Ah, what a day.

First of all, I found out my sis-in-law's pregnant! She's got her little Hattie Ruth, born 17 mos. ago, and now there will soon be another! I'm super excited. This Christmas will be fun. Wendy RAN today for the first time, so I can just see her runnin' 'round with all of her cousins in Mimi's house---There will be my cousins who are all still little boys, Devon, Wesley and Victor, and Wendy's 1st cousins, all under 4 years of age, starting with the eldest~Shep, Eva Rose, Maggie, Hattie and Ike. I know my mom, so I know there will be dolls, beeping trucks and lots for these kids to toss about. I am so exhausted at the moment. I'm running around with last-minute errands, cookie-baking for neighbors, wrapping and packing tons of gifts, and we just finished a round of holiday parties. Friday night we had a Christmas fellowship at Calvary Baptist, Saturday night was a joyous neighborhood progressive dinner FOR WHICH we HIRED our first little babysitter!!! J's friend, Rob's daughter is 15 and very bright. We picked her up, showed her the ropes of Wendy's world, thanked her, paid her, and drove her home. It was nice! I trust her so I worried little (I would say not at all, but come on, Woo Loo's my world!) I am so much more in love with babies and children now that I've been so blessed to experience motherhood these past 15 mos. Whereas before I'd think, "Cute kid. Love that laugh," and was content to just observe their quirky behaviors and marvel at their precious facial expressions accompanied by lilty voices, now I have to interact, play with and cuddle them all! At the third neighbor's home, where we ate cheesecake and sipped cidar, the little girl tackled me with hugs and kisses and I wanted to cry, it was so sweet. I hope Wendy's an affectionate little girl, and I think she's shaping up to be, because she loves to kiss everything and us on the mouth! She hugs and tackles too. I'm so blessed! I look forward to watching the kids in action, witnessing their enthusiasm and spastic joy at all the presents Santa Claus brings, seeing each child's latest trick, and showing the Woo Loo off to her doting grandparents, aunts and uncles on both sides. The other day, Wendy picked up a dried pear from a bowl of decorations and said, "Apple!" The night we left for our progressive dinner, she noticed my pearls, touched them, and said, "pretty." She's starting to say more complex words now, which pleases me to no end. Every little thing she does amazes me, and the truly wondrous thing about my evolution as a mother is that I truly feel like I am a mother to all babies and children. I just love them all----so, so, so much more than I was able to before. My heart's filled up and I cannot even bear to watch a movie if a child is in any way harmed. Cannot tolerate to see it. Period. I'm so overjoyed that the Lord continues to bless our family with more children, and it is with open arms that I welcome my brother and his wife's new, tiny blessing.