I learned two things about pregnancy during Thanksgiving.
The Pro: you're wearing pants with a stretchy waist and you're sharing calories with a baby. Need I say more?
The Con: you can't drink. Let's face it, booze makes surfacey chit chat more enjoyable. If you disagree, lay off the wine for a holiday and get back to me.
I am a lover of the holidays. But do you want to know my honest opinion? They go downhill after you grow up. You juggle seeing two families. Which usually feels more like a chore than a treat. Especially if your families don't even talk to each other. Buying people gifts stops being fun and becomes more of a checklist. Everyone on your list already has everything or you don't know them well enough to think of something they would like. You have certain people you see that you have no clue what to talk about with them. And you're just longing for the days you played outside with your cousins, got to eat at the kids table or even better, you believed in Santa.
One of my all time favorite Thanksgivings was Thanksgiving 2009. It was my mom, dad, brother, sister, Aunt Mary, Brian and I. As a group we voted for loungewear being the dress code. My aunt brought her dog, we brought Winnie - and there was a dog play fest in the back yard. We had the tv on all day from the parade to the dog show to football. We lounged around in our comfy attire, no forced conversations necessary. Great food, awesome company - no need for anything else.
That Thanksgiving is my inspiration for our immediate family holidays with Hartley. The theme will truly be "comfort and joy". I want her to always have soft snugly pajamas. Even when she's 18, 19, 20 and home for Winter Break, she can still curl up with mama. I want there to be festive breakfasts, tv and movie traditions and hot cocoa (which will transition to spiked eggnog or wine when she's old enough). There will be drives around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. It will be a time to relax, unwind and be happy just to be around each other. I am really looking forward to having a little one around because I feel like we'll get to relive the magic that the holidays should be.
Brian and I started prepping for Christmas full speed ahead this weekend. We bought our tree, decorated it, along with the rest of the inside of the house. Sidenote: our tree is insanely lopesided. I laughed so hard I was pretty sure Hartley felt those belly laughs, and it was by a sheer miracle I didnt pee in my pants. Brian hung lights outside while I froze my butt off giving moral support with Winnie. I addressed all our Christmas cards. We did a little shopping, and I wrapped the presents we've bought so far. We watched our first Christmas movie together, Fred Claus, which Brian loves. We listened to Christmas music and lived in our pajamas. It was pretty awesome. I seriously can't wait for Hartley to share in the Crane kickoff to Christmas weekend we always do post Turkey Day.
Meanwhile, we're really realizing how soon the little one will get here. I decided to keep a countdown on our little chalkboard. There's a lot to do but pretty much everything will be done within a month of today, January 2nd deadline. Though I'm sure we'll have a few last minute to do's that don't make that cut. I have a feeling she's going to be late but we're going to be ready come mid January as January 16th is the day she's considered FULL TERM!!
The next couple weeks consist of the baby shower, baptism class, childbirth classes and childcare class. That knocks out a big chunk of things left. There's finding a pediatrician, laundering all her things, buying essentials that are not gifted to us at the shower, assembling things (ie baby swing, pack n play), installing the car seat, eventually packing the hospital bag (eeeek). We need to clean the house, a good deep clean, as I'm sure we'll be having some visitors in a couple months, and I will still be in survival mode not caring about scrubbing my toilets. We're going to research and attempt making some freezer meals. Oh you want to know the plus of trying to conceive for so long? I've read every last minute checklist ever written, so my list is the granddaddy of all lists.
Brian is excited. I am excited but nervous.
I'm glad we're counting down to Christmas as a distraction. But I can't lie, I mainly just have Hartley on the brain lately. I think we both do. Brian ordered our 2013 ornament, featuring who else but little H! Yes, my husband went on to etsy (unprovoked) and ordered an ornament of a brown haired man and a pregnant blonde lady holding an ultrasound photo, where the creator will use an actual Hartley ultrasound.
So, Christmas season + baby being just a hair over 2 months away = excitement/nervousness/jitters/bliss/butterflies/sleepless nights
Here we go, last holiday season without our daughter. End of an era.
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