Meeting Santa

I don't remember the first time I met Santa and I know Taylor won't remember yesterday. However, I do know that this is a tradition we began that one day will mean something to her. I remember getting my picture taken with the "Santa" down the street. He was a neighbor that always put up lights, and in his backyard (it was a corner lot that wasn't fenced in), Santa sat, ready to find out what you wanted and ready to take a picture with you. The year I remember, my picture ended up in the newspaper. I still have that paper clipping some place. I know Taylor will one day remember having her picture taken with Santa. I also know that she will keep at least one of those photos. This year was obviously for Brian and myself, but still fun and magical in it's own way.

Brian had a long day yesterday - left before seven and didn't get home until almost 11 that night. However, he took time to have lunch with his girls and to see Santa for the first time with his daughter. This was a special Santa - clear, warm, blue eyes with a full, natural, white beard. We felt lucky when we found out that Santa's camera was broken, and we were able to take pictures with our own camera - this meant they were free and plentiful. We got a few good pics of her staring at this bearded man, taking him all in and a couple of her smiling at us. I think that moment is something Brian and I will cherish for years to come.

Obviously, this Christmas will be cherished by us for years to come simply because it is Taylor's first. However, two years ago was a Christmas full of sadness and last Christmas was full of hope and fear. This Christmas is full of joy and love and wonder - joy for having Taylor in our lives, love for all she gives to us, and wonder for how amazing she is - how did we ever create something so special? We know it is only by the grace and mercy of God and we pray everyday that we allow Him to do His work on her through us. Merry Christmas to all and may this Season give you joy, peace, mercy, hope, and love.

Rolling Over, Sitting Up, and Just Plain Cute!

Taylor has been a busy girl this past week. On Thursday, Brian stayed home with her while I went to the office. He has been working so hard lately, he wanted some extra time with his baby girl. After her 10 o'clock feeding, I was surprised to get a call to let me know that our little girl had rolled from her back to her front for the first time! She's done it a few times with help, but it was the first time all on her own...I'm still waiting to see if with my own eyes, but as long as it happens within the next week or so I'll continue to believe she did it without help. If it takes longer than that, then I will become suspicious of "daddy". Overall, I was a little sad that I missed it, but I was really happy that Brian got to have a special moment with Taylor. I am blessed to spend half of my time at home with her and I get so many special moments with her, it's nice to share them.

Yesterday was another milestone! After her 7 o'clock feeding, Brian helped me out and played with Taylor. I've been working a lot lately and have been really tired, so I wanted a little bit more sleep and Brian obliged. However, I'd only been laying in bed for a few minutes when I got a call from the other room - I needed to hurry up and see our Baby Girl sit all on her own! She sat up for a minute or so at a time - long enough for us to get pictures, and she has continued to do it today! She is such a blessing and after marveling in her greatness, I went back to bed :)

Last night we went to friends and she charmed them all as she always does! She cuddled and smiled and giggled with the other girls there (and most importantly she slept once she was tired). Two of them are expecting in the spring, and Taylor can't wait to meet her new friends, but until then she enjoys all of the attention!

We're in our homestretch of this special Christmas season. We can't wait to get to New Orleans and show her off to family (and hopefully a few friends) and I'm sure there will be lots of memories and stories to share....

Ramblings About this Blog

First, about the blog's title....the word "lagniappe" has always been special to me. First, growing up in New Orleans, every Friday the entertainment section of the newspaper was called "Lagniappe". I always loved how fun the word sounded and the meaning....a little something extra. As I grew up I learned that my grandmother in California also always used it even though it isn't a common word outside of New Orleans. Made me like the word even more (silly, I know).

Now, why am I writing this blog? I don't know. I know I enjoy reading others and I think at least my family and maybe a few friends would enjoy following what is going on in my little family. I don't want to sound too arrogant that people would LOVE to read what I have to say, but part of me really likes the idea of having a forum to share my life and our experiences with others. We'll have to wait and see how good I am at keeping this up or how long it will be before I even tell anyone about it :)

Lastly, about me and my family. My name is Ginger and I'm originally from New Orleans. I'm married to a wonderful man named Brian - we met two weeks before we graduated from high school and ended up going to school 90 minutes from each other - him at A&M and me at Baylor. We kept in touch and 5 years later both ended up in Dallas. Not quite two years later we were married. This past July we were blessed with our beautiful baby girl. We love our little girl and feel like we are the luckiest people in the world! There is obviously much more about us than just these 3 paragraphs, but I guess that's what this blog is about....giving people the chance to get to know us a little bit more.