Originally from December 2007
Greetings! This year was an interesting one for us as first time parents. We welcomed our baby girl Emily into our family last year, five days after Christmas. I naively thought motherhood would come naturally to me since I worked with children. Nothing could have been further from the truth. There is nothing natural about parenting. All the same, being a parent is more than profound, far more amazing and life-changing than I thought possible. Kimmi says mothers walk around with invisible umbilical cords attaching them to their children. It doesn’t surprise me. Greg and I love Emily so much it hurts.
Emily is the apple of our eyes. At eleven months she has seven teeth, white-blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes with little flecks of gold, just like her mama. The eyes, not lack of teeth. Her favorite things include singing “Ba-ba” over and over again as we sing Ba Ba Black Sheep, closing her bedroom door, wrestling with daddy, and racing through Grandma and Grandpa’s circular floor plan in a bright pink umbrella stroller pushed by cousins Brad, Margaux and Greta. Chewing on her hairbrush also makes the list of Baby Emily’s favorites. She’s a mover and shaker, no doubt about it. Emily’s name means industrious. And she is. She will only sit for two-seconds at a time unless a bottle or Eric Carle’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear is involved. It seems the only cuddle time we get happens with the bottle is present. Poor Emily will be at least five before we wean her.
When he isn’t wrestling with his little girl, Greg is busy working for the best employers in town: His dad and Uncle Keith. Greg keeps busy working on who-knows-what, metal projects of all shapes and sizes for companies in the pacific northwest. He is involved with a group from church, mostly guys from our Young Marrieds class. He’s also helping Jim and Eli remodel their home in Edmonds.
It’s been almost an entire year since I quit my teaching job. I missed teaching at first, but not anymore. I loved being a preschool and kindergarten teacher but it doesn’t compare with the wonders that come with discovering the world through my own child’s eyes. I thought I’d get bored at home, but I realize I’m working harder than I’ve ever worked before. You were right, Julea. Staying home has given me opportunities to get plugged into MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), nursery, and a Thursday morning Bible Study at church. I’m learning about God and how he loves me in new ways. I was water baptized in October.
This has truly been an exciting year for us as a family of three. In September we took Emily to Tennessee to meet her Uncle Ben, Auntie Jen, Uncle Marty and cousin Isaac for the first time at Ben and Jennifer’s wedding. My parents and Uncle Scotty were there too. We had a fabulous time with family. And one really interesting night driving through the streets of Tennessee in an attempt to get Emily to sleep in the car. We finally gave up around 2:30 in the morning and went back to the hotel, vowing never again to vacation with a baby. We broke our promise and recently booked a trip with Nana and Grandpa Dave for Hawaii in February. I think we were sidetracked by the remote possibility of a date night in the tropics. We’ll see how it goes. Wish us luck.
We hope this year has been a year of hope and joy for you and your family. As we hold tight to our baby (when she’ll let us), our thoughts turn to another child. We reflect on the grace of Father God, amazed that his love compelled him to send his most precious son over two thousand years ago, love that reaches down still, to save lives and bless the broken-hearted. Our prayer for you this Christmas is for you to truly experience the love of Emmanuel, God with us.
