Christmas Letter

I wasn't planning on doing this, but Ali from Two in my Cup did it and I thought it might be a good idea, in case I missed anyone when sending out Christmas letters, or in case anyone reads this that might like to have been sent a Christmas letter.

Here you are:

Merry Christmas to you and your family! After a year off from Christmas letter writing, I’m back on the job and still determined to make it a tradition. Last Christmas, I was waddling around with an overdue baby in my belly and had neither the creative energy nor the desire to write. All my thoughts were on getting that baby O-U-T.
Well, she came in God’s perfect timing. Our dear daughter, Eden Abigail, was born December 30th, 2007. She was 21 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce. This year has been our first as a family of three with many countless firsts experienced related to our new position as parents. Our sweet Eden is the light of our lives and becomes more precious to us every day.
Charles not only took on the role of Daddy this year, but also that of Doctor. He graduated in the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine class of ’08 and matched at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. He has completed half of his year as an Internal Medicine Intern and will continue here for four more years following as a Radiology Resident.
We knew we would be moving this year, we just didn’t know where. We were hoping and praying for a match at Emory University in Atlanta. Ultimately though, we knew we had no choice but to submit to God’s will and pray that it come to pass in our lives. The days leading up to the match were some of our most stressful and the anticipation just before opening the envelope that would reveal to us where we would build our lives for our first five years as a family was palpable. We both teared up when we read “Jackson, Mississippi.”
We were disappointed, scared, apprehensive and sad to think of being so very far from the people and places we knew and loved. We were about to be stretched in a big, big way. There were more tears and sad goodbyes as we packed up and made the long drive from Augusta to Jackson in a caravan of one giant moving van and two cars that included Charles, his dad, me, my parents, Eden and Dolce.
About a month before we moved, we embarked on a week-long house-hunting expedition. We looked through about 50 houses online and narrowed them down to the ones we wanted to see in person. Our wonderful real estate agents, Leslie and Melissa, worked tirelessly with us to help us stay within our budget of both time and money. With God’s favor and direction, we closed on a beautiful three bedroom, two bath ranch house in a wonderful neighborhood in Northeast Jackson. We are still enjoying it and continue to make it our own, bit by bit, project by project.
God has faithfully blessed us and guided us in the areas we have asked Him to. He has given us a church where the Word is preached unashamedly and dance is welcomed. He has given me friends who can provide Godly support as I continue to pursue unattainable perfection in the quest to be a “good Mom.” He has blessed us with neighbors who are welcoming and helpful. And He has blessed us with vehicles that can take us back, every so often, but not often enough, to the ones we miss so much.
Most recently, we experienced the sadness of loss. We became pregnant in September but the baby only grew for 7 weeks before he went on to be with Jesus. We felt so much love and support during our grief, and for that we are thankful. God was with us through it all and I continue to feel His comfort in a very real way. I had no anxiety or issues during the pregnancy and my body finished the process naturally, as I had prayed. God has quickened the healing process in my heart, as He continues to heal my womb. Our hopes are in Him and therefore, still high, that Eden will have a sibling by the end of next year.
We have grown as individuals, as parents and as a family over the past year, but especially since moving to Jackson. We are learning to be independent, make the big decisions, train our daughter, make time for each other, find good deals, keep house and plan for the future, all while making a life for ourselves in the present.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow and for His ultimate gift to us, without which we would most certainly be in big trouble. Blessings and Joy to you this Christmas!