Two Weeks

Our dear Julian has stolen our hearts. He will be two weeks old tomorrow, and it has been a sweet two weeks; how quickly the time passes! We are so thankful for our family of five, although I somehow must adjust to the fact that the big kids cannot be expected to be totally quiet while the baby sleeps. Emmy and Asa have welcomed baby with open arms thus far, which has made our transition a happy one. Here are some pictures of our last two weeks...

Doing what he does best...so far this boy is a great sleeper.

Enjoying sister and brother...

First trip to the doctor...

First playdate, with his old buddy Nathaniel Robinson...they've spent a lot of time together over the past 5 months!

On our first foray to church last Sunday, snug in the sling dear friends made for us...

And lest you think brother and sister have been tiptoeing around the house, here they are playing dragons-with-undies-on-their-heads...

Emmy also started a kindermusik class, which has been a real bright spot for her. Here she is with her bag of supplies, and down below playing the glockenspiel with her class...

A happy daddy with his hands full

Welcome Baby!

Julian Robert Mills made us a family of 5 at 4:04 pm on January 7. We know now why my tummy was just so big, as our baby boy weighed 11 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 21 3/4 inches long. Praise God for the safe and healthy water birth we had hoped for, despite the size of the new arrival. (And if you have need of a doula reference, please let me know. Our friend Jenny was amazing...) We had a great visit from our precious "big kids" tonight, both of whom were excited to meet little brother. Asa kept saying, "My baby Julian"...

Here are a few more pictures from the last two days...

A collective gasp in the room...

And for our Thai friends...

Baby

I'm nearing 39 weeks and feel like I'm 42! Such is the end of a pregnancy. I'm at the point where I get many comments by strangers and friends alike, and I've recently enjoyed hearing such adjectives as "huge", "ready to pop", and, my personal favorite, "absurd" :). I had an appointment yesterday and nothing super exciting is happening, but I feel like things are moving in the right direction. For posterity and for our far-flung loved ones, here are some recent pictures that show off Baby in his or her final weeks before the big day...

The classic "line up in order of due date" picture at a baby shower...look at those cute little girls behind me!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Festivities

In spite of the wistful longing for our tropical Christmases of recent past expressed by a certain member of our family, and despite the fact that I am larger than life and having trouble mustering the energy to get through a normal day's activities, we are soaking up our Christmas here. It is a special treat to be surrounded by the sights and smells of Christmas. Festivities galore, loving being with family and friends, celebrating Advent, waiting again for the coming of our Savior. Joy and thankfulness. And some tired hard days, too. But isn't that always the case?...

Em and her Papa Jeff on the tractor on our annual "Chipper Day"- the day after Thanksgiving. I especially love this picture because our good old dog Bonsai is in the background, behind the farm gate.

We spent a fabulous, sugar high afternoon decorating gingerbread houses with some friends we've come to know and love during this time in Atlanta...

Emmy and her cousin were two little ballerinas after seeing The Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre...

We went to Atlantic Station, an Atlanta downtown commercial development, and enjoyed the "snow" they create every hour. For southerners, this is serious fun!

This picture cracks us up! Look at that nose!

And just this week we enjoyed an Atlanta tradition, the Pink Pig atop Macy's department store, with our beloved Thompson friends...

And to think the family festivities haven't even begun! Merry Christmas!

O Christmas Tree

Last night was Christmas tree night, a much anticipated event. We bundled up and walked down to our local tree farm (a.k.a. Pike Nursery), picked out the perfect tree, and hauled it home...

Special thanks to our Daddy Tim, who personally did the hauling...

There was much excitement surrounding the decorating, more than we've ever had before. This is the most traditionally lovely tree we've ever had, as our trees have always been either homespun and cut down from a field in Locust Grove (which I love) or artificial and somewhat Charlie Brown-ish in Thailand (which I also love because I'm grateful to have a tree!)


We let the kids do all the decorating, which was nice for us! We didn't bring many ornaments with us, so it wasn't a big job. Popcorn and cranberry strings to be added later...

While we stood in the Christmas aisle of a store yesterday, picking out tree lights, Emmy commented wistfully, "I was just thinking of all of our lovely Christmases in Thailand." It always surprises me when she says things like that, and makes me realize that we are, in fact, raising "Third Culture Kids" who are just as at home, if not more, in another place as here.

Wanting to explore her feelings a bit further, on the way home I asked, "Emmy, where is your home?" I was curious to hear whether she would say America or Thailand. She answered, "Heaven." She never ceases to amaze me.

Since we're on the subject of Emmy-isms, here are a few we've saved up in the last few months:
-To Asa, after he fell down and got right back up: "Goo-ood persevering!"
-On the subject of leaving her shoes on in the house (a no-no in Thailand): "Now that I'm in America, I'm going to leave my shoes on in the house. I'm going to start a new culture!"
-As it started to get dark one evening, with sadness: "I'm losing all hope of playing on the playground."
-One day when she was a bit out of sorts:
Mommy- "Emmy, how are you feeling?"
Emmy- "In what sense?"
-Upon the acquisition of sparkly new shoes for her Halloween costume: "Daddy, I'm gazing at my new shoes and I can't think of anything else."
-Just the other night, when she was particularly riled up before bed (thanks to Daddy's robot game that sends her into hysterics), "Daddy, I'd bite ya if I was allowed to!"