Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! My new year's resolution is to update this more frequently than I have been lately. Well, once PoBi is here that will probably stop, but anyway... So Christmas was great! Debbie and I made authentic Ukrainian Pyrohi (pierogies) for the first time without our mother's supervision. Don't get me wrong, it was great that she was only a phone call away, because we had to take advantage of that a couple times. But nonetheless, we did it and they tasted great! I also made Kutya, which was a first for me, and that came out great too. Christmas Eve dinner was in line with the traditions I was brought up with. Twelve dishes at the table, no meat, and as many people as we could fit around the table. Our friends, Whitney, Jay, and Addyson (William's buddy) joined us for dinner and that was nice! I loved hosting the holiday meal and I must say I felt proud that we made a meal that was so close to my mom's cooking. Christmas Day was great too. We incorporated both mine and AJ's family traditions for the day. We opened gifts one at a time so that everyone could watch and enjoy the gift. Also, some of the presents that Santa brought were unwrapped, which was hard for me to get used to but it worked out nice. Also, William did open one gift on Christmas Eve, and surprisingly they were pajamas! Debbie helped me with Christmas lunch and it was a bit more low key than the previous meal. I made a ham and we reheated some of the pyrohi for this meal too. We had more guests join us so we had to show off our hard work again and share the culture with these southerners (wink wink!) Samantha, Heath, Cailin, and Hudson all joined us for Christmas Day. It was awesome to have them here and share the holiday with them. Debbie stayed for a few more days and it was nice to visit with her. We went to Opryland Hotel to check out their holiday decorations, which were just beautiful. Also, Debbie babysat William one night so AJ and I could have a date. It was much needed and we had a great time with dinner at the Melting Pot and a movie (Marley & Me.) New Year's Eve was spent at Whitney and Jay's for a small gathering of friends and a competive game of Catch Phrase. It was our first New Year's out of the house in a couple years so it was fun.

Now, to the present day. It is officially 4 days into my new career as a stay at home mom. I would have gone back to work Monday the 5th, so that's why I'm counting this as my first week. So far, I love it! It is surely tiring since I'm watching Addyson too, but we're starting to get on a pretty good schedule. I haven't left the house much, but I don't really mind because it's so cold out! Although, yesterday was William's 15 month checkup. He had 3 shots and as always, they were awful. I hate watching him go through that. He cries so hard that it doesn't even make a sound at first. The poor baby is so unsuspecting and they just poke him with that needle. I'll get tougher one day, but I am happy to know that he's got 2 more rounds of shots then he's done until he's 5. Yay! Well, our big boy now weighs 23 lbs 9 oz and is 31 1/2 in. long. He gained 2 lbs and 2 in. since last appointment, which I was sure it was more since he feels so heavy to me. The doctor says he looks great so we're all happy. I go for my 16 week check up for new baby (PoBi) next Monday. I'm looking forward to that check up and then just a few more weeks until we find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Well, I have 2 slideshows I'm including. The first one is from the holidays and the second is of some more things I've sewn recently. I will be selling bibs and burp cloths that I make, to pull in a little extra income. I'm working my way up to baby pants and dresses! I'm very open to suggestions although I'd really like to stick to baby clothes for now. So tell your friends! These make great gifts for baby showers and new arrivals! I just bought a bunch of fabric that can work for boys, girls, or neutral colors for either one. Feel free to check out my other slide shows of things I made in November and October too. I hope everyone is doing great!