Amazing Friends and Family

I've been reminded over the past month how wonderful our friends and families are. Both Craig's parents and my parents rushed up here as soon as we found out we were in labor (a birth story is coming, I promise). They took care of Alex and Shadow for us and waited for the word that the baby had arrived. Craig's mom brought a ton of really good food, some of which is still squirreled away in the freezer. It will be great to pull out her lasagna or her toasted chicken sandwiches one night when the craziness of returning to work sets in! The sheets on my bed were washed and my bedroom was straightened when I came home. The bathroom was clean. The house looked great. I really felt spoiled.

Craig's parents and my mom were able to see Alex's Christmas Program the Monday after I had Adam. It was neat that they were there for that. I never had grandparents or other relatives be able to attend any of my school functions, so I'm glad Alex had 3 out of 4 grandparents there. (My dad had to work... :-( )

My mom stayed for 6 days and helped out around here. Craig was off work, but Alex was still in school, which meant Craig was able to run the last minute Christmas errands without feeling bad about leaving me alone. My mom made a TON of food, some of which is still squirreled away in the freezer. She made comfort food... Roundsteak w/Mashed Potatos and Gravy, Apple Pie, Kolachy (polish cookies... hoping to post that recipe for Recipe Swap Thursday), and Sloppy Joes. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. It was great having an extra set of hands around.

Craig's parents came back for Christmas, then Craig's brother Brian and his wife Sarah and their son Payton came to visit. Then my sister Jen and her husband Dan and their three boys Matt, Jon and Nate came to visit. It was so much fun to see nearly the whole family! We'll see my brother Mike and his wife Jen later this month at Adam's baptism.

Friends have been calling and a couple of stopped by to visit. My friend Therese brought us over a wonderful pasta dinner with an apple pie for dessert last week. Even picky Alex asked for seconds! Hoping to visit with another friend, Lisa, later this week. I've gotten a lot of emails and I'm hoping to have even more visits or meetings over the next few weeks.

I truly feel blessed to have all these generous, supporting, amazing people in my life, both near and far. I only have about 5 weeks left of my maternity leave, and it's going WAY too fast. But it's been great to spend time not only with my new addition, but also with my amazing friends and family.