Christmas Eve

Tonight, we took Lilla to her very first candlelight Christmas Eve service.  Well, her first since she's been born anyway.  This is always such an emotional time for me as it was something that I did with my mother every year. She was such a Christmas freak.  As I sit in church holding my baby girl, I can hear my mom's voice singing very very loudly and joyfully.

Today would also have been my father's 66th birthday.  Happy Birthday Daddy.  I hope that you get a real present for your birthday this year, instead of one of your Christmas gifts unwrapped and re wrapped in birthday paper.  Christmas isn't the same without you.

Christmas 1975

 

8 months pregnant

Christmas Cards...

Something that started as a bit of a joke, has now become one of our favorite family traditions...

If  you are one of the unfortunate that didn't get our very first Christmas card, you might have a bit of catching up to do to truly understand and appreciate any upcoming cards...

It was 2006; Ron and I were getting ready to fly to St Lucia to get married.  It was our first Christmas as a couple and for fun we decided that we would send out Christmas cards.  Since both my husband and I are a bit conceited, we decided to send out a picture card.  I logged into shutterfly.com and got started.   As I was putting it together, I looked at Ron and asked, "What should we write on our very first Christmas card?"  His answer would become...
(wait for it)...
legendary...

Hope your holiday is as hot as we are!

We didn't really think anything of it, but apparently, our card was a hit.  Our friend Jessie's parents started referring to us as the "Hot" couple and we got a bunch of emails from friends telling us they couldn't wait for next years card.

Ahhh... the pressure!  Luckily, for 2007 we had a million great pictures to pick from due to having a wedding and reception.

And the conceit continues...

Hope your holiday is half as happy as we are!

2008, was not as easy.  We didn't really have any life changing events that year, so we decided to include our little furry children...

p.s. don't forget the conceit...

Hope your Christmas is as costumed as our canines!

  p.s. we're still hot!

But, in 2009 we lost the conceit, showed off my growing belly and made my favorite Christmas card to date.

I wrote in a previous blog that I dreamed of getting pregnant and having our Christmas card be our announcement.  Sadly, I was ill for three weeks starting the end of November and thought that we would not be able to get our card out in time.  But one evening Ron set up the camera, took our picture, logged onto  shutterfly.com and had our cards ready for pickup at Target the very next day!!!
What a GREAT husband.
And soon to be GREAT father...

Hope your holiday is half as blessed as our growing family!

So, now that you're all caught up I hope that you will enjoy our 2010 card... coming soon!

Daddy Daughter Time :)

Lately, my husband has been getting up with Lilla in the morning.  She has been going to bed before he gets home from work, so this is their daddy daughter time.  This morning, when I came downstairs, this is what I found...

So, I'm not the mom I'd thought I'd be...

A year ago, we had just found out that we would be parents; it all seemed so unreal.

It took me a long time to want to be a mother, part of me didn't think I would know how with not having my own mother to guide me.  Another part of me was so frightened of having to say goodbye to my child much too early like my own mother.    This is usually a giant bonding time for mothers and daughters, and here I was being jipped.

Having Lilla here in my life has been too wonderful.  She is just the perfect little (okay not so little) baby.  She hardly ever cries and she is happy almost all of the time.  When you read baby books they tell you that babies like Lilla don't exist. But one of the biggest unforeseen things is how she has brought me so much closer to my own mother. Even though she is not here to guide me and tell me what I liked when I was little (okay not so little either), I feel like I have become her.  I can only hope to be a mother to Lilla like my mom was to me.

So what prompted this?  I made my first batch of baby food today.  I steamed some butternut squash in our Beaba Babycook and as I was scooping it into little containers to freeze, I realized that a year ago, even 4 months ago, I never would have thought that I would be making my own baby food.  I am so not the mother I thought I'd be...

First Food

After a crazy week with Lilla eating, eating and eating some more, I started thinking about giving her some food.  We were planning on waiting until her four month appointment next week but after reading everything I could find I thought that maybe she was ready.  So, I mixed up a bit of cereal with some breast milk and grabbed a spoon.  I put the empty spoon up to her mouth and she opened it for me. The next time the spoon had some food in it and she rewarded me with one of her show stopping smiles.  I guess I wasn't fast enough for her because after a few bites she grabbed the spoon.  It was sooo cute, I had to take some pictures.  

Lilla's first bath

Today, Lilla had her first bath.  First, Ron put her in our Puj tub from Priscilla, Matt and Penny.

Then... she peed in it!

At least we knew it held fluid.



After she was all clean, her and daddy posed for a picture.

Love has such a different meaning.