Jude, Eleven Months

Jude is 11 months old!

Time out. How can my baby only have 1 month left 'til he turns 1?!?! 

I know, I know. Moms have been saying this since the beginning of time. But I still can't believe it. The first year really really flies!

Weight

Welp, my bud is still only around 19lb, which means no weight gain since last month. We'll be seeing his pediatrician soon to make sure it's not being caused by a bigger issue. If I had to guess, it's just a combo of being a super active boy, super distracted nurser, barely eating much table food, and not being able to eat any dairy (he's still allergic to cow's milk). Please pray it's nothing more than that!

Height

We'll see how tall he is at his 1 year appointment next month! But for reals, he's a TALL boy, just like his brother. And since he's skinny and tall, we've got a bit of a string bean baby on our hands.

Sleep

Not gonna lie, sleep has regressed a fair bit. Naps are still stellar. One or two awesome naps a day. But the overnight has become a one- or two-feedings-a-night thing again. For most of the month, he just needed one feeding between 3am and 5am, and then would go back to sleep until 7am or 8am. I wasn't thrilled, but was totally on board with it because he definitely *needs* extra calories at this point. But as of this last week, it's also a 12am or 1am waking/feeding, plus the other one. So yeah, we're tired again over here. Once we get his weight back on track, this boy is officially being night weaned, gosh darn it. 

^^The many stages of a happy Jude.

Firsts this month
-Stands unassisted for several seconds!
-Tried to take the world's tiniest first step. I think walking is right around the corner!
-Claps when we say "yayyyyy!" or when others are clapping.
-Waves and says "bye bye" when prompted.
-Shakes his head no when we say "no."
-Signs "more" when he wants more food.
-Climbs from the bottom to the top of the stairs (with close supervision, of course).
-Gets into EVERYTHING. Opens all the drawer/cupboards. Unravels the toilet paper. Pulls folded laundry apart. JUDE THE DESTROYER.
-First word: "All done!" which he pronounces "aww DUH!" and says when he's DONE with high chair or crib time, totally unprompted!
-New dance move: sways back and forth, in addition to the bounce he's being doing for a while now. Cute central!
-Opened Christmas presents and instinctively knew to tear into the paper.

Nicknames
Boo Boo
Jude the DESTROYER -- John Paul especially likes to use this one as Jude pulls apart his toys.

Other things to note
-I thought he was really starting to get the hang of table food last month, but apparently not. This month he basically picks at his food and eats like a bird. Sigh. I promise you we've tried ALL the fatty non-dairy foods: avocado, coconut milk, coconut oil, egg yolk, nut butters . . . this boy just doesn't want to eat enough to chunk up. So for now, we still nurse a bunch, basically every three hours during the day. I'm praying my milk supply can keep up with his demand, even a year out from birth, because I can basically promise you he won't like the special formula we'll have to give him for his dairy allergy.

-Big brother John Paul got the woorrrrrsssttttt stomach bug I've ever witnessed. It lasted <are you ready for this?!?!!?> 3 weeks!!!! That's vomiting and diarrhea for 3 very long and yucky weeks. Thankfully he's on the mend now. And Jude didn't catch it, which is honestly a miracle. PRAISE GOD! But I do wonder if his stomach was still somewhat affected and maybe that is what caused him to barely each much this past month? Anyway, knock on wood, this house is finally vomit/diarrhea free and we'd like to keep it that way for a long time now. Kthanx.

-Current favorite foods: smoothies, peanut butter, hummus, and french fries.

-This boy is PERSISTENT! Way more so than his brother was at this age, if I'm remembering correctly. For example, he lovvvves trying to touch our TV speaker whenever we're watching a family movie and it doesn't matter if we pull him away from it 100 times and say no, he'll be right back at it a minute later. And he crawls over to it super fast and looks back at you with a huge grin because he knows he's doing something he's not supposed to. It's pretty hilarious when you get right down to it. Hilarious and a little exhausting. It's so fun to see these parts of his personality now.

-I really think this boy will be walking by 1. He's got it all down, he just won't take a confident first step.

-I took an Instagram poll about whether or not he should get a haircut before 1 and the internets agreed: 45% YES // 55% NO. So I guess I will be persuaded by peer pressure and not cut his fluffy locks until after 1. But srsly, it will probably be the day he turns 1 and I won't be sad, not one bit. I'm ready NOW. It's the husband who says no no no, not allowed until he's a big boy 1-year-old. Meh.

-When Jude gets tired, he'll crawl around until he finds a soft spot, and lay his head down on the ground for a few seconds, I think to signal to us: PUT ME TO BED NOW, PARENTS! It's really the cutest thing ever.

-EDITED TO ADD: How could I forget?! Jude got his first big booboo this month. He was playing on top of our carry-on luggage bag and his brother went to pick it up to roll it around. Jude must've been chewing on the edge of it as he fell because next thing I know, he's completely slid off the luggage and his bottom left tooth is sticking out and bleeding. It was so scary in the moment, though thank GOD he's completely fine now. As it turns out, baby teeth can set back into place even after they've been partially pulled out like that. It was wiggly for a few days, and his gums got torn up a fair bit, but now it's solid as ever again, completely normal. Is this a small preview into the life of a boy mom? My momma heart just can't handle seeing her littles get hurt!

^^Not pleased with having to sit still for Christmas pictures.

We love you, Jude! What a fun 11 months it's been. Here's to the last month of your first year being the best yet!

Life Lately & How We Do Advent

And just like that, Advent is upon us!

Things have been moving at super-sonic speed here in our household. Is that true of every household this time of year? I'm starting to think so!

We finally announced our little addition to the whole world (AKA facebook + instagram) with this little diddy . . .

 

In real life, it took about 30 pictures to get it just right. But it turned out pretty presh if I do say so myself. John Paul is super excited to be a big brother, not that he gets what that means at all. And if I'm being honest, neither do I. Eek! Two kids under two? We got this! But seriously, what's it gonna be like? 

I'm 32 weeks now and am scratching my head over how we're in the SINGLE DIGITS of weeks left 'til due date. Time, you fly. 

We had an ultrasound today and baby looks great! Well, we couldn't actually see babe's face since he/she had both hands scrunched up there and in the way. But honestly, it was so dang cute to see baby snuggling up like that, how can I be mad? We were just thrilled to see that baby is in head down position and looking healthy as can be, measuring about 4 lb 7 oz at this point. The doc even saw some hair! Could it be?! A not-bald baby Schweitz?!?! The doc called it "peach fuzz," so I won't hold my breath. :P

We're finally starting to buy the few items we need to welcome this sweet babe, all the things we skipped out on last time but regretted, like a bassinet and changing tables and zip-up outfits. We're also making a mental checklist of all the things that need to be done before babe arrives, mostly house related stuff (paint this room, buy a rug for that room, unpack the remaining boxes . . . eek!). And we hired a doula, who's also training to be a midwife, so that's pretty neat! AND I'm starting to read my favorite prepare-for-birth book again: The Birth Partner. ACCOMPLISH ALL THE THINGS!  No big. Only took me 32 weeks to get motivated. 

Let's rewind a little now, and see what's being going on the past few months . . . 

For Halloween, John Paul and John dressed up as Luke and Darth Vader from Star Wars. (But seriously, if you didn't already know they were from Star Wars, we have a problem. Also, you deserve the following spoiler . . . )

"Luke, I am your father." 

Get it? ;)

 

John Paul was a leeeettle freaked out by the Darth mask (and pretty much all the people we saw on Halloween in masks), so we decided Darth should go unmasked for their lightsaber duel.

Oh, fun facts . . .

1.) Our new neighborhood seems to be the type that people drive to and drop their kids in for some quality trick-or-treating. So we were living it up as our first year with actual trick-or-treaters. We started off giving out 4 pieces of candy to every kid, since we figured we wouldn't get many, but by the end of the night, had to rummage through the closet to pull out leftover candy from last year's trick-or-treating and other oddball candies (Lindt and Gharidelli chocolates and such) to be able to last through the night. Lesson learned. But a fun one!

2.) Apparently adults drink adult beverages as they take their kids out trick-or-treating, out of inconspicuous plastic cups or travel mugs. Is this real life? Or perhaps this is another quirk for our neighborhood?? All I know is that my husband was not shy about joining in once he saw the other parents doing it. Ha!

Moving on to Thanksgiving.

John Paul is actually a pro kitchen helper. He was eager to stand on a chair and watch me create our Thanksgiving dessert contribution: Peanut Butter Lasagna. (Don't judge me.) It may have been because he got to sample every last ingredient as I layered it in the baking dish. Or perhaps we have a future little chef on our hands. I'll let you be the judge . . .

And now Advent!

Just like last year, we're still sorta figuring out how we want to do this Advent/Christmas thing. When do we get the tree? What music do we listen to? What feast days do we focus on? How many presents does John Paul get? We try to answer all these questions with the real Reason for the Season in mind, but we're still not exactly sure how it'll play out. And we still feel like we have a bit of time to decide on things since John Paul isn't exactly aware of what's going on. Yet. Prob by next year though.

So our rough sketch currently looks like . . .

1.) Only listening to Advent music (at home and in the car) during the season of Advent. To me, this reeeeally builds the anticipation for Christmas because I love love LOVE Christmas music. So to hold off on it for these 4 extra weeks makes it feel like we truly are waiting for something special. Now, truth be told, the pool of Advent music is rather small. But, I've found some pretty great Advent playlists on Spotify, specifically this one called "Simply Advent." So whenever I'm feeling tempted to get my Christmas music jam on, I listen to one of my Advent playlists instead and I'm reminded of exactly what we're waiting for. Plus, these songs are dang beautiful. So it's all good!

2.) Decorating only for Advent during the season of Advent. That basically means the Nativity (minus Jesus) and the Advent wreath, plus pink and purple decorations (once I find the time to buy some).

This year, I finally got around to making an Advent wreath! I found a picture of one similar to this online and went with it . . .

Apparently each candle of the Advent wreath symbolizes a deeper meaning, which is new to me this year. (Sorry! Clueless Cradle Catholic, party of one!) The sample picture I used to make my wreath had them like you see above. This website tells me otherwise. Oops. It's apparently Hope, Faith, Joy, and Peace, in that order. But anyway, I'm loving that we have one specific virtue to focus on for each week now. And that, with the use of some fancy shmancy purple and pink ribbon, I can get away with never buying the all-too-difficult-to-find 3-purple-and-1-pink candle combo again! John Paul is happy about this too!

3.) Celebrating St. Nick's feast day (Today! December 6th!) by putting out our shoes the night before and getting candy and some other small gifts in St. Nick's honor in the morning. Being honest here, TOTALLY failed to do this this year. But like I said before, I think we have another year before John Paul really gets into all this stuff, so . . . phew!

4.) Celebrating St. Lucy's feast day (December 13) by putting up ALL THE LIGHTS. Her name means "light," so it's basically perfect. We'll put lights in all our windows and set up the tree, but only decorate it with lights. This is another one of those things that's so hard to hold off on. I've wanted to put up a tree since Thanksgiving now. But I'm glad we're holding out. Another reminder of the anticipation we're supposed to feel as we await the birth of Christ!

5.) Really go crazy decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, when we are only one sleep away from welcoming our King! ALL THE DECORATIONS FOR JESUS!

6.) Only giving 3 gifts to John Paul on Christmas day (and all future kiddos). These three gifts will be a nod to the three gifts Jesus received from the Wise Kings. We're also thinking they'll always follow this pattern: one item you need, one book to read, and one gift you really want . . . or something like that. And they'll be presents from us, not Santa Claus. We've chosen to leave Santa Claus (or Santa as our culture knows him) out of our Advent and Christmas seasons, for many reasons. This post from another Catholic blogger really resonates with many of our reasons, in case you're curious. 

7.) LIVE IT UP celebrating the birth of Christ during the true Christmas season, December 25 through January 9 (the Baptism of the Lord). That means all the Christmas music, all the homemade tasty Christmas treats, all the Christmas movies, ALL THE CHRISTMAS!! All the waiting of Advent finally pays off in the biggest celebration we can throw, for the Coolest Guy we know. :)

We'll still go to Christmas parties during Advent (if we're invited) and listen to Christmas music when it's blasted at us in shops and restaurants and eat tasty Christmas treats if they are gifted to us over the next few weeks. We're not going to try to shut down the rest of the world or poo-poo anyone else's celebration. But in our home, we'll do our best to make Advent and Christmas two different seasons, as they truly are. And we're pretty excited about that! 

But also, I'm pretty sure many of our Advent and Christmas traditions will continue to change and grow over time. So don't hold us to it. We're just trying to do our best for our family, trying to create our family culture as we grow. And this is what feels right for now. Can't wait to give it a spin!

Wishing you and yours a hopeful, faithful, joyful, and peaceful Advent!

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

From us to you!

Christmas bump ahead...

<3

20 Gifts I Love to Give (or Get!)

It's that time of year again! Time to light the Advent wreath, sip hot cocoa, and drive yourself nuts trying to pick out the perfect gifts for your loved ones.

For some reason this year, John and I had our act together and (mostly) finished Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. Pretty cool, right? Feels nice to be me right now. But that didn't come without a bit of work on our part. We sat and thought and thought and sat and browsed the internet and got annoyed with how long the process was taking, just like the rest of ya. Except this year we started gift brainstorming and shopping in October. OCTOBER, I tell ya. CRAZY, right??

But actually, who am I kidding? I LOVE giving gifts!! I love the thrill of finding that perfect, thoughtful gift for my special someones. And the joy and love they receive simply by opening our gifts and realizing we were thinking of them. Sure, it can be frustrating when you're stuck on that one relative who's nearly impossible to buy for, but overall, gift shopping and gift giving are two of my favorite things ever.

And I like to think I'm pretty good at it. (Not bragging, of course.)

So, for your shopping and giving pleasure, I give you some of my all-time favorite gifts to give (and receive!) with pictures and descriptions and links, oh my! Hope it's useful!

(Psst - If you're related to me and know you'll be getting a gift from us this year, you definitely want to skip the rest of this post. Spoilers ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you in all italics.)

--1--

Vera Bradley throw blanket

This blanket is my favorite blanket of all time. True story, I own two of them and I'm giving two of them to loved ones this Christmas. Sure, it's a fair bit more expensive than your average fleece throw, but it's extra soft, very high quality fleece and all the patterns and colors are super cute.

Super saver tip - when Vera Bradley retires colors, they'll usually put all items in that color/pattern on a 30% discount. It's the best way to grab this item at a steal of a price. 

--2--

Subscription boxes

You all know I'm the Stitch Fix queen, but did you know I'm actually just an overall subscription box queen? And I think they make fantastic gifts.

This year, some of my loved ones will be getting a 6-month subscription to the Cravery, a bakery that delivers out-of-this-world tasty cookies straight to your mouth door once a month. And another loved one will be getting 3 months of Birchbox, a box full of girly girl stuff (make-up, perfume samples, etc.) or manly man stuff (socks and colognes, etc.), depending on which gender you're buying for, of course.

If neither of these sound appealing, do some research on other subscription boxes. Seriously, there are a zillion options out there: wine of the month, bacon boxes, craft boxes, kids' toys boxes, and so on. A box to suit everyone on your list! And oh what fun it is to look forward to receiving a gift subscription box full of surprises in the mail even after Christmas is over. A great gift indeed!

--3--

A new hobby 

Similar to subscription boxes, how about signing up a loved one for an online class that could turn into a new hobby? I found some great ones for sewing, crocheting, and calligraphy. Actually, the calligraphy class I linked to is the one I took online several months ago! And just like subscription boxes, I bet there are a zillion others out there too. Happy hobbying!

--4--

Games for little ones

Alright, so we all probably played Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, and Kerplunk as youngsters, so this gift suggestion likely isn't all that inspiring. But, the main point I'm trying to make here is get games for young kids, not clothes or toys that have simple functions (light up, make noise, annoy parents) or more clothes. Games are interactive and keep the kiddo you're buying for smart as a whip! My niece loved getting Candyland from us when she was three, so you can definitely start 'em young. Get gaming!

--5--

Games for adults

And just like our favorite little kiddos' brains, our adult brains need some game time too. Two of my favorites are Pandemic and Bohnanza, and they're both great as two player games, so you don't have to have a crowd around to dive in. Pandemic is a cooperative game, so you play together instead of against each other, to rid the world of fast-spreading diseases. And Bohnanza is just a wild wheeling-and-dealing, extremely interactive game that involves silly puns and bean farming. Oh, and there's also always Cards Against Humanity for your more crass relatives. Or folks looking for lots of inappropriate humor. It's ridiculously, so inappropriately hilarious. Don't say I didn't warn you.

--6-- 

Cookbooks

For your loved ones who love the kitchen, how about some awesome cookbooks? If you've got a friend who loves low-cal, low-fat yummies, checkout the Skinnytaste Cookbook. Or if your friend is more into decadent stuff (bring on the butter!), the Joy the Baker Cookbook is probably more her speed. For Sriracha lovers, there's the Sriracha Cookbook, which John and I own and enjoy very much. And for your friends who love science and cooking, I definitely have to recommend The Science of Good Cooking by Cook's Illustrated. That one explains how to cook any and everything to perfection and why certain cooking methods are better than others. Geeky.

--7--

Sees Candies 

Every family has a chocolate lover, right? I know it might seem like kind of a lame present, but these boxes of chocolate are 1.) so very tasty and 2.) pretty expensive. So it's a yummy splurge item, or basically, an item people don't typically buy for themselves but probably totally secretly want. And that, my friends, is what I think makes it a great gift. 

--8--

Penzey's Spices 

You don't know what bad spices can do to a meal until you've cooked with really good spices. My parents have been using Penzey's spices for years (like probably 25 years +), and a few years back, they filled our cupboards with these gourmet spices as a Christmas gift. We'll never go back to cheap grocery store spices ever again. 

Penzey's sells great gift sets like the one you see above, but you could also just pick out a bunch of your favorites or a bunch of the standards (oregano, sea salt, vanilla extract, cumin, etc.) and make a set of your own. And all at very affordable prices. 

We really like their chili powder, adobo chili pepper, sandwich sprinkle, and sunny paris seasoning (for fish), in case you were looking for suggestions. :)

--9--

AeroGarden

What's that? You say your friends would rather grow their herbs and spices? Well, alright! Instead of Penzey's spices, buy them one of these... an Aerogarden! This is their smallest, most affordable design, which can grow up to three different plants at a time. But of course, there are larger, more expensive Aerogardens too. I just think it's a super neat toy and who doesn't love to have fresh herbs growing in their home all year long? 

--10--

Tea from Teavana

For your friends who love tea, spoil them this season with some tasty tea from Teavana! You really can't go wrong with any of the flavors, but we highly recommend the Cocoa Caramel Sea Salt, Zingiber Ginger Coconut, Youthberry, White Chocolate Peppermint, and Blackberry Mojito. Two ounces (the minimum purchase for each type of tea) is plenty to make lots of cups of one flavor, so mix and match a bunch for a full-on tea crazy experience. Or buy just two ounces to keep it affordable. It's up to you, gift giver!

Teavana also has lots of fun gadgets and gizmos for tea-making. Like this tea-maker that strains super easily. However, we do not, I repeat, DO NOT recommend buying any of their tea gift sets. From what I can tell, they save their worst teas for the sets. Ick! 

--11--

Rosebud Salve

This lip goop is the perfect stocking stuffer. It goes on thick and stays on forever, leaving lips super moist and happy. Great especially for the winter time. I've never met a better lip gloss. 

--12--

Naked Palette

Don't let the name throw you off. This palette of eye shadow is pure wonderful. So if you have any make-up fans in the fam, keep this gift in mind. The shadows are high quality and the colors are so perfectly standard and neutral, you can create tons of lovely looks. Also, there are two other versions of the Naked palette, one with more flashy colors and one with more rosy shades, so if you really want to shake it up, take a look at those too! 

--13--

Kate Spade small square stud earrings

These earrings are my jam. I actually have two pair: one in mint and another pair in clear blue. I wear them every stinkin' day and they always make me feel glamorous. If your friend has her ears pierced, buy these for her. She'll love you for it. 

--14--

Fancy pajamas 

So, I don't own these pajamas, and actually, I don't own many sets of fancy pajamas, so maybe that's why I think these'd make a great gift... because I want them for myself but I'm not willing to splurge on them. But again, just like the See's chocolate, isn't that what makes a great gift? Items you wouldn't buy for yourself but totally want? Anyway, these come in lots of different colors and they just look so dang comfy. Totally a spoil-the-heck-outta-your-loved-one item. 

--15--

Wicked Good Slippers from LL Bean

Another good item for spoiling. LL Bean makes these suuuuuper comfy slippers for both men and women. And plus, they've got a wicked good name. :) New England, REPRESENT! 

--16--

Touch screen leather gloves

This was the gift I never knew I wanted and now can't live without. John bought these for me last year and can I just say... what a world of difference they make! Not having to take off your finger-warming gloves to use your touch screen in the cold? YES PLEASE! They have tons of versions out there, not just leather, so find a pair that fits your budget and start giving away to all your favorite smart-phone-using loved ones. They'll love you for it.

--17--

Monroe + Harlow headbands

These headbands. Swoon! Available for adults and children (including newborn babies... I DIE!!). But if you want 'em for Christmas, you better order now. It's not a large company (as in, I think there are only 5 or so women sewing up a headband storm behind the scenes), so order soon to make sure they arrive before Santa's supposed to. 

--18--

Audible subscription 

For your book-loving buddies, this service is fantastic! Once a month, they can download one book-on-tape and listen at their leisure. John and I had this subscription for a short while and we loved how affordable it was compared to buying books-on-tape via Amazon or other books-on-tape services. So if you have friends who like to read and who also spend a lot of time in a car or workout and listen to headphones, this is a great way of merging their desire to read with their likely lack of available reading time.

Oh, and in case you're looking for a suggestion for a clever and comical science fiction time travel novel, check out To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Genius. And a great book-on-tape!

--19--

Barr Co. soap and lotion

Luxury for your hands. It's another one of those I-won't-buy-it-for-myself-because-it's-a-splurge-but-I'd-adore-it-if-you-gave-it-to-me items. I especially love the original scent (click on the white dot). And I especially especially love that it's made in St. Louis and made of (almost) all natural stuff. Luxury, folks. 

--20--

Homemade yarn wreath

And finally, if you're a DIYer, like I very occasionally am, check out this great tutorial for a homemade yarn wreath. Very affordable, easy to follow, and the results are something to be proud of! Why, yes, I made that yarn wreath pictured above, thanks for wondering!

And that's a WRAP.

(Get it, get it? 'Cause you have to WRAP your presents?)

So now, dear friends, it's your turn! Can you recommend your favorite gifts to give (or receive)? I'd LOVE to hear your suggestions. Especially since the start of the 2015 shopping-for-Christmas season is now less than a year away. Don't think about it. :P

None of the above links are affiliate links, and using them to purchase will not gain me any moolah, aside from the Stitch Fix link, which will earn me $25 in credit toward my next Fix if you use it. All links are solely meant to help you get your Christmas shopping on. :) Happy shopping!

Christmas Memories 2013

I know, this one's almost a month behind. But better late than never, right? Plus, I wanted to post about my birthday before I posted about Christmas. I like to keep things all chronological. And we've been busy with company this past week - my brother and his girlfriend came to visit! While it was a blast, blogging had to take a back seat. But I'm back now! So here goes my Christmas recap.

As you might recall from this post, Christmas was a bit different for me this year: I finally got a chance to celebrate the holiday and all of its wonder with my husband's family. While their traditions were a bit different from the ones I grew up with, the holiday love and joy of Jesus were still very present. Reflecting back on that week with John's family, I've come up with my favorite memories of Christmas 2013. Listed in no particular order...

A new puppy!

The in-laws very recently welcomed a new puppy into their home. He's an adorable black lab named Cholmondeley (pronounced Chum-lee) Samwise. While he was as cute as can be, he was also in the biting phase, which apparently goes along with his teething. Everything was biteable to him. The wooden furniture? Gonna bite it. Your Christmas tights? Gonna bite 'em. Your barefoot toes? Gonna bite 'em. Despite all the biting, he was absolutely adorable and fun to play with. I loved shouting his name (which he doesn't quite know yet), running and sliding around the hardwood floors in my socks, encouraging him chase me around.

Christmas nails.

 

On Christmas eve, I treated my nails to some sparkly prettiness. Gotta love golden glitter!  It ended up being a perfect color pick because every time I looked down at my nails, I felt festive. I felt the Christmas love. From my nails. Weird, I know. But pleasant. And wonderful. And glittery!

Midnight Mass.
 

Growing up, we never attended midnight Mass. I'm not sure if it was because my parents felt we were too young to stay up that late, or if my parents wanted to be in bed early, but midnight Mass was never a thing for my family. We were Christmas morning Massers. My in-laws, on the other hand, are strictly midnight Massers. From what I can tell, it's always been a part of their tradition, so it was a part of my Christmas this year. The Mass was lovely and the pre-Mass Christmas music was fun, though it did feel a little strange attending Christmas Mass so late at night and not attending Mass amidst all the other celebrations of Christmas day. It was still nice to try something new, though.

Atop the stairs.
 

This was an example of me forcing my family's Christmas traditions on John's family. I think they mostly liked it. We took a picture on the tippity top of their staircase on Christmas morn', and texted it to my mother, who obviously loved that we were keeping up a family tradition while far away.

Generous gifts.

 

 

Can I tell you a secret? I love, love, LOVE giving gifts! I just love the thrill of finding that perfect, thoughtful gift for a loved one. And I just love seeing them experience the joy of receiving something special, a symbol of how much you care for them. It's my favorite! 

This year, we waited until Christmas afternoon to exchange and open gifts, once all the family had arrived at the house. Just like my family, we opened gifts one at a time, experiencing the joy with the gift receiver as they revealed their gifts. It made me smile a lot.

I received so many generous and thoughtful gifts this year. We really, honestly don't need anything, aside from gifts people can't wrap up in a box and give you on Christmas morning (ahem, like a baby, or fertility, or a lifetime-of-happiness guarantee). And I know Christmas is not about the presents. But I would still like to mention the gifts my sweet family and in-laws shared with me this year. Because overall, gifts are a reflection of love the gift-giver feels for you. And love is what Christmas is all about.

Some of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts I received this year were...

A robe! Because I love being lazy in warm things. Thanks, husband!

Delicious smelling candles from Anthopologie. I'm obsessed with candles! Thanks, husband!

These earrings, which I've worn pretty much every day since. Thanks parents-in-law!

This bar for our apartment. 'Cause before this, we were storing our liquor in a plastic tub in our overflowing, catch-all closet. A very thoughtful gift, indeed. Thanks, sister-in-law!

Games! Liars Dice and Munchkin. You know us too well. Thanks, sister and brother-in-law!

This thermometer, because before owning this, our chicken was always dry. Thanks, parents!

And these cool coasters. Putting drinks on wooden surfaces never felt so stylish. Thanks, brother!

 

 

 

Unexpected Christmas guests.
 

I have to be honest, I was pretty happy that Christmas with John's family was going to be a baby-, toddler-, and pregnancy-free Christmas. I was a liiiiiiittle nervous about my sister-in-law announcing a pregnancy, not because I thought she was, only because I didn't know how I would react. Though suspicions were quickly squashed when she drank a delicious alcoholic beverage the first night we hung out. (Side note - this is typically my special trick for "announcing" to everyone that we're not pregnant. I drink some sort of alcohol as quickly as possible and in front of as many people as possible when hanging out with crowds of family or friends. It helps stop the "is she pregnant?" stare at my belly pretty much instantly.) 

Anyway, it was looking to be a baby-, toddler-, and pregnancy-free Christmas until a few days before, when my mother-in-law announced that she invited a couple from church to celebrate Christmas with us. A couple with a toddler and a baby on the way. Sigh. So much for those plans. 

I was pretty bummed and a little peeved (though, deep down, only at myself and my sad, baby-less state). I thought, of all the people that would be invited to join us for Christmas, does it really have to be a pregnant couple, Lord? But, as it turns out, they had moved to the U.S. from Africa only a year or so before. They were strangers in a foreign land. And my mother-in-law was just being a kind, loving person, taking them in on Christmas day, when they likely had no where else to be and no one to celebrate with. 

Their stay ended up being short; they actually did have another party to attend. But I enjoyed every minute hanging out with their little toddler, Maria. She was cute as a button! And the couple was so sweet. So, even though I was dreading hanging out with a pregnant woman on Christmas day, it ended up really lovely. Silly infertile heart.
 

Sister-in-law's birthday.

My sister-in-law was born twenty-something years ago, on the day after Christmas. That means her birthday is always celebrated in the shadow of Jesus' birthday. Which is lovely is many ways, but also means her wrapping paper is usually Christmas themed and her birthday dinner is usually Christmas leftovers. I wracked my brain for a few days to think of something we could do to make her birthday stand apart from Christmas and then, BAM, it hit me. I thought of something perfectly special and wonderfully fun: A Chopped Challenge.

Have you ever seen the show Chopped? It's basically a cooking competition where professional chef competitors are given 3 to 4 random ingredients and then have a short amount of time to come up with an appetizer, main course, or dessert featuring all the secret ingredients, plus any other ingredients they find in the well-stocked pantry. My sister-in-law loves this show. And I thought, wouldn't it be fun to have our own Chopped Challenge? 4 secret ingredients, one appetizer, 45 minutes (I decided to be generous with time, as they only get 20 minutes on the show to make the appetizer). I told her about the idea and she loved it. So I headed out to the store and bought these 4 secret ingredients: pineapple, sweet potato fries, jalapeno, and coconut milk. And then I revealed the secret ingredients, they (my SIL and husband) cooked up a storm, and I taped the whole thing. My parents-in-law were the judges. The whole thing was a blast. And the results were delicious.

I'm so happy we were able to share this special fun with her on her birthday.

Oh, btw, my brother is editing my video footage from this as we speak! I'll link up to our Chopped Challenge video once it's done so you can take a look at just how much fun we had.

Games, games, games.

 

When we didn't know what to do, we turned to our stash of board games and played to our hearts' content. From Liars Dice to Munchkin to Farkle to Set to Agricola and Dixit, it was a great way to spend many hours with the in-laws.

A new-to-me Christmas movie.

 

The last night with John's family, my mother-in-law asked us all to watch a Christmas movie with her - Millions. I had never seen it before, but his family loves it and (I think) watches it every year. It's about an adorable young boy who sees and talks to Saints. One day, he randomly happens upon 1 million pounds, and the rest of the movie is about what he does with the money. I wasn't sure about it, going into the movie, but I can now say that it's great! Fantastic! If you're like me, and you've never seen/heard of it, go ahead and watch it with the fam next Christmas. I bet you'll like it too.

--

As you can see, though I wasn't with my Rhode Island family this Christmas, I had a wonderful time experiencing Christmas with my Tennessee family. And as I was hoping, I picked up on a handful of the in-laws' traditions that I'd like to share with our kids some day. And though I may be late with this, there's no such thing as spreading too much Christmas joy, so Happy Christmas!! I hope yours was as merry and bright as ours.

Christmas Memories

My lovely sister, Lauren, asked me to write a post about my favorite family Christmas memories from over the years. I quickly turned it around and asked her to write the post, which I would feature as a guest post here on BtB. Unfortunately, she's still a little blog-shy at this point in time. So, I guess that means I'm on the hook to write this thing. Because I love you, sis, this one's for you...

Every year since I can remember, my parents have hosted a Christmas Eve party for all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom's side of the family. All together, it's a pretty large family; she has 5 brothers and each brother has a wife, plus most have at least 2 children. I guess if we're being precise, that means 5 uncles, 5 aunts, 9 cousins, my 3 siblings, 2 grandparents, and my 2 parents, plus significant others now that we're a bit older. It makes for a great size party and a house full of warm-fuzzies and fun every Christmas Eve. Folks start arriving around dinnertime with appetizers, desserts, and presents in hand, ready for our annual evening of quirky Christmas delights.

Family at the 2009 Christmas Eve party.

My dad (with awesome Christmas tie), my sister, and my cousin.

When we were really young, my grandfather -- we called him Pepere -- would dress up as Santa, gather us 'round, and hand out all the gifts, gifts that were actually from our aunts and uncles. We had absolutely no clue that this jolly man in red was actually our Pepere, who just minutes before had disappeared into the bathroom and just minutes after reappeared having missed out on the whole Santa visit. We fell for this trick for about 5 years. And it was wonderful.

As we got older, we switched things up a bit. Instead of getting several gifts from all of our aunts and uncles, each cousin would pick the name of another cousin to get one gift for, Secret Santa style. And while we did this, all the aunts and uncles would participate in a $30 Yankee Swap (aka White Elephant, aka Dirty Santa).

Five years ago, my sister was several months pregnant on Christmas Eve. She had bought a thoughtful gift for the cousin she'd picked in Secret Santa and was hopeful that the gift she would receive would be nice as well. Well, unfortunately, the cousin who picked her skipped out on the Christmas Eve party that year and Lauren was left without a gift. And because of her raging pregnancy hormones, she ended up on the stairs, in the corner of the house, crying because she felt forgotten and unloved.

My mom had an extra gift for the Yankee Swap, so she encouraged Lauren to participate with the aunts and uncles, to make up for her lack of gift. This cheered her up a bit. Then, my Uncle Bobby popped in, showed her the wrapped gift he had brought for the Yankee Swap, and told her she had to choose this gift, as it was the gift she deserved to have this Christmas.

When her turn came along in the Swap, she grabbed the gift my uncle had encouraged her to take, opened it, and to her great surprise, she found herself holding a framed picture of him. All the aunts, uncles, and cousins looking on were confused but also in hysterics over his silly gift. Lauren was also a bit confused, but she did as he said and held onto the gift for the rest of the game (though this didn't prove to be a very difficult task, as no one was interested in a framed picture of my goofy Uncle Bobby). It wasn't until the end of the Swap that my uncle revealed why the gift was perfect for her; he told her to take the back off of the frame and behind is she found a $100 bill folded inside. She was instantly in a much better mood.

Uncle Bobby struck again another Christmas Eve when he told my cousin, Nate, his son, to eat the big glob of green stuff off the sushi platter because it was a delicious treat. Ouch! His mouth was on fire for at least an hour. And we were all in stitches again. What a jokester, that Uncle Bobby.

Once our party wrapped up and the relatives headed home, we'd usually get a gift from our parents, Christmas jammies, to be worn to bed that night. We'd also put out a plate of cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer before heading to bed, which would always have big bites taken out of them by morning.

By 7am, we would all be awake and ready to greet Christmas morning by opening gifts under our tree. Though, not so fast, kids! My parents had a bit of a routine before we were allowed to go downstairs and see the tree and gifts in all their glory.

First, Dad had to go downstairs and put on a Christmas CD and set up that clunky, old video recorder. Then Mom would go downstairs next to make herself a cup of tea and get the camera ready for pictures, pictures, pictures! Meanwhile, us four kids would sit on the top stair together and wait for what felt like foreverrrrr for the parents to come back and take our pictures. And when they did, pictures upon pictures ensued. When Mom felt like she had taken enough, we were finally allowed to walk through the kitchen and into the family room, where Santa had left all of us good kids lots and lots of lovely presents. With happy hearts, we'd all find our spots on the floor near the tree and start picking out presents for unwrapping. Oh, and then Mom would take more pictures.

Stair picture #1 - Me, brother Jeff, and sister Lauren with sleepy faces on
Christmas morn' 2006. Camera shy: brother Matt.

Stair picture #2 - Steph & Jeff on Christmas 2009. We were the only two
"kids" who spent the night at the house, so we were the only two featured
in the stair pictures that year. 

Dad next to his not-so-clunky video camera (the cameras got smaller as
technology advanced over the years) and my brother Matt.

Santa gift unwrapping was always a blast -- one gift at a time so we could each be a part of the joy of each others' gifts. Then, we'd get to dive into the little gifts in our stockings. And finally, we'd exchange gifts from each other. We'd spend the next hour playing with our new toys and enjoying cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then we'd scurry to get ready and out the door for Mass. And after Mass, we'd usually head home and pop in one of the DVDs we'd gotten as a gift and all lounge on the couch and just enjoy the free time together.

This Christmas, I won't be experiencing the usual holiday fun with my fam, as it's John's family's turn to have us this year. I'm a little bummed that I won't get to be a part of Uncle Bobby's crazy antics, or the million pictures on the stairs on Christmas morning, but I'm excited to experience a new set of Christmas traditions. Ya see, I've never been with John's family on Christmas, so it'll be a fun and different experience for me. I'm hoping I can pick up a few of their traditions so that we can blend them with mine for our own little family some day. John claims his family doesn't really have any special traditions, aside from vacationing in Florida with relatives and friends for the week of Christmas, which they don't do anymore. We'll see about that, though. I'm sure there'll be something special about it. Something special worth sharing with our kids someday. :)

How about you? What are your favorite family Christmastime traditions?