I think we are starting to get into some sort of a routine around here. I confidently have enough time each day to shower and get one load of laundry finished and here in the last few days I have found myself with a little bit of leftover free time which has been nice. We have an ongoing to-do list which I just crossed a few items off of, so now with Lydia still sleeping I have a few minutes to tell you about our Christmas.
This year Christmas was very different. Usually we go up to NKY for 10 or more days in a row, have about 7 family Christmas gatherings (not an exaggeration) and we are around wonderful family and friends all hours of the day. This year we obviously had to change our plans since we had a tiny baby and David and I decided that it would be best to not travel with her until she is at least 2 weeks old. So during the days leading up to Christmas we were preoccupied with dirty diapers, pediatrician appointments and nursing schedules rather than wrapping presents and baking cookies. When Christmas Eve arrived it felt a little bit surreal and in some ways made me sad because it didn't really feel like Christmas.
However, that soon changed as David's side of our family began to arrive at our apartment, brunch in hand, to spend the day with us. First his mom, brothers, sister-in-law and our niece and nephew got here. We ate together, everyone passed Lydia around in her adorable Christmas dress, and Katie and I shared experiences of our first few days with a newborn (her son, Lincoln was born in April - such a cutie!).
As the afternoon went on we watched some football together, listened to Christmas music, made a gingerbread house and then opened some gifts. During the afternoon David's dad and step-mom also made the trip down to spend some time with us. Our tiny apartment was full to the brim and it was wonderful! It was so great to have everyone together and to be surrounded by the people that we love on Christmas Eve. It meant so much to us that all of them were willing to change their plans to come spend time with us.
Around 5 everyone started to head out and so David, Lydia and I settled in for a Christmas Eve night just the three of us. One of my favorite Christmas traditions with my side of the family is opening Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve and then wearing them that night, so David and I decided we would keep that tradition going with our little family. He and I opened our pj's from my parents and then we dressed Lydia in her Christmas sleeper. Yay new pajamas! We spent that evening watching the Muppet Christmas Carol and staring at our beautiful baby girl.
On Christmas morning we slept in, put a pot roast in the crock pot and then took about 2 hours to open gifts from our parents and from one another. It is much more difficult to open presents with a newborn needing to be held and nursed! But it was so wonderful to not feel rushed at all. We stayed in our pj's all day, playing with our presents, baking cookies, and watching more Christmas movies.
Later that afternoon we decided that it was warm enough to all head out for a Christmas walk! Lydia did great... I was the one to wimp out. After about a block I needed to head back, but it was great to get a little fresh air.
Christmas Day this year was... relaxing. For the first time in a long time. It was definitely different and didn't exactly feel like Christmas has in the past. But we really, really enjoyed it and it was amazing to have a day just the three of us. We took advantage of it and also did a lot of this:
The day after Christmas we were visited by my side of the family! My mom brought down some delicious pork tenderloin and asparagus and I baked potatoes and we all enjoyed a really yummy Christmas lunch while Lydia slept peacefully. Then it was time again for some photos.
Look at these mittens!!
We did a lot of hanging out, passing around the baby and opening some gifts. One of my favorites was the "Super Sister" highlighter that my brother bought for me. Also, he got me the King's Speech, one of my favorite movies. He is such a good listener and really remembers what people say!! It makes him a very thoughtful gift giver, especially for a 9 year old boy. He is awesome.
My sister and I got him this Steelers hat. He looks so old here!
Lydia takes the best photos with Aunt Jen. They are both so beautiful.
As the evening wore on we gave our little girl a Christmas bath. She hated it, but we all loved holding her and smelling her afterward. There is nothing better than a clean, naked baby!
Reflecting back on this Christmas through memories and photos I am hit by the feeling that this Christmas was a lot more how it should be. We are so blessed, probably a bit spoiled, and we definitely got some awesome gifts (a Keurig which we LOVE, a digital picture frame, a new video camera, David got me a new CD and I got him a hat) - just look at our Christmas tree! It was more full than ever.
However, looking at the pictures that we took and thinking about how we spent our time it is so clear to me that this year especially the focus was not on the wrapped gifts under the tree, but instead on the gift of Jesus, the gift of family, and the gift of this perfect, beautiful baby girl.
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