Our Cheeks are Nice and Rosie

 Christmas with a baby is always sweet, simple, and kind of messy and loud.  Luckily Rosie is a pretty good sleeper so we have mostly silent nights.  The days, however...

Rosie at about two months, showing off her tutu made by my dear neighbor Jill.

 

A rare early smile.

Posie and Rosie

 

 Leslie had fun (a little too much fun) decorating our entire main floor with my card collection.  I'm getting so many that I told her I was bequeathing her all her favorites upon graduation.

 Rosie under the Christmas tree.  Hohoho, heeheehee, oh lucky, lucky me!

 Grandpa Day and Grandma Frances at Rosie's baby blessing.

 This is the blessing dress my mom made for me out of her wedding dress fabric.  All three girls have worn it now.

Yours truly at about a month younger than Rosie in her pictures.

The kids had their annual Sing Around the Tree.  Boston is here in the back in blue.

My friend in the front row sent me these pictures of Macy and Cooper. 

Macy also had a class skit that included representatives from all the holidays.  What a cute witch!

Boston entertains the baby at the dentists'.

And then Santa came.  Santa thought this was a nerf gun, but it's actually a battery-powered machine gun.  Very loud and my loudy boy loved it.

Cooper asked for a Magic Tricks kit.

Boston wanted a large remote control thing.  I got it for him, with some relief that he still wanted toys.

The boys both got MP3 players so they don't ask to borrow my phone for tunes when they are mowing the lawn, etc.  This also takes some of the pressure off of the requests for a phone.  They were both thrilled and spent most of the morning choosing songs and passing off the lyrics through their mother before they downloaded them.

Leslie (who I forgot to snap a picture of), Cooper and Luke all got blankets of some sort.  Cooper asked for a warm fuzzy one, Leslie got a homemade jean quilt/picnic blanket and Luke got a comforter and sheets for his twin bed.  Grandpa Day always likes to try out the blankets.

Rosie at about three months.  I love the chubby arms in her Rosie the Riveter pose.  We can do it!

Leslie did a drawing for us from one of our engagement pictures.  A nice surprise.

2017, you were good to us.  2018 might be a little bit intense as I receive chemo for my stage 2 breast cancer.  Or maybe a little boring even, as I try to stay home more and avoid the germs during treatment.  (I'm hopeful that it will be on the milder side if there is such a thing as we have talked to another women who has taken the same cocktail.)  Should be done with that portion of things around the first part of May, but for now I'm enjoying my prep-the-kids for chemo short hair cut.  Luke was a little teary to see it but then he got a quizzical look on his face and asked, "Mom, why do you look like Grandma?"  He can compare us in person when she comes to take care of me, baby, and the rest of my crazies, heaven help her.

I am doing really well emotionally now that we know the stage and treatment plan, and feel like I learn something big and new every day.  Example, Sunday's insight was, "Love your actual life."  I was trying to explain that idea to Mark after church and Luke came running into our room in his underwear, swinging his church shirt over his head and yelling "Waffles, Waffles, Waffles!"  (We were not having waffles, nor was he asking for them.)  My actual life is pretty fun/funny and things could definitely be worse.  (First thing that comes to mind is that if this was for one of the kids and not me.)  The other thing that I feel really strongly about is that God prepares you for your trials or changes in your life.  My kids have been really chill about this whole thing, in large measure because of the crazy knee infection that tried to do me in a couple years ago, where I was in the ER twice a day, gone for hours, and couldn't even walk or drive, and the medicine wasn't working.  About this same time of year even.  Compared to that, this seems like no big deal to them, and will possibly be even less painful off and on for me, although it will last longer.

I think (for sure) the other reason I've been feeling so calm and hopeful is because of all the people who have been praying and fasting for me and my family.  I'm feeling the love.  Thanks so much, and I will try to keep posting updates.