Christmas Eve

By now the Christmas cards that we sent are beginning to trickle into the appropriate homes so I decided perhaps I should put some of the pictures up here that didn't make the cut.  Poor Carri does such a fantastic job clicking away while our whole family shifts and moves, trying to get three kids and three dogs to do much of anything is super hard.

Christmas Time!

While it was neat to have off 6 weeks during the summer for the maternity leave with both girls...it is AMAZING to have off all of the Christmas season with Jackson.  Holy smokes, what did I do without all this time off in years past?

Jackson is doing just fantastic, although you can tell that the sneezing that his big sisters have been doing directly into his mouth is at least leading to a stuffy nose now.  Because of which we don't get much sleep but hey who's counting those hours at night. :-)

Here are some more pictures and a video that I didn't realize that I took...I think I was trying to take a picture but chose the wrong option.

This is where he is the happiest..sleeping on someone, which he does a lot of.

 Here's Jackson enjoying Austin's Christmas party at school.

 Austin was an EXTREMELY good big sister at her school party, never leaving Goose out for even a second.

Picture Drop

I am literally just coming here to drop off some pictures real quick so they don't get lost.


Already forgetting how much labor and delivery hurts in this picture.

 Look at that perfect little boy. Scoring an 8 and then a 9 on his APGAR's.

 Just got home and sat down on the most amazing, soft couch in the world (well compared to the rock hard hospital beds).

 Gram and her kiddos, gotta love Tyler here...I think since Tadd was taking the picture she was being extra goofy.

 All of the December babies came home with giant stockings that they could fit in.

 This one might be my favorite, me and the kiddos.

 Look at that amazing December day in Colorado - what a great day to be born Jackson.

The girls requested headbands and necklaces from Gram to meet their brother for the first time, you know to look extra "fancy".

 Soaking in the Colorado sun first thing in the morning.

 I finally got around to asking specifically what makes our kids jaundice when born.  It's turn out that it is a ABO incompatibility.  Which means that my blood type is O+ the kids are B+ and Joe must be some kind of A or AB.  My O blood when mixed with their B blood during birth starts a process that breaks down their red blood cells and causes a slight kidney failure.  Obviously if not treated it could get much worse, but as long as we use UV lights (pictured here) to help the blood flush out the toxins and keep plenty of fluids in them, we can usually get them completely out of the weeds in less than a week.  Luckily Colorado is a state where they believe that a baby should stay with Momma all the time because in other states they require NICU stays for an ABO incompatibility.

 Look how little he looks compared to Joe's hands.

 Jackson's at home UV light bed.

 Which we put on the changing table to keep him up and away from dogs, cats, and sisters.

 Baking Joe his Sour Cream Apple pie for his birthday.

 I have officially run out of room in the largest SUV on the market.  This is my front seat after shopping for our Toy Drive party.  The back two rows are already full! WHOA!

 The lighting in this picture is horrible but I love how HUGE Kuma is compared to Jackson.

The girls were watching cartoons on the iPad this morning waiting for Jackson to wake up enough to eat.  Jackson is able to nurse - though it takes him a very long time in between falling asleep - but I have also been pumping a ton since I have so much milk.  What we don't freeze each day we'll feed to him in a bottle which of course Austin and Tyler love to do.

 Taking a rest in his co-sleeper in our bed while I took a shower.

Wrapping up

November 28 - Today I am thankful for the lack of Black Friday interest in our home.  I refuse to participate in Black Friday, a merchandise holiday built around sales in which people get trampled.  The girls and I even needed several items from the grocery store and I wouldn't leave the house for them.  Luckily everyone that I surround myself with feels about the same way.

November 29 - Today I am thankful for Shop Small Saturday.  While I can't stand Black Friday, I LOVE Shop Small Saturday.  The girls and I (and whoever else we can wrangle up) head down to Manitou Springs and eat lunch and buy new Christmas ornaments.  This year we were able to convince Nate and Christine to join us and Joe even took the day off.  Although I believe Joe took the time off to be closer to me while at the end of this pregnancy.  It's been cute to watch the girls be so oblivious yet Joe and the animals HAVE to be right around me.  I feel very well monitored at all times. :-)

November 30 - Today I am thankful for our Christmas tree. I know it's just a tree and a fake one at that but it makes me so happy.  Two years ago all of the built in lights on the Christmas tree burnt out so we have to string it up with lights and while we threaten to buy a new one because of it, it has yet to happen.  This year is especially lovely to me...I am too wobbly to reach the top portion of the tree from the ladder so there isn't one ornament up there.  All of the breakable ones are at the mid section out of reach to the cats, dogs and small people and then there's the bottom section.  Oh my.  I won the battle this year with Joe and rather than having a tree decorated with any type of spacing in mind, I hung the breakables and then turned the girls loose with the rest.  We have some branches with a dozen or more ornaments on them.  It makes me chuckle to think about them.  Then since they aren't breakable at all, we have been letting them take them down, play with them and then re-decorate the tree at night.  It's perfect!


What a fun November it has been.  I love having tasks and completing them so being able to write one little blurb a day makes me feel like I am accomplishing something.  Obviously I am sitting here super pregnant (9 days over due - but who's counting) or most of you reading this would have at least received a text.  I thought about it and while this little guy was supposed to be a November baby, perhaps he is following in the last two generations of DiFabio men by making December his home.  We went in for our check up again yesterday and while everything looks just wonderful (he is measuring in at a whopping 8lbs 9 oz) they have officially scheduled me to be induced starting Thursday night with an anticipation of delivery on Friday.  Everything about this saddens me but at the same time I knew going in that if we got to these dates they would start insisting on things to move.  My biggest fear is that the induction will take too long and we will end up with a C-section.  Not only does the control freak in me loath the idea of being told what to do, just the thought of NEEDING help afterwards makes me sick to my stomach.  I am trying to stay super positive and use my next two days wisely...complete with scrubbing floors and jumping flat footed off table tops. ;-)