Another picture...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so I am cheating and sharing thousands of words with you this week, without typing hardly one!

I am slowly recovering- thank you for the prayers and I will keep everyone updated as much as possible. Unfortunately, I just begin to recover from one health problem only to fall into another. Now 'tis the old back that is complaining in a big way, so an appointment with the chiro appears to be in order - SOON!!

Still, given we have had two newborns land in the NICU in the past - we feel very blessed as we would rather it be one of us suffering from health problems, than one of our little ones.

And so here is one more pic for all to enjoy - the delight on Elsa's face as she meets Cecilia for the first time!

And again - thank you for the prayers and keep them coming please, as they are still needed!

Elsa meeting Cecilia for the first time when Cecilia is about 6 hours old.
(I cropped the picture as my eyes were showing the fatigue of little to no sleep throughout the previous 48 hours... not a pretty sight to be sure!)

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Prayer request...

...from Blessed Among Men.

Suzanne over at Blessed Among Men has the flu going through her home and her newborn is only about 10 days older than our little blessing. Please pray for a speedy recovery and that Micah is spared the flue - hopefully through the antibodies in his mama's milk!

As to myself - I am making a slow recovery and it appears the prescriptions are doing their job - praise God. As to getting my hematocrit levels, and thus my energy levels, back to normal - appears to be a slower journey. Thank you for all the prayers that have been sent our way and please keep them coming. I can not tell you how much we appreciate them.

Blessings
Christi
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God mother and God daughter meet...

Day One: First introduction...



Day Five: Cozying up together in Mama's rocking chair, God Baby on God Mummy's chest.




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I think there was a compliment ...

...in there somewhere.

While watching Cecilia sunbath to help with her jaundice during one of the few sunbursts we have had since her birth, Elsa chuckled and laughed as she commented:

"Oh she looks just like a little frog, Yes, she looks like a cute baby frog."

Yes - I will definitely take that as a compliment... somehow!


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Day eight...

...and Cecilia Therese has graced us with several smiles today. Several! What do you do with such a precocious child? Plan her high school graduation in a few months from now???


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Elsa's response to her first peek at her new sister

We have all been worried as to how Elsa would respond to her new sister once she was actually on the scene. When the children returned home from their sister's home, a few hours after the birth Elsa immediately climbed onto the bed beside me and began to examine the little bundle in my arms.

When one of her siblings asked; "So what do you think of your new sister Elsa?" she silently grinned and gave them a thumbs up - something she reserves only for her dad's great cooking!

So obviously this baby is a big hit with her!
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Prayer Request

I have had a few complications set in following the birth. I finally saw a Dr today. I have been given some prescriptions, but if I do not respond soon to the treatments - I will need surgery.

That is always a bad news scenario - but it is much worse when you do not have insurance. Please pray that I respond to the treatments.

Cecilia is a wonderful blessing whom we are all enjoying. Her coos which she has been making since a few minutes after birth are too adorable for words! She seems to be as musical as her name sake!

However, I am just beginning to be able to enjoy her more the past 24 hours, as I was too exhausted and in too much pain from the complications I am experiencing to do more than nurse her and hold her at night when she was too agitated to sleep the first three nights. Now she is developing more normal patterns of eating and sleeping. It is understandable the difficulties she had in adjusting to life outside the womb. Such a shock to the system - no? Add to that a 36 hour labour... and you have a pretty tired baby!

Thank you in advance for your prayers and God Bless you all! Posting might be sporatic - depending on my pain and energy levels.

Blessings
Christi aka mum2abakersdozen



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Welcome Cecilia

Cecilia
Born at 7:07 am
8 lbs 12 oz, 17"

Many, many thanks for your prayers and thoughts! God bless!

Baby sister sitting with 2nd oldest sister.

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no news...

...they say is good news. Or so they say. So, that being the case, I have only good news to report on the baby front: which is to say NO NEWS.

Please pray for me for faith and perseverance and, better yet, for a baby to produce herself - VERY SOON.

Thank you in advance for the prayers.
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St. Stephen's Feast Day

...or as it is known in Canada and England - Boxing Day. Today is our big Christmas dinner - with THREE Priests coming. And I am having contractions... typically every 20 minutes. Now and then they stop for an hour or two and then start again. CP - If this baby comes today as you predicted... you are in big trouble!! I have told baby to be - she must be born by 12 or not till after 5 pm!

Will let everyone know what happens!

Blessings
Christi

POST SCRIPT - Contractions stopped shortly after 12 so no baby... she is either very lazy or very obedient. CP - you may breath a sigh of relief as we got through dinner with no surprise arrival. And I got TWO blessings. Now that every one is gone... contractions have started again. Hmmm.... lazy or obedient! Only time will tell.

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A child was born and they laid him in a manger...

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Happy Christmas Adam...

...which means we are the day before Christmas Eve. Where did Advent go? Is Christmas really just around the corner or to borrow an expression from the Muppet Christmas Carol - just two more sleeps till Christmas!?

Now that we are so close to Christmas, as impatient as I am to have this baby, I also now want to get through Christmas before she arrives! Ack!

Last night the children and I put together two ginger bread houses and decorated them. One is a gift and one is for us. I will try to get some pictures but first I need to locate my rechargeable batteries while also praying they are actually charged!

As ready as I thought I was - here we are only a few days... and I still have some important tasks to complete! Lots of baking still to do and clothes to double check for Mass. Benjamin and Noah are serving and Anna and Gabriela are bringing up the gifts. Emma is going to be GREEN with envy as she is dying for a chance to do that!

Well... I will let you all know what happens with this possible Christmas baby - she has lots of dates to arrive on so as to spoil plans of some sort, and after all, isn't that what babies LOVE to do? Arrive at the worst possible moment. Say on the 26th when we have three priests expected for dinner? I'll let you know - so stay tuned!

For some fun strolling down memory lane here are two posts from previous Christmas Adams:

2005

2006

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Overheard at the mission

On the fourth night of our parish mission a fellow parishioner introduced herself to our two youngest daughters:

"Hi - my name is Mary!" she said.

To which 3 yr. old Elsa responded:

"Aren't you supposed to be in Heaven?" Read more!

No - no new baby yet...

... just lots of contractions complicated with a couple of gall bladder attacks. Yippe - so much fun! I certainly can not complain that God is not loving me with lots to offer up this Advent!

Confession time - our Jesse Tree is a dismal failure! Between a four day Mission that we attended at night and colds and contractions and ... you get the idea. At least I got all of the posts up and can just follow them again next year. I am planning on creating permanent ornaments and focusing on the readings next year with each child taking a turn according to age to place an ornament.

We are betting on the Holy Innocents as her birthday - anyone care to place some bets - Due dates range from Dec 27 to Jan 04!

Love and blessings to all my dear readers. I promised someone will post as as possible after baby to be arrives, with her stats etc. Even a picture or two if possible.

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Congratulations...

...to Casey P. of South Carolina as she won this month's giveaway! Next month I hope to feature another book! So be sure to stay tuned in.


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Don't Forget...

...to enter the giveaway this month. Just leave a comment with your first name and a means of contacting you should you win! This is the last day you can enter!

May the best reader win!

Only one comment/entry per reader please.

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Note to Self

When passing the new kitten tuck in pajama strings to avoid tempting her to play... OUCH!


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Don't forget...

...to enter the giveaway this month. Just leave a comment with your first name and a means of contacting you should you win!

May the best reader win!

Only one comment/entry per reader please.

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Following our Advent progress...

I promised a few pictures of our progress through Advent. I will be honest, we have not done as well as I had hoped. Often by evening - I have been too tired to do the Jesse Tree every night - so we have sometimes been doing double symbols! I have been very focused on getting ready for the baby. I think I am ready... until I remember one more thing that needs to bought, washed or brought out of storage. Umm like the swing.... ARGH!

Anyway - I am posting a picture with this post so that you can see how the chains are shortening and also enjoy a vision in pink in front of a pair of the chains. It is Elsa all dressed up and waiting to leave for our parish Christmas party last weekend. So the chains are even shorter now!

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Where was my brain?

Where was my brain when I added the following to my fun things to do while waiting for baby to be this Advent/Christmas season:

'Take trip to tree farm in the mountains, on the 14th, to find and cut down tree with kids.'

Ummm, yeah. I guess it has been a while since I have been 37 weeks pregnant - otherwise how could I plan such an arduous expedition when somewhere between37 and 38 weeks pregnant. Typically I am pretty much immobile at this point into my pregnancy, a trip to the bathroom requires planning on my part. And I thought I was going to drive and hour or more to the mountains, clamber through the woods for another hour or so looking for the perfect tree, with eight kids in tow? Mind, my husband would be there too - but still - what was he going to do - piggy back me through the woods?

This thought struck me last week as I struggled just to maneuver out the front door and into our 15 passenger van! I looked at Hugo after settling myself into the passenger seat in the front and said, "There is no way I can go hunting for a tree - like this!" He sagely nodded and we drove off. A little while later he came up with a much better idea than mine.

"Since we would have had to spend money on gas to drive up there, let's use that money to take the kids out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel next Saturday, and then find a tree lot to buy our tree from. Then they might not be too disappointed about not going to the tree farm!"

Excellent idea and all of the kids, without a murmur, agreed to it. After all, they are watching me hourly waddle here and there in the house. Being reasonable kids - it is just too painfully obvious that I would more than slow them down on the tree farm, I would plain out right bring it all to a full halt after about 10 steps! That would probably get us from the van - to the barn... never mind out into the cold, still acres of Christmas trees!

So Cracker Barrel - here we come: "A table for ten please, with two boosters, non smoking if you don't mind."

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