Daniel and I had to leave my parents house the day after Christmas and our flight was at 7am-- so we had to leave at 5:00am thus making us say most of our "goodbyes" on Christmas Day. Rough.
My first goodbye was to Miss Abigail. She was being put to bed entirely too early (in my opinion) by her father. She had gotten into the habit of staying up until 10:00pm because she didn't want to miss any of the party and Jesse said that that had to stop haha so around 8:00pm, she was taken down stairs. I cried and cried. And I'm tearing up now just thinking about it.
I hated the idea of leaving, but even more specifically... leaving the little girls (Claire and Abigail). They grow so fast and the next time I see them they won't remember me. They won't remember all our little "inside jokes" and the little songs that I sang to them to make them smile. The thing that broke my heart the most though was with Abigail. Jani once told me that after her surgeries, her little eyes panic when an unrecognizable face walks into the hospital recovery room--she's a smart little girl and knows that new faces often equal pain (shots, tests, etc.) What if she was afraid of me if I was able to visit her?! The thought is almost too much for me to handle. I love that little girl too much.
So anyways. This year, goodbyes equaled lots and lots of tears. (I'm pregnant! Leave me alone.)
After arriving in Hickory, Daniel decided to stay with his family Tuesday - Thursday while I was working in Chapel Hill (about 2.5 hours away). It didn't make sense for him to be home alone for 8 hours, when I was at work, while his entire family was in town. It was a lonely time... especially because I went from a house filled with 17 people, to an apartment all alone. But I made it work. I set up my computer in my bedroom and watched chick flicks haha (Never Been Kissed).
Right after work on Thursday, I drove back to Hickory for the Baird "Ukrainian Christmas Dinner." The dinner is a multi-course meal. We eat by candle light and can only whisper. I don't remember all of the other symbolic things, but it's really cool. I will say that it was definitely a lot harder to have a quiet dinner with a baby... haha I'm sure next year will be even worse, if not impossible, with Baby Baird around! (Well, only if she's like her dad haha)
On December 30th, 2011, we had a second Christmas morning! Once we all woke up, we went and sat around the tree and opened our gifts one by one. Paul brought me home pearls from India and I also got a pair of hiking/camping/water sandals from Sally. Daniel and I also got a couple games AND a yogurt maker amongst other things. Pretty cool stuff. We then had Christmas breakfast (golden rod eggs with fresh bread). It was really cool to have a second Christmas. It helps with the Christmas "hang over" as Daniel likes to put it.
In the afternoon, the boys worked on the bathroom (they were remodeling it) and watched football. The girls went to the movies :-). I finally got to see Breaking Dawn Part I. It was a very unique experience with a large range of emotions. I felt awkwardness, joy, horror, and sick--I even started gagging( the part where Bella drinks blood and it stains her teeth... gross). Overall, I enjoyed it and I can't wait to make Daniel watch it as well.
On New Years Eve Daniel, Jared, and I went to the NLM Party (a neighborhood gang... if you will haha)and around 10:00pm we left to attend the Running of the Lights Race. Some of us ran a 5.5k to bring in the new year. Others, such as myself, walked. It was fun. I was definitely exhausted, but at least I was awake to watch the ball drop and I got to kiss my sweetheart to welcome the new year. That's something that is still fun for me.
Note: My first thought and comment of 2012, "We're having a baby this year!"
It's becoming more and more real and I love lil Miss Baird already.
Overall, 2011 was a FANTASTIC year:
January- I started my blog! haha
February- Daniel got accepted to the Edinburgh internship.
March- I "quit" my job and we got ready for our overseas move. McKaysters was born!
April- Daniel graduated from BYU!
May- We moved to SCOTLAND!
June- Daniel's parents came to visit us. We went to Ireland and the Preston, England temple. My first niece, Claire, was born.
July- I spent my 23rd birthday in London and Daniel and I had a second "honeymoon" in Spain! Baby Abigailey was born!
August- Grandpa Alexander's 80th birthday/ Family reunion. Daniel and I moved to NC for grad school. We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary together.
September- Daniel and I found out we were having a BABY GIRL!
October- We made some great friends, settled into our new routines, and I constantly grew a baby.
November- Daniel and I made our first Thanksgiving dinner.
December- Best Christmases ever
Whoooshh... A year goes by so much faster these days.
Getting back into the swing of things after the holiday is always hard, but it's nice to have a "routine" again. Daniel and I both miss our family members a lot, but we are so excited to welcome our little girl in February.
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