Golden Arches & North Pole

...all in one day!

We took the kids to see Santa today - there were mixed feelings I guess. It was a quick visit - Cole was studying him pretty intently while JD didn't want anything to do with him. Here are a few snaps. You can see the progression to melt down.


Afterward, the kids had their first McDonalds experience...I was shocked to discover that neither of them liked french fries; makes me wonder if they are my children?

We're hunkered down watching football on this cold, blustery Sunday. I measured the kids heights today and was shocked to see that Cole has grown almost 2" in 2 months! He's closed the gap with JD and they are just about an inch apart in length. This is the closest they have ever been in size. JD still has a few pounds on him but he's catching up! We have our 15 month check up tomorrow so we'll get official stats then.

In the meantime, we'll relish in the last bits of a nice long weekend. Christmas decorations never made it out this weekend so anxious to get some things out this week and next weekend. Will prepare the tree stand to make it tip-free and then we'll be able to get the tree up! Things will surely get interesting then.

A Year & A Quarter

We've reached a big milestone - 15 months and the boys adjusted age of 1 year...since they were 3 months early (almost to the day), they are officially 1 year old now, by developmental standards.

JD is on the verge of walking - any day now. Cole has finally realized that crawling on all 4's is much more efficient for chasing his brother than pulling himself around on his belly. Both are climbing stairs with no trouble and enjoying sliding back down on their bellies. Word recognition is changing every day and the personalities are getting stronger and stronger. They are looking more like little boys now than babies...

Happy 15th months little monkeys!

Out of the Fog

We're coming out of the fog again - it's been almost a week and we're all finally starting to feel like ourselves again. PHEW. The nights have been killer and the days, we'll just say exhausting. We got a good report today at the ped - Cole's ears are clearing up slowly (hence his continuous 2 hour wake up's through the night) and JD's cough is much, much better.

It was a long weekend - not exactly our idea of a relaxing few days off however. I will admit, it was nice to be at my desk at work today for a few hours and decompress by burying myself in my work. I worried about the kids all the while I was gone but it did help me clear my head a bit.

Both boys are up to their old tricks and we finally got some good genuine fun out of them this evening...it's amazing how personalities are altered of these little people when they don't feel well!



Thank goodness, our old babies are back!

They're Here!

Santa's elves have arrived again this year - as always, the day after Thanksgiving (they were a day late to our house due to all of the chaos yesterday).

Click HERE if you aren't familiar with Pucki & Gucki. I posted about them last year too. The holiday season has officially begun with the arrival of Santa's helpers!

For anyone interested in starting your own elf tradition, check out this link ELF ON THE SHELF

Cheers!

Watching Daddy

One of the boys favorite things to do is watch Daddy do yard work. You can barely see C outside of the door due to the flash but I thought it was a cute photo of the backside of the boys. They chatter to him through the glass as they follow him around the yard.

Off without a hitch...

Until today...
True to form, someone is always sick on the holidays - that would be us. Our Thanksgiving was great - we had a beautiful day (almost 70 degrees), great food brought by everyone, fun family and cousins abound and good wine & dessert! By 8pm, when all was said and done, dishes cleaned (thanks to the Moms), food put in their respective leftover containers and a final glass of wine chugged, we collapsed on the couch by the fire. The weather changed within 30 minutes as a storm blew in and it turned into a cozy night. The boys did their best trying to hang at the dinner table but by that time they were pretty tired and not very tolerant of turkey & stuffing. Oh well, maybe next year it will go over better for them.

We got up this morning (as well as about 8 times throughout the night) and both kids were worse for ware. Off to the pediatrician we went - where we learned that Cole had a double ear infection and JD has one ear infected, along with some sort of bronchial crud; possible RSV. Poor little guys have been such troopers - so we are on another round of drugs and nebulizer treatments every 4-6 hours. Honestly, I'm just thankful that we didn't end up in the ER or hospital with JD's respiratory condition. I'm thankful that I bit the bullet and took him back to the doctor today.

We're hunkered down for the weekend - at least we have a long weekend to take shifts through the night and not have to worry about getting to work too. By Sunday they should be on the mend - now we'll just keep our fingers crossed that we don't get it too. But Murphy's law, we will. Until then, we'll keep the vigil and hope for the best!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. Off to make a plate of leftovers!

THANKSGIVING

I've been trying to find the time to sit down and write something meaningful; for 4 days now. I have so many thoughts in my head that I would like to get down on paper, so to speak, and have just not had the time to get it all out. The kids are still sick and off kilter, thus creating havoc with the daily grind. Dare I complain though - it's a blessing that I so long waited for. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

It's a special day today for many reasons, not the least of which is that it's a time to count our blessings and thank God for everything in our lives. I haven't gone back and read last years Thanksgiving post that I wrote but something tells me that I was probably having many of the same thoughts I'm having today. Cole had been home for one day and I don't think I've ever been so thankful in my entire life to finally have both boys home and well enough to be there. It was almost overwhelming.

This year, we are even more thankful for all that we have. It's amazing how far we've come - and how much has changed. I look at the kids in awe - that they came from those little 2 pounders to where they are today. They are such little people already - it's really amazing. Kids aside, it's been a wonderful year for me in many ways. My life has been opened up to some amazing people and things. I am thankful for that opportunity and the many people I have met through the experiences we have had. Although life seems to be crazy busy all of the time, it's very full - and fulfilling.


As we scurry around this morning preparing for a feast for 14, I feel unrattled. A few years ago, I would have been so stressed and crazy trying to make everything perfect. Always knowing that it was the "company" that was the most important thing, my priorities were a bit different. And I usually did sweat the small stuff. Not any more. Now, it really doesn't matter if the house is dirty (and it is, my cleaning lady had surgery and is laid up) or if the table centerpiece isn't perfect. It doesn't matter that there are toys strewn about or that the laundry room is in shambles. Or that our kitchen counter looks like a pharmacy and the silver isn't perfectly polished. After the year we've had, and the stress that came along with it - not much rattles me like it used to.

There are so many young people today who cannot be with their loved ones - particularly those who are serving in Iraq and surrounding areas. Our thoughts are with them during holiday time too - we are fortunate to have everyone here with us.

Happy Thanksgiving to you - enjoy this thankful day! More later when I have more time...

Thanks to be given...

It's almost Thanksgiving week. And it's been almost a year since the day our family was finally together under one roof. It was November 21st last year that Cole was able to come home - we had the best Thanksgiving we've ever had having the boys both here and healthy. I remember feeling so strange about not being with our families on the holiday but we enjoyed so much just being with our own little family. So much has changed over the last year.

We are hosting Thanksgiving this year - I can't wait! We've got both sides of the family coming, and some extended family as well. It will be a great day with everyone together. The cousins will be together and to me, this is something I've looked forward to for many, many years. We are so blessed.

I can't help but remember how hard the holidays used to be - it was a hard time of the year as it approached and those who are still on the infertility roller coaster have been on my mind a lot. For many years, it was the norm not to be ecstatic about the holidays; and in many ways, that will always be ingrained in my being. It's not hard to remember how it felt as the holidays started approaching and everyone started to gear up - the music, the Christmas cards, Santa visits etc. My thoughts are always with those who are still waiting on their little blessings.

It's been a long week with the boys being sick. Cole had his first ear infection and handled it like a champ. Daddy left early Friday morning for a weekend away in Dallas so the boys and I have been solo. Sadly, Cole broke out in hives yesterday morning and we determined that he is allergic to his antibiotic - family history of allergy to penicillin so no surprise. We've stopped the meds, started benedryl and he seems to be doing just fine - he just doesn't look very good with red splotches all over his face, head and body. Hopefully it will start to go away soon so he's more comfortable and not so itchy.

Want to give a shout out to my dear Aunt who lost her dog yesterday. Meggie lived a great life for 14+ years and she will be missed so much. K, we're thinking of you as you get used to life without your little pal.

Despite the yuckies yesterday, the kids seemed to enjoy the sunshine later in the day. After My Gym in the morning and a lack of naps, we went out to Homestead Gardens yesterday for a "Christmas preview" and to see the lights and trains. It was a long busy day and everyone crashed hard by 7pm.

More later...

BIG BIRD!

JD has a new fondness for Big Bird...who doesn't love him afterall?

Good times...

A few fun video's and photos. The boys are such a blast these days. We can't get enough of the belly laughs! It was a VERY LONG week due to the sleep issues created by DST. I think we're back on track now, except for the sniffles that have found their way to our house. Hopefully we're on the mend.

Trying to keep them busy and not thinking about how yucky they feel is the key. Cole loves his firetruck; especially when JD is pushing him on it!



Dinner time is quite a hoot - in between throwing food on the floor and swinging the sippy cups around by their straws, we have some good laughs. We're working on table manners...a long road ahead!



Cole finally hit the 20 pound mark and got to move to his big car seat today. He loved riding forward so he could see where he was going. He chattered the whole way in the car. He has grown over an inch in height and gained about a pound and a half in just 5 weeks. He's catching up with JD. He's so much more mobile now and he's getting into almost as much trouble as his brother...

And just for fun, here's one of the ham...