Christmas in Clearfield

After much thought and discussion, Sharon and I decided to take a minuscule risk by traveling back to my parent's house in Pennsylvania for Christmas this year. Although our doctor told us that he didn't have any real reservations about us traveling, we were a little concerned by the fact that our insurance may not have covered an out-of-state birth if Kürbis decided to shock everybody and come over three weeks early. Thankfully, he/she decided he really enjoys the warmth and comfort of mommy's belly and he won't be a 2007 tax deduction. Since our decision to go to Pennsylvania was a last-second one and we could only stay a few days, we made the trip with our friend Dawn who was going to a nearby area to see her family.

Our trip home was complicated a little by the fact that Dawn needed to leave on Friday to get home for her brother's college graduation, but I had already planned a two-day ski trip in Maine for Thursday and Friday. So after cutting my ski day a little short on Friday, I drove the four hours back to Boston so that we could leave for Pennsylvania at 8:00. Due to bad weather and frequent stops for the prego, we didn't actually make it to my parent's house until 5:00 AM. Since I had the privilege to be the driver for the last three hours, I was especially thankful to be able to stay awake while realizing that I won't be the dad that drives through the night if we can't find a hotel room.

Our time with my family was a lot of fun, and I eventually got to the point that I wasn't nervous that Sharon would go into unexpected labor. Nevertheless, it was a bit of relief when we made it back to Massachusetts and decided to hunker down into the baby comes. For New Year's Eve, we're planning on having a very small get together at our place and try as much as possible to stay out of the snow that is supposedly on the way. Below are some pictures from Christmas and a fun video of my niece Ella that reminded me of the wonder of Christmas morning for kids.


Sharon and me (and Kürbis) in front of our Christmas tree



My mom with the grandkids (Ella, Theo, Nancy, Catherin, Isaac from l-r)


Sharon and her fellow prego sister-in-law Chrissie


Sharon and me with my parents (and sister Megan and Chrissie)
My niece Ella on Christmas morning