The Night Before Christmas... 2013

The night before Christmas came on a Tuesday this year. The husband was officially off work, the presents were wrapped, and our home was filled with holiday spirit. Little babe hadn't been sleeping too well as of late, which made for a bit of an early morning. Sadly my days old cough and sore throat had become a bit worse and knowing that I would be loving on my two (almost three) month old pretty much at all times had me worried. So on Christmas Eve morning, I quickly got ready and was at Carenow upon its opening at 8AM. When I arrived, so many people filled the chairs in the waiting room. It was actually kind of sad to think that these people were sick this Christmas. I checked in and after being told there would be a 2-3 hour wait, I decided to spend my Christmas Eve wait time at home. That morning, we decided to watch a favorite Christmas Classic, Diehard. I still haven't wrapped my brain around the fact that Diehard is considered a Christmas movie, but it was good regardless. I got the call a bit before its ending and made my way back to Carenow. It was quickly confirmed that it was NOT strep (thank goodness) and I made my way back home. As a new mommy you can't be too careful.

That afternoon Ray and I decided to go Christmas PJ shopping. But first we made a stop at The Shops in Allen for lunch. We chose a Zellner favorite, Freebirds. These two pictures were a couple I took while Ray got mommy and daddy's food. Baby girl was a bit tired. The paci helped. (She will occasionally take the paci, but doesn't prefer it anymore.) But I love these peek-a-boo pictures from under the blanket. Too cute!

 

After lunch and a quick trip to Old Navy and Target for PJs, we realized that we would not be making our 4PM Christmas Eve Service. We decided to attend the 6PM service instead and hope for the best as little miss usually has her fussy time around then. Don't you just love her outfit? Sadly the little outfit that we had purchased was a bit small for our ever growing lady and this 3-6 month outfit that was purchased by my previous team leader was adorable and fit like a charm.

 A True Holy Night

I have to say she did so well. She did get a bit hungry at the beginning of service which we quickly fixed with a bottle. We kept her out of her carrier so she could see. She really did seem to enjoy the music and lights. She only fussed a few small times but did great! The service was wonderful of course. I am so thankful we were able to share it with her. 

After the service and a quick change into her pjs, we made our way to Starbucks for a hot drink and drove to Deerfield for a night of Christmas lights. This will have been our second or third year in Deerfield. The lights and decorations are absolutely beautiful. The streets were packed. Family members were standing outside of their houses passing out candy canes in 40 degree weather. It was perfect! I can't wait until Aubrey's old enough to remember these sweet traditions, but oh how I loved this sweet night of lights.

After a few hours at Deerfield, we made our way home. Ray wanted to give me a present to open on Christmas Eve. Now typically I'm not a person who opens a gift unless it's pjs, a movie, or something small... but this was one gift Ray said I wouldn't want to miss.

Ray gave me a tripod and camera remote so that we can have pictures that are not selfies. He was right. I loved it and am so glad I opened it up. So of course I had to play with my new toy while we finished our Christmas Eve night.

After taking several family pictures and playing with my new present, we read Goodnight Baby Jesus. It was a special way to end our night. This year has truly been an absolute blessing and I couldn't be more thankful for this little growing family. In the morning, we would celebrate our first Christmas of three!

 ...Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!