Christmas 2008

A lot of people told me that Christmas would take on a whole new meaning, now that I have a child.  I listened, I smiled, I nodded, but I didn't really take it to heart.  However, I should have listened.  Christmas was amazing this year.  Not because Hannah really participated in the holiday, but because of the meaning behind Christmas.  Having a newborn made me realize, more fully, exactly what God did all those years ago.  I can't imagine sending my only child away.  Hannah is such a precious part of who I am and the thought of sending her away is something I can't even fathom.  But that is precisely what God did.

We had a fantastic time on Christmas and hopefully did a few things that will become family traditions.  Of course we know Hannah won't remember her first Christmas, but that doesn't mean we can't try to get things off on the right foot.

Our holiday week started off with a trip to Frederick Meijer Gardens.  I really wanted Jeremy to see their "Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World" display.  I have seen it before, with my students on a field trip, but I knew that Jeremy would really appreciate all of the fun, historic facts that come with each tree.  Hannah enjoyed looking at all of the lights.  Of course our visit wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Ireland tree.  Apparently their big holiday tradition is to decorate their trees around "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Here is a family picture in front of the Irish tree.

Sadly, we couldn't make it to church on "Christmas Sunday" because of the weather.  It was too crazy outside, so we stayed in and had a family day.  By Christmas Eve, the weather had cleared up and we were able to make it to a very meaningful service at church.  Our pastors focused on the different elements of the traditional Christmas tree and how they relate to the true Christmas story and to the Christian life.  It was fantastic.  Christmas Eve was also Hannah's first trip to the church nursery.  I'd like to say that I handled it okay, but truthfully, I was a nervous wreck the entire service.  Of course, she slept the entire time she was in their, so I had nothing to worry about.

Christmas morning we lounged around after a delicious breakfast of waffles and bacon! YUM! We opened gifts, mostly for Hannah, and just spent the day as a family, watching Christmas movies and hanging out.  Since all of our families were out of town over Christmas, I fixed Jeremy and myself a Christmas dinner with most of the trimmings.  Hannah feasted on her usual bottle of formula.

All in all it truly was a wonderful day, all that we could have hoped for.  We have been so blessed this year and are so thankful for everything God has given us.  We're looking forward to the new year and all it has to bring. 

Two Months...and a couple of days

I apologize for the lack of updates, but we've had a busy past month.   Plus, our computer died on Thanksgiving day, so that didn't help things at all.  

It's hard to believe that Miss Hannah is two months old already.  She is changing so much, growing and growing and growing.  I think the biggest change is her beautiful smile, which she is sharing with us constantly.  I'm sure I can speak for both us when I say that her smile totally melts our hearts.  She is just beautiful.  Sadly, we haven't quite caught the smile on the camera yet.  We're still working on that, but trust me when I say, it's beautiful.

She is also "talking" to us a lot more, constantly cooing and making very cute little noises.  Hannah is such a good baby.  I'm hesitant to admit it, but she is consistently sleeping through the night, which is such a huge blessing.  Lately she's taken to falling asleep around 7:00pm, waking around 9:30pm for her bottle, falling back asleep by 10:30pm, and sleeping until about 5:30am.  We couldn't be happier and can only hope that this continues.

This month also saw me going back to work.  I headed back on December 1st and it was with mixed feelings.  I was hesitant to leave Hannah behind, but I was anxious to get back to my regular routine.  It has gone really well.  Hannah is home, two days a week with Jeremy, and at a really nice daycare center the other three days.  My students and I have adjusted to being back with each other and that is going really well.

We are looking forward to this first Christmas as a family.  We know that Hannah won't remember it, but still know that this will be a very special Christmas for all of us.  Hopefully, with Christmas vacation starting next week (HOORAY!!), I'll be able to post more, but I won't make any promises.  

Until then, we truly hope that you all are doing well!!

Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm constantly being reminded of all that I have to be thankful for. While at times it is easy to complain about the things that I don't have and wish for more, I truly have been blessed this past year.

So, here is a list (not nearly complete) of the things I am thankful for...both serious and silly. :)

1. Jeremy, my wonderful husband who takes care of our little family.
2. My sweet little girl...need I say more? :)
**she sleeps through the night consistently!!**
3. My family -- mom, dad, Heike, Shannon (&Tom), Baeley, and Amber
4. Pacifiers
5. Having a job - despite its demanding hours and workload, I am so thankful to have a job during a time when so many do not.
6. My sweet little dog who has kept me company on many a night when Jeremy has been at work.
7. Starbucks and Biggby -- without their yummy coffee drinks, I would be so sad
8. Bouncy seats
9. Text messaging
10. Lower gas prices
11. Doctors who stepped in during a time of crisis and made sure Hannah would be okay.
12. Edy's peppermint ice cream (why is it only seasonal?)
13. Our DVR
14. Wonderful friends to work with -- I've missed them so much while on maternity leave
15. Great pastors who challenge me each week
16. The freedom to go to church anytime I want to
17. Being able to wear my wedding ring again (those swollen pregnancy fingers just made me miserable)
18. Google
19. Facebook (I have reconnected with so many "old" friends)
20. Target (could there be a better store?) :)

Okay -- so, not nearly all of the things I'm thankful for. This list is just a "smattering," if you will, of the things I'm thankful to have and the people I'm thankful to know. While Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday, I am glad that we have a holiday that is about reminding us to be appreciative of the things we have.

So, what are you thankful for?

Easy Gift Cards

As my friend Erin posted...I'm going to throw a little plug on here for two reasons.
#1. Who doesn't need/want gift cards?
#2. It's free and easy.

I was on moneysavingmom yesterday and read about something called Swagbucks. You can read her post here about it or you can see how one woman earned enough to do all her Christmas shopping here.

You register to use Swagbucks as your search engine and then you get Swagbucks when you do a search. Your swagbucks can be used toward gift cards. I installed the toolbar, started searching this morning and have already earned some bucks.

If you want to earn even more, then you can refer people and get extra swagbucks when they sign up. Hence, another reason I'm posting this on my blog. If you decide you want to look into and sign up for this, please use my referral code:
http://swagbucks.prodege.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=247453

I also like it because I use Google as my primary search engine and Swagbucks searches by Google and ask.com.

One Month (and a day)

I had hoped to post yesterday, in order to mark Hannah's one month birthday. However, Hannah had other plans, plans that involved being held all day due to extreme fussiness. Apparently she didn't receive the memo about the planned blogging. I'll have to work on that for next time. :)

It's hard to believe that Hannah is already a month old. I know everyone told me that the time would go quickly, but still I am surprised. Along with that comes the knowledge that in just two short weeks, I'll be returning to work. While I am anxious to get back to my students and co-workers, I also am sad to think of leaving Hannah each day. It is also sad to know that in just two short weeks I will have try and fit into my old work clothes. You know, that really isn't sad...it's scary!

But this isn't supposed to be about me, it's supposed to be about Hannah, so back to her. :) She has grown and changed so much in this first month. Again, something I know every new parent says, but not something you realize as truth until you experience it for yourself. At her first doctor's appointment, which was when she was only a week old, she had already gained 9.5 ounces, putting her at 7lbs, 15.5oz. I'm sure by now she is over that 8lb mark.


Her hair, which I had fully expected to fall out (mine did when I was a newborn), is still there. It's growing longer and has just the slightest bit of red to it. My sister, who is a redhead herself, finds this to be the most exciting thing ever. Her eyes, which are generally quite dark, do have a steely blue to them as well. They are just so dark, but so bright at the same time. They're beautiful, that's for sure.

Jeremy and I have come a long way in figuring out her cries and moods. When she starts to shake her fists angrily in the air, we know that she is probably hungry. We have also learned that she does not like to have her feeding interrupted in order to be burped. She cries and wails when the bottle is taken away, but since she is a gulper (and therefore takes in a lot of air), she has to be burped several times during each feeding. Sadly for her, we just tune out the cries and burp her anyway. I think we all feel better when each feeding is done.

When she was two weeks old, we took her to have her pictures taken. An experience that we have agreed was not positive for anyone. Hannah was tired and uncooperative, the girl taking the pictures was obnoxious, and the pictures just didn't turn out that great. We'll try again in a few months.

Hannah also celebrated her first Halloween this month. She celebrated the day by going to my school and visiting my students. We also made the rounds to the different teachers. It clearly wasn't very exciting, as Hannah slept the entire two hours we were there.

This month also brought with it a lot of visiting with family. It has been so much fun introducing our little girl to all of her family members. Its already clear that she and Baeley will have a special bond. He can't wait for her to get a little bit bigger, so that he can play with her and teach her all sorts of things. Hopefully, they won't get into too much trouble together. :)

I'm sure there are many more things I could write about, but someone is awake and requiring my attention. Duty calls!

Life

Things are going well here in the Blanchard house. We're adjusting to our new life, which includes adjusting to the new challenges we've been experiencing. Hannah is a lot of fun and we're so happy to have her in our life.

Jeremy returned to work last Friday, the 31st, so Hannah and I have been spending some quality time together. Honestly, I've felt a little stir crazy, but have tried to make sure we get out of the house at least once a day. We've been to school a couple of times and my students really love seeing Hannah. It was great for me to see them and my co-workers. I was really nervous going into my maternity leave, but being able to stop by school has really helped. Apparently, they can all survive without me. :)


Hannah and I participated in the democratic process this morning, hopefully you've all done the same. Thankfully, I picked the right time to head to the polls. I didn't have to wait in any sort of line, which was great. I happily took my "I Voted" sticker and went to Biggby, where I was given a discount on my latte. I know I could have gone to Starbucks and received free coffee, but since Biggby was on my way home, it made more sense.

Anyway, I'm sure I have more interesting things to share with you, but Hannah as decided she is done sleeping. I'll try to come up with a better post for next time.