Merry Christmas

I spent Christmas day in the NICU. Yes, I had to work Christmas day this year. Even though I only work twice per month I still have holiday requirements that must be fulfilled and since Elyse has no clue what's going on this year, I chose to work Christmas so I won't have to for the next year or two.



We celebrated at our house Christmas eve and had both sides of our family over. Dinner was delicious and everyone brought something to share so the burden of cooking wasn't weighing heavily on just one person. The turkey was delicious and my first try at dressing in the slow cooker was a success. We ate, mingled, opened presents and everyone went on their merry way. Christmas is changing. Christmas for me has been a slow fade from the magic and anticipation it contained as a child to the point where for a few years it seemed to be sort of missing that spark. My childhood memories are filled with the fragrant aroma of cinnamon rolls with the sounds of Alvin and the Chipmunks singing carols in the background and a quick glance around the room reveals torn colorful paper and empty toy packages while off to the side 3 little girls are playing with their new treasures. Those little girls could hardly sleep the night before and were awake before the sun to see what awaited them. The promise of presents from Santa for being nice instead of naughty prompted good behavior for a few weeks leading up to the big day. There were traditions of tree stars, Christmas lights, and board games. It was simply magic and although Elyse didn't know what was going on, I was much more interested in seeing her reaction to the presents, paper, and excitement that I never even wondered what awaited me under the tree. In all honesty it wouldn't have mattered if there wasn't anything there. I got a few things and they were nice and I probably wouldn't have gotten them for myself, but I truly don't want for anything and I'm thankful to be aware of that truth.

I didn't take nearly enough pictures and none of the ones I took were even all that post-worthy, so I'll make sure to tuck the memories extra snug in my memory bank. It was a wonderful evening and I look forward to the new memories and traditions my own little family will make in the years to come.

On Saturday Matt and I braved the mall as an excuse to get out and do something and possibly find a deal worth bringing home in the midst of all the sales. I was actually hoping to find a "Baby's first Christmas 2009" ornament since Elyse doesn't have one, but we were unable to find one. I'm thinking of making her one myself, that would be more meaningful anyway.

On Sunday we actually missed church. At first I was very disappointed in us, but Matt took care of Elyse all morning and allowed me to sleep in. I slept so late that we would have barely made the service anyway and we would have had to wake Elyse up from a much needed, lengthy morning nap to go. We don't normally do this and since it is a day of rest anyway I think God will be okay with it just this once ;). I felt so much more refreshed all day and I love starting this new week out with a little extra sleep under my belt and I'm definitely going to need it. Once again the house needs cleaning and I have a friend from out of town coming to spend the night with us tomorrow, which I am very excited about. We also have a wedding to go to Thursday evening which should be fun as well.

Today we took Elyse to her 6 month visit with the pediatrician. She weighed in at a petite 12 pounds 6 ounces (23%) and was 25.5" (40%) long. I was a little concerned when I saw her weight because she hadn't doubled her birth weight but our wonderful doctor gave her a superior bill of health and put my concerns to rest. She's just little, always has been and likely always will be. I know my child is healthy and thriving but it still means so much to hear it from someone else, especially a physician we trust and respect.

It seems like there is so much more I could write about but probably nothing worthy of repeating. It was just a nice weekend. It was calm, restful, and filled with time together. I don't have any super exciting pictures or fascinating stories, it was simply nice and amidst all the hurry we needed that.