First Christmas

Gwendoline's first Christmas was so much fun! We got to spend lots of time with both sides of the family and got lots of wonderful presents from many generous people. The first of the Christmas celebrations kicked off a little early this year with Grandpa (Bob) and Marcia (Jeph's dad and his wife) a week before Christmas. We had a yummy Italian dinner at their house while spending lots of time with aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's always a pleasure to sample Bob's homemade pizzas and Italian sausage and peppers.

Next, we celebrated Christmas Adam- the day before Christmas Eve- with Nanny (Jennifer, Jeph's mom). This celebration also included all of Gwendoline's aunts, uncles, and cousins on Jeph's side of the family. Christmas Adam always involves dinner at Nanny's house on the night of the 23rd, followed by hanging out and playing. Coming from a small family, it's taken me a few years to get used to all the enthusiasm and the volume of gatherings like these, but now it's just a lot of fun. After dinner and playing, most of the family members change into their pajamas to spend the night at Nanny's. We didn't this year because Gwendoline's nighttime schedule is still a little erratic and we have a good procedure down at home. But we went back to Nanny's bright and early the next morning (Christmas Eve) to open presents with all the other kids and go to breakfast with the family. Gwendoline is one lucky girl! She got all kinds of fun toys and pretty clothes. But spending time with family was the best gift of all. Here's a picture of Nanny with all eight of her grandchildren, four of which are one year old or younger.

L to R: Benjamin, Aaron, Katy, Parker, Nanny,
Gwendoline, Carter, Presley, Chloe

Merry Christmas Adam!

On Christmas Eve afternoon, we began the 3.5 hour drive from Frisco to my mom's house in Montgomery. We made it all the way from Frisco to Dallas (about 30 minutes) before I realized I forgot all of my family's Christmas presents at home! We had to go back to get them, tacking on about an hour to our already long drive. And we certainly paid for it. The last time we made the Frisco-to-Montgomery drive for Thanksgiving, Gwendoline slept the entire trip, driveway to driveway, both ways. But the extra hour proved too much for her patience and comfort (I don't blame her), and she was not a happy camper for the last 30 minutes of the trip. Talk about stressful... That 30 minutes of trying to soothe an inconsolable baby- without being able to pick her up out of her seat- may be the most stressful time I've ever spent with my little one thus far. But we finally got there and all was made right with the world when Gwendoline saw Grandma.

Christmas morning with our little elf

The next morning, Jeph and I continued a Christmas morning tradition that I grew up with- reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 before opening any presents. I'm excited to continue this tradition with my own family now! Although I remember thinking it was torture when I was little, and I'm sure Gwendoline will, too, at some point, it's important to us that she know the meaning behind the presents. After the Christmas story... Santa! And he did not disappoint! Gwendoline's big gift this year was a Baby Einstein activity bouncer. She loves it! She's still not quite tall enough for her feet to reach the ground to bounce, so we put a couch pillow underneath her to give her feet something to rest on. But that doesn't stop her from eagerly exploring all the stations and making lots of noise. Thanks, Grandma and Papa Gary! I mean, Santa... Gwendoline also made out like a little diva in the clothing department- her wardrobe is complete for the foreseeable future!

Our first Christmas as a family of three was absolutely wonderful and magical, even though we did miss the white Christmas in Frisco. We look forward to seeing many more through our child's eyes. Merry Christmas!

Baby Einstein bouncer (a.k.a., the spaceship)

First (leftover) snow