A quiet house

I'm just sitting here alone in front of our Christmas tree on this peaceful, quiet Christmas Eve morning. It's not often that I get to enjoy these moments, but we were out past Mason's bedtime last night spreading some Christmas Cheer with our good friends the Rueckel's and their beautiful girls. I guess we wore Mason out, so he is sleeping in (which is VERY rare). As I sit here, I can feel the first tiny movements of our new baby boy. He is up and ready to celebrate the holidays. I feel extra blessed this year and can't wait to spend some quality time with my little family!

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011 Christmas Card

One of my FAVORITE things about Christmas is getting Christmas cards from family and friends. I look forward to getting the mail every day to see what we've received. I wanted to do another photo session with our fabulous photographer Alisha (AGR Photography) and I thought Fall would be good timing so we would also have pictures for our family Christmas card. I seriously under-estimated the difficulties of getting a 16 month old to be still for a photo shoot. That, and the fact that Mason had a little virus, led to a pretty disastrous session! I wasn't expecting anything at all, but as usual, Alisha amazed us with her talent and managed to get a few good pictures. I think the final product turned out pretty good!?

Santa Sagas

We had a few 'Santa difficulties' this year, but it all worked out as you can see from the adorable picture. I was trying to avoid the mall because I hate Christmas crowds. Plus, I was fully expecting a screaming/crying Santa picture this year, so I didn't want to spend $40 on their 'picture package' (no personal cameras allowed). So, first we tried the Marietta square where we went last year (First trip to see Santa). We got there early on Saturday and there was a small line. We still don't know what was going on, but we did not move in 45 minutes and finally gave up (it was COLD). The next day, I tried Bass Pros Shops. It was a Sunday, so I expected a wait, but it was completely booked for the day when I arrived about 1 hour after opening. I'm lucky that Mason is too young to care or I would have had a nasty tantrum on my hands after 2 failed Santa attempts!

His school managed to book Santa at the last minute, but I wasn't expecting much. I was planning to hit the mall one night after work because I MUST have a memory of his second Christmas, right? Lucky for me, DCA came through and got a great shot! Mason was the ONLY child in his class that would sit in Santa's lap. My child seriously has no fear at all. I guess I'll have to plan ahead next year and get a spot with the coveted Phipps Santa.

Oh BOY!!

It's about to get a LOT more interesting at our house! We had our 16 week ultrasound yesterday and confirmed that we will be welcoming another baby BOY!!! We suspected as much after our 12 week ultrasound, but now there is no doubt! Most importantly, the baby is growing and all vital organs look very healthy. I feel great - just a little tired, but that is probably more from chasing around a very active toddler. Given my history, the perinatologist will continue to monitor me every 4 weeks for a while. I'm also getting weekly progesterone shots, which have been proven to reduce the risk of preterm labor. We don't plan to see this baby before May 30th! Someone please remind me of this when I am huge and uncomfortable...

I'm thrilled that Mason will have a little brother, especially since they will be pretty close in age. Mason 2.0 (as Chris has nicknamed him) is due exactly 1 week before Mason's second birthday. I know it will be a lot of fun, but I'm also getting tired just thinking about it! Mason has gotten SO active the past few months - he is full of energy and never slows down. And soon I'll be chasing 2!!

Here is our little peanut at our 12 week ultrasound.
And a face shot from yesterday at almost 16 weeks.

So Thankful

I'm a little late on the Thanksgiving blog, but we have so much to be thankful for this year. Especially because we are expecting Baby Henretty #2 around May 30th, 2012! Chris and I are so excited and hope we can adjust to life with 2 little ones (kinda scary!). Mason doesn't quite understand yet, but I know he's going to be a very sweet big brother. I am 14 weeks along and everything is looking good so far. We are praying for a smooth and uneventful pregnancy this time around. Isn't his shirt adorable? We used it to announce it to the grandparents and they were quite surprised!!

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with my family in Cochran, but it was my turn to have the cold virus we've all passed around, so I spent most of the long weekend on the couch. Let's hope we can all stay healthy through the holiday season!