Bienvenidos Grace Corinne...

There are some moments in life that are indescribable. Meaning even if you had all the scratch and sniff stickers, photos, details, video recording and technology in the world, you could never make someone accurately understand what it was like because it was a feeling more than a recorded event. Having a baby is one of those things.  It's like an emotional avalanche that is impossible to explain.  There is nothing in the world like holding your baby that is seconds old and trying to soak up all the feelings that naturally come because of that moment. 

I mean seriously, think about it. March 31st I'm just a grumpy woman with a big belly.

 February 1st I am a thrilled not grumpy woman with a bread dough belly and a beautiful 8 lb 5 oz baby girl. How is the human brain supposed to ever fully soak up that concept? Mine still hasn't and Liv is almost two.

There isn't a better feeling. Ever. Anywhere. It's so weird because even if you can admit that fresh from the womb newborns look more like potatoes or old men covered in cheese sauce, there is nothing more beautiful to you and nothing more amazing than just holding them.  I know peace is an abstract emotion, but I feel like this is as personified as it gets, I love holding peace. It's so pure, so heavenly, so unlike anything you can buy at walmart or order on Amazon. 

I love this picture because it so much womanhood crammed into a single hospital room. My mother, my daughter, my new daughter, me. Life. New life. Someday we will take this same picture when Liv and Grace are having their daughters. I love that. It makes me want to see Lion King's, "Circle of Life" on top of pride rock just thinking about it.

I admit I did feel a bit unfaithful doing such a major event without my best companion.  Since Gar is gone most of the time, Liv is the person that I talk to for most of the hours of the day. We do everything together. Everything. She knows when we get to the aisle at King Soopers where she gets her free crackers at the deli. She knows how to turn on the TV at 9:00 so we can watch Sesame Street together while we both eat our breakfast.  I know her favorite books, her favorite park, which kid in nursery bugs the heck out of her and takes her toys and the fact that she hates pears, needs 3 blankets and all the verses of frog went a courtin  in order to fall asleep. I know which bath toys are her favorite and that she loves the marshmellows in lucky charms just like I do.  She literally is my best friend so I felt a little lonely not having her there for such a big event.  It sounds weird since we are 28 years apart, but I felt complete when she finally walked through the door at 6:30 am. I need her in my life. I love her more than I ever knew I could love someone.   I'm so happy she has a sister. There is nothing on Earth I could give her that will matter more to her. I know that from personal experience.

I feel a deep connection to Grace. I love having her spirit, her old old spirit in such a dependent noodle neck body come into our home. I'm so grateful to be a mother. There is nothing harder, better, or more important in my life.

The eve of eves....

The only event that could trump Christmas would be the wedding of Bethany Seibold, conveniently both of those monumental events were scheduled the same week.  The Seibold fam made a trek to the promised land on Beehive state soil for the holiday cheer and we enjoyed a Christmas even talent show and program that we could hold our heads high about...

Liv's favorite "Tay Tay"

Elliot and Esther led us in "Hooked on a Feeling..." which was synchronized...for about 2.1 minutes.

Kimber introduced us to Iphone idol which gave us some good cheap laughs

 Don't be jealous that you missed the sister in law dance to "All I want For Christmas is You." Mariah Carey would have been proud.

 Dyl did an egg trick....

Ben and Josh dazzled us with their musical talent of "Carry On"...

Tay recited a poem...

Cathy's talent of handing out homeade chocolates topped the charts as an instant crowd pleaser...

Good thing no babes were watching or they would have swooned at Tanner's musical debut...

We weren't worried about Savannah leaving the talent show early since she was in her body cast...

I couldn't be more pleased when Becky won our gift of the shark at the gift exchange. Some things are just meant to be. 

We enjoyed Bruce's cowboy poetry, but Live loved grandpa's playdough talent more.

Bacon at the hannakuh party...

Christmas traditions are always welcome but this year we started something new (so technically it can't be a tradition since it is its premiere showing) by having a Hannakuh party.  I would say the highlights included the homemade (or more accurately, home drilled, menorah by Tay), the personalized goblets from DI, homeade pizzas, bacon wrapped sausages, and the driedel game.

 It was a double celebration considering Cole was also reaching an important milestone...his one month birthday.  I always enjoy a good fun dip cake.  I don't know what those little colored beads are made of in that mix but it's always a delight to digest for me.

Even though eating bacon at a Jewish celebration was probably the opposite of kosher, I would say a good time was had by all. Perhaps a new tradition was born after all...

Pre Christmas festivities...

As cheesy as it sounds, some songs are just true. The lyrics I appreciated in all the full veracity this year were, "There's no place like home for the holidays."  Since G had a crazy work schedule, Liv and I went a week early to soak up some Christmas cheer.  There's something with being family that fills apart of you that nothing else can.  Maybe its because the things that are weird and quirky about you don't seem as weird and quirky since you're surrounded by people with the exact same quirky DNA so it's not weird, it's normal.  Maybe its the fact that I wake up and love having pancakes already made and feeling like I'm a teenager being taken care of instead of the homemaker.  Maybe its the fact that I love staying up even though everyone is too tired to say anything valuable but no one wants to go to sleep because it just feels so happy to be in the same room.  Maybe its all that and a million other things that make home, feel like home even when that includes an emu in the backyard and an alligator in the basement. 

 Liv loves being home because she is a celebrity and has non stop stimulation.  I never knew my brother Jeff was so good at pretending fisher price animals until this Christmas.  That's just one of a gizillion things I don't know about him and love. 

Another thing I love being the fact that he and I went and got facials at the beauty school together and I couldn't stop laughing under my warm towel and face mask thinking about Jeff in the next room.

Liv loved all the attention and soaked it up like a cheap slipper from Walmart on the snowy sidewalk.  It's so fun as a mother to watch people you love, love your right hand woman and constant companion. 

It's so fun to wake up every morning feeling excited about the day ahead because you know no matter what it is going to be memorable.  There's nothing better than family time. Nothing.