A very happy New Year from Becca-Bear! When I asked Becca what’s been the best thing about 2010, she had one thing to say: “being at home with Daddy and Mommy!” We’ve had a wonderful year of watching our little girl grow from a  very tiny baby to a beautiful, very energetic one-year-old.

The best thing about 2010 for me has been having another year with my husband and being a mommy. I’m very thankful for my wonderful husband and for the blessing he is to me each day of the year. I’m blessed to be a mommy and to spend each day at home with my family.

We’re looking forward to 2011 and all the wonderful blessings God has in store for us. Happy New Year!

Becca saw Santa this evening. He said he’d been praying for her all year!

Merry Christmas!

Today is Becca’s 56-week birthday! Saturday will be her second Christmas, but it will be her first Christmas to spend all day with Daddy and Mommy, instead of being at the hospital. We are so delighted with God’s gift of our daughter Becca. Josh is finished with his semester. Both Becca and I are glad to have some extra time with him during Christmas. (Becca was generous enough to proofread Josh’s final paper to help him finish up faster!)

We’ve been enjoying some of Arlington’s Christmas activities. One Friday afternoon, we took a trip to Home Depot and enjoyed looking around. Becca loved riding in the cart. Another Saturday evening, we enjoyed (and froze) watching the Arlington downtown Christmas parade. Becca enjoyed most of it.

Another evening we had dinner at Chick-Fil-A and then walked downtown and looked at some window displays. Becca did not like the moving Santa doll and was amazed by the giant nutcracker. We enjoyed the warm evening weather. A big change from the night of the parade.

I’m currently under a deadline with my dissertation. My prospectus was approved the week of Thanksgiving. And now I’m trying to get an entire draft of the paper written by January 15th. I would appreciate your prayers as I try to meet this deadline during a busy time of year.

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

In November, my sister Emily visited us for a week. It took a little while for Becca to warm up to her aunt, but they soon before good friends, and Becca enjoyed laughing at her crazy Aunt Emily. While Emily has here, we went to quite a few things in the area. I think I saw more of Dallas and Fort Worth in the week Emily was here than I have in our previous two-and-a-half years of living in Texas.

Saturday night we went to a rodeo. I don’t think Josh or I will ever be tempted to enter into a rodeo event, even if we’re low on cash. The bull riding looked painful and the other events looked complicated. And you only get one chance at trying to rope the poor little (feisty) calf. Becca didn’t go to the rodeo, but she does enjoy playing with her nativity.

Emily was a great help while she was here. She helped make baby food, she babysat Becca twice when we had to go out, she helped clean Becca’s bed, she washed my kitchen floor (without being asked), she made Becca’s birthday cake, she helped us put up our Christmas decorations, she washed lots of dishes, and she did many other things. The last night she was here, she even scrubbed our bathtub – that was a nice surprise to step into. We’ll see if we can talk Emily into coming again next year. Thanks, Em!

Two more presents arrived for Becca after the official celebrations. My brother Joey sent her a “I <3 BJU” outfit. And my brother Sam and his wife sent her  a Yankee’s outfit and a Mets outfit. I’m not sure if she can wears those down here in Texas Ranger country.

Today is the 4-year anniversary of our first date. I was really excited when Josh asked me out and was hoping it would go well. When I got an email from him a few hours after our date, I decided that I hadn’t scared him away. I was thrilled when he asked me out again…and that he’s now my date for life. I love you, my sweet husband. Thanks so much for asking me out!

On another note, since my miscarriage we’ve received a lot of mail from Dover, Pa – thanks fam.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Becca’s 1st birthday. Becca now weighs 16lbs. and 5oz. and is 27 and 1/4 inches long. She’s come a long ways from her original weight of 2lbs 0.8oz!

During the afternoon of Becca’s birthday we went to see some sights in Dallas. We visited the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. They have a two-story model railroad. It was quite impressive. Next we visited the Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive in downtown Dallas, featuring bronze bovines.

Our next stop was the State Fairgrounds. We didn’t stay for long, but it was neat to see the area. We got home in enough time for Becca to take a short nap so that she wouldn’t be too cranky for her birthday celebration. Josh and Emily decorated the room, while Becca and I waited in the bedroom. Becca and Mommy enjoyed all the decorations.

At first, Becca wasn’t too sure what to make of her birthday cake. After some tentative fingering, she enjoyed pulling the entire cupcake apart. And eventually she put some in her mouth. After she “finished” her cake, we gave her some homemade sweet potato pie, which she loves.

Becca also enjoyed playing with all her packages, in addition to the gifts themselves. A big hit was her magnetic letters. She loves pulling them off our front door and fridge and carrying them around the apartment. The other day she brought me the “O”. We’re all enjoying spelling words and making new words.

One of the highlights of Becca’s birthday was visiting the NICU. We kept Becca up late so we could see the nurses on night shift. We were very happy to see many of our nurses, and I think they were pleased to see Becca. We continue to thank God for His hand on Becca’s life. Thank you for all your prayers for her over this past year.

Since my photographer sister was here this past week, we have loads of pictures to share with you all. I’ve decided to do spread them out over the next few weeks. Today we’ll have pictures of Thanksgiving, next week we’ll showcase Becca’s birthday, and then maybe the next week we’ll showcase Emily’s visit.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving evening with Emily, and René, Yani, and Amaris Rodriguez. It was good to get together with them for the evening. We have so much to be thankful for. Becca especially enjoyed the sweet potato pie that Josh made.

On a somber note, our Thanksgiving did not turn out exactly as I had hoped. We spent Thanksgiving morning in the emergency room as my body began the process of miscarrying our second child. I was about 12 weeks pregnant, but the ultrasound at the emergency room showed a 6-week baby and no heartbeat was found. Yesterday, the doctor confirmed that my body is preparing to have a miscarriage. We appreciate your prayers for us. Children are a true gift from the Lord, and we are very grateful for His gift of our dear sweet Becca to us.