christmas eve.

Christmas is a lot of hustle and bustle no matter who or where you are. But Christmas in my family is a little extra crazy -- my dad has a stressful church service to organize and run, 3 people have birthdays on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and now that we have both sets of grandparents living in MN, we have 2-3 days of nonstop relatives, shuttling people around, and catering to people's whims, fancies, and dietary restrictions, and of course the overwhelming need to preserve tradition. Don't get me wrong: I love all that the McNamara/Boebel family Christmas entails! But now that we have a baby on the way, it makes me wonder what it will be like next year with a little one in the mix. I worry that it'll be even more crazy -- but I hope no one will mind because s/he will be too cute to be mad at. :)

Got to see good friends Reid and Stephanie and their 5 1/2-month old, Juliette, yesterday. We last saw them when Stephanie was at about 39 weeks pregnant, so it was fun to see the finished product in person at last. Juliette was very good the whole time and even put up with me holding her for a while.

I'm still not feeling definitive movements. A few things here and there that make me wonder, "Hmmm, is that...?" but I'm just not convinced yet. Hoping it will happen soon. I'll be 17 weeks, 2 days (otherwise known as "in my 18th week") on Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas to all! Stay safe and warm (the snow here in MN is getting deeper by the minute...)