Week 37: Annelisa's Birth Story!

I think most of us have doubts from time to time that God's plan is best in our lives. I was at this point with my pregnancy wondering what God's plan was, when Annelisa was going to be born, and wondering if I'd be ready when the time came. By God's grace, when the time came, I was ready because of all the things God did to prepare me in every way!

It all began on Monday, March 19, 2012, Spring Break was complete and I returned to school with a plan; see I almost always have a plan! I operate best when I know the plan. The plan was to work ten more school days, and in that time prepare everything for my substitute, finish up grading for the fifth six weeks, and make sure all my school things and home things were ready for the birth. This Monday went as it should, I was uncomfortable, but thankfully my feet didn't really swell. I had been very productive over spring break in catching up on most of the grading I needed to do. I had one assignment left to grade and I devised yet another plan to accomplish it by Open House on Thursday. That evening we had my weekly appointment with Dr. Halderman (not my OB, but another in the practice) to check my progress and a Non-Stress Test (NST).  Everything went well. I measured 41 cm and was dilated to 1 cm with 90% effacement. No real progress from the previous week. Annelisa seemed to be on track for an April birth day and being a large baby girl! We went home relieved with some of our questions answered about the likelihood of a Cesarean, which we wanted to avoid, or even an induction, which we also wanted to avoid. We were encouraged by Dr. Halderman to keep up the good work and to be prepared.

Well, Tuesday came with plenty of swelling, particularly in my feet! It wasn't that painful, but it prompted me to try to sit and leave school as promptly as possible to put them up. Earlier in my third trimester, I had swollen feet and each evening I was able to drink enough and keep them up enough to have them resolve by the next morning. This time those tricks didn't work. So, Wednesday came with swollen feet in the morning only to increase as the day progressed. My plan for the week was working nicely, I was making progress on the assignment I needed to grade and progress on preparing things for my sub. I still had plenty to do, but progress was key (and encouraging)! Wednesday night was characterized by plain discomfort, my hips hurt, I was having tons of contractions off and on, but nothing regular, and my skin was achy from stretching over my baby bump. I got stretch marks the previous Friday...there was no more room in my skin for this baby!

Thursday, March 22, I woke up extra early to get to school early to finish grading my last assignment. This was totally a God thing....I finished grading at 7:35 AM....I prepped the items I needed for my lesson and for open house that evening, knowing that the day was going to fly by and I was going to have zero down time to do anything during the day. 7:50 the first bell rings, my students start to come in, the day begins and quite the day it would be. It turned out that this was going to be my teammate's last day before her maternity leave.  Knowing this, I had a conversation with my homeroom about how my days were coming to an end too, (little did I know!), that everyday there was the potential that the baby could come, or that my doctor could order me to stay home at one of my appointments. This was another God thing...my kids and I both needed to have this conversation...especially since this day turned out to be Annelisa's birth day! Another thing God did was He encouraged two teachers to approach my principal about covering my classroom for Open House that evening and my principal agreed. I had nothing to do with this, they offered it as a gift to me to rest and God knew that I wouldn't make it back and prepared a way for everything to be covered and prepared. This was a blessing to me before I knew what the day would hold and that evening as I was being prepped for the Operating Room, it took a whole new meaning! At the end of the school day, my teammate and I said our good byes and I wished her well with many prayers for a smooth transition home, then I rushed to leave for my weekly sonogram appointment. I was running late, I was stressed from the days activity, and focused on getting to the doctor's office.

Once I arrived for the sonogram, it dawned on me that I wasn't hungry and really hadn't been all day. This was not normal. Usually on my way to the doctor, I snacked on something in the car and drank lots of water to catch up from the day; this Thursday, I wasn't interested in food or drink, but I tried to drink water anyway. Shelley, the sonographer, took me back to the exam room and she started the exam. I had been having BPP sonogram's for almost six weeks at this point, so she asked how I was and I started talking not really paying attention to the measurements as closely as I usually did. This was another God thing...He protected me from seeing how things had changed. As the exam went on, Shelley was quieter than usual, she had me change positions for the heart rate, which she hadn't had me do before, still God protected me from detecting that things had changed. She finished up and told me that my fluid level had spiked...I had polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid)...I usually had around 31 cm of fluid and this Thursday I measured at 39 cm, which explained my increased discomfort during the previous couple of evenings. She wanted to consult with the OB who was still at the office, so I waited in the exam room. A couple of minutes passed and I still wasn't worried, Shelley and Dr. Fadahunsi came back into the room. Dr. Fadahunsi told me that she had called and talked to Dr. Kidd (my OB) and they wanted me to go to the hospital for monitoring instead of doing my NST at their office. At this point, I started to worry....she proceeded to ask me several questions: have I felt the baby moving normally today? I honestly hadn't thought about it much that day, I had been so busy and with the poly I usually only felt big movements anyway; she asked me how I was feeling? which wasn't great, I had felt sort of off for a couple of days digestively and with my appetite.  Then came the real worrisome comment, that Annelisa's heart rate was low and not regular, hence why I was going to the hospital.

At this point, I was told to not go home and have dinner then go, but to go straight away. I asked if I could go to the restroom before going to get my husband on the way and both the doctor and Shelley chuckled and said I had time for that. I left the office quickly and called Christopher who hadn't come with me, since I wasn't scheduled to see a doctor that day. I called his desk and he didn't answer, I called his cell and he didn't answer...I think to myself that he must be busy in a conversation or something. At this point, I begin balling and driving when he returns my call. He hadn't expected my phone call yet due to the type of appointment I was supposed to have. I try to talk, but can't, I was able to finally say that I was coming to his office and we were going to the hospital. In his wonderful way, he stopped asking questions about the details and told me he would be waiting downstairs for me. Thankfully, he only works ten minutes from the doctors office. I managed to drive there, through tears and prayers. I parked at the front and moved to the passenger seat, as I didn't need to drive! He hurried us to Centennial...we went up to Labor and Delivery and checked-in, still not knowing what the evening would hold. Praise God for the nurse who worked with us first, she was cheerful, funny, and lighthearted and yet was clearly very experienced. As the monitoring progressed and Annelisa's heart rate continued to set off the alarm on the monitor, she began to gently tell us that she thought it was going to be someone's birthday today...at which point, I asked her how this was going to happen since I wasn't in labor....she told me likely through a C-section...God had been working to open my heart and mind to this possibility for weeks, I wanted to have a vaginal birth in the delivery room and not an operation...but since my diagnosis with poly we had known this to be a possibility...and here we were with a gentle nod to begin to consider this a reality.

At 6:20 PM we'd been at the hospital for about an hour, and the nurse came in with IV supplies and told me that she was just being prepared, they weren't starting anything yet, and that my doctor would be by shortly. At this point, text messages were flying, we had been texting with so many family members, friends, and co-workers, things were starting to move. We hadn't packed our things for the hospital yet, Farley had been home all day by himself and would need to be let out much sooner than later, I wasn't ready with sub plans or even lesson plans for the next week yet...I was feeling very unprepared, yet God again encouraged my heart with the sounding of the alarm for our daughter's heart rate...me being unprepared didn't really matter, God had a plan, and it was time to trust Him and walk in it! At 6:50 my OB came in, and we discussed proceeding with a C-section that evening or beginning an induction...the decision was made to c-section due to the likelihood that I could labor all night and still end up in the OR the next day due to the polyhydramnios. The nurses' shift change happened during our conversation.  After the decision was made to c-section a flurry of activity ensued...I was prepped and ready for the OR in under 30 minutes.

At 7:30, I was on the operating table getting the epidural. Mentally, I was scattered and running on adrenaline! So much to process, I wasn't going back to work on Friday, we were going to be parents in a matter of minutes, on and on it went. I was so thankful that Centennial wasn't busy that night, the entire OR was waiting on the epidural to kick in and for certain things to time in rather than me waiting on them. The scene reminded me of TV shows with music playing, the doctors conversing and teasing each other, and even including me in their conversation. By 7:40, Christopher had come in to join me in the OR, everything was ready, it was time for us to meet our Annelisa. At 7:50, Annelisa Grace was born, screaming with strong lungs. NICU checked her out and she was perfect! Her heart and lungs were working beautifully! Soon after seeing her for the first time, she and her daddy went to the nursery for her first bath and vitals check while I was put back together in the OR.

Annelisa's Birth in Pictures! 

Christopher dressed and ready for surgery! (Forgive the blurriness, my glasses were off at this point!)

Annelisa's first exam in the OR. 

Looking back to see her with the NICU doctor and nurses. 

8 pounds, 0.3 ounces 

Nurse Emily giving Annelisa her first bath. 

All done and ready to see Mommy! 

Around 9:00 PM, Christopher had joined me back in my room during recovery. He told me all about his trip to the nursery and how Annelisa had been cared for, he also told me that when checking her vitals she had low blood sugar, which can happen to some babies born at a high weight for their gestational age.  Due to this, she had been given formula to help stabilize her blood sugar levels. He assured me that the nurses had assured him that she would still be able to breast feed, but that it would have to wait a few hours due to the formula.We both wanted me to breast feed as soon as possible, and a c-section already delays the process compared to a vaginal birth; however, it didn't matter that it would take longer for me to start the process as long as she was healthy.

By 10:00 PM, I was holding my baby girl for the first time!

Around 11:00 PM, we were moved to our postpartum room to continue the recovery process. Wow, what a day it had been. Amazingly, I wasn't feeling tired thanks to all the adrenaline! We began our first night as parents.

She's already a thinker, like her daddy! :) 

We stayed at Centennial until Sunday afternoon. The staff was phenomenal! The nurses were wonderful and great at helping me recover from surgery and the nursery nurses were wonderful in helping us adjust as parents, teaching us tricks and strategies to try with our daughter. Stacie was our lactation consultant and she proved her worth over and over! She was encouraging in the midst of her instruction and helped us start breast feeding on the right foot. My anesthesiologist, Dr. George, was excellent! He was easy to talk to, and even came by to check on me the next morning before his shift ended.   At Saturday lunch, we had our celebration meal! It was quite the spread. Again and again, I would choose this hospital for labor and delivery.

We have been so blessed and have felt loved by so many friends and family members throughout my pregnancy and Annelisa's birth. We couldn't have managed life without the flexibility, understanding, and help from both sets of parents, our bosses, our sisters (and their spouses), and countless others! Special kudos go to Annelisa's Aunt Jo and Uncle Stuart...they really blessed us on Annelisa's birth day, they went to our house and packed our hospital bag and brought it to us and they kept Farley for us until we came home from the hospital. It takes special people to be willing to search for the various items I had pulled out to pack, but hadn't actually put in a bag yet! 

Christopher and Annelisa on Saturday, March 24th. 

Going Home! Our first family picture! 

Maternity Pictures, 3-11-2012

We had the privilege of taking maternity pictures a mere 11 days before our precious Annelisa made her debut! I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time, but measuring about 3 weeks ahead of schedule. Our best friends, and Annelisa's godparents, the Wilkerson's, are our photographers. You can check out more of Laura's work on her photography blog, here.

Here are some of my favorites:

Blessings Abound!

Blessings Abound! Seems a simple title with huge implications from the last five weeks of our lives! In the last month and half, we have been blessed with two baby showers, numerous doctors appointments, and sonograms, and blessings from God that without reflection may have hidden themselves from view.

On Saturday, January 28, 2012, we had the privilege of having our first baby shower to celebrate the life God has been knitting together in my womb over the last thirty some odd weeks. Our best friends, Josh and Laura Wilkerson, hosted our couples shower at our home for our friends and family. The day was filled with fun trivia games based on old wives tales and baby factoids, delicious food, fun conversations, and lots of gifts for Annelisa! One of my favorite parts of the day was opening each of the gifts and seeing what book or books had been selected for Annelisa. Laura chose to have our guests give a book with their gift instead of a card, each book reflected the people who gifted it to us!  Laura also took some couple pictures of us, the one above and this one! She is a gifted photographer, who I choose to utilize whenever possible!

Our next baby shower took place on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. It was hosted by my dear friends at school: Laurie Martini, Cheryl Derrington, Tracey Thompson, and Tricia Wong. Northwood Hills Elementary has become a home away from home for the last six years and it was a strange feeling to become the center of attention during the shower. My NHE family blessed us greatly with kind words, sweet advice to our baby girl, and generous gifts! I was very blessed to have worked with so many people that care so much about me and my family.

On Thursday, February 16, 2012, we had our next doctors appointment for 32 weeks. We had a sonogram to check Annelisa's growth and my amniotic fluid levels. The appointment revealed that I have developed polyhydramnios, or the condition of having too much amniotic fluid. This prompted my OB to refer us to a high risk specialist to check to make sure that Annelisa was continuing to develop well. Polyhydramnios causes both she and I to measure ahead and it frequently can cause preterm labor. This diagnosis left both of us in shock and greatly changed my expectations of what the next 8 weeks would be like. Through many prayers, we began to process what this could mean for us and our precious Annelisa. Polyhdramnios can be caused by some birth defects, chromosomal issues, or just be an anomaly that is unspecified by screenings.  Our journey, into these new waters, continued on Tuesday, February 21, when we were able to see the high risk specialist, Dr. Hickman, at Children's Hospital in Plano. We had a level 2 sonogram that revealed our baby girl is growing and developing well! We were able to watch her for over an hour and got to see some really cool 4D images of her! Apparently, having too much amniotic fluid makes for better 4D pictures! Based on this appointment, we are very much expecting a March delivery, instead of early April. Of course, we don't know the day or the hour when she will make her debut, so our preparations have shifted into high gear at home!

Here are some 4D images from our appointment last Tuesday:

The weekend between our 32 week appointment and the high risk specialist was spent unpacking, putting together, and inventorying our baby supplies to determine which items we would need to purchase before being "ready" for her birth. We have been very blessed by generous family and friends, so thankfully we have a fairly short, specific list of what we have to have to bring her home. I'll hopefully post a nursery update next weekend. There are lots of changes to show you!

I now have two appointments weekly for various screenings to closely monitor Annelisa's growth and development. On Mondays, I'll have a Non-Stress Test, or NST, to monitor her heart rate and uterine movements and see one of the doctors in my OB's practice. On Thursdays, I'll have a BPP sonogram and another NST test. This past week Annelisa did great! Moved a ton to the point of being difficult to track! I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to hear her heart beat often and to have a doctor's office willing to track me so closely to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible from here to delivery! Here is a sonogram picture of her profile and one of her arms:

In the midst of all of these things, we have completed six of the eight childbirth preparation classes we signed up for. We took two weeks of baby care and four weeks of childbirth. Next weekend, we'll finish with car seat installation and breast feeding. We are very pleased with our choice of Centennial Medical Center in Frisco. They have a great parent education program and they are in the business of making us satisfied patients/customers.

My last two baby bump pictures:

Week 30

Week 32

Pregnancy statistics:

Weight gained: about 27 pounds total

Cravings: Sweet (mainly in the form of Chocolate Malts) and Tart (Cherry Limeades from Braum's!) 

Most frustrating symptoms: difficulty sleeping, going to the bathroom very frequently, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed

Belly bump: measured 35 cm at my last doctor's appointment two weeks ago 

Annelisa's measurements: about 2 and 1/2 weeks ahead, 87th percentile, about 5.8 pounds, oh and she has lots and lots of hair!! :)  

Annelisa's Nursery: Update #2

It has been a very, very busy week around the Pailes' house! Needless to say, we just might need a vacation from this "week of vacation!" 

Since Monday there have been many changes to the nursery! Let's first review the completed items from the "to-do" list:

1. Paint the room...it will be a light green to coordinate with the fabrics we've selected. 
2. Find a book case. Ikea was a bust for the book case, but a win for the floating shelf...except the size we need was out of stock! Target proved the best, most cost effective choice for the book case! 
3. Install a dimmer switch on the overhead light to help for future middle of the night feedings and changings. 
4. Organize the closet...enough said! We started this process by first emptying it of all the items waiting to be donated! We donated it all today! 
5. Register!!! Amazon.com and Buy, Buy, Baby....there are still a few things for us (mainly me) to decide on...but it's mostly finished!! 

Some pictures of the nursery changes:

The book case; the door on the left is the closet, the door on the right goes to the hallway. 

The dresser, side table (for me!), and lamp! We absolutely love the paint, Sienna Laurel by Benjamin Moore!! 

The crib and side table! 

The dimmer switch!! I know that this feature will be sooooo helpful!! 

View from the doorway into the nursery! 

We still have some work to do...but it feels like the 'big' stuff is getting there!

Still to do:

1. Order/buy the  floating shelf from Ikea. The floating shelf will go above the dresser to display various items. 
2. Purchase the crib mattress from Amazon, it's currently on our registry...but needs to be bought sooner than later! 
3. I want to find some sort of wall art, perhaps a wall decal customized with her name from Etsy or something to go above her crib. Maybe frame some of my future maternity pictures to go above her book case...we'll have to wait and see what we come up with! :) 
4. Come up with window treatments!  Especially for the eye brow window. The eye brow window provides great natural light...however, it could bring in too much light...all of the photos above were taken with only natural light! So some sort of solution must be found! 
5. Finalize the registry with the last odds and ends....baby showers are coming soon!! :)
6. Put the glider/rocker into place once it arrives! (Only 5 to 6 weeks to wait!) 

Annelisa has received quite the collection of clothing, books, and stuffed animals thus far! Lots of people already love our little girl! I can't wait to introduce her to her family and many admirers! :)

Her stuffed animal collection! 

Her books! 

Some of her clothes! 

Her cute A&M rhinestone socks!

Three different A&M Onesies, they are also two different sizes. She's an Aggie already! :) 

A precious cardigan outfit she received for Christmas! 

Her first bows and a precious towel my mom gave me for Christmas! I can't wait to be a mom! 

Her first bibs!

Stay tuned for more updates in the future! Only 14 more weeks (give or take) until we get to meet our little girl! :)

Annelisa's Nursery

Annelisa's Nursery is very much underway! When we moved into our house in June, we knew which room would be the nursery; however, we never expected to be pregnant as quickly as we were...so the room began as a work out room.

At the beginning of December, we picked up the crib and the dresser was delivered! I had earlier posted that we had selected furniture from Lonestar Baby and Kids...then when shopping for some birthday gifts we walked through Pottery Barn Kids, just to look...when my husband found the Kendall Crib on sale. See, I had browsed their website earlier in the pregnancy, but had eliminated them based on the price point. When we discovered the sale price and found that the Kendall double wide dresser was also on sale, we were sold! We ordered both in the Espresso stain and are thrilled with the simple lines and functionality of each piece.

There are two items we have ordered that we are currently waiting on...

1. The side table, the weekend before Christmas we ordered it from Pottery Barn Kids and got a great deal thanks to reward dollars and a couple of coupons. (It was $5.10!!) This is going to be my 'mommy table.' The place for me to store snacks, water, and things to read while nursing Annelisa. It will go next to the glider. 
2. The glider...we ordered it today from J C Penny. It is bonded leather and it will hopefully transition to the game room when it's not needed in the nursery. It will go between the crib and the dresser, below the eye brow window. 

Things we need to do...

1. Paint the room...it will be a light green to coordinate with the fabrics we've selected. 
2. Find a book case and a floating shelf. The floating shelf will go above the dresser to display items for Annelisa and the book case is to store all of her books and toys (of which she's getting quite the collection). The book case will go next to the closet. A shopping trip to IKEA, should solve this dilemma for us, hopefully! 
3. Purchase the crib mattress from Amazon. 
4. I want to find some sort of wall art, perhaps a wall decal customized with her name from Etsy or something to go above her crib. Maybe frame some of my future maternity pictures to go above her book case...we'll have wait and see what we come up with! :) 
5. Install a dimmer switch on the overhead light to help for future middle of the night feedings and changings. 
6. Change out the window treatment and come up with some sort of solution for the eye brow window. The eye brow window provides great natural light...however, it could bring in too much light, especially early in the morning! So some sort of solution must be found! 
7. Organize the closet...enough said! 
8. Register!!! This is planned for later this week...it's still very overwhelming! However, I've had lots of good advice from other moms and we've been reading Baby Bargains, The 11th Edition. Hopefully, this process will work itself out with our efforts! 

I am most excited and blessed by my mom! She has offered to make all of the bedding for Annelisa's room. She helped us find the fabrics on-line. They are perfect! We wanted a pink and green scheme for a girl all along! 

The pink stripes will be the crib skirt, the floral will be the bumper, the green polka dot will be a ruffle on the bumper and the inspiration for the paint color. There are several other fabrics from the collection that will be going into the quilt, and that will be used in a couple of sheets. It will be lovely and girly when it's all finished! I can't wait to see it all come together! 

I'm looking forward to meeting our little lady, Annelisa Grace! 

24 Weeks and Counting

24 weeks complete, approximately 16 weeks to go! 

It's been a while since I've updated the blog with pregnancy details...

At this point, I'm closer to 25 weeks complete in my first pregnancy. We are having a little girl, Annelisa (pronounced: Anna Lisa) Grace Pailes....and with each passing week I look forward to meeting her more and more!

Since my last update, lots of changes have occurred...

24 Weeks 

The week of Thanksgiving, I measured 19 cm, this past Thursday I measured 27 cm...yes, I grew almost 10 cm in about four weeks. This explains a lot of the ligament pain I've experienced. I seem to grow in waves, every couple of days I seem to expand and then balance out for a day or two.

I've gained 14 pounds (according to my doctor's office) total thus far.

Annelisa is becoming the quite the mover and shaker, especially at night or early in the morning when I'm still. New this week, some of her kicks shake my whole abdomen...which feels really funny and looks even funnier! She really likes going to church...I think it's the music combined with the stillness of me sitting for an extended period of time.

My next appointment is January 19, 2012. I'll be having an ultra sound to check Annelisa's growth since I grew more than expected during the last four weeks. I'll also receive the Rhogam shot since I'm O- and my husband is O+, then I'll be tested for gestational diabetes and anemia. Most importantly, I'll see my doctor for the first time in almost 12 weeks, since she's been on maternity leave herself. I'm not worried about the need for an ultra sound, yet. We'll have to see what they find, and it's very likely that I just popped out this month and I'm praying that God continues to grow our little girl healthy and strong!

Tomorrow, I will update the blog with the status of the Nursery...lots of changes here too!

Merry Christmas!

The Best Christmas, Yet! 

On this Christmas night, I'm feeling quite blessed with where God has me! A few short years ago Christmas away from 'home' was still new, uncomfortable, and difficult. Yet, I've grown and matured and come to covet Christmas with my husband at our home, with our traditions, and the joy of sharing those with our families.  2011 has been an eventful year of many firsts: we bought our first home, we conceived our first child, we hosted our first Christmas. 

To recap our Christmas:

Tuesday, December 20: My sisters arrived to share and help in the joy of Christmas, primarily making dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies. Between Tuesday evening and Thursday evening we made (they did a lot of the work) 2 batches of sugar cookies (approximately 100+ cut-outs that were then iced and decorated!), 2 batches of gingerbread cookies (approximately 50+ cut outs that were iced and decorated), 4 dozen peanut butter blossoms, a jam cake, and muddy buddies (a.k.a. puppy chow). Don't worry too much, this was all for good purpose...to ship to our grandparents, to feed, and delight our families for Christmas Eve and day. Most importantly, I was closely monitored in my sugar consumption! 

Friday, December 23: My mom and dad arrived...we all visited family friends from forever in my memory and enjoyed an afternoon of catching up. 

Saturday, December 24: Christmas Eve! 

We went to church at what is becoming our new church home, Allen Bible Church. The service was wonderful, filled with carols, the story of Christmas adapted from the Jesus Story Book Bible (which I highly recommend!), and the conclusion of advent with the Lord's Supper. This Christmas season will be remembered for many years to come as I feel a close kinship to Mary. Last night as the pastor walked through the five candles of Advent (grace, light, redemption, humility, and Christ), I was reminded of the little girl growing inside me with lively kicks. Mary was a trooper, riding a donkey at near full term, giving birth in a stable amid the animals, welcoming the King of Heaven in human form to this earth....I can't imagine how she felt as she "pondered these things quietly in her heart." I am so thankful to know my King and the reason for this season as Philippians 2 so adequately describes...not the birth of Jesus, but why Jesus came, to save each of us. 

Phil. 2:6 ¹⁰ 

who though he existed in the form of God ¹¹ 

did not regard equality with God

as something to be grasped,

2:7 but emptied himself

by taking on the form of a slave, ¹² 

by looking like other men, ¹³ 

and by sharing in human nature. ¹⁴ 

2:8 He humbled himself,

by becoming obedient to the point of death

– even death on a cross!

2:9 As a result God exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

2:10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow

– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

2:11 and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father.

Then we hosted both sides of our families for Christmas Eve dinner! Over the last several years I've enjoyed developing our tradition of hosting my husband's family for Christmas Eve, making tons of cookies for dessert, and watching everyone enjoy themselves. This year was extra special because my family was here too! Our house was full of people! It was glorious! Watching people eat, talk, and share life together! I don't think I enjoy many things as much as blessing people through hosting them. Our families hadn't been together like this since our wedding almost 5 and 1/2 years ago! The overall consensus was that the evening was a great success! 

Sunday, December 25: Christmas Day! 

It was so fun to have Christmas with my family in our living room! Opening presents, laughing, playing Santa, and having breakfast together! My family left to go home and we were able to sit and process the blessings of this Christmas thus far. Then we prepared to go to my sister and brother-in-law's house for Christmas dinner and more gifts with my husband's family. 

We were immensely blessed by our families in the gifts we received today! However, in the midst of the getting, I know I'm enjoying the giving more! Watching my family members light up with excitement as they open each gift is priceless. 

Next Christmas, my pleasure will be to help our little girl experience the joys of Christmas! To begin to teach her the meaning of this season and to watch her discover this part of our life! 

Merry Christmas everyone! I pray that God has blessed you through this season of celebrating His birth!