My Happiness Meter is registering Glee, Joy, and Jubilation. Quite the turnaround since last week, I know. In the past seven days, I've completed my shopping, boxed and readied all gifts for wrapping (which will be done tonight), shopped and readied all food for Christmas Eve, including two types of toffee, and I even baked dog treats for Zydrunas. All that pushed me well into the Yellow Zone, above.
Then I got a phone call from Jared on Wednesday as I was driving home from taking my mother to the doctor, and he informed me that
Theo will be here for Christmas Eve, overnight, and for Christmas Day!
His parents will be, too, but the important thing is that Theo will be celebrating his First Christmas Ever here, at our house. Probably you can tell, but I could not be happier. Jared said he couldn't imagine not being here for Christmas, and he and Jordan wanted Theo to be here with everyone, too.
It's strange how I can feel such Joy and Excitement, yet a sense of Calm and Peace at the same time. My Family will be here. Jared, Jordan, Theo, Sam, Emily, Rick, and me. I feel...Complete. Satisfied. Content. My Fulfillment is Profound.
May all of you, Dear Readers and Friends, find a sense of Peace, Calm, and Joy this Season. Thank you for being here with me. It truly means a great deal more than you could know.❤️
Wishing you all the very merriest Christmas!
ReplyDeleteYou too, Dee! I hope you feel well and are on track to having a happy holiday.
DeleteSo happy for you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jean. I appreciate you sharing my Joy. Merry Christmas.
DeleteYay! Newborn snuggles!! Merry Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your husband, too, Engie. Thanks for sharing my Happiness.
DeleteOh my goodness. this is the BEST - Enjoy your time together - savor it and make memories.
ReplyDeleteThis will definitely be a Memorable Christmas, Vera. I plan on enjoying every single moment. Thanks for sharing my Joy.
DeleteThat is great news and the best Christmas gift ever! Have a great time with the entire family!
ReplyDeleteIt was such terrific news, and so unexpected. The rest of the drive home flew by. It really is a true Christmas gift. Thanks for sharing my Happiness, Kyria.
DeleteLovely, just lovely! You could wrap the baby and put him under the tree, really. But, I did not need to hear that the baking is all done. Mine is not. I do have some presents wrapped and the post(person) and paper carrier gifted. And the YD is here, so what could go wrong. She and JG put the tree up yesterday. Story to follow, maybe in January.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours, right through to the well-treated dog.
Merry Christmas to your lovely family as well, dear Mary. Don't give me kudos on my "baking"--the toffee takes 15 minutes total to make, and the dog biscuits dry (for 2 hours!) in the oven rather than bake. For those, I used dough I had left over in the freezer. I don't bake like I used to years and years ago. We did, however, do ALL the wrapping last night in a marathon (made easier by me, who boxed everything ahead of time, carefully labelling each box). Theo will not have a chance to be under the tree since there will be so many clamoring for a chance to hold him in their arms. Enjoy your family time and let YD do the baking or let it go, period. Christmas will come with or without it.
DeleteI'm so happy for you! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we will, ccr. How can we not? Thank you for sharing in my Happiness! I hope you enjoy your restful and peaceful Christmas as well.
DeleteOh yay yay yay!!! So happy for you!!
ReplyDeleteYou always know just how many Yays I need, Bug! Thank you for sharing my Joy. You and the Professor will have a Merry Christmas, too, I know.
DeleteBest Christmas present EVER! I have tears of joy in my eyes for you! Enjoy your family, snuggle that little one (give him a squeeze for me), and have a very merry Christmas, Nance.
ReplyDeleteGigi, you said it. This gift cannot be surpassed. Thank you for sharing my Joy. One of my squeezes will definitely have your name on it. Merry Christmas to you, too.❤️
DeleteOh, Frabjous Day!!! So thrilled to read this post. Sometimes, the stars align perfectly, and this is surely your well-deserved moment this year. When these things happen, I always think it cancels out all the anguish and worry that precipitated it. Baby Theo is sure to be the center of attention. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThe only baking I am doing is making my classic apple crumble. It's from an English cookbook one of my flatmates gifted me decades ago. Mr. O. loves it, and I am making it as a treat and a reward for (mostly!) sticking to his new diabetes diet. Experimenting with Splenda since it only calls for white sugar (i.e., no brown sugar needed), thank goodness. I am expecting a difference in texture and possibly different baking time, but think it will be OK.
XXOO
Calloo, Callay! I love it when we can quote Jabberwocky together, Ortizzle. Thank you for sharing my Joy and saying that it is well-deserved. I know it will be a Shining Moment for the entire family.
DeleteKudos to Mr. O for sticking with a diabetic diet; that's so difficult to do at the outset. I remember it well from days long ago when my father was first diagnosed. He was a major enjoyer of all things food and it was a hard lifestyle change for him--almost impossible. Your apple crumble will be so appreciated, I know. Sounds like a terrific Christmas Treat. Merry Christmas to you both. 😘
Happy news for you! I won't have everyone here but I will enjoy the ones that can make it!
ReplyDeleteMy 7th grandchild was born on 12/21/23 so that's happy news too. I won't get to see him in person yet but I did get to FaceTime so that was fun! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Congratulations, Ellen, on Lucky 7 Grandson! How wonderful for you and your growing family. I'm so glad you got to FaceTime him and see this new addition. Isn't it comforting how our kids, etc. try hard to make it home for this holiday? We truly do enjoy the ones who can make it, as you said, and keep in touch with those who can't. Thanks for sharing in my Happiness and for sharing yours!
DeleteSo very happy to hear this, Nance! What a wonderful way to spend Christmas! Merry Christmas to you all.
ReplyDeleteThis will absolutely be a Christmas To Remember, Suzanne, and thank you for sharing my Joy. You'll have another terrific Christmas yourself with a young daughter. Children make the holiday so much more fun and magical. Merry Christmas to you and your family, and may it be happy and content.
DeleteLovely, lovely, lovely news all around! Hallellujah, indeed! I know exactly what you mean about having everything align for grown up kids to be back for celebrations (my eldest kid arrives tonight!) and I'm so happy that you will have everyone under the same roof and celebrating again!! With bonus Theo! Little does he know how many strangers on the internet are delighted by his very existence and want to give him a squeeze... please add a gentle one from me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm so glad your Christmas joy is back in full force, Nance! I love the energy.... Merry Christmas to you and yours <3 .
I happily gave Theo a squeeze from you, maya, among the many I was able to give him. We all had an especially joyous Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning before Theo and his parents departed for home. It was especially sweet to hear baby sounds coming from the upstairs this morning.
DeleteIt's a strong bond between a mother and her children, a primal instinct, and so we feel it deeply within us when they can all come home to us. I'm glad for you that your kids also gathered with you this holiday. I hope it added light and comfort to your Christmas, making it Merry and Bright.
Nance, I have thought about you and your family enjoying this very, very special Christmas with baby Theo numerous times the last several days and it has warmed my heart and made me smile so big each time. All that love and joy. What a gift!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, my dear friend!
Shirley
I hope you had a Merry Christmas, my dear friend Shirley. I, too, thought of you so often throughout our holiday. Theo was generally content and placid although on Christmas morning he had had about enough of being in a different place with a lot of activity. It was sweet to see how bonded he is with Jordan and Jared, and how he need only hear their voices and feel/smell their nearness to be comforted almost instantly. We can't wait to see him again.
DeleteTake good care of yourself, and I am so glad to see you here. XO
Nance, this is the most fantastic news!! I can feel your excitement and I'm right there with you---this is amazing. Theo's first Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing my excitement and happiness, Suz. It was a lovely holiday with my whole family and, especially, Theo.
Delete