...I'm making some time for a quick update. Oh, where do I start?
Nathaniel. He's doing wonderfully! At 3 months old, he's a ton of fun, smiling at anyone who will look or talk to him. We've been able to get a few little chuckles out of him, too. He was a huge hit at our Christmas gatherings, impressing everyone with how alert, strong and talkative he is.
Arianna. She has enjoyed Christmas so much, exclaiming over the Christmas lights all the time. She loved all the presents, saying each time she opened one, "Aww, so nice!" She caught her very first cold last weekend. Yup, you read correctly, at 2 1/2 she's dealing with her first cold. Actually, we're almost all dealing with it. Thankfully Nathaniel doesn't seem to have caught it...yet.
Christmas Day was slightly tempered by the knowledge that my sweet little nephew, born just 6 weeks before Nathaniel, has two holes in his heart, one small and insignificant and one large and cause for concern. He may need surgery in the next year. His parents, my twin brother and sister-in-law, found out on Dec. 20, nice Christmas present. We're praying that surgery won't be necessary. He's starting to gain weight really well now that they are supplementing his nursing with formula. Regardless of all this, we did have a wonderful day together.
Chris. He went back to work yesterday after 3 months of parental leave. Thankfully, Arianna seems to be handling it pretty well and I'm doing okay with it, too.
Me. I'm still not nursing pain-free, but I've come to the resignation that I may never be pain-free. I'm just too sensitive. I'm taking adalat (a blood pressure medication) for Raynaud's Phenomenon and it has helped considerably. The pain is far from being unbearable, so I'm living with it.
So now we're just recuperating from our colds and the busyness of the season. We've had a great time celebrating our Lord Jesus' birth. It amazes me that God would give up his only Son for a world that doesn't completely love or even acknowledge Him. What amazing love!


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you, from all of us!