One week ago, I took the kids to the ECI Christmas Party and we had a really good time. Laynie decorated cookies and made cards. She even helped her brother get an elf tattoo and they both made ornaments.

It was cool to see Gideon’s therapists and caseworker outside of our house! We absolutely love these ladies and appreciate everything they do for our little man.

But the best part for me was the Santa photo below. And I think you’ll laugh too when I tell you why ours is the best.

Just to clarify, our oldest has never been interested in Santa in years past. Mostly because she always seemed to be afraid of him; plus we’ve always emphasized the birth of Jesus as the reason for Christmas. So we made the decision last year to tell her that Santa isn’t real and that it is just something people pretend. We used the example of the princesses at Disney World and how those girls are just regular people dressed up like the story book characters.

I realize by admitting that, we may not be the popular pick for play dates around this time of year and that’s okay. I’ve been working with Laynie on the reasons why it’s not our job to tell others that Santa isn’t real. And so far she’s been really good. In fact, at this particular Christmas party she kept looking over at Santa. The first couple of times I asked her, “Do you want to take a picture with him?” she replied no. But then after a few minutes she said, “Mom, I think I do want to and don’t worry, I won’t tell the other kids in line that he’s not real.”

So with that, we headed over to the line for our first official Santa photo. Of course Gideon doesn’t always sit still and he has a tendency to pull on anything he can grab. So while my daughter may not reveal Santa’s true identity, I started to worry that my son would. I became concerned that Gideon would grab Santa’s beard (after all he loves beards!) and ruin Santa for all the children present. So with that horrifying scenario playing in my mind, I searched the diaper bag to see if we had any toys. Unfortunately for us, the z-vibe was dead…leaving only one option.  So I reluctantly handed over the only toy which is a 100% guarantee that Gideon will sit still AND keep his hands to himself.

Yup, the pink bath ball.

If you don’t know the story behind the bath ball, let me briefly explain. Gideon hits himself in the head because he’s blind and severely deaf; therefore, Gideon loves vibrating toys. Unfortunately, all toys that vibrate consistently (without manipulation) are hard and leave bruises on his head when he hits himself.

So, thanks to a dear friend (who shall remain nameless), we learned about the Bath Ball by Pure Romance and we quickly ordered one. It vibrates consistently…it’s soft…and it’s WAY cheaper than any adaptive toy I’ve ever found.

Have you put the pieces together yet?

An adult toy is part of our Santa photo.

I can’t help but laugh! Never in a million years, would I have predicted a photo like this. And no, I’m not ashamed because after all, it’s completely innocent. I smile every time I see our Santa photo and it’s my hope that it makes you smile as well.

Merry Christmas from the Jolicoeurs!

PS: If this blog post offended you, please take a deep breath and remember this- With the exception of his daddy’s beard, that pink ball brings my son more joy than any other toy he possesses.  Blessings! 🙂