little celebrations

Our season of celebration is already upon us, starting with my birthday weekend before last.  I have blogged before here and here about the secretive birthday events my dear husband has asked my good friends to help organize the past few years, and this year he enlisted my friend Rosa to take me away for some fun girlfriend adventure while he and Rosa's husband hung out with all the kids.  But this year I had a little nagging feeling in the back of my mind/heart--DH has been giving me the gift of special daytime girlfriend time, which never happens otherwise.  (Playdates are awesome, but there are things you can't do with all the kids under your watch, like, oh, completely relax!)  But what kind of wife/mom/person am I if I never want to celebrate my birthday with my husband and kids? 

So this year I asked Rosa for a raincheck (someday we must go to the Farm with you, my dear!  We can't wait!) and asked DH if we could spend the day as a family and then have a date night.  So we did--and as the day unfolded I don't know when Rosa and I would have gotten away anyway, it went SO quickly!  Sunny and Merry had their final performance of "Annie," in which Sunny played Miss Grace Farrell and Merry played an orphan/maid/White House butler. 

Then we came back home, had dinner, and then my friend Sara came over and watched the kids and put them to bed while DH and I tried to make a showing of the new Harry Potter movie--which was of course sold out--and so instead went to the restaurant my girlfriends took me to last year, Chocolate, to share the experience with DH.  We got a plate of bread with three spreads--pesto, sun-dried tomato, and something garlicy, all excellent--and a plate of mixed olives and roasted garlic in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  That was the perfect savory combo; for the perfect sweet pairing, we went with the extra dark hot chocolate and coconut cheesecake.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I don't think we could have ordered a better combination of flavors.  Seriously amazing!  We didn't talk much, but enjoyed eating a quiet meal while watching the rain pouring down in the glow of the downtown Santa Cruz streetlights.  Very relaxing, very pleasant. A very nice birthday that has left a lingering warm glow.

Then of course was Thanksgiving.  DH felt he needed to be at work yesterday, so we opted to drive up to his parents' Tuesday night and have Weds and Thurs with them and his grandma.  We had a nice time, eating all the traditional foods, and spending some quality time together.  (I heard the best quotation on another blog:  "Without being surrounded by those you love, Thanksgiving is just overeating."  So true!)  But the absolute best part of the visit was the moment when my brother-in-law Skyped us all from the NICU so that we could all watch N helping the nurse give tiny baby S her "cares"--checking her vitals, measuring her tummy (one way they make sure she is digesting well), even changing her diaper (which was so tiny it looked like a bit of gauze).  It was hard to see her through the incubator plastic walls, and past all the tubes and tape, but when they changed her diaper and those miniscule feet began to kick. . . just so precious.  They even showed us how they swaddle her and darken the room and cover the incubator, which I greatly appreciated, because every time I see a photo of her tiny naked self I want to wrap her up and protect her--so it was so satisfying to see how she spends most of her time, in a cozy "womb."

Here is a photo N and S sent us, and a little update on baby S, from a family email written by DH's sister N:

This Thanksgiving I give thanks for my daughter S, my husband S, and for all of you and your love and prayers. S and I believe [baby] S's life and health are sustained by your prayers. S is now 19 days old and has had her ups, downs, and scary moments. However, we can see your prayers for her being answered. Her heart valve has closed and stayed closed, her "brain bleed" has been minimal (no lasting effects), her feeds and stools are doing well, and her lungs are making progress. If all goes well, she may be switched tomorrow from her breathing tube and mechanical ventilation to less invasive breathing support. Please pray that she will make this transition successfully and that her lungs will heal completely. Please also pray for healthy growth and weight gain. She is still fluctuating around 1 pound 10 ounces, and we are eager to see her at 6 pounds!

Tomorrow is Sunny's 10th birthday, so we will think of something fun to do to celebrate that (rollerskating at the rink, maybe?  Other family adventures seem not as feasible as I sit typing and watching the rain POURING down.)  And tomorrow is also the first day of Advent--and I am so heart ready to really celebrate this year's Advent season as fully as possible.  I have been reading some good ideas on other blogs about doing so--and I am really looking forward to it. 

So much blessing.  So much to be thankful for.  I hope all of you have been having a wonderful week of family and laughter and special moments.  If you feel like sharing any of your favorite Thanksgiving moments in the comments, I would love to hear them!