CHAPTER NINETEEN
SIX WEEKS LATER------CHRISTMAS DAY----TWINS ARE 3 MONTHS OLD
Christmas was quiet this year, like it was last year. Again, it was just family. Jo was worn out from her chemo treatments; unfortunately, she has nearly all the side effects possible--nausea, fatigue, hair loss, fever, chills, and weight loss. So, she spent most of Christmas Day on the couch. However, like last year, we got to celebrate babies' first Christmas. Last year was the first Christmas without Lizzie, and Marin's first Christmas. This year, it's Ben and Brooke's first Christmas, so we tried to make it special and memorable for all of us. Jo's mom made stockings for the twins, so Matt and I hung all our stockings (including Lizzie's) on the mantle.
Opening presents was festive this year. Keeping with tradition, Jo held the twins while she opened their presents. Since Marin is a year old, she really got into opening her presents. I think she had more fun with the paper and boxes than she did with her toys! Matt took a lot of pictures. It's his new hobby; he's quite good. He took pictures of the babies and himself and touched up a few pictures of Lizzie, and put them in a collage and individual frames. It was a beautiful gift. He also gave his brother and sisters pictures he took of Jo and me with each of them as newborns. He's such a thoughtful kid.
Speaking of pictures, we took our annual Christmas picture. I think these last two Christmases, the tradition has meant a lot to us. I set out all the family Christmas pictures we have taken since the first Christmas Jo and I were married. We were so young then! I picked up the picture when Jo was pregnant with Lizzie. We were so full of hope and expectation; how much we didn't know! Then, I picked up the next year's photo. Lizzie was such a cute baby. It's incredible how much she and Marin favor each other. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn that was Marin, and not Lizzie. The picture of Matt's second Christmas has got to be one of my favorites. He was such a clown back then! Jo and Lizzie looked so cute in the picture, all smiles. Then there was Matt, who put his fingers in the corners of his mouth and stuck out his tongue! I have a feeling Brooke's gonna be just like him. She seems to be the silly heart, whereas Ben's a bit more serious.
Miranda, Gordo, and Lizzie came over this afternoon and brought food over. We were really grateful and glad to see them. Matt and I have taken over the cooking duties. Jo doesn't like going into the kitchen, I think it aggravates her nausea. So, Matt and I have taken over the household chores. Matt's become quite a cook. I just love his beef enchiladas. My cooking's just as scary as usual, so most of the time when it's my turn, it's either microwave meals or takeout. Anyway, we enjoyed watching Marin and Lizzie play. They're not quite at the stage where they can play together, but it was cute seeing them try. Lizzie's a couple months younger than Marin. I hope the girls will be friends like Lizzie and Miranda were. Miranda's been a great help to Jo too, running errands for her and taking care of the kids when she's not in school. That's four kids under 18 months. I don't know how she does it and keeps up with her schooling and housework. She and Gordo are incredible people. I can see why Lizzie was friends with them.