I have something like 4 or 5 posts with one-line notes to myself sitting in my draft pile, waiting to be fleshed out and shared with the world; a pile more pop into my head only to get shoved out with more pressing matters such as diapers and dog food.
As I sit and type this post our beautiful baby girl is gently holding our dog's bone out to her so the dog can chew more comfortably (presumably that's the reason... right?). Such a sweet picture :).
Christmas is only 3 days away but it doesn't even feel like we've made it past fall. It doesn't feel like Advent, it doesn't feel like Christmas, it doesn't feel like much of anything really. Daddy's been deployed for awhile now and we're all just in a holding pattern waiting for him to come home. Our little girl is growing and learning by leaps and bounds, but there is little else to show time's passing. I quit working outside of our home right before LO was born and Daddy's not on a schedule that affects us much - he doesn't come home for lunch at a specific time, he doesn't need to get up and out the door in the morning, he doesn't have workdays vs weekends that have any bearing on us. We talk to him on Skype but not on a predictable schedule. The only place we need to be at a specific time is Mass and even then we have choices on which Mass to attend. It seems very much like we're just standing still, waiting to see what will happen next but only with a mild curiosity.
This isn't to say we haven't been doing anything. On the contrary, we have craft projects and organization projects and furniture projects and Spouse Club projects spread from one end of the house to the other! Several weeks ago I must have caught the craft bug because every time I turn around another project idea peeks around the corner and begs to be tried out. It's been fun :). I suppose that's one of the benefits of deployments - if all these projects were out while my husband were here he might have a conniption!
Regardless, it IS Christmas time and I think taking a break this year from all the bustle of getting ready for the holidays has left time and space in my heart and soul for more important things to grow. We're not opening presents on Christmas day (nor anytime soon for that matter) and I don't care one whit. I haven't been very good about Advent decorations/visible preparations such as an Advent wreath or calendar, but I've been talking about the Christmas story with our daughter without feeling like I have to say anything about Santa and all the secular trappings of the season. This Christmas preparation has been peaceful, calm, and pure. I am looking forward to celebrating Mass with our daughter and just rejoicing in the joy of Christ's birth. Perhaps God guided the timing of this deployment so we would have a chance to start off on the right foot as we celebrate our daughter's first Christmas - it's certainly setting the stage for much more peaceful Christmases in the future :).
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