Christmas

This was definitely the most. . . interesting Christmas I've had so far! I'm sure Branden will say the same.
We got to spend time with our own immediate families, separate, and then together with both his extended family on Saturday, and mine on Sunday. The two experiences were very different in one way: his family knew about our pregnancy and mine hadn't yet! Here's a short(ish) play-by-play of my Christmas weekend:

Saturday- My nephew Gavin woke my family up at about 8:30 (not too early!) to open gifts. As usual, the adults opened their gifts, thanked each other, and watched Gavin tear through the endless pile of fun that Santa so graciously left for him. He loved all of his new presents, as did the rest of us, but I think the best part of the morning was watching Sophie run around the house showing off her new tennis balls and bones. She was wagging her tail and prancing through the living room like a little princess; I've never seen her more excited. The whole family thought it was hilarious. (Maybe this is one of those "had to be there" moments?)

Then, I went over to Branden's house for lunch with his family. It was really nice to meet the aunts/uncles I hadn't yet met or spoken to, and Grandma and Grandpa were so nice. After dealing with some embarrassing technical difficulties (pregnancy is NOT always pretty, my friends)I finally got to sit down and have a nice lunch with the family. Overall, it was a really fun afternoon spent with some great people. Thanks, Tussings! (Bonus: Brad and Janet got us "What to Expect When You're Expecting" the ultimate pregnancy bible! Oh, how we needed that.)

Sunday- Christmas: Round 2 began with my family stuffing ourselves into the mini van, picking up Branden, and heading to Westerville to my Uncle Tim's house. I usually only see his family on holidays, so Christmas is really special to me for that reason. After we arrived, some of my cousins and their families soon walked in the door, and the party was started.

The big hit of the day was Zachary and Jacob's new present, Tony Hawk's "Shred" for wii. It was soon pretty obvious that there was a fight between the 5-12 crowd and the 20-30 crowd for turns to play the game. Guess who won? Yep, Josh, Sam, Ryan and Andy (20's) gave up their snowboarding practice so that Gavin, Donna, and Sydney (4-6) could give it a try. Neither Branden nor I even tried to get in the mix, such a sacrifice. We had a GREAT lunch, got to talk to my long-lost cousins, and left with even more food than we had brought. Overall, a very successful day.

We decided not to tell my family the big news until after the dinner was over for several reasons, one being we DEFINITELY didn't want to be the center of attention when the event was meant to bring the whole family together to enjoy the holiday. We did send out the message afterwards, and I'm happy to say we received nothing but kind words and lots of support! Love you guys!

So here's to a wonderful Christmas, and many more together (plus one) in the future! I couldn't ask for a better family, whether they be part of the old, new, or growing.

All We Need is Love.

       I truly believe that all we need to make this work is love. Love will drive us to better our selves and not give up on our dreams. Love will hold us together during rough times and will help us appreciate the good times. We are two extremely strong people and I know that we will do what ever it takes to make this work. We will finish school no matter what it takes. 

      Some people have told me, "Your making a mistake" or "You are throwing your life away." I want you to know that my heart tells me that this is not a mistake. It was simply "unplanned." We understand that we made adult decisions and we have to deal with the very real consequences. I promise every one of you that I will stand by Jill and my child every step of the way and provide for them to the best of my ability. We are scared. The only thing I can ask from you is to have as much faith in us as we have in each other.

-Branden

"Thunder Cats are Goooo!!!"

     Yes, you heard us right. That is the first thing Jill said when the doctor called to confirm that we are having a child. "Thunder Cats are Gooooo!!!"
The sad part is, that show was really before either of our times. Thank you, Cartoon Network, for bringing the joy of Thunder Cats into our lives and memories forever.
     It's been exactly one week since the news of our growing family has hit us, and it has been a CRAZY week (as you might have guessed.) Between breaking the news to our families and friends, and making list after list of all of the things we need to do to prepare, Branden and I are exhausted and overwhelmed. We hear this is just the beginning of the exhausting times, so I guess we need to buck-up and get used to it. 
     I won't bore you with all of the factors that will affect us in the next nine months (insurance, school, housing...blahblahblah) but I WILL let you in on some of the more exciting things going through our minds. My mom, Doris, is absolutely sure our baby will be a girl. It seems everyone is on her side, but only time will tell. I don't want to give away some of the names we have been thinking, but here is a list of Branden's suggestions that I have vetoed:

• Rainn Beau
• Indiana Jones
• Indiana Jane
• James Tiberius
• Leia (as in Princess...)
• Prince Branden Tussing II (even though there is no Prince Branden Tussing the first) 

     Ahhh, at least he keeps me laughing. 
--Jill