This is our annual Christmas letter, penned by yours truly. It wasn't until I was at Kinko's and the copy machine had spit out about 65 of 68 copies that I realized this wasn't even the final draft I wrote. Oh well.
December 2010
Merry Christmas to our friends and family,
It’s always at various and random times during the year we’ll have experiences that cause me reflect on them as jewels to include in our annual Christmas letter. Then I actually sit down to write the letter with the intention of squeezing in a year’s worth of new thoughts we’ve had and things we’ve done and I can’t seem to recall with clarity what I really, truly want to include. It never seems to convey how we’ve developed as people- shouldn’t we mention something that we haven’t posted on Facebook? A Christmas letter shouldn’t be a laundry list of the jobs we’ve worked, trips we’ve gone on, or our newest little hobbies. Especially now, as we prepare to expand our family of two to three, our Christmas letter should reflect what we’ve learned as well as to what we’re looking forward.
We are expecting our first baby around May 14th! We learned we were expecting on September 27th, when I was 8 weeks along, and as I write this I will be 18 weeks tomorrow. They tell me the 2nd trimester is the “cute” stage of pregnancy because you’re sporting a little basketball-sized bump and you don’t need to waddle when you walk (yet). I never thought I would anticipate so much my tummy getting bigger. You may have heard by now that we are not going to find out the sex when we go in for a sonogram later on this month. And to top that, we’re not sharing the names we’ve picked until baby arrives. We’ve received some surprised reactions from many, but we figure that there’s no better surprise than baby telling us for themselves on their birthday and then announcing their name to everyone.
As I think of the arrival of our first child a short 4 ½ months away (!) , I think of how my time is really no longer my own. Actually, since we got married 3 ½ years ago, we’ve both realized this more and more. Our time, not to mention our hopes and dreams, revolve around each other and they will certainly around our new addition. Parents chuckle when I tell them we are expecting our first, “You don’t even know how your world will change.” I politely smile and think how God really is giving me a taste of my own medicine. We don’t have any friends or family nearby who are currently pregnant or have children of their own (except for my parents). I’ve always favored figuring things out on my own as opposed to someone showing me a step by step example (there’s so much more gratification) and now I really get to figure things out independently.
As I progress in my pregnancy, questions arise in regards to my work as a Nursing Assistant at ManorCare, a geriatric facility where I’ve worked for the past 2 years. I can’t do the heavy lifting and frequent bending my job requires past 20 weeks. I am working with ManorCare to find some lighter duty tasks to see me through the rest of my pregnancy, but so far, my employer has been coy in giving me a straightforward response. Joe reminds me that God has always provided for us throughout our life together, often times in unforeseeable ways.
Speaking of providing, Joe has been a wonderful provider for our family and a good steward of the income he earns as secondary choral teacher for the Steilacoom School District. This is his third year in the district and his first teaching at both the middle school and high school. He eats his lunch on the road between the middle school in DuPont and the high school in Steilacoom and is steadily growing tired of ham sandwiches. He shares his victories of the kids finally matching pitch and his struggles in teaching 15 year old girls how to sing like women. He earns a little extra on the side teaching beginning guitar and piano lessons after school. His approach to fatherhood is blossoming. He dutifully reads his wife’s copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting before bed many nights. Although there is a small section of the book just for fathers, I really think a book should be written entitled, What a Husband Should Expect When His Wife is Expecting. Joe relishes the thought of holding a tiny baby but had to work harder to stay interested when registering for baby things. He mentions to me how we feel as though we are outgrowing our transitory 20’s, yet still feels somewhat impermanent because we have not yet bought a house complete with a hefty mortgage.
Our dream of being homeowners is a goal we hope to accomplish in our 30’s along with getting me through nursing school and established in my field. In the meantime, we have to be patient. As time and money allow, I am fulfilling my prereqs for nursing school one class at a time and, if I’m not careful, I just might have enough to apply for nursing school. I am taking the spring and summer quarters off from school to be a mom and will start back up in fall 2011.
We hope that this letter finds you well, not stressed by the short days and long Christmas preparations, and looking forward to God’s blessings in 2011.
Blessings,
Joe & Katy
Leo & Millie
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