Merry Christmas!

 

 ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  

                                                                                                                                       Luke 2:10-12

During this Christmas season I have not necessarily been the most festive of persons.  I have lamented the shopping, preparations, and sheer expectation to be happy just because it is Christmas.  To my defense I have given birth, left my job, moved to a new city and set up a rental home all in the last two months.  These are not the times in which effervescent joy exudes from my pores.  I have been stressed and have taken it out on my children, my husband and myself.  However today I am humbled.  As I awake on Christmas morning I am humbled by my blessings.  I deserve none of this.  I am able to have this life and all these wonderful experiences and joyful moments because Jesus was born and ultimately died for me.
I am confronted this morning with my human selfishness.  I am surrounded by family and food and wonderful gifts of material things.  How can I not be thankful?  How can I look at my sweet sleeping baby with her perfect round cheeks and sweet breath and not be profoundly humbled at God's grace?  Yet still I look and expect more.  I pray fervently for miracles and await the news of God's hand in our everyday life.
There are people today with plenty of money and material things who are experiencing heartache.  The new parents whose child is in the NICU, the widower that is having his first Christmas without his wife, the friend whose mother is sick and may not live to see the Christmas sunset.  I do not fault them for feeling sad, morose or downright bitter about Christmas this year.  However, these same people are exclaiming the love of God and the miracle of Christmas.  There is peace and even joy in their experiences as they feel God's comfort and see the light of the season despite the human experience.
I have witnessed those children whom Santa finds in the hospital because they are too sick to leave the sterile walls around them.  Even those children having Christmas surrounded by medicine, needles and tests will look at their doctors and nurses and wish them Merry Christmas with excitement and love coming from their faces.  They will bring to consciousness the true meaning of Christmas and bring those taking care of them back to the reality of God's greatest gift.
I am blessed by my three children.  They are healthy, beautiful and happy.  Today I am knocked to my knees by how wonderful God has been to me.  I will not dwell on what I think that I need or really just want.  More cooperation, following my directions, listening to what I have to say.  Maybe I need to be quiet and reflective and listen more to them and what God is trying to convey to me through their little voices.  There are parents celebrating Christmas today without their children.  Some are in heaven, others at war, and many who are just not able to make it home for Christmas.  I look into they eyes of my children, hold their warm little bodies in a big hug and I am so thankful. 
I have been given the gift of my husband, who is a constant provider of strength and support.  I love his boyish charm and my heart grows each time I watch him playing on the floor with our children.  God has given me a good Daddy for my babies.  He celebrates their small triumphs and is there to kiss the boo boos.  He is not afraid to employ tough love, like a good father does.  I can fall into his embrace and feel protected and assured.  He brings me back to reality, that blessings are flowing through our life together and I should not miss this. 
I am no longer bound by my inability to break myself out of my rut, I never had the power within myself anyway.  This Christmas morning I opened the door to the knocking of the truth on my heart.  I need the love of God, to fall into His arms to trust in Him.  God gave us his son.  I cannot fathom the sacrifice the unbelievable gift he gave to us.  So today I celebrate the birth of my Saviour.  We will sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and eat, drink and be merry in his honor today.  I no longer will feel sorry for myself, for I have nothing to be sad about.  God loves me, he loves us all in ways we cannot understand. To have love is the greatest gift of all!
So as I organize the gifts and clean up the wrapping paper and boxes, I will take a moment to be quiet.  I will not breeze by the Nativity, but stop and reflect on the meaning of the depiction of Jesus' birth.  I will say a quiet prayer for all those who are suffering and thank God that I am in the midst of joyful chaos today.  I will continue to look for God in my everyday life and pray for miracles, for he delivers even to those of us who are most undeserving.  My three miracles are studying their gifts, eating candy canes, racing cars and begging for more food.  Merry Christmas!

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

                                            The Doxology

 
                               

Trick or Treat: Halloween 2011

While we were whiling away the time between school and trick or treating, we decorated our pumpkins.  We had the pumpkins for weeks set up on our countertops and therefore were a bit squeamish about carving them.  A rotten jack o lantern was the last thing I wanted on my doorstep.  So creative genius set in and I brought out the markers and paint.  Well, markers don't stay on pumpkins although they do show up.  It is quite convenient to be able to wash your creation off of a pumpkin with just a little bit of water! 
We found that the paint markers looked best and Allison decided that instead of drawing a typical jack o' lantern, she and Jack would draw the pumpkins to match our likeness. 

Mimi helping to decorate!

"Emma" Pumpkin

We ended up with our pumpkin family.  Jason and I share the largest pumpkin and then they go in size order representing the oldest to youngest in the family. I was so impressed by how creative and detail oriented both Allison and Jack were in putting our physical traits on a pumpkin!

Before the sun went down, Thomas and Pinkalicious were ready to go door to door to get some yummy candy!

They came back with full bags and the experience of a fun night.  Impressively they have not eaten or requested obscene amounts of Halloween candy.  However their hormonal mother is a different story.  I am not sure how many more Halloweens I have before they have a mental checklist of their candy and notice that the only 2 Milky Way candy bars have disappeared...

Book Character Parade

Allison's class and the rest of kindergarten and first grade had a book character parade on Halloween.  Allison originally wanted to be Angelina Ballerina but the book was missing in action leading up to her event.  Major props to Daddy persuasion and a promise of ice cream got her to change her mind to Pinkalicious.  We had easy access to the book and she had a complete costume from her birthday party a few months back.  We got her all dolled up in complete pink and dropped her off at school.

Unfortunately the morning was cold, dreary and rainy so we huddled under the sidewalk cover on benches waiting for the parade to begin.  There were a lot of creative costumes and the kids looked so proud as they carried their books.  The teachers were dressed up as well.  Allison loves to put on a show and had a huge grin on her face as she proudly paraded by us.  They were walking fast so I was only able to snap one picture, but I think it captured the essence of her excitement!

Pinkalicious on Parade!

Trunk or Treat

Jack's preschool has a Trunk or Treat event every year for Halloween.  This year I was one day out from hospital discharge after having Emma.  I was not deterred and wanted to be there to see him participate.  Before delivery I had stocked up for Halloween and gotten prepared for this event.  I did not get points for creativity, but a plastic tablecloth and a pumpkin banner seemed to be enough trunk decoration for a bunch of preschoolers as long as I delivered on the candy.  I can't take credit for our candy selection because Jack was adamant on the type of candy he wanted to give his friends. 

Jack decided that this year he would wear his Thomas the Train costume.  I think he is the cutest little conductor I have ever seen!

Checking out his loot

My trunk looks quite shameful compared to the other trunks on display at the event.  I couldn't get the tape to stick so I draped the tablecloth over the back seat and looped the banner on the door latches.  Hey, at 3 days postpartum I think that it rocks!  Jason was my chauffeur and the photographer since he could follow the kiddos around easily.  I was so happy that he got to participate in a school event since he usually is at work during preschool hours.  I think he got a big kick out of seeing the trunk or treaters as well and he made it possible for me to go!

Emma's First Day

I was able to keep Emma with me for hours after her birth.  She latched readily and it was so nice to keep her next to me.  When the time came for me to transfer rooms, Emma went to the nursery for her head to toe check and Jason accompanied her. 

First bath, got to wash all that hair!

I must say I am a little jealous that Daddy gets to witness all these firsts, but I also see the pictures he comes back with on the camera and on his phone.  It is in these first few hours when Daddy is her sole protector that their bond is established.  Emma holds his finger and he whispers and comforts her while she is experiencing all these new sensations.  She knows that this man is her Daddy and he is to be trusted. 

A baby burrito

 

 

I wish that I could swaddle like the nurses at the hospital do.  We had a couple lessons, but it never held the way theirs did.  Oh well, now we swaddle with her arms out, and she seems to prefer it.  She doesn't have to grunt and push in order to break out of our cocoon of blanket we have wrapped her in.

Our first photo as a family of five!

Later in the afternoon, my mom brought Allison and Jack to meet Emma for the first time. Jason and I were so excited to see their reactions.  Allison has been waiting for a long time for a sister and was completely smitten at first sight.  Jack thought that Emma was hilarious and giggled the entire time he was looking at her.

Allison climbed into the bed with me to be able to snuggle with me and Emma some more.  She is already such a little momma.  She wants to hold Emma all the time and learn how to change diapers and give bottles. 

Mommy and her three babies!

I was so sad to see the two little munchkins leave that day, but I knew that my time in the hospital was short.  We planned for a morning discharge and would hopefully be home before lunch the next day.  That morning we got up and packed all of our things.  I got settled in the wheelchair and off we went.  The couple below is ready to face with world with three children to raise...there is no turning back now!

Ready to leave with our newest addition!

All snuggled in for the car ride

The Welcome Wagon

Jack and Emma

Allison and Emma

Emma's Birth Story

The morning of October 25, 2011 I woke up with a plan.  I was 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant and I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for 9:15 am.  My mom was on her way from Tuscaloosa and the kids got dropped off for their daily routines. The bags were loaded in the car and Jason and I set off for the hospital intent on having a baby that day.  I had made sure that my appointment was with Dr. McIntyre who was the on call doctor for that day, and during my previous appointment the week before the doctor had noted that an induction would be okay by him if this baby didn't come on her own.  I figured all my ducks were in a row and was trying to keep my nerves settled.
Once in the doctor's office I was checked and noted to be a little over 4 cm dilated.  Not big news to me since this is where I had been hanging out waiting for labor to start for the last two weeks.  Thankfully the labor and delivery floor had a light load that day and so they sent me down to be admitted.  Unfortunately I had tested positive for Group B Strep and needed to have IV antibiotics during labor, so once I was changed and settled I had to sit for two hours with an IV in my arm before getting my water broken. 

IV in place, getting excited that today is the day!

The doctor came in at 12:30 to rupture my membranes and hopefully kick labor into gear.  I had complete confidence my body would take over and I wouldn't need any medication for contractions to start and I was right.  About 45 minutes later and a few chapters into my book, they started.

in the midst of a contraction

An unfair portrayal of what contractions really look like, but this was the beginning...those that came later are not necessary for public witness.  Around 3:30 we decided that we would go the epidural route.  I was still well in control, but things were progressing very quickly and I didn't want to be the screaming banshee woman that  I was during my last delivery.  The anesthesiologist placed the epidural which was the worst part of the entire process! Two hours later it was time to push and just a few pushes (Thank you Lord!) Emma was born at 5:50 pm!

 My first glimpse of Emma!

Now my pregnancy was quite complicated so I am thankful and blessed that this birth was so quick and downright easy for me.  When Emma was placed on my chest she was quiet and scrunched faced.  I must say I was concerned that she wasn't making more noise.  I prefer my newborns red faced and screaming.  The doctor and nurse were cooing over how perfect she was, but I needed a good cry from her toes.

Fresh from heaven!

I got my wish when the nurse took her over to be weighed, measured, scored and ultimately poked.  I have never been more thankful for that Vitamin K shot.  Emma let out a powerful healthy cry and momma was relieved and happy. 

Emma weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long.  She is my skinniest baby with the longest gestation.  Tell my how that works, but I will take it.  She is 20 inches of perfection!

The Fabulous Dr. Catherine McIntyre!

Kelly, our labor nurse. She was wonderful!

Love at first sight, Daddy and Emma

Conners A-Maize-Ing Acres

We spent the day out at Conners A-Maize-Ing acres in a family fun day that included Mimi and Uncle Cory.  After our morning soccer games, we headed out to Hilliard to explore the corn maze and to get us all out of the house.  We are all a little anxious and stir crazy waiting on baby girl's arrival, so the busier the better. 

First up was the cow train in which Allison picked the appropriately names "Sugar" cow.  And Jack picked the cow with the smallest opening for him to ride in with Uncle Cory. 

That is why we sucker the uncle into riding the cow train with our kids.  Hopefully he won't remember this moment next year...

While we were waiting for the cow train to pull into the station, we got a nice visit from the donkey who lived in the pen we were resting beside.  Allison and Jack enjoyed petting his backside.  Thank goodness for metal fences and tame donkeys.  Feel free to insert donkey jokes here, I have a few captions that I think would be funny, but not necessarily appropriate. 

There are animals all over this farm and while we waited for the hayride, Jack got to know this horse.  It was a very vocal horse and Jack though it was hilarious to hear a real horse neigh.  It was a lot louder than he expected!

Daddy and his kiddos

Feeding the cows

The highlight of the hayride is feeding the herd of cows that eat hay all day long, every ten minutes or so as each hayride passes by.  Jack initially threw his handful of hay onto the back of a cow proceeding to really peg it with it's morning snack.  With a little coaxing, he did feed them properly.  Allison was in the mix from the beginning and was gathering as much hay as she could to feed the cows.

 

 

Happy Cows

Next up was the petting area where Jack and Allison both took affinity to the three legged goat.  Both of them fed it so much food that it couldn't finish what they were offering. 

Horseback riding is always a favorite.  This horse's name is "Belle" and she is pregnant, but she didn't mind giving my kiddos a few laps around the ring. 

After a good BBQ lunch we headed out to the corn maze with our sheet of clues to navigate with.  Allison and Jack were very excited this year and we actually figured out all the clues and made it past all ten points to get through the maze. 

Maximizing Allison's reading skills, she would read the clue and we would all figure it out together.

All in all we had an "A-Maize-Ing" time!  The kids were caked with dirt and sweat by the end of the day and of course exhausted.  Mission accomplished for us all and a fun fall day to boot!