Christmas 2009

Christmas was a wonderful blur this year as we were not expecting to have Liam joining us. :) Even with the chaos of the birth it was still a very peaceful and happy day full of gratitude and thanksgiving. My sister Ashley & her husband Joe came over in the morning as well as my Dad with his fiance Lisa. Later we went over to Nathan's parents house.

Auntie Ashley holding her first nephew

Our little man in "baby's first Christmas" outfit that I made Nathan run out and get the night before. :)




The girls had a great time opening their presents: Doll strollers and a doll house

Rosen thinks Liam is her new doll.

Papa with his first grandson. Finally! A Boy!

Nathan and his littlest ones

Liam's first Oregon shirt

Nathan's best friend Matt was in town for the holidays

William & William (Braid style)

Liam's First Bath

For Liam's first bath we decided to do a sponge bath since his umbilical cord had not healed yet. I laid him down on a towel over a sheepskin on the bathroom floor to keep him warm and comfy.

Laying on the sheepskin, not sure what is happening but pretty sure its not going to be fun.

Yep! I definately don't like this!

Afterwards his hair stood straight up, just like the girls' did. He smelled so nice and clean, just right for his first church service - Christmas Eve service.

Behold! A Son Is Born!

William "Liam" Robert Braid was born 12/21/09 at 3:54 am at home. Unfortunately Liam came 3 wks early (still technically "full term") and had a hard time making the transition from womb to world due to his immaturity and an emergency situation that happened at the moment of birth (his cord broke due to it's having a weak spot and only being 10 inches long which caused him to loose blood but thanks to quick acting midwives actually lost very little. It was a potentially life threatening situation for both of us) We took him to the Hospital and they observed him for about 30 hrs before sending us home. Thankfully they didn't need to do anything to help him, he just needed more time and pulled out of it on his own. It was actually a good time for the three of us (Mom, Dad & baby) to get bonding time together without the distractions of the girls. Additionally I had some complications after the birth that were quite painful (placenta had to be removed manually - without pain meds) but were handled quickly by my midwife. All in all it was a very scary and traumatizing event but amazingly we are all doing very well now. Thanks be to God for his unfailing faithfulness and goodness!

"And surely I am with you always..." Matt 28:20

"I will never leave you nor forsake you" Heb 13:5

Bonding time with mom while I figure this breathing thing out.

I'm ready for my close up!

Daddy's little buddy

 Yea! I get to go home!

Big sister Naomi takes her turn to hold Liam

Too cute!

 Nana with her grandkids

Deck the Halls!

Oh my, oh my, does my husband love me! Here he is risking life and limb to please his pregnant wifey by putting up Christmas lights. I believe his exact words were "Bah Humbug!"

But don't they look nice!? Good job honey, extra points for you!

Rosen got to stay up late and helped Mom decorate the tree and drink hot chocolate. :)

Oh Christmas Tree!

We are thankful to have a tree farm less than a mile away! Rosen thought we should get the biggest one we could find but was "ok" with the one we picked out :) Grandma & Grandpa Braid came along as they will be in Hawaii visiting Justin & Gloria this Christmas and so will not be getting a tree of their own.

 

Turkey Trot

This year Nathan's parents Bill and Kathy joined us for our traditional Turkey Trot in Manito Park Thanksgiving morning. We like to start off the morning with a good walk (it helps ease the calorie binge later in the day). The girls did pretty well this year, I think it was a little warmer than last year. Naomi rode on Dad's back and Grandpa pushed Rosen in the jogger (taking "short cuts" through any piles of snow they could find) 

At the duck pond afterwards. Rosen said that the mallards are "Oregon Ducks" because they have green heads. All but the one pictured below... maybe they loose the green as they age???

Welcoming Baby Boy Braid

My wonderful neighbor Katie Thomas was so excited to hear that we are expecting a baby boy that she begged me to let her throw me a shower because as she said, "every baby deserves to be celebrated". She is a great friend as well and we look forward to having our boys and girls grow up together. (She has an almost 3 yr old girl and a 15 month old boy) This was the adorable cupcake "cake" that Katie got for me in my favorite flavor. 

Everything is blue! Things are going to be changing at our house!

My other neighbor Tawnie was so much fun to watch playing this game - she had to see how many balloons she could stuff into her shirt. We were all in tears laughing!

My mom won this game - guessing my girth. Mom-in-love came in second.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

We just couldn't wait to get out and play in the first snow of the season! The girls had their PJs on under their snow pants and coats. :) We made our first family snowman (complete with a University of Oregon hat and hammer hands). I think the girls enjoyed sweeping off the driveway the most though. Too bad it was melting as fast as they were clearing it!

Harvest Party

As a family, we don't really celebrate Halloween but we celebrate the season at the annual Harvest Party that our church hosts every year. This year Rosen dressed up as a ballerina (a shocker, I know) and Naomi was our beautiful flower.  Surprisingly Naomi kept her hood on all night without a fuss.

We stopped by Papa's and Grandpa & Grandma's houses on the way (Mom came by earlier during the day to see them) to the party to show off their costumes. (There are no pictures from Grandma & Grandpa's because they were DONE taking pictures and getting crabby before we even got to the party!)

Having a ball at the party... or should I say bean bag?

Daddy dressed up like a Cintas Manager!

Naomi did an excellent job of participating and waiting her turn.

She really loved this basketball game... we had to pry her away from it to go home. :) The girls came home with a grocery sack half full of candy (which Mom & Dad graciously helped them eat most of over the next few weeks)