A Thanksgiving To Remember

This year we were in Kentucky for Thanksgiving.

It was the usual Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce meal that any American citizen would expect around this time of year, but at the end of the meal something special happened that I will never forget. My oldest brother Jeremy brought out his laptop computer to show us a slide show. It began with some photos of us as kids, then with our our spouses, a picture of Z, followed by a photo of me and my pregnant belly, followed by a sonogram pic. I realized right away that was not MY ultrasound, which pretty much only meant one thing... the other Jeremy & Natalie are also expecting!

Since Z is the first grandchild in the family I have always been the one to make the pregnancy announcements, so this was my first time on the receiving end and it was so exciting. I can't wait for next Christmas in Kentucky when Z will have a sister and a cousin to enjoy it with, and as far as next Thanksgiving we will just have that much more to be Thankful for.

Happy Holidays VS. Merry Christmas

One thing that stands out to me about this years holiday season was the ongoing debate regarding whether or not "Christmas" is politically correct. Some people feel that they have lost their right to say "Merry Christmas" I on the other hand feel like I have lost the right to say "Happy Holidays".
When I was in Kentucky for Thanksgiving I saw this thing on the news about a billboard in Ohio that read

"I miss hearing you say Merry Christmas" signed Jesus.

To be honest it made me laugh. I understand the intentions of the ladies that raised the money to display the billboards, but personally I wouldn't quote Jesus on things he didn't say and out of all the things that he misses hearing from people I don't know that Merry Christmas is his greatest concern, although I am not implying that I know better, because I could be missing the mark on this one.

Since this controversy has come up I feel like by saying the word holiday I am taking a stand against Christmas which is absolutely not true. Since we have to travel we often celebrate Christmas at Thanksgiving with my family, and then there are all the festivities in the month of December, finished off with New Years so for me it makes more sense to say holidays. If I say Christmas then it means December 25, and that's not what I am talking about.

That's not to say that I think we should censor Christmas and if there is one thing that does get me a little riled it's the whole Merry X-Mas thing. I mean really, is it SOOOOO terribly long of a phrase that you can't write it out? We don't do that with other greetings. Allow me to demonstrate

Merry Christmas= 14 letters
Happy New Year= 12 letters
Happy Thanksgiving= 17 letters
Happy Birthday= 13 letters

All of these things have the same amount of syllables if not more than "Merry Christmas" and the same amount of letters give or take a couple, but yet I've never seen the other holidays abbreviated. That would just be weird!

"Happy X-day" or "How was your X-giving?"

It doesn't work. I say keep, the birth in birthday, the thanks in thanksgiving, and Christ in Christmas, that and Happy Holidays Everyone!



Updated December 30, 2009: Well, thanks to blogging I have learned something new and even though I still feel the same way about the usage of xmas I did learn the origin of the abbreviation and it isn't anything derogatory at all, so I guess I will cancel that billboard I had ordered for next year. Read the comments section for more information.

Wrap It Up

Well, this week will bring the holiday season to an end. Earlier today my husband and I were talking about how this Christmas has been one of the best ever. I am still anxious though to wrap things up and move onto the next "season". So much so that I already took down and packed up all the Christmas decorations. I know December is not even over yet, but for the past month I have been suppressing my need to nest and prepare for this baby and I can't take it any more.

However, before I completely close this chapter there are a few things I would like to remember about what made the holidays so special this year, so we'll keep the theme going on here for one more week before I give my maternity update. For starters here is a pic of Z with the little drum set he got from his grandparents. More Christmas photos to come.

Checking In

Just wanted to check into the blogosphere briefly to wish everyone a Merry Christmas even though it's a little late. I am at the in laws house right now. The guys are playing rock band, the women are cooking, Z is playing with his new trains and I am trying to convince J that we can't be out to late tonight.

It's been a great Christmas, lots and lots of snow by Texas standards. Here are a few photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Look Back and Laugh: BLACK FRIDAY

Christmas is creeping up earlier every year, and everyone has an opinion on that, but I think we are all ready to welcome Christmas by the time Thanksgiving is over. Sometimes this means very early the morning after Thanksgiving, the crazy shopping tradition known as Black Friday. Now normally I don't participate in such propaganda, but this year it got the best of me.

After a couple hours of shopping early that Friday morning I had not bought a single thing and was beginning to feel the pressure, so while at Old Navy I spotted a onesie on sale for $5 that said "baby's first Christmas". It was cute, and I thought "why not"? The logical answer to that question would have been "because the line goes from the 10 check out registers to the back of the store!" However, it seemed to be moving really quickly and my sister in law who I was with was still looking around.

When she was finished I had crept up quite a bit in the line, but it seemed to be moving slower and slower. After about 20 minutes I looked behind me to see that I was no longer toward the end of the line, but yet I still had so much further to go. At 30 minutes I was starting to get leg cramps and totally ready to jump ship, but if I did I would have just wasted 30 minutes and bought nothing so I tried to have endurance. Eventually I shamelessly plopped down on the floor with my onesie in a line that was seemingly going nowhere. At 45 minutes I called the hubby to bring food and water and after AN HOUR I was FINALLY just about to check out. All the customers around me were like "is that all you are getting?" They couldn't believe that I had waited that long for a onesie. The mother and daughter behind me asked "is that really that important?"
"NO!" I shouted, not at them, but at myself and I continued "No it's not that important at all!!! I didn't realize I would be in line this long. Next year when this baby wears this at Christmas I will say 'we waited a long time for you darling, and waited almost just as long for your shirt'"

Christmas Card Reveal!

Creating our annual family Christmas card is one of our favorite most anticipated holiday traditions. I love both giving and receiving cards and there were a couple of times last week that the mail was only Christmas cards. No bills, no junk, just the fun stuff. I love checking the mail this time of year. We display all of our cards on our mantel, but since there are so few folding cards these days it is hard to figure out how to get them all to stay up there.

Next year I am going to do a ribbon around a door frame or something. If you have any ideas or links to creative ways to display your holiday cards let me know so I can be ready next year. So thanks to everyone for filling our mantel with lovely photos, messages, and blessings. As far as readers go, Lexi, Amy E., Tracy, and Hannah I loved all of your photo cards!

For those whose addresses I do not have here is my card to you...


I had the decorative bow idea before I was even pregnant and some friends of mine even joked that I planned the pregnancy around the Christmas card. That's not true, but I was glad that I got to do a maternity Christmas card. Now it's time to start planning for next years.

To Sum it All Up

This week I planned on sharing some of the highlights of the holidays so far, but as I've already confessed the hustle and bustle of the week before Christmas has gotten the best of me. So since I didn't blog about it I managed to sum up the past 3 weeks in less than 4 minutes through video. It begins with Z's first time on ice and my first time in a looong time. Then we move on to the first Christmas party of the season where Santa himself made an appearance, but Z got scared and started crying. This is followed by Christmas party #2 and #3. Ending with our carols and candles service from last Sunday. Whew, I am out of breath just from typing about it all! It's been fun though.

Giving Up On Perfect Christmas

Fellow blogger Mary is doing a blog carnival today involving "not so perfect" Christmas stories. So I thought I would pull out this post from last years ladies Christmas party revise it and add an update on how things went this year. For more stories form other imperfect women go to GivingUpOnPerfect.com .

The Ladies Christmas party at our church is something that I look forward to every year. Last year they announced that we would be having a white elephant gift exchange. To me this equates to "gag" gift. My mind was reeling with ideas about what I could bring. I imagined what all the other women would come up with and how much we would all be laughing when we opened them. The night of the party the presents were divvied out amongst the 30 women and on the count of 3 everyone tore into their packages. I got some St. Nicholas square appetizer plates that were still in the box. They didn't seem very funny to me and as I looked around the room at all the other gifts every single one of them was some kind of nice home interior piece, or Christmas decoration. No gag gifts whatsoever. I was so confused, but most importantly I thought about the recipient of my present. 

Then I spotted a middle aged woman cocking her head with a gift bag that including a Tae Bo video accompanied by some Zip Fizz energy powder.

Yeah, that would be my gift. I felt so bad for her that I went over to offer her the appetizer plates that I received. Without any explanation I said "Here, I will trade you. Take my gift, I insist." She declined the offer because THAT WAS THE GIFT THAT SHE BROUGHT. 

I wish I could say that at least we got some good laughs out of it, only it wasn't funny to her at all. I pulled some strings (I've got connections) and I got her a different gift that she could get more enjoyment out of. Although, I don't know what could be more enjoyable than a sweaty bald guy in spandex.

This year when they sent out the invitations they specified that each guest should bring something white and that it should be something that “you would like to receive”. Well, I can take a hint and this time I brought an assortment of premium white chocolate candies. In return I scored some white chocolate in the gift I received along with a candle. No sweaty bald guys this time.

The To Do List

Here was today's agenda

1. Finish Christmas photo assignments
2. Mail out additional Christmas Cards
3. Wrap gifts
4. Cut Z's Hair
5. Go To Church

Things started out smoothly this morning until I got to item #3 where Martha Stewart somehow took over my body and I decided to go all out on some of the wrapping making individual name tags for each gift.

There were about 15 in all.

Afterwards I realized I was running out of time before we had to be at church and I thought of forgoing #4 (Z's haircut), but is starting to get a little out of control and I can't think of any other time to do it before we see family this weekend. So being more determined than usual I managed to complete the entire list 1-4, before slipping out the door to go to church.

Now imagine, if you dare, my house after making breakfast, doing a craft, making lunch, wrapping presents, cutting Z's hair, getting showered and dressed, but NOT CLEANING UP AFTER ANY OF IT! I understand the concept of clean as you go, but I was so focusing on the GO that I forgot about the clean. I knew I had to beat J home from church and get some stuff straightened out or he would surely think burglers had ransacked and vandalized our home. It was bad, but it's back to being descent again and that is why I am allowed to take this blogging break. Now what was that I said in Monday's post about being energized and upbeat? Ha.

Surviving and Thriving!

There are two sides to Christmas. The part that I can't get enough of, like driving down the streets and seeing all the houses lit up, getting together with family and friends, and exchanging gifts. Then there is the side of Christmas that you just hope to get through. The part where you ran out of money a long time ago, but still have so much shopping left to do, or having your regular work load and responsibilities on top of the dozens of other things that are added to the calendar that month.

Even though the busyness of the season is a bit intimidating (or it is for me anyway) there is certainly a sense of accomplishment when you are able to make through the month of December and feel like you were able to enjoy it. Even though we are only half way through the end is in sight and I am still feeling like I have been able to dodge the Scrooge feeling that can happen right about now. All the decorating is done, the Christmas cards have been sent out, the parties that I was a part of are over, and as of today all the shopping is complete. That just leaves wrapping and a couple final family gatherings, then it's on to the new year.

It's been good times so far other than the occasional emotional stress overload, like yesterday. I had reached my breaking point, even though it had nothing to do with Christmas stuff. It was more involving me and a two year old that were really hungry and tired and I apologize to anyone who had to witness the public emotional breakdown. Anyway, this week I hope to share some of the highlights of all of the holiday gatherings so far. I hope you too are feeling energized, up beat, and enjoying the most wonderful time of the year!

What the fuss is all about

It's been fun sharing our Christmas decorations with all of you. Especially since I don't even know that anyone else will see them. We don't plan on having company anytime soon and with less than two weeks before Christmas it won't be long before all the decorations will come down. So is it worth it? The lights, the trees, and all the little details to only stay up for such a short time? For me it has been. It just brings a different feel to our home all the way around. The night we decorated there was a Muppets Christmas special on TV and when that ended we played Christmas music and enjoyed some hot chocolate and peanut butter popcorn. It's Z's first year to actually participate in the festivities and there is no feeling in the world like watching a child light up at Christmas time.


You think the "magic" of Christmas ends when you hit puberty (or somewhere around the time you can actually sleep Christmas eve because you are not overwhelmed with adrenaline and excitement), but having children gives you the chance to experience it all again from a different perspective.

With that said I am going to enjoy every minute of our Christmas spattered house and leave you with a quote from one of my friends face book updates that just touched my heart.

"You know it's funny what you will do for your kids. I have always hated the multicolored lights but guess what is hanging from my house this year. Kaylee was so surprised and excited. I'm seriously thinking about putting multicolored lights on my tree too just so I can see her get excited again."

Penguin Time

I really like penguins and I liked them before The March of the Penguins, Happy Feet, Surf's Up, or any o the other penguin movies made it big. The reason I like penguins is because when J proposed he asked me to be his penguin. So I collect them, but only as Christmas decorations.

I have penguins all over the house right now. I normally don't get into knick-knacks, but at Christmas I say bring it on. In fact one time a friend of mine heard that I liked penguins and she said "Oh, well I will never buy you anything penguin then because I bet people get you cheesy stuff anytime they see something penguin", and sometimes that's true, but I absolutely love it. If you ever find some cheap penguin stuff feel free to send it my way.

Here is just a glimpse at my collection so far...

You've already seen the ones in the yard.

Then there is the kitchen stuff like place mats, towels, and pot holders.

Here are some of the figurenes in Z's room. One was even sent to me from a lady I met in England.

It's hard to see in the photo, but this used to be a musical fountain. Now that it no longer works it just holds candy.

Here is a door hanging we have had since our first year of marriage.


Add to that the throw pillow, stuffed animals, ornaments etc. and you get a collection of 34 penguins. Someday I hope to have over 100 penguin items in my home at Christmas, but I am hoping to get there gradually. There are still plenty of Christmases left to reach that goal.

Oh Christmas Tree...

I love real Christmas trees, but I don't love the cost, clean up, or disposal. So call me a sell out, but we have a cheapy artificial.


If you saw the tree in real life you may describe it as sparse. You can definitely see the metal pole through the scarcity of the fake branches and the the glowing gold star on top is made out the type of glittery fringe you would see on decorations at a middle school dance. It goes with the theme of house though which is that it may not be fancy, but it means a lot to us.

Almost all of the ornaments that we own were given to us and they all have a special meaning or memory. One of my favorites is this one that we got as a wedding gift. It says "Our First Christmas Together, 2000" Then inside there is a little scroll where you can fill out some tidbits from that year. One was about the weather which was snowy (in Kentucky) and another was news to which I put "the delayed controversial election between Bush and Gore."



Speaking of first Christmases, this ornament of "baby's first Christmas" is also a very cherished piece in our collection.


I will say though that it was a big headache when we bought for Z the year he was born. It was from a engraving shop in the mall called "Things Remembered". The ornament itself was around $20, which is steep, but I figured for a nice silver ornament that can hold an engraved message and photo inside it was worth it. That was when I thought the price including the engraving. Come to find out we got a separate bill for another $20 making the ornament $40 total! I can tell you one thing for sure we will be spending a heck of lot less on this next baby's first Christmas ornament.

There is one other tree in our house and this year it sits on top of Z's dresser.


It was our first Christmas tree. We lived in a 500 square foot apartment for the first 4 years of our marriage so this little tree with an aluminum foil star was the best we could do at the time, and now our kids will get to enjoy it.

What about your tree? Do you have any favorite traditions or decorations? Some people have multiple trees with different themes. What I love about Christmas trees is that each one can be as special and unique as the family's who own them.

Our Humble Light Display

Last year we did not decorate since we were in Kentucky for Christmas and Z was still too little to care. This year I was so excited and anxious to bring out all the holiday decorations and get into that festive spirit. So I finally convinced J to haul down all the Christmas decor from the attic and put up the lights outside. Some people in our neighborhood really go all out and it is beautiful. Our light setup is quite a humble display, but I think it's fun. We have 3 light up penguins (representing the 3 of us) and one of them waves. Z loves the movie Madagascar in which the penguins say "smile and wave boys" so he went to each penguin and quoted that line. Here is a video of Z seeing the lights for the first time.

'Tis The Season

'Tis The Season for Christmas parties, carols, shopping, decorating, baking, and being a horrible blogger.

Okay, so I have been doing all of the above lately and I just got back in from my 3rd Christmas party so far this month (and let's see, really that means this WEEK!) I got to thinking of how I haven't blogged in a few days and I probably should because I have so much to share and talk about, but as pregnancy/fate would have it I am far too exhausted to say anything more than I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far. Merry December to all and to all a good night.

Timeline

This is my first Christmas to experience as a pregnant lady. Well, actually that is not entirely true I was just barely pregnant with Z Christmas of 2006, but I didn't have a clue! That's me on the bottom right.

I got a positive pregnancy test on January 3 of 2007. What a way to kick off the year.

Then the next Christmas I had a chunky little 3 month old baby boy

and the Christmas after that I had a walking talking toddler.

Now here we are in 2009 and #2 is on the way

and by Christmas of next year she will be 10 months old and all over the place. Time goes by so much faster when you have kids.

On a way less sentimental note (and heads up this will be TMI for any of my male readers) this also got me thinking about my period. Yeah you heard me. In 2006 when I found out I was preggers my last period had been in mid November. I also didn't get my period again until Z was about 16 months old. Then of course I stopped again when I became pregnant this past summer which means I haven't had a period over the holidays in 4 years!!! I would catagorize that as one of the upsides of pregnancy/breast feeding.

That's one of things I love about Christmas it helps us remember the past with glimmers of dreams for the future and a reminder that life comes in seasons and "cycles". Wink wink.

The Snoogle and Other Ridiculous Products

When I was pregnant with my son my eyes were opened to a whole new world of marketing and consumerism. This world is full of products targeted exclusively toward women having babies. There are magazines, websites, and even mega stores dedicated toward this market. You practically need a college degree just to understand how all the products work and what their intended use is. For example do you know the difference between a boppy and bumbo? What about a bumpkin and bugaboo? If you do than you or someone close to you has probably had a baby in the past 5 years.

The other day I mentioned that a took my snoogle along for the trip and fellow blogger Becky asked about it. Well, Becky I am glad you asked. A snoogle is a giant body pillow made especially for pregnant women. At the time I got this pillow they retailed for about $70.00 so I had no intention of purchasing one, but was blessed to have a friend who is done having kids pass her snoogle down to me.

It is like being enveloped in a giant nest and I love it. They say a pregnant woman adds one pillow per month, which means at the end of your pregnancy you've got pillows supporting every inch of your body. This pillow eliminates that need. My only complaint is the size. Every time I have to get out of bed to use the restroom it's like a battle between me and the snoogle. "Are we going over or under this time? Should I just fling it on the floor or toss it over on J's side of the bed?"

There are also times usually early in the morning when Z comes to bed with us and it's like having 5 people all squished onto a queen size mattress. I come up with that number by counting myself, the baby in the belly, the hubby, the toddler, and the snoogle. This morning Z slept longer than the rest of us and I snapped this pic of him snuggling with the snoogle.
Considering the snoogle travels with us on trips and cuddles with Z in the morning it's practically become a part of the family. Does anyone else use a snoogle? What about a boppy, bumbo, bumpkin, or bugaboo? Sure they look and sound silly, but from Prego Pops to Bella Bands I still find myself getting suckered into using the products I may have at one time made fun of.

Update on the Baby Bump

I have definitely blossomed this past month to where even strangers can acknowledge that I am in fact expecting, although depending on what I wear some people just stare and kind of smile, but hesitate to say anything just in case.

I am a little overdue for my monthly maternity update, but not too much has happened since October anyway. If you read my last post about vacationing while pregnant you probably have a good idea about how I have been doing lately. I feel pretty energetic and fairly comfortable which is a big part of the second trimester perks. It's that window of time when you are past the nausea stage, but not yet at the huge, swollen, and totally exhausted stage. However, I am 26 weeks which means the 3rd trimester is right around the corner!

For my latest pic I just did some quick snapshots on with the built in camera on my computer. The above pic is my current Facebook photo. And here are some bare belly shots which are for blog readers only. Seriously though, my stomach may not get much sun, but it doesn't not look that blindingly white in person!



A lot of the symptoms I had dealt with have seemed to diminish, including the SPD and I thank God for that. Other than the typical stuff here and there like acid reflux (blah!) I am doing great and can't complain. Look out 3rd trimester here I come!