Another New Year

The holidays have come and gone and they were fabulous.

There is always something special about celebrating with family and this year was no different.

Christmas eve was celebrated at my mom's place and little Pauly had a blast. My sister's kids are 4 and 2 and they were all over him. Pauly was sharing his toys and at one point Róisin (the 2 year old) picked up a toy that Pauly has lost interest in. Or so we all thought. A mere 2 seconds after pushing the button, Pauly turned his head, reached up to her and with furrowed brows began his "Ahhhhhh" in protest. For us, it was the funniest thing but I'm sure Pauly didn't appreciate our laughter. A flustered Róisin quickly handed the toy back and everything was as it was before.

Dinner was good, dessert was great and as anticipated, Pauly was more interested in the wrapping paper then his actual toys. I suppose you can't ask for much from a 6 month old.

The next morning, Paul, Pauly and I enjoyed our own Christmas.





My favourite gift was the car starter Paul got for my Element. No more trekking outside to start the car on those cold winter days :)

After lunch we started packing up and shortly there after, made our way to my in-laws. Thus continuing the Christmas saga. We settled in by opening presents and then had a wonderful dinner. After, Pauly and I took an impromptu nap on the couch while the rest of the family watched Inception.

The following day we went to my sister's for a Christmas lunch with my dad. He had a great time playing with his grandkids and wished us all a Merry Christmas before leaving.

Since it's soooo difficult to buy for people who need nothing and who usually have what they want, Paul and I decided to take some family portraits and give them to our family. We though it would make a good personal gift and we were right. Especially since family is the core of Christmas for us.

16 Weeks Happy New Year Everyone!

It's the first day of 2010 and I know it'll be one to remember. I've had a chance to tell a lot of people about my lil' bean but there's still some who haven't heard the good news yet. My father is one. I was ready to tell him after lunch a few days ago, but he only seemed comfortable while playing with my sister's kids. When we sat down for lunch he was only paying attention to the kids even though I was sitting right next to him. The few times we tried to start a conversation with him, he responded with only a few words. Now this is not completely out of the ordinary for him but I guess I was hoping for a different situation in order to share my good news. In the end, I decided that telling him over the phone would be the best for both of us.

Another person I was hoping to tell this week was my boss. I thought he would have been around for the 3 days between Christmas and New Years but I was wrong. On Monday night I wasn't sure how I would tell him and was hoping he wasn't going to be there. Then as I was brushing my teeth Tuesday morning, I new exactly how I was going to spill the beans. I was feeling great during the 45 minute drive to work, and when I got there his truck wasn't in the parking lot. I wasn't worried and didn't think anything of it. He didn't have to be the right at 7am like the rest of us so I just went about my day. 8am came quick, then 9 and 10am. By then I was a little disappointed that my plan of action was not going to be implemented. Oh well, it'll have to wait until next week.

Thursday was only half day at work so I planned to visit my grandmother, Aunt, Uncle & cousin before seeing my mom. They were having a late breakfast and insisted I have at least some coffee with them. I didn't. And that's how they found out. They didn't believe me at first but when I repeatedly told them I wasn't joking everyone was happy & excited. I told my grandma next and she wished me all the best. I left after a couple of hours and stopped by my mom's. We had a bowl of soup and chatted for a while. Then Paul & I went out for a quick lunch before coming home. He doesn't work too far from my mom's so it all worked out well.

Later that night we were going to a friends for New Years Eve. There was 4 couples there and we had a good time eating, talking, and playing Rock Band. And of course more congrats and questions about the baby mixed in with other conversation. It was 3am by the time we got home and I was exhausted. Now I've got 3 more days before I have to be back at work and I'm going to make the best of it.

This week my lil' bean has grown to be the size of an avocado, about 4 1/2 inches long. He/she is dancing around and probably sucking their fingers or toes, and playing with the umbilical cord. The head is now being held more upright and the neck is very developed. The eyes are still moving under the lids and the ears are almost in their permanent position. The heart is working to pump 25 quarts of blood every day and this will only increase as he/she grows. I haven't felt any movement yet but my lil' bean is due for a growth spurt. He/she will be doubling their weight in the next few weeks and I'm sure that will lead to some movement I can feel.