Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family

I write “Merry Christmas” to you all while watching one of my favorite holiday films, “The Thin Man.”  It is the moving 1933 murder mystery of an inventor solved by a married couple who spend 80% of the film with martinis in their hand.  Ok, so it is not, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but it still set during the holidays.  Evee is reading a pop up version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street” and Quoc is dancing with the extension ladder hanging holiday lights.  So I guess we are in full holiday mode.

2009 has been a whirl wind of change as all of you can imagine.  I’ve gone to work part-time, Quoc started working for a new company here in Tacoma, Miara, our cat is now allowed to go outside and everything Evelyn does is new.  As soon as Quoc and I catch up to one of her routines she goes and develops a new one.  Recently she has learned not only to walk but how to break out of the many configurations of “child proof” gates we have set up throughout the house.  She escapes from gates and diapers.  Although with all this change going on I’m finding it difficult to really write much more because it seems like we are constantly updating people about Evee with daily photo e-mails, facebook status updates and youtube videos.  So I think I’ll just make a bulleted list of reflection of our first years as parents:

-         Breastfeeding is good important and the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life

-         Cloth diapers are pretty easy

-         Quoc’s Asian propensity for photo taking has only been fueled and reinforced

-         Creeping up on 30 with a baby has added inches to our waist lines

-         World of warcraft has been replaced with youtube video’s of elmo

-         We’ve quickly become aware our 2 bedroom house with one closet needed organization creativity

-         We own the most patient cat in the world who doesn’t mind a cat’s tail used as a teething toy.

-         Balancing work and home is much tougher than I expected

Quoc and I hope we do not turn into a couple who are only able to talk about their child, but I think its fairly inevitable the first year of the first baby.  Perhaps the best thing we can say about Evee is that in October she was given the all clear by her neurologist with the prognosis that it is very unlikely she will have any long-term complications from her early fight with meningitis.  To everyone who gave their prayers and support during Evee’s first month with us we are truly grateful.  May 2010 be a year of good cheer, with health and happiness to all of you and yours.

With love,

 

Jessica, Quoc, & Evelyn