It don't snow here, it stays pretty green

Did you survive? I did. I had to spend all of Saturday in my pajamas drinking tea and Robitussin to regain the voice I lost as soon as the guests left my Christmas party, but I was in decent form for Christmas Eve at Grandma's and Christmas Day with the respective parents.

We were supposed to pick up my mom and dad at the airport Sunday afternoon, but five minutes before we were planning to leave, my sister called to tell us they were in Newark (Newark!?) and wouldn't be arriving until ten o'clock that night. They were supposed to be on a straight flight from Amsterdam, so all day I was fussing and fretting and hoping to God that my mother took the Valium I insisted she acquire before stepping onto an airplane. Turns out their first flight from Venice to Amsterdam was cancelled and my dad had to stand in line for four hours to get rebooked to Paris of all places (and I use the term 'line' loosely, as Europeans have absolutely no concept of lining up and waiting their turn, and one must use the full force of one's steel enforced suitcase to ward off the cantankerous old ladies who think they should be helped before you. Have you tried to receive communion in an Italian church? TOTAL CHAOS.)

So we had the giant present-opening extravaganza at Grandma's on Christmas Eve, brunch and present-opening at my parents' new house on Christmas Day and rib roast and present-opening at Phillip's folks' house that night. Then we crawled home, where we thought we should invite our orphaned neighbors over for hot chocolate and present-opening-debriefing before Christmas was totally over and done with. You'd think we'd have a mile-high mountain of presents stacked in our living room, but it turns out that when you are expecting a baby, you no longer receive gifts for yourself. Instead the baby's room is stacked with onesies and shoes and blankets and handmade sleep sacks and my sisters saw fit to give my husband a frigging Diaper Genie for Christmas. Hardy har har.

Oh wait. This post cannot be published without fervent and undying praise for my sister-in-law, who sent me a giant box of brand new Gap maternity clothes, all of which are super cute and, most importantly, FIT ME. We are now changing the name of this website to: Daily Adorations To C, My Sainted Sister-In-Law.

Anyway, I am now ready for spring. Aren't you? We've passed the Winter Solstice, bring on the daylight! Last night my dad and I were sitting at the train station in the rain, waiting for Phillip's commuter train to arrive, and he said, "I don't know about this weather, Mag. I don't think I can live here." And I said, "Not scoffing at my lightbox idea anymore, are we?"

It was fun to be pregnant at Christmastime. I've heard a lot of women say that they just love (or hate) being pregnant, but I haven't really thought about it that much. I mean, as in a present state of being. If that makes sense. Which it doesn't, I know. I guess I just tend to think about the baby, or what we need to do, or what bizarre things are happening to my body. Maybe I just haven't spent much time deciding if I love it or hate it. But probably my favorite thing about being pregnant so far (besides feeling the baby, which is an exceedingly strange, but strangely delightful sensation) was being prayed for at Mass Sunday morning. Father asked all the expecting parents to sit down for a special blessing. I was looking forward to it. I've been there to pray for lots of expecting couples and I loved loved loved that it was our turn. We happened to be sitting in the middle of a bunch of older couples, people who have college-aged, or almost college-aged kids. We see these people every Sunday, but we don't often speak to them or acknowledge them, other than to shake their hands during the kiss of peace. But we know they're there and I'm sure they know we're there and when we sat down for our blessing, they all converged on us with huge smiles and congratulations and hand squeezes and whispered excitement and it was so wonderful. I felt so lucky, to be able to have that, you know? It was a blessing in itself.

Although right now I am crampy and wearing uncomfortable pants, even though they are pants from one year ago aka my Fat Pants, and I don't think I ate enough breakfast and I think I'm breaking out again and I've got five months to go. Yippee.

I hope you all had lovely Christmases, with decent weather and cheery family and lots of good loot. And I will leave you with a picture of the Sainted Grandchild and his Christmas present, new baby Max. All together now: AWWWW.

Comments

[Christina/Mrs Broccoli Guy]

Hey, we do have snow here today! Okay, it's 3 days late but I'm still amazed.

And yeah, I'm ready for the sunshine and flowers to come back now too. :-)

[Melissa]

I haven't forgotten you, but I have been busy my fellow Washingtonian. I love the praying for expectant people thing at your church....very cool. It IS nice to be the one recognized.

How was your Christmas? Hope you're doing well!

I started a blog today out of boredom...if you need help falling asleep, come visit me.

thesearchforsignificance.blogspot.com

[jackie]

I have no comments, other than to say I love your song reference title :)

And lucky you, it seems that pregnancy has not erased your entire sense of the English language, like it has mine.