keeps on giving. 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.720 I actually would rather have these gifts than anything you 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:34.040 could buy in a store. I mean, they're priceless to 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:36.160 me and for you guys out there, I'm going to 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:40.200 share some pictures of some of Emma's best of gifts 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.040 so you can see for yourself on my social media. 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.920 And you know, if having Emma here with us wasn't enough, 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:50.120 What to Expect Team at what to Expect dot Com 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:57.040 has holiday gift guides for babies of all ages, parents, grandparents, caregivers, 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:11.520 So if you still need inspiration, please take look at that. Now, 0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:14.120 we all know that the holidays are about so much 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:19.840 more than gifts they're about the holiday parties and big 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:24.480 family dinners and get togethers, and for me, Dave spent 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:28.360 cooking and baking and decorating. And usually it's about a 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:31.479 whole lot of stress and a whole lot of performance 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:35.160 pressure and anxiety and travel and lugging strollers and bags 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:39.080 through the airport and little ones who are over stimulated 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:44.280 and undernapped and they're missing regular meals and bedtimes, and 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:46.880 if they're old enough, they're all sugared up on those 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:51.360 gingerbread houses. Maybe. Plus, if you're pregnant, who can really 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:53.960 have fun at a holiday party, because even if the 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.920 eggnog is pasteurized, you can't have it with the rum. 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.040 So really, what's the point. So this year it's a 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:01.800 little different, and in some meaningful ways, I'm going to 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:04.720 venture to say it's good difference. We asked our moms 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.320 at what to expect, how this holiday is going to 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:10.280 be different for them, and most of you say it's 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:14.240 bitter sweet, but it's really more sweet. A lot of 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:16.880 moms said they're gonna miss seeing their friends and their 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:21.200 extended families, but they're actually looking forward to staying at home, 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:25.439 like you, Emma, with celebrating just us you know, with 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:28.920 that little family unit, which makes it you know, less 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:32.920 stressful and more special. So no obligations to party hop 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:37.119 or hosts or to travel, just hunker down and be 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:42.280 together with less stress and less pressure. No sleep schedules 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:47.240 mess with unless you say so. Just like matching Christmas 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:51.680 jammie's and holiday movies on the sofa. That's what it's 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:54.120 all about this year, and that's kind of awesome. They're 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:57.120 a little sad, but mostly excited. Most of them said 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.639 to to skip the fast lane and the t s 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:02.960 a line. Who wants that at Christmas season? And the 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:07.160 Santa line at the mall. But that kind of brings 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:11.160 us to the next topic, which is the Santa photos. 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:14.959 You know, it's a holiday tradition, so it's definitely risky, 0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:17.880 if not impossible, to do Santa photos at the mall now. 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:20.560 So it's a good thing that motherhood is the mother 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:23.800 of invention, because we had our mom's come up with 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:30.000 some great mall Santa substitutes. Tears not included. One was 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:34.240 putting the baby and a Santa outfit or parents dressing 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:37.320 up as Santa and Mrs Santa and baby as the Elf. 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:40.960 I feel like that would work for young, young, young kids. Yeah, 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:44.800 I would say like over too. Maybe not. Yeah, I'm 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:46.800 gonna say a cat might be trickier. But if you 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:49.560 have a dog, especially a big dog, and you dress 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:52.040 them up as Santa and then the baby can sit 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:55.080 in their lap kind of thing. Some moms said they 0:18:55.080 --> 0:19:01.480 had photoshop Santa into their family creative, don't ask me how. 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:04.159 And and when you're doing a call with Santa, you 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:07.080 did a call with Santa. I'm so excited. We're doing 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:09.960 a call with Santa. They ask you all these questions 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:12.440 ahead of time, like what are your kids names? What 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:15.000 do they want for Christmas? So it's super personalized. It's 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:19.080 probably more personalized than actually going because there's not like 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:22.639 a line of like fifty screaming kids, and just like overwords. 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:24.520 The best part is for me, this is what sold 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:26.440 me on this using this one is that they send 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:29.280 you a video afterwards of the whole thing. So you 0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:31.800 get pictures and a video and it's kind of just 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:35.720 like a whole souvenir from experience. So nice. But yeah, 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:38.760 they're so excited. Does Lenox still believe in Santa? And 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:42.080 it's hard at hearts? He does. Okay, let's keep it 0:19:42.119 --> 0:19:45.120 that way, So me, I'm just happy to hunger down 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:47.920 with you guys with the kids. I'm really sad that 0:19:48.080 --> 0:19:50.600 um Abby norm the great grandparents can't be with us 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:55.280 because everybody's locked down. Something else about the holidays this 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:59.840 season that's different and really sad is the extreme hard 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.840 ship that so many families are going through this year 0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:05.680 because of the pandemic. And we talked about this all 0:20:05.680 --> 0:20:08.760 the time, but how many little ones are hungry, how 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:14.360 many families aren't home for Christmas because tragically has left 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:17.399 them without a home. So in the true spirit of 0:20:17.440 --> 0:20:22.320 the holiday season, we were to expect, always aim to 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:27.360 help organizations that support families in need, and this year 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:30.439 they're just more of them than ever. I mean, you 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:34.360 and Lennox decided to donate to Toys for Talks. Yeah, 0:20:34.520 --> 0:20:37.520 normally they have the bins everywhere, but I haven't seen 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:40.840 them obviously this year because of COVID. So we went 0:20:40.880 --> 0:20:43.320 online and Toys for Talks was great because they had 0:20:43.320 --> 0:20:45.920 a list of things and he picked something to represent 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:48.320 himself for an older kid and something to represent a 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:51.320 baby for Seby. But there's so many organizations like that 0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:53.919 online where you can adopt a family and give them gifts, 0:20:53.920 --> 0:20:57.240 like a lot of the parents need like underwear and socks. 0:20:57.440 --> 0:20:59.840 It's amazing, Like you see my child's Christmas list and 0:20:59.840 --> 0:21:01.719 you see these kids lists who just want like a 0:21:01.760 --> 0:21:05.120 soccer ball or a scooter or like one thing all 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:07.399 they want. So it's really great to be able to 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:11.040 like give them that. My older son's school does a 0:21:11.119 --> 0:21:14.960 secret and a toy drive for underprivileged children, and we 0:21:15.040 --> 0:21:18.040 picked a child and he just wanted a Target gift card, 0:21:18.119 --> 0:21:20.359 so we got a Target gift card. But I just 0:21:20.400 --> 0:21:22.200 think it's really important to get back in any way 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:24.720 you can. It is, and it's also I think an 0:21:24.760 --> 0:21:29.760 important message to kids because you know, especially if you 0:21:29.800 --> 0:21:33.640 know they've got the gimmes, that you know there are 0:21:33.680 --> 0:21:36.480 other kids who aren't as fortunate, and we need to 0:21:36.520 --> 0:21:40.480 remember that. More great organizations that what to Expect wants 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:43.400 you to know about this year there's no kid hungry, 0:21:43.560 --> 0:21:46.920 Save the children and family promise just to name a few, 0:21:47.280 --> 0:21:50.040 and you can go to what to Expect dot com 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:54.880 slash giving for more information on how these incredible organizations 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.280 are helping this year and how you can help them 0:21:58.320 --> 0:22:04.080 help others. I say, let's embrace this new relaxed holiday 0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:08.160 normal because there is plenty of time to party like 0:22:08.200 --> 0:22:13.280 it's in one, so let's just resolve to do that. 0:22:13.400 --> 0:22:16.080 It's like the best line I've ever heard. In the meantime, 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:19.360 we are sending lots of love for meaningful holiday season. 0:22:19.520 --> 0:22:22.800 Emma and I and What to Expect podcast will be 0:22:22.840 --> 0:22:27.240 back with brand new episodes starting on January six. Happy 0:22:27.280 --> 0:22:31.080 holidays and happy New Year. Hugs to you and those 0:22:31.200 --> 0:22:40.239 you love who babylove my baby love. I need you, 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:46.240 Oh how I need you. Thanks for listening. Remember I'm 0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:49.359 always here for you. What to Expect is always here 0:22:49.400 --> 0:22:52.800 for you. We're all in this together. For more on 0:22:52.880 --> 0:22:56.040 what you heard on today's episodes, visit what to Expect 0:22:56.080 --> 0:22:59.320 dot com slash podcast. You can also check out What 0:22:59.440 --> 0:23:02.480 to Expect, You're Expecting, What to Expect the First Year, 0:23:02.720 --> 0:23:06.119