Merry Christmas, 2013

One of the most amazing things about having children is the joy you get to experience through them  - and Christmas time is certainly no exception. This year, the season came and went in the blink of an eye, as it always tends to do. Because of the short turn around between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, along with the countdown to baby boy's appearance, this year went by especially fast. 

I wasn't so sure that baby boy would wait to come after Christmas, and all I wanted was the opportunity to spend a quiet, relaxing, Christmas with Miss M. - just the three of us, for one last Christmas. Thankfully, our Christmas was not interrupted by a trip to the hospital, and we were able to completely enjoy the day.

Miss M. most certainly enjoyed the day, and was completely overwhelmed with all the presents given to her by Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Mommy, Daddy, and of course, Santa!

What a lucky little girl to be so loved! 

...But we feel even more lucky to be able to shower this little one with our love. She truly helps us remember the reason for this season. 

Baby Boy Update

 A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of going to see our baby boy again in a 4D ultrasound. We were visiting the specialist to see if his kidneys were dilated, as they were in our 20 week ultrasound. 

At our 25 week 4D ultrasound, the doctor had assured us that everything besides the kidneys looked great, measurement-wise. At that appointment, the kidneys were a normal size, but at this 35 week ultrasound, the right kidney did in fact show some dilation again. 

The doctor said this really is not something to worry or stress about. Sometimes the issue resolves itself, and sometimes surgery is scheduled to correct the situation. Our next step is to wait until baby is born and follow the pediatrician's orders - sometimes they will want to schedule an ultrasound before leaving the hospital, and sometimes they wait until about a month after the baby is born. 

So for now, we will just have to wait and see what the pediatrician wants to do. The specialist mentioned us coming back at 39 weeks to check the kidneys out again, but we are thinking we will probably just wait until baby boy is here. 

While we were there, we were waiting anxiously to see his cute little face. Unfortunately, the appointment was scheduled for early morning - right during baby boy's nap. Sooo, we were hard pressed to get a good shot of his face. He kept his hands over his face the entire time, and even when poked and prodded, he refused to let us get a good look at him. 

The only pictures we could manage were the two below - which are so funny because you can tell he is NOT happy about being woken up during his rest time. He is even poking that little lip out - too cute. 

 

I suppose we'll just have to wait a few more weeks until we see exactly what his little face will look like. But I bet one thing is for sure - when he falls asleep those little hands will be up by his face.

Finding our Christmas Tree!

Growing up, I was so thankful to have been blessed with strong family memories and traditions. As a new mother myself, I am constantly jumping at every opportunity to make my own moments, memories, and traditions for our growing family. Last year, Madelyn was a mere four months old at Christmas, and while we loved enjoying the holiday with her, we are even more excited as she continues to grow with her shining personality, and share the magic of the season with her. 

That's why I was super excited to learn we have a family Christmas tree farm down the road. We knew about the farm last year, but didn't have the time with Billy's inflexible schedule to make the trip, because they are only open on weekends. This year, I was determined to go see what this little farm was all about. On Sunday; however, I was so close to throwing in the towel when running around town on our errands and saying, "let's just grab a tree here" when passing by the hardware stores and parking lot tree vendors.

I am so glad we made the trip in the end. The people at the farm welcomed us warmly and directed us towards a saw and some gloves. They instructed that all trees were a set price, and we set out on our way amongst the rows of conifers.

Madelyn had a blast riding on the tree sled, and in true style, she became agitated when we stopped to ponder our choices. The day was so beautiful, with the setting sun casting a beautiful orange glow among the land. It was just one of those great days when you were happy to be with the ones you love in the great outdoors.

There were several choices, but in the end, one stood out to us. We ended up having to get a pine because of the lack of fir trees, but it had a great shape to it. After we (and by "we" I mean Billy) chopped the tree down, we enjoyed some hot chocolate over by the little firepit. They even had marshmallows to roast.

Once we got it home, it was a little more bare and Carlie Brownish that it had looked in the field, but it was worth the experience, and is one that I can't wait to relive hopefully year after year.