Merry Christmas to All!

I have been such a blog slacker. Seems my life has been filled with rather uninteresting events that aren't worthy of blogging about. But when I think about it, it's not true! Let's see:

*Derek found an amazing job that he loves.
*My parents came to visit us for the weekend and have an early Christmas with us. That was a BLAST!
*I've started to venture out on my own and navigate my way through the Phoenix Valley a little bit...(Has anyone truly ever realized how BIG this place is?!)
*I have one month left until our little girl arrives.
*Titan is quickly approaching his 2nd birthday (where on EARTH does the time go???)

Anyway, life is so good here at the Hargrove home. I can never complain. Sometimes I get nervous when I'm about to gush about how great my life is and how blessed I am, because I'm afraid that one day it will all be taken from me. Isn't that morbid? I have just heard so many stories in my lifetime about these people who fall in love then get in car accidents. People who are 39 weeks pregnant and their baby passes away. People who lose their children to weird things like cancers, SIDS, tumors, etc. I guess I get scared because I feel like I have a fragile heart and don't want it to be tested. This year has brought so much heartache, yet so much joy!

I often feel sad that we are no longer an Army family. I miss the days where Titan and I lived in Georgia. I miss missing Derek (does that even make sense?!). I feel sad when I see his friends graduate from each new phase of training and I know it pierces Derek just the same. I often find myself wondering what our lives would have been like had we continued on that path. But I know this is where our family is meant to be. Together. No deployments. No time away due to training. No danger. No governmental drama like he dealt with in his field. I could not be happier to have my sweet husband living at home with us. Where once I was wondering how January would play out, (Titan and I alone on his birthday with no friends or family, me giving birth alone 1500 miles from anyone in our immediate family, New Year's and Christmas alone...) now all of that will be different. We will spend the holidays with TONS of family. We will have my mom here to welcome in Baby Claire and squeeze on Titan. Derek should be able to attend the birth. It's WONDERFUL!


This is our self-timer-taken Christmas card picture (haha). Surprisingly, it didn't take too long to get a decent shot. My face definitely looks like a 35 week pregnant person face...


Here is little Claire, hanging out all cozy in the womb. She is very sweet and mild. I can tell this about her already. She hardly ever moves and when she does, she's pretty gentle about it. She gets the hiccups a lot, and I get heartburn more frequently as of late. I also urinate up to 12 or so times a night which is so much fun. I've gained about 27 pounds and it's all belly, bum and boobs. A lady at Victoria's Secret measured me the other day (I was in a sports bra no less) and I'm a 32 C. Wow. So I can bank on having some rather large honkers after my milk comes in. To say I went from a small A to a small D is quite the jump for someone like myself! Ha!

Anyway, life is good here and I hope you all have the Merriest Christmas of all time and remember what Christmas really is about.

Love,

The Hargroves