Happy BELATED Christmas...argh, I hate being late...

Wineinger Christmas Picture 2012

Yes..yes...it has been wayyy too long!  I agree.  I want to come up with something snappy, maybe a good excuse.  Yea...got nothin.'  This new baby, new house, new job routine is kicking my butt!  I really am a late hater, and I have been embarrassingly behind since August.  I hope the cycle breaks soon.

To redeem myself/create a blog post/update/avoid type overload, I'm gonna post my Christmas letter!    Yeah.  I'll come up with an exciting post soon.  I'm working on it really!  I am also going to create a break in the post in case you don't want to read my letter.  If you just want to look at my year end pictures, click "The Wineinger 2012" page above (or that link).

And I promise! I'll post again next week...maybe sooner...maybe...

Happy Christmas from the Wineingers! 

From all three of us (well, six if you count the animals)…Lets not mess around and get this letter started. 

The start of the year was pretty big for Nathan and me.  We found out in January that I was pregnant.  We weren’t shooting for a particular date, but we had, as some would say, “Pulled the goalie.”  We were pretty excited!  The next 9 months were gonna be great!  Especially if they went as we planned!  Psh…do you know what happens when you tell God your plan…My due date was set for October 3^rd, so that gave us a good amount of time to buy a house and get it ready for baby, have the baby, and then decorate/fix up during my maternity leave.  PERFECT! 

Nathan had the opportunity to travel to Brazil with a group from Bloomington.  They built a church and installed many water filtration systems in a rural jungle village off the Amazon.  He had a fabulous time.  The team got the chance to alligator hunt and Parana fish.  He didn’t tell me about those things until he got home which was in his and my best interest. J 

I found out quickly that I needed to take the year easy from the outcome of my first trimester.  Yuck.  Nathan and I only made one commitment.  We promised to be chaperones for our church youth groups mission trip to Dallas, TX. 

Come the middle of July, Nathan and I finally found a house that was panning out to be just what God had for us (and in the plan).  We put in an offer that was extremely promising and head off for Mission Serve with the church kids.  Let me tell you, a seven-month pregnant woman and Dallas, TX have a hard time co-existing.  I was starting to struggle a little, but with Nathan with me, I knew he’d be my backbone.  I got to be a part of the cooking team and help feed the seven churches that participated, and Nathan led a construction team that fixed up, painted and put a porch on a house.  That was a big growing week for me…I was ballooning at a rapid pace.

When we got home, I started feeling pretty puny and VERY pregnant.  We did hear that our offer was accepted on the house!  Closing date was set for August 17^th and moving date set for Sept 1^st.  That definitely helped me feel better.  (And it was in the plan!)  That next Wednesday after we were home, Nathan and I headed to my doc. apt. and that was when the world stopped.  The sonogram showed our baby’s development had slowed down.  My blood pressure was VERY high.  My protein levels were through the roof.  The doctor informed me that I had a severe case of Preeclampsia.  He made Nathan and I head straight to the hospital and get some blood work down.  I was in shock.  Then started the waiting game.  I sent Nathan back home.  Princeville Football had started “Hell Week” and seeing how he was a coach, I didn’t want the ENTIRE football team to hate me for stealing him.  About an hour later and after a good breakdown with my mom, I had to call and inform him that our baby was on her way sooner rather than later.  The only way to get me better and to not let my body harm the baby anymore than it had already was to have the baby as soon as possible and as safe as possible.

August 9^th, 2012 was a big day in the Wineinger household.  I got the sure fire appointed time that I was going to have a C-section that evening at 8pm.  At about 4pm, after a long relentless battle with piling heath problems, Nathan’s grandma, Mary Sue Yates aka Grandma Sue, passed away.  At 9:14pm Ruthie May Wineinger made her debut at 3 lb 4 oz and 16 inches long.  (Not in the plan…no no no)  We say, that Grandma Sue had just enough time to fill Ruthie in on her rambunctious uncles, give her a big hug and kiss, and send her on her way.  

Ruthie stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for 20 days.  I VERY quickly rebounded from the Preeclampsia.  I ended up losing 30 lbs in 12 days and my blood pressure was back to normal in a month.  Ruthie was developing faster and better than any of the doctors expected!  We knew it was because of the prayers that all three of us were covered in.  Nathan closed on the house on the 17^th, Ruthie came home on the 28^th and we moved into our house on September 1^st.  (Plan….what plan….)

Sweet baby Ruthie is doing fabulous.  Nathan and I are totally smitten.  She already has her grandpa’s and uncles wrapped around her finger.  The dogs love her.  Forrest the cat hates her…she’s not the center of attention anymore.  Her cousin, Layla Ann Marie was born 9 weeks later and they battle week to week as to who is bigger by just ounces.  I know she will be up to average size in no time.  But I won’t let any of my kin be AVERAGE...look who we’re talking about here. 

So what did we learn this year?  That our plans are not God’s plan.  We are so happy that we got to meet Sweet Ruthie 2 months early and I think she was pretty stoked about it as too.  God knew what he was doing all along.  We had to trust him more than ever this year and He proved yet again that he is our Savior in ever essence of the word. 

So, I end this lovely letter, with much love and Christmas wishes to you and yours.  May you have days filled with my love, joy, family, fun, and more this coming 2013. 

Happy Christmas & Happy New Year!

PS  For highlights of the Wineingers 2012, I’ve posted a page on my blog, http://wineywife.blogspot.com full of pictures.  Just click on “The Wineingers 2012.”