Christmas and Boxing Day

In the United Kingdom (and former English colonies) the day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day. There are lots of different stories about how December 26th became Boxing Day. The one we like best is that in Merry Ol’ England all the rich families would attend Christmas services on the 25th. The next day the churches would open all the alms boxes and distribute the money to the poor… Boxing Day!

Since our family has a strong Canadian heritage, Boxing Day has always been a special day for us.

This year Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day were especially special. Not only because it was the first one we got to enjoy with Emma but also because it was an incredibly beautiful Christmas here in western Washington.

The snow began on Christmas Eve afternoon and continued all the way to Christmas Day at around noon. All together we got about 4 to 6 inches of the white stuff. The last time it snowed here on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was in 1909! Way ta go, Emma!

After having an fantastic Christmas Eve dinner at Mark and Erin’s (beef bourguignon with Yorkshire puddings). We opened our Christmas Eve gifts. We were allowed only a single gift and, in the most bizarre coincidence, EVERYONE GOT NEW PAJAMAS!

On Christmas morning we all awoke to the most beautiful wintery scene.

Christmas morning Emma enjoyed her Christmas debut.

After all the excitement she relaxed beside her haul and the Christmas tree and aired her little piggies.

The next day, Boxing Day, it was off to Seattle Children’s Hospital for Emma to receive her final loading dose of Spinraza.

After her blood draw, Emma and Mark waited patiently under the watchful eye of  an Ocean Pavilion character.

It’s only a picture, guys!

The usual hospital staff was off on vacation and so the treatment team was an entirely different crew. Things turned out OK, but Mark and Erin had to exercise their advocacy rights to correct a couple of misconceptions by the hospital staff. That’s what parents are for, right?

Anyway, Emma got her fourth dose. She’ll now begin her Spinraza maintenance schedule with her first treatment sometime around the end of March.

Oh… and to round out the Boxing Day festivities, Mark got his fourth Spinraza box.

Here’s hoping you and your families had a great Christmas and enjoy a Happy New Year!