December 2006 Newsletter

Merry Christmas from the Whites. We ended 2005 with enough changes to last a lifetime. Thankfully, most of these changes were all for the better. We celebrated Christmas 2005 at our house in Tupelo and had the entire gang plus my (Bo’s) grandmother there for the celebration, which carried over to Aunt Janet’s house where we all joined my grandfather and extended family for a Christmas night dinner. The biggest news on Christmas day was opening our most treasured gift, finding out we were expecting a baby boy.

Our joy turned to concern as Shae went into premature labor in mid-January. After several days in the hospital, her contractions lessened and she was able to go home, though she was confined to strict bed rest. While Shae learned to cope being immobile, I learned new domesticated skills I never knew I had! Thankfully, we were sustained both emotionally and domestically by the loving people at our church in Tupelo, Lawndale Presbyterian. The unending love and support they gave us during this trying time truly was a blessings.

The other sad news at this time was the loss of Shae’s grandmother. She passed away on St. Patrick’s Day at the age of 88. Shae was very close to her grandmother but was unable to travel to see her before her death due to Shae's difficult pregnancy. While we all miss her, we celebrate her life and are comforted in knowing she is resting in the Lord's hands.

The news brightened as Shae’s pregnancy got better and she was able to carry our baby to full term. On April 27, 2006, Shae gave birth to Brinson Alexander White. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 2 oz. and was born at 11:49 AM. We checked in the hospital that morning and had Brinson before lunch. Shae’s mother and step-father and my parents all came to Tupelo for the birth, and my grandfather came the day after. Shae went home two days later, and our lives have forever been changed.

Our first child’s birth was not the only life-altering change. After three years of working at Mitchell, McNutt & Sams, We decided to further my career by accepting a job in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C.. After receiving three offers from various firms in various parts of the country, I accepted a job with KPMG as a tax consultant in their mergers and acquisitions tax practice. After almost a year of searching for a new job, the Lord opened the right door for my vocation.

I left for Virginia at the end of May, leaving Shae and Brinson (now one month) to pack up and sell the house. I was blessed to find a fellow Christian and St. Louis Cardinal fan to room with for one month until I found a townhome in Sterling, Virginia for rent. In June, the house in Tupelo sold. Shae spent a month packing the house, selling the house, and taking care of a newborn all by herself! I flew down to Tupelo, closed on the house, rode up to Jackson, Tennessee with my father, picked up Shae and Brinson and made the long trek to Northern Virginia. We spent two wonderful days with my sister Leah and her husband Grant in Crossville, Tennessee which made the trip a bit easier.

The second half of the year has been spent getting the family settled in Virginia. We rented a town home about 15 miles west of work (and about 30 miles west of DC). The only bad thing is fighting the traffic to get to work – greatly different than Tupelo!
Besides learning the area and settling in to our new home, we have seen a lot of the sights the DC area has to offer, both on our own and with friends and family when they came to visit. Two of the unique things we did included going to Gettysburg for the 143rd anniversary of the Gettysburg Address where we heard Tom Brokaw speak, and a night-time candlelight tour of Mount Vernon.

For Thanksgiving, we drove all the way to Jackson Tennessee for Thanksgiving with my family. We were probably on the road at least 30 hours total. Besides seeing many relatives over the Thanksgiving holiday, Brinson celebrated his first part of Christmas in November. Part 2 of Christmas will be when we fly to Oklahoma for Christmas with Shae’s family.

As I write this newsletter, Brinson is seven and one-half months, weighing in at 17 pounds and 11 ounces. It is a joy to watch him develop both physically and in his personality. He is crawling all over the place, sitting alone along with managing to pull up to sit independently and can pull himself up to stand holding onto something. Maverick, our nine-year old Sheltie, is learning how to run from him! He has his two bottom teeth completely in right now with more on the way. He is also saying several words (most notably "mom") and is also communicating his hunger desires through sign language. Of course, Shae (speech pathologist) tested him for his language strengths/weakness recently and he scored as a 12 month-old!! The upcoming year will consist of keeping up with Brinson as he becomes even more mobile and more curious about everything. He is already experiencing several bumps on his head daily from trying to get around and get into everything!

Please know that all are welcome to visit us in the DC area anytime. Our doors are always open. It is our wish that you have a wonderful holiday season, and keep in touch.

Merry Christmas!
Bo, Shae and Brinson White

To see Brinson's web site with lots of pictures, click here:

http://onceuponababy.blogspot.com