A lot of Catching-up to do!

It's hard for me to believe that its been almost a month since I've written a post. I guess that's a little indication of how busy the holidays were. So, this post is just to catch up on what has been happening around our home.

CHRISTMAS

This Christmas was more wonderful than I ever could have imagined. Dawson was an absolute blast. Sammy the elf (the elf on the shelf) added so much anticipation to our home throughout the month of December. Dawson spoke with him on a regular basis, telling him how good he had been. He never failed to add that he surely deserved more toys than Lane because he is such a big helper, Lane isn't always nice to Audrey, Lane kicks, Lane doesn't love Mommy and Daddy as much as I do...you get the picture. Lane on the other hand was exhausted after opening gifts at our house Christmas morning. I think he would've been content to have stayed home in his pj's before heading out to all our other family get-togethers. Audrey just slept and smiled through Christmas. I think she put on some holiday weight, as she now weighs in the upper 15 lb region. Amazing, who would ever belief this little one was a preemie. I surely could not leave out Olivia. I had peace in my heart this Christmas when I thought about what Christmas in heaven might be like for her. As much as I want her here with me, can you imagine what she saw this Christmas.

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

We received great news recently and now that our entire family knows I think I can finally post it on my blog! I'm going to be an aunt! My brother, Lee and Tara are having a baby! I just can't tell you enough how excited I am about this. Being a parent is one of lifes greatest rewards. There is no doubt in my mind that Lee and Tara will be excellent parents. Congrats, again! Oh, and I'm serious, Tara, when I say "get Shawna's secrets on how she gets her girls to be so excited about bedtime!"

NEW YEARS

We rang in 2009 in the comfort of our living room, you know we just don't get out much these days. Funny thing is there's no place I would've rather been. A little Coccia House Pizza, some great appetizers and even greater guests (Mom, Dad, Lee, Tara and Kendra) made the night perfect. As much as I have looked forward to a new year, it was also hard to let go of a year that has been so momentous in my life. It's one more time I had to say good-bye. Good-bye to the year that started with one surprise that led to many others. A year of ups and downs. A year full of hope. A year of heartache. A year that I witnessed a miracle. A faith-strengthening year. A year that has redefined who I am.

waiting for the ball to drop

HI-HO, HI-HO

It's back to work I go. Life is flying by at record speed now that I'm back to work. It was hard to go back for the obvious reasons...I miss my kids and there is just never enough time for family. Our weeknights seem non-existent. I honestly feel like we just move on from one task to the next...dinner ready, dinner cleaned up, bath time, bed time. I live for weekend time with my kiddos! Long Saturdays spent in our PJ's just hanging out is about as good as it gets. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job. The best part of being back to work is seeing friends on a daily basis. It's really nice to have some adult conversation, funny thing is the majority of our conversations are about our kids. You know, the typical-is this normal for a 20 month old? Is your four year old fascinated with body parts and the noise they can make, or is that just a boy thing? So, although going back to work was difficult, it has gone far better than what I ever could've imagined. I'm working hard to get back in the groove.

NEONATAL FOLLOW-UP CLINIC

not so preemie

Evidently preemie's that come back for the neonatal follow-up clinic at Aultman don't typically weigh 15 lbs at 5 1/2 months (3 months corrected age). Remember, she only weighed 2 lbs 14 1/2 oz at birth. My little lady is a chunk, correction CHUNK. I'm telling you, you would never know Audrey was a preemie. Maybe her weight has something to do with her three night time feedings....eek! Any advice here would be greatly appreciated. You can imagine being back at work and still getting up for three feedings a night! It's exhausting, yet I know it is also short lived and how quickly we forget these exhausting times. So, as far as being healthy is concerned Audrey looks great! She's eating well, gaining well and is a healthy little one. The only area of concern is her extension. Which basically means she has a really straight back and she really enjoys her arms just kind of hanging out. The reason for this is that she wasn't in the womb long enough to be in the fetal position. Therefore, she never had to be curled up with her arms and legs in tight. This is the exact reason for the extension, she likes to sit straight up. I guess a plus would be that she has great posture. The neonatalogist has referred Audrey to a Physical Therapist for therapy once a week. Audrey will return to the follow-up clinic shortly after her first birthday. Amazing how time flies, her first birthday will be here before we know it! Did I mention....Audrey rolled over on January 20! It may have been a fluke, because it hasn't happened since. I have plenty of footage after her first roll, she tried really hard but couldn't quite stick it again. This is one of those times I wish God would tap me on the shoulder..."Kodak moment about to happen" How I'd love to have all those little firsts on film.

A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING

The most recent adventure for our family was our weekend trip to Chicago for Aaron and Stephanie's wedding. A little side note: Aaron is my cousin and we go way back to the days of playing dress-up. Kendra and I would put on any fancy clothes we could find in Grandma's stash and Aaron never failed to be his usual used book salesman with an aweful hat. I can't make this stuff up, we were young and he actually came up with that as his occupation. Makes me laugh just thinking about it. Back to the wedding-this was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to. Let me tell you, everything was gorgeous from the bride to the beautiful cake my grandma made for them. The most beautiful aspect of the wedding was definitely the couple. Aaron and Stephanie just lit up the room, sure they looked gorgeous, but it was more than that. It was seeing how much fun they were having and the way they looked at each other. I don't know if you could find a more suited couple. Dawson and Lane were ring bearers and from the beginning we weren't sure how that was going to work out. I envisioned Lane darting out of the church or down the aisle. He's a wild man at 20 months and can't seemed to be tamed at the moment. Rehearsal didn't go so well, yet that was after an 8 hour drive to Chicago. I knew I didn't have to worry about Dawson, he took this mission seriously. Somehow by the grace of God, Lane and Dawson made it down the aisle. I knew Kevin would have to take Lane out of the church, there was no way he was going to make it through (the wedding was scheduled at nap time, yikes!) After a beautiful wedding and photos with the smallest ringbearer exiting at each flash of the camera we headed to River East Art Center for an amazing reception. It was here that we realized how smitten Dawson was with Stephanie. He was really enjoying everything about the wedding, so I guess that's when he decided to ask Kendra to marry him. Aww, so cute. Then he asked her if she would change her name to Stephanie. Oh, my goodness! He's only four-this boy has some lessons to learn about ladies! Dawson openned up the evening on the dance floor to the small orchestra that was playing. He was tuckered out by the time the bands started and that was when Lane got his second wind. I couldn't believe the boy was still standing, much less dancing with the bridesmaids and Soleil, his adorable little cousin. As much as Kevin and I would have loved to stay and close the reception, we headed back on the first shuttle to the Sheridan to get our kiddos to bed. What a night! Congrats, again Aaron and Stephanie! We are so excited to have Stephanie join our family-she is so much fun and beautiful inside and out. We cannot wait to see Aaron and Stephanie again to hear stories of their African Adventures and just to spend time with them.

Exhibit A-in the photo

Exhibit B-Exiting the photo

Love Struck Dawson and Stephanie

I think that sums up all you've missed in a nutshell. It's now 5:45 am on Friday morning and my baby girl has graced me with her presence since 5:15. She must have known how much I've been wanting to update our blog, huh. It's now time to get ready for work! Many hugs to each of you. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that your New Year has started off well! My goal is to post on Thursdays, so feel free to check back! I'm sure we'll have many tales to share.

Love,

Jenn