When I found out I was pregnant in September, one of my first thoughts was: how do we prepare Cordy for this?

She had just turned 2 at the time, and while her grasp of language is pretty good for her age, we figured we wouldn’t tell her right away. Since then, I’ve tried to explain to her why mommy can’t pick her up as much (besides the fact that she’s 33 or 34 pounds solid), and why she can’t sit on mommy’s tummy. But she still shows no signs of comprehending what I’m telling her.

Then a few months ago, there was a special on Nick for the Blue’s Clues 10th anniversary, and it covered the topic of having a sibling. Meet Blue’s Baby Brother is still Tivo’d, because it is something she likes to watch at least once a week. I’m used to her walking up to me, looking up at me with pleading eyes, and saying, “Bwue’s budder? Bwue’s budder?”

So for about a month now, I sit with her when she watches it, and tell her, “Cordy will have a new family member, too.” We didn’t know if it was a boy or girl yet, but I knew that if we had a boy, we could keep using this program to prepare her for a little brother. I was even planning to buy her a Blue’s Clues shirt that features Blue hugging her little brother, saying, “I love my brother!” if it was a boy.

Well, now I need to look for another way to explain it to her. Because it looks like she’s going to have a little sister.

The doc is about 95% sure it’s a girl.

The ultrasound yesterday showed a perfectly normal baby, growing at just the right rate. Unlike Cordy, who at her 20 week ultrasound was moving around so fast the doctor couldn’t get much of a look at anything, this baby was mellow and stayed still – too still, even, which made it hard to get a look at everything. Her knees were pulled up, making it hard to look at “the goods”, but the doctor and I both saw the trademark three lines (indicating a girl) at different times. It’s possible we’ll have another ultrasound in a month or so, to confirm that this is indeed a girl.

Aaron and I are happy about having another girl. While he was leaning towards wanting a boy, we certainly don’t mind saving money by reusing all of Cordy’s old clothes and toys. And it will be fun to see the relationship between sisters. I had a sister who didn’t survive infancy, as well as a half sister who is much younger than me and I saw only a few times a year, so I never got the chance to experience that sisterly bond.

So, anyone know any good DVDs to prepare a child for a new baby sister?

It’s over. It’s all over. Christmas and Hanukkah have come, gone, and now are in the past. And this tired pregnant woman couldn’t be happier to see it all go. Oh sure, I like seeing family, decorating the tree, eating good food, and getting and giving presents, but I put so much energy into it that I barely have enough to get me through to the end of the year.

Christmas Eve was the more formal party night. We went to see my dad’s side of the family, and this year’s gathering was being hosted by my cousin at his enormously beautiful new house. I can’t even fully describe how big that place was. As we walked up to the door, Cordy said, “Look, a palace!” and Aaron and I had to laugh and agree that she wasn’t far off. The place has three full floors, a sunken formal Italian-style dining room, a two story living room with a wall of windows looking out onto a lake, etc. The downstairs was a funhouse: a game room with a pool table, air hockey table and pinball machine, a full bar (seriously, when you stepped into that room, it looked like a well-kept small pub), and a home movie theatre, complete with leather theatre seats, a projector and a very large screen taking up an entire wall. I was blown away by it all – clearly we’re in the wrong lines of work. It was stunning.

Cordy was very shy at first, but soon warmed up and was wandering through the crowd of about 35 adults and 20 children. Although there were a few other kids her age, who tried to interact with her, she ignored them and continued doing her own thing, as usual. Santa visited the kids, and while she wouldn’t go near him without me holding her, she did at least say thanks for the gift (which we provided). All the kids then ripped open their gifts, and I found it funny that all of the other little girls squealed with glee over their princess dolls and dress up kits, while our little girl was excited to unwrap a Backyardigans pirate ship.

Next was the gift exchange for the adults. By this point it was after 9:00pm – a full hour past Cordy’s latest bedtime – and by 9:30pm she was done. She climbed off my lap, laid down on the floor in the middle of all the chaos, pulled a pillow over her head, and fell asleep. Everyone had to carefully step over her, and the loud conversations did nothing to wake her. She slept for the rest of the night.

Christmas day we spent at home, with all of my mom’s side of the family joining us for dinner and gift opening. Cordy started the morning with her big gift: a trike!

That is the face of a happy kid.

She probably spent a good half hour sitting on that thing, saying, “A bike! A bike!” over and over again. She doesn’t know how to pedal yet, but she’s happy enough to sit on it for now. We can work on the logistics of locomotion in the summer.

Once family arrived, the day became a blur. Food was being prepared while gifts were being sorted and then opened. Then it was time to eat, followed by clean up and before I knew what was happening, it was 3:00pm, everyone was leaving, Cordy was down for a nap and I felt a strong urge for a nap myself.

Cordy got a lot of very nice gifts, including lots and lots of books, a playhouse for the backyard, an Aquadoodle mat, and megablocks. But, as can be expected from many toddlers, she had no interest in opening those gifts or playing with them. Instead, she was far more content to play with the boxes.

Huh? An awesome toy? No thanks, I’ve got this box…

(More tomorrow, including the Gift Hall of Shame. Although the winner should be no surprise to you, you probably can’t guess what the worst/weirdest gift will be.)

We’ve been busy here trying to finish the last of the wrapping, while keeping a certain toddler happy. Tonight is the big party with my father’s side of the family, and then tomorrow my mom’s family will all be at our house in the morning. Here’s some pics of the day.

In PJs and red hat (she really loves that hat)

Playing with the tree

And finally, here is my first belly pic at one day short of 19 weeks. This Thursday is the big ultrasound, where hopefully we’ll find out if this baby is a girl or boy.

I’m a believer that good things happen on the solstice. Of course, Summer Solstice is my birthday, which, well, I think is a pretty good thing, except when I turned 30. Winter Solstice marks the end of the days getting shorter, and the return of the sun shining just a little more each and every day. Well, if you actually get to see the sun where you are – our part of the country is known for most winter days being cloudy. But this particular Winter Solstice had other happy connotations besides more daylight.

First, my entire house now smells like yummy chocolate and peppermint. I made this recipe for dark chocolate peppermint bark last night, and despite my lack of culinary skills, it turned out very well. Of course, it helps that it was one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever followed. It’s now hardened and today I have to break it up into small pieces and box it up for gifts. I promised Aaron I would make more so that we get to have some as well.

Second, our Christmas and Hanukkah shopping is finished. There are a few small packaging items still needed, but for the most part, we’re done. It’s a good thing we’re done, too, since the marathon begins tonight with a Hanukkah celebration with Aaron’s family.

I’m also glad to be done, because my irritation at other people was hitting a peak. Driving to the few remaining stores last night, I used more expletives than I normally do in a month behind the wheel. The rain and the rush to get their shopping done were turning people into road rage asshats, weaving in and out of lanes, cutting in front of others, and lacking any respect for fellow drivers. Now that the shopping is done, I can relax again.

Third, Cordy and I got to attend a birthday party for a local blogger’s twins. Stella and Grant turned two yesterday, and a casual party was held at a McDonald’s with a very new, very posh playarea. Cordy had a lot of fun with the other kids, and for the first time (and second, third, and more) went down the slide without my help. I enjoyed catching up with friends and meeting some new moms.

And finally, to top off Winter Solstice, we had a message on our answering machine when we got back from dinner. It was the police detective working on our break-in case, and he was calling to give us an update. Thanks to the DNA extracted from the tiny blood spot I found on our curtain, they arrested the robber, and he confessed to the crime! Woo-hoo! Aaron will be calling today for more details – there is little chance any of our stolen items will be recovered, but the police may be able to find out where the guy sold our stuff.

It feels satisfying to know that this guy will likely be spending Christmas in jail, where he won’t be able to steal from anyone else and ruin another family’s holidays. Justice came through, and I want to give a big thanks to the Columbus Police Department for keeping up with such a minor case compared to all of the larger crimes that require more attention.

So that was my day yesterday, and I’m pretty impressed with how it went, even if Cordy did skip her nap and leave me feeling frazzled. Now I must spend today resisting the urge to eat the chocolate peppermint bark calling me from the kitchen.