We had a very nice Christmas--quieter than many, but good. Exchanged greetings with brother Jim and Betty, and was so happy to tell them about the baby coming. Called brother Larry, as Betty had told me his Helen was in the hospital. She had had some trouble breathing and was waiting for a cardiac procedure. Luckily, it seems not to be extremely serious.
Ellen and I prepared as much as possible early in the day, as I always try to do, and we enjoyed doing it together. Alison, Mike, and M.'s brother, David, got here about 4, having shared noontime "dinner" with M.'s mother, Mavis, in the assisted living facility. The pork was good and the vegetables I roasted with them superb. Got the recipe off the Internet and it's very easy. I had the butcher cut the large, boneless roast in half, to make about four pounds for last night. There's enough left over to give Pat hot pork sandwiches tonight.
Ate at a little before 6 after chatting and laughing together. I had set on the living room table the digital picture frame Mike gave me for my birthday, and we watched it periodically. Ellen had figured out how to transfer my own pictures on to it and we even saw the ones from Christmas Eve at Alison's.
After dinner, we opened our presents. The girls were amazed and thrilled to receive the web cams from Mike. (To avoid violating the terms of our Christmas exchange, he had written that Alison's was a late birthday gift, and Ellen's an early one.) Paula also sent unique and lovely little ornaments to Alison, Ellen, and me. I was given an elephant and a ball, Alison a rat (2008 is the year of the rat), and Ellen a cat.
We decided to call the expecting parents and I did. Paula answered the phone and said they were at the Singapore port, ready to disembark after their cruise (it was the 26th over there). She's suffering from "morning sickness," but for most of the day, unfortunately. I sympathized with her, remembering how uncomfortable that is, but she should be over it in a few more weeks. Mike then came in from breakfast with Vivian and we all chatted with him. He managed to corral V. long enough to have her say, "Merry Christmas" before she charged away. He told us she said she wanted "a brown baby" and would give it milk and wouldn't beat it. (Where in the world did she get that?)
A., E., and I decided to skip Longwood Gardens in favor of a hike today in Atsion Forest--a great idea Ellen suggested. (I don't care where we go, as long as I'm with my D.D.s.)
After Alison, Mike, and David left, I stayed up with Pat and Ellen for a half hour to watch a show we happened to come across. It was about the changed, and greatly enhanced, lives of people who had won big in lotteries.
During this holiday season, I feel as if I've won the best lottery prize there is--the life one.
An afterthought: Betty pointed out that Byrne descendants seem to be populating the earth. Her Wes and Katy are expecting in May, Larry's granddaughter is pregnant, both of Frank's daughters are due shortly, and now Vivian will be a big sister. Also, Betty's grandson, Finn, at six and a half, is the oldest of the younger set (some grandkids, some great-grands). How many, Betty?