From Caroline to Christmas

I was flipping through all the pictures I've taken in the last 20 days and quickly realized that trying to properly document any of it here was going to be overwhelming. So above is a picture of my baby girl from just the other day, and below are some thoughts and moments from the last few weeks, in no particular order. 

20 days?  I can't decide whether that sounds like a lot or a little. 

I should never have worried about how Caroline's arrival would work out, in regards to having Amy and William cared for. I spent so much time fretting over that. But of course it all worked out beautifully and perfectly. It always does. 

This was my longest labor - totally not what I was expecting. But all but the last 2 hours/2 cm were really easy and this was the first time I did things like read a magazine while in labor or walk the halls of the hospital. Don and I joked that this was the first date we'd been on in over a year (seriously). 

Caroline is a wonderful baby. She was born 12 days early but at over 8 pounds she was quite ready to go. She has nursed perfectly from the beginning and is a reasonably good sleeper. Each day she becomes a little more alert and engaged and is just about the cutest thing we've ever seen. 

Arguably the best part about having babies, aside from the wee person herself, is getting to have Don home for two (in this case, three) whole weeks.  The time off before Christmas, and the coziness of the holiday week itself have been a treat to spend all together. We missed the chance to see our families at Christmas but I am completely thankful for our time together, just us and the kids. 

Christmas was lovely - we made it to church on Christmas Eve and Santa was quite good to us all on Christmas morning. Oh, and I don't think I mentioned it here - the Friday before Caroline arrived another early Christmas present did - a piano!! We bought a nice little not-too-old Wurlitzer spinet and it is just perfect - a longtime dream of mine come true. 

I have so much more to say. However, it is New Year's Eve and like so many of the nights these last few weeks I have a date on the couch with my husband and a tiny and very snuggly little girl. I'll catch up more as 2014 unfolds. Happy New Year!