Christmas Eve, 2013

On the eve of Christmas Eve, I took these pictures of my Belly.   I thought it would be a great idea to get one last shot of it before we went in to the Hospital the next morning.  Look how calm and rested I look.  We might not see that person for a few more months, so take it in.

By 5 a.m. on Christmas Eve, Robert and I had arrived at St. Rose Hospital to get ready for my c-section.    The build up before you actually go in is always so uncomfortable and crazy.  Emmett's birth, however, was, thankfully, quite routine and smooth.  By 7:57 we heard his first little cry and I got to look at my little son for the first time.

He was pink and healthy, and just the tiniest little thing you've ever seen at 5 pounds 14 ounces.  (Well, I guess I saw smaller babes with the twinnies but that was nearly 10 years ago!)

Emmett Carter Jones

Emmett came into life with one loud yell and then he's been a quiet little lamb ever since.  He dropped down to 5 pounds 6 ounces in the hospital but has slowly gain weight ever since.  He also had absolutely black hands and feet which the nurses claimed was rather common but we found out it usually only lasts a couple of hours and is not usually as severe as it was with Emmett.  For two days we rubbed his little feet and held him upright to help the blood circulate down to his extremities.  The nurses told us that as long as his lips didn't go dark, we were fine.  So, naturally, I did nothing but stare at his sweet little lips for the next two days.  His heart rate was also rather slow but we watched that as well, and he seemed to be fine by the next day.

Here are our first visitors.

After the big kids came in for a visit, they went home with Rob and Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate their Christmas Eve.

While I stared at my little newborn, they acted out the Christmas Story.  They make a pretty great cast, if you ask me.  Jason didn't last for the nativity scene but maybe next year he can be a shepherd too.  Or and angel.  :)  

After the family did all the normal Christmas Eve things (opening up Christmas pajamas and setting out orange rolls and milk for Santa.)  The kids set up an elaborate video motion-sensor Santa trap.  That's what you get when your daddy is a computer geek.  Then those big kids stayed up as late as possible trying to catch Santa in the act.  My mom finally shooed them off to bed around two in the morning.

The next day they raced to their monitor and found out that the trap had worked!  There on the screen, they saw Santa eating their milk and orange rolls.  The camera happened to be at just barely the wrong angle and so all they could really see was the back of his hat and a few good closeups of his eye.  Still.  There he was on camera and who could ask for more proof than that?!   I was just sad that I couldn't be there to see it!   I didn't mind too much, however, watching my own little show.

Christmas Eve was really a day of wonder for us all.