I have been really blessed this holiday season, and I feel a need to acknowledge such blessings.
First, and obviously, our little Coraline arrived healthy and with much more ease than previous labors. Second, Reid and Nell have been getting along really well. They truly are best friends and I love watching them interact.* Third, it was so wonderful to have my parents with us. We were pretty boring during their stay, but just hanging out in my home with them was a special holiday gift. Finally, Ben was able to take four weeks off from work. Yes, four weeks! Almost one week of that is holiday time he would have had off anyway, but we are now on the beginning of week four of his paternity leave and I'm feeling really spoiled. He has stayed up with Coraline each night until at least midnight, and one night he even stayed up until 4am. He has played and played and played with the kids. And he has deep cleaned the randomest things without any prompting (the blinds, the microwave panels, toilets, shower heads and more).
It is negative four degrees outside and he is shoveling our driveway right this moment. Our furnace stopped working this morning and our house is currently at 59 degrees. Nell's snuggled up in her bed while Reid, Coraline and I are buried under a blanket on the couch (Coraline has a winter hat on, fleece jammies, and a fleece swaddle as well). Even in this bitter cold, I feel so blessed.
*With all the excitement o Christmas presents we let them each set limits about the other one playing with their new toys, and Reid quickly found he didn't want Nell near a couple of his new things (kinetic sand and bruder crane truck). He played with those toys pretty steadily Christmas day and poor Nell was in shambles. Around dinner time she just started crying "I want to play with Reido." It was clear she didn't care what they played together, she just wanted to play with him. So we made a new rule, he still didn't have to let her play with his special new toys, but he had to take a break from them and find something he could play with Nell. She was thrilled and things have been peaceful and smooth since them.
First, and obviously, our little Coraline arrived healthy and with much more ease than previous labors. Second, Reid and Nell have been getting along really well. They truly are best friends and I love watching them interact.* Third, it was so wonderful to have my parents with us. We were pretty boring during their stay, but just hanging out in my home with them was a special holiday gift. Finally, Ben was able to take four weeks off from work. Yes, four weeks! Almost one week of that is holiday time he would have had off anyway, but we are now on the beginning of week four of his paternity leave and I'm feeling really spoiled. He has stayed up with Coraline each night until at least midnight, and one night he even stayed up until 4am. He has played and played and played with the kids. And he has deep cleaned the randomest things without any prompting (the blinds, the microwave panels, toilets, shower heads and more).
It is negative four degrees outside and he is shoveling our driveway right this moment. Our furnace stopped working this morning and our house is currently at 59 degrees. Nell's snuggled up in her bed while Reid, Coraline and I are buried under a blanket on the couch (Coraline has a winter hat on, fleece jammies, and a fleece swaddle as well). Even in this bitter cold, I feel so blessed.
*With all the excitement o Christmas presents we let them each set limits about the other one playing with their new toys, and Reid quickly found he didn't want Nell near a couple of his new things (kinetic sand and bruder crane truck). He played with those toys pretty steadily Christmas day and poor Nell was in shambles. Around dinner time she just started crying "I want to play with Reido." It was clear she didn't care what they played together, she just wanted to play with him. So we made a new rule, he still didn't have to let her play with his special new toys, but he had to take a break from them and find something he could play with Nell. She was thrilled and things have been peaceful and smooth since them.
2 comments:
Baby it's cold outside! So sorry you had furnace problems! Looks like everyone was kept toasty warm though. Love and miss you all!
Too funny. I thought I read your article until I read mother's comment about your furnace problems and I thought, "What?" I had to go back and read it again. I must have missed that paragraph!! I hope you got it fixed and are comfy and cozy once again.
We love and miss you so much. Mom and I were just commenting on what a wonderful time we had in WI, and how we wished you lived closer, so we could see you once a month, instead of twice a year!
Love, Pa
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