Christmas 2018

Going into the weekend before Christmas was actually pretty terrible for me. Brandon and I had gotten into a disagreement Saturday night that led to 4 hours of sleep. Even though I survived on less for much longer in the first couple months of Desmond's life, it feels worse when the sleep deprivation is caused by your husband, not the baby...and that baby doesn't care that you didn't go to sleep until 1AM.

The day before Christmas, Brandon and I experienced baking struggles. He was making cookies as part of a gift and his dough was too dry. I was making a pie and my buttermilk had gone bad. We both eventually succeeded in our endeavors, but it had taken way longer than expected, including a couple back and forth trips to the grocery store. Then we had to pack to stay at my parents' house for a night, which felt like packing for a week-long vacation out-of-state(my parents live 20 minutes away by the way).

This was the first Christmas at my parent's house in a long time. In the past, my mom's side of the family would gather at my aunt and uncle's house in Buffalo, NY. Since my sister and I had babies and most of the family lives in the DMV, it made sense to change the gathering location to my parent's house in Maryland. Even though we lived so close, it was more convenient to sleepover due to Desmond's sleep schedule. We were incredibly relieved that Desmond slept just as well at my parent's house in the pack n' play as he does in the crib in his own nursery. In fact, Desmond woke up 1-3 hours later than normal after all three nights we ended up sleeping there. Merry Christmas to us!

I loved being at my parents' house over the holiday break. There was always good food and company. My youngest cousin, who lives in the San Francisco area, brought her fiance, who I hadn't met before. All the women attended her first dress fitting where she found THE dress, and hot damn she looked incredible!

Even though the week didn't start so well, the rest of it was as joyful and relaxing as can be with a 10-month-old. This was Desmond's first Christmas, and I am grateful that he is surrounded by so much love. It was also our first Christmas as parents. Marriage is mostly easy for me and Brandon, but once in a great while, something will throw us for a loop. It forces us to confront our feelings and communicate better with each other. It's not always pretty but in the end, I'm grateful that we can come out of disagreements stronger than before. What else can I ask for? Blessed.