A Christmas Break Recap

John's parents came up to visit for a few days in order to celebrate Christmas and Brennan's birthday. It was nice they got to experience a white Christmas this year--not a common sight in Richmond! The downside to the last few days was that I got hit with a nasty cold turned sinus infection that knocked me out flat for several days. Being pregnant, there's not much I can take to get over it, but I think time has helped and things appear to be on the mend now.

Checking out his stocking on Christmas morning. He was a busy little guy with all his presents!

He loved stacking the containers of Play-Dough and then was thrilled when we got it out after his nap on Christmas Day.

One morning was perfect for a visit to the Children's Museum. John took Brennan and his parents there for some fun indoor playtime. The only other time we've been there was a night when admission was only $1, so the place was jammed. This time it was far less crowded and offered a better chance to really explore and enjoy what the museum had to offer.

The water play station was tons of fun!

On Brennan's birthday evening, we bundled up and visited the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens for their GardenFest of Lights. We all loved getting to see model trains and many, many lights. Brennan loved getting to go through a couple light mazes in the children's section.

The peacock was pretty impressive!

A blessed holiday season from our family to yours!

2 Years Old!

It's hard to believe that Brennan turns 2 years old today! Our boy is getting so big and we marvel every day at how he's grown and how much he learns. He's such a joy; we can't imagine life without Brennan! Check out his life in pictures on this slideshow I created. Enjoy!

Mother and son


The cake was a big hit! (And a bit less messy than last year)

Not-Yet-Winter Wonderland

It started coming down around dinnertime last night and kept going all night long. We woke up this morning to a little over a foot of heavy, dense snow.

Our power had gone out just before 8 and finally came back on just past 6 this morning, so the chilly house contributed to the whole "winter wonderland" feel. The only thing is, it's not yet winter.

Kind of odd that our two blizzards in Richmond (yes, this qualifies as a blizzard in these parts) have come on March 1st (late in Winter) and December 18-19th (not yet Winter). We're not complaining though -- we'll take it when we can get it!

Yesterday, in preparation for the storm, Richmonders went crazy and raided the hardware stores (buying out all the snow shovels and rock salt in town) and grocery stores (canned goods, bottled water). We made do this morning with a rake, spade, broom and seed scatterer (worked nicely as a little shovel -- MacGyver would be proud).

Here are some pics of the beauty and fun...

Proof: over 12 inches ... and counting

Who needs a snow shovel when you have a sturdy rake!
(Check out that snow drift too -- it's up to Brennan's chest).

Look, a snow angel!

Brennan takes careful steps to avoid getting snow up his pants! (It's a lost cause, son)

Our snowman, who looks more like a snowwoman in a ball gown.

Always on the lookout for a good deal

You have to start early teaching kids
to be thrifty and save money!

Jingle Jam

Our church hosted an event called "Jingle Jam" yesterday afternoon. Having missed it last year, we ventured out this year with Brennan since we figured he would enjoy it a bit more. He loved getting to eat popcorn and checking out the gigantic inflatable figures displayed all over. He wanted to keep hugging them and then moving them around because they were so lightweight! He also got to make a jingle bell necklace and stick a nose on Rudolph. We unfortunately had to leave before the bulk of the program started, but it was for a good cause...a friend came over to babysit so John and I could have a date night!

The inflatables were a huge hit!

Choosing his bells for his jingle bell necklace.

Getting the finished product tied around his neck. He loves his bells!

More D2 Pics

When we had our ultrasound on Wednesday, the tech was a little concerned when some measurements for his nuchal fold at the back of the neck measured slightly thicker from some angles (which is a soft marker for Down's syndrome). We were immediately referred to a specialist. Overall, we were not too worried. All my other blood work had come back with VERY low risk for any sort of birth defects and everything else on the ultrasound (and my previous ultrasounds) showed a very healthy, normal little boy. So, while there was some concern, we were just excited to see our new little man again.

Friday was our appointment. When the doctor looked at the images taken on Wednesday, she began to suspect it was the baby's head position that created a thicker fold at the back of his neck. And, sure enough, the ultrasound confirmed that. Everything is perfect and normal with no further tests or meetings with a specialist needed.

It was such a relief! Especially having been down a similar road with Brennan (who was diagnosed with a choroid plexus cyst at his big ultrasound, resulting in a referral to a specialist) but that ended happily as well. Since we've now been referred to a specialist for both boys, if we have a third baby, we're just going to go into the ultrasound expecting to be referred and hopefully be pleasantly surprised if we are not! It just might be easier that way...

But, we were super excited to see our little man again--who still was modestly crossing his legs, but did uncross them long enough to get further confirmation that he is indeed a little man! We got to see all his organs again, his spine, his brain, the blood pumping in his heart and umbilical cord. We even got to see him moving around and then cover up his eyes like he was playing peekaboo!

The little man in profile, with his little hand up by his face.

A perfect shot of his leg.

Manville, population 3

We had another ultrasound this morning and got the word that D2 is a little "he"! D2 wasn't quite as immodest as Brennan was, but once the ultrasound tech convinced him to uncross his little legs, the confirmation was there. Brennan's response when told he was going to have a little brother: "uh-oh!" An auspicious beginning to the sibling relationship!

We are very excited for the news, as it means reusing lots of clothes and toys that are still in great shape (and super cute -- the clothes that is). Not to be all bottom-line about it, but that was a factor in what we were hoping for!

We have to guard against expectations that D2 will be "Brennan 2.0" -- just like his older brother in every way. No, he may be a boy, but he'll be his own man. We know a bit about what to expect and are better prepared than we'd have been if a little girl were in our future.

Now we just have to pick a name...

Balance

Two hats are always better than one!

He did the tower all by himself!

Homemade

With John being home in the evenings now, we've really enjoyed getting to have a family devotion time before Brennan goes to bed. We have been using Scriptures from the Bible study that John's a part of, but with Advent here, we have started using passages from our homemade Advent calendar. Now that Brennan is a little more aware of Christmas, it is our deep desire to teach him the true meaning of Christmas, especially since we all get assaulted by the commercialism of the season pretty much everywhere! It was actually a lot of fun for us to dig through our Bibles and find passages we wanted to include in our calendar that would teach about Christ and His birth. Our first night using the calendar was last night, and it's definitely a time we are looking forward to...especially as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus' birthday!