I had another ultrasound a few days after Christmas to see the progress on the baby. He is growing well, and it looks like he will be high enough in the uterus to not cause any problems. Mike and I were so relieved to see that things have progressed in the direction that we were hoping and praying for. In the ultrasound we could see the baby moving around, which is always fun.
The sickness of the pregnancy has hit me full force, so Christmas this year has been minimal. A few weeks ago the kids did pretty much all of the decorating. I only made a few cookies, but made sure to make sugar cookies. The kids love cutting them out and then decorating them later. Mike took care of Christmas eve dinner. I was too sick and tired to put together costumes to act out the Nativity on Christmas eve. Instead, we just watched movies. I went to bed early on New Year's eve, but Mike stayed up with the kids and shot off some fireworks. There was a mishap with the fireworks, and Shane almost got hit with a bottle rocket. Luckily, no one was hurt. Unfortunately, it wasn't the most exciting Christmas and I didn't get many photos, but it was fun spending time together and to have Nanna and Babba here.
Nanna and Babba came for Christmas! It was the first time in almost a decade that we had Christmas with them. I told them to come on the 23rd because we usually go to the light show that night. We had fun driving around and looking at lights. The kids then slept by the tree. Bridget is still too little, but will be able to join them by the tree next year.
In the past we have gotten the chromosome testing for pregnancy around the end of the first trimester. We were surprised when my doctor said they can now do it at 8 weeks gestation. Mike and I found out a week or so before his parents were coming for Christmas, so we decided to wait until they were here to tell the kids. I gathered several items related to the gender of the baby and put them in paper bags. The kids each got a bag. At the same time, they all opened their bags and found out that we are having a BOY. It's still hard for me to think that we are having a boy. I am so excited to get the chance to raise another boy. Even though he and Shane won't be very close in age, Shane is excited to get some more testosterone in the house (and maybe a sidekick in bothering his sisters). Bridget had a bow tie in her bag, but kept thinking it was a hair bow.
The kids like doing the candy houses. In the past I bought the kits for candy houses, but this year I decided to try decorating graham cracker houses instead. The kids had a lot of fun. I think they ate more candy than they put on their houses.
Maggie was trying to open a big plastic package with headphones in it and cut her finger. I picked her up from school and tried to decide if she needed to go to the urgent care or not. I decided to be safe rather than sorry and took her. They decided it would be best to try glue instead of stitches. Maggie was worried about getting stitches and was relieved that it would be glue instead.
Maggie lost another tooth! Not many of her permanent teeth have come in yet so she is very sparse in the mouth.
Mike hit a big milestone and turned 40. I was pretty sick and not able to do too much for his birthday. He was understanding and appreciative for what I could do. It's always nice having a day where we can show him how much we love him.
After going to bed, McKenzie was playing in her bed and hit her face on the wooden edge of her bed. The next day she started to get some bruising around her nose and eyes. It was hard to get a picture that showed the extent, but she looked like a raccoon for a couple of days.
Maggie came home from school to surprise me that she had gotten the Buen Gaucho award. Her teacher was out for a couple of weeks for surgery and we were not notified that she would be receiving the award. We were all a little disappointed that we missed it. We are still happy and proud of Maggie for being a good kid and student and for earning the award.
We had graham crackers and hot cocoa to celebrate Papa's birthday. It was the best way to end a cold, snowy day.
We got 6 inches of snow and school was canceled. The kids had fun playing outside in the snow. I appreciated having help at home so that I could rest on the couch.
Bridget LOVES to jump off of things - furniture, stools, stairs (the last one). One day she wanted me to take a video so she could see herself jump.
