Family Christmas version 1.0

We have returned from our Christmas celebration with Ted's family. 10 adults and 6 kids under 8 years old- it was a very exciting day...

Mike, our brother-in-law, played chef all day (actually all week) and made a huge and fantastic meal for everyone. In addition to the two pans of lasagna with homemade sauce, he cooked his first standing rib roast (7 ribs total). 19 pounds of beefy fury! The rib cuts were devoured by breakfast the next day. Of course, we also had homemade cookies, sticky buns, mixed berry crumble, and a choice of two homemade dressings for the salad. If I've left any goodies out, I apologize- my brain is still in a food filled haze.

The kids had tons of fun opening presents. I believe each one was "exactly what I wanted!" Gotta love that kind of enthusiasm. We were also surprised to get a pack of adorable animal print onesies for Charlie (thanks to Bill, Jess and Gracie) and some notecards with cute little drawings of us- big preggo belly and all- from Chris, Mike, Aimee, Dee and Luke.

Now we will have our just-the-two-of-us Christmas before we get Caitlin for one more family celebration. Whew! That's a lotta Christmas!

On the baby front: Charlie is moving a lot more regularly now. He did his first Jean-Claude VanDamme move, kicking me on opposite sides of my belly at the same time, yesterday.

As a group of us were loading into the van to visit an Amish farmers' market, Dee (4), asked me why I don't have a puffy jacket like everyone else. I opened my coat a little and said, "Because I have a puffy belly instead." Chris said, "Dee, why does Aunt Ashley have a puffy belly?" and Dee quickly replied with a giggle "because she ate too much!" Funny, funny.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Slash Revealed

After a few rescheduled appointments and having to wait an extra half hour to be seen today, we finally got to see Baby again. Here are the pics of our little cutie pie... Face, Profile, and the Big Reveal

Welcome Charlie!

Total Insanity

Well, as you can see I have not posted ultrasound results. Fear not, we still expect to see the goods. But, through a series of unfortunate events, we had to reschedule the appointment for this Thursday. I promise to post as soon as I can.

On the disaster front- Ted did finally arrive safe and sound last week. Our travels were fairly uneventful. However, things on the home front were not so calm. Mom discovered 1/3 of the house flooded due to a broken water heater. A disaster team has been to the house daily to dry carpets, remove sheetrock/baseboards/vanity/etc. The plumber just left, so we finally have hot water again. Now we have to wait to hear from insurance before we replace carpet and wood floors, bathroom fixtures and doors. Kitty is pleased with the relative quiet now.

Ted has given the baby a new nickname. After discussing frustration with he/she, boy name/girl name, son/daughter, he decided to start calling the baby Slash. So, for a few more days we will be talking about Slash. Methinks this nickname might last a little longer, though.