Christmas in Review - and at length

We had a wonderful Christmas and were totally spoiled... but hopefully we're not too rotten... yet!

Fischer and Maddison had their Christmas pictures taken right after Thanksgiving.

They also got to see Santa! Although he was super excited to meet Santa, Fischer was pretty shy. He didn't ask Santa for anything, in fact he didn't speak at all... and it was a struggle to get him very close to Santa's lap. The rest of the month, anytime someone asked him what he asked Santa for he'd reply "I'm just going to see what he brings me!" Not too helpful for Santa...

We celebrated Hanukkah earlier in the month with GrandmaBetsy. Fischer loved opening presents for both he and Maddison. His favorite gifts were a Geotrax Cars racetrack and a headlamp. Maddie loved a noisy butterfly toy and I loved her new cozy jammies. Andy and I were drooling over our new Dyson vacuum! Ok, maybe I was the only one drooling! Fischer loved lighting all of the menorahs and listening to Grandma sing the prayers. We had a yummy dinner complete with latkes and applesauce... and of course enough chocolate gelt to go around.

Fischer and BFF had a sleepover the week before Christmas. We took them with my parents to see Christmas lights at a Festival of Lights. They loved it! They ooohed and ahhhed at all of the displays. Then they got to go to McDonalds playland late at night, I thought for sure they'd be the only kids there! It turns out, they were the only ones in their pajamas but the place was packed! Needless to say when they got home they were totally hyped up and silly! I don't think they fell asleep till 10:45! The next morning they popped up bright and early ready to go to their friends' joint birthday. They celebrated two birthdays at a gymnastics gym - so fun!

My Uncle Dick came into town from St. Louis as a Christmas surprise to us all. He is my dad's twin brother, and came to spend the holidays. We were all so excited to see him!

A few days before Christmas, Fischer got sick. He was running a fever (which he never does) it fluctuated with Tylenol between 99.9 and 102.6. It came on Monday night, stayed through Tuesday... where he laid on the couch all day complaining of a tummy ache and a head ache. That night both of our thermometers stopped working, and Andy was at hockey. Maddie was crying, Fischer was crying... they both felt hot and I was getting nervous. I called my dad to bring over a thermometer and he, my mom, and my uncle all showed up with brand new thermometers! We spent the next hour taking each others temps with all three new-fangled expensive thermometers... and let me tell you that none of them work! Not one consistent reading in the bunch. One was a temple thermometer, one was a forehead thermometer, and one was a regular oral/armpit/rectal digital thermometer ... no we didn't test out the rectal feature ... geez you are gross!

Anyway, by morning nobody had a fever (I think), but Fischer was complaining of abdominal pain in the middle and on the right side. Our pediatrician sent us to the ER, for fear of a appendicitis. The ER doc, was suspicious of the same diagnosis. He wanted to give Fisch a CT scan to find out for sure, but told me that a CT scan is enough radiation in a pre-schooler that he had a chance of developing cancer later in life as a result. Ummm? Really? I'm being asked to make a decision about giving my son cancer when he is a grown man?.... Nobody tells you this kind of stuff before you have kids. Well, I decided to have them treat him for constipation, just in case, and wait a little while to see if his pain gets worse. Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick... Praise God. Nobody wants their baby having surgery over Christmas.

We laid low Christmas eve and skipped out on church and Aunt Beth's annual party, Fischer needed to be home to rest and get well for the next day. We watched movies, made cookies and prepped for Santa.

Christmas morning, Fischer woke up to find that Santa had brought him all kinds of goodies. He actually allowed him to come down our chimney this year. Fisch opened both his and Maddison's presents from Santa, Granddad and Grandmom, BFF and X-man, us, the dogs, etc. Definitely spoiled! Maddie just laid on her Daddy and watched all the action. They both received fun toys, clothes, games and ornaments.

Then we stayed in our pjs and headed over to my parents' house to open presents with Grandpa, Grandma Barb and Uncle Dick. We ate cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate as per tradition as we opened and opened and opened! Fischer was in present heaven and quickly turning into the Christmas Monster! After all the gifts were finally opened he was able to open the GIANT present that Uncle Matt and Aunt Jana had sent.... the anticipation had been killing him! It was a kitchen set, he was delighted! "Cuz why I love kitchen sets!" We ate a lovely breakfast together and then headed over to Andy's Grandma's house.

More hoopla at Grandma Pearl's with food, presents and fun. Finally we headed home where we all took a nap. Then gussied up to head back over to grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas dinner with Uncle Dick. We were able to see Uncle Matt and Aunt Jana on Skype. It looked like they'd had a great Christmas too!

Now to chill and enjoy the rest of the holiday break. So great! We are so thankful to God for our friends, family and many many blessings. We hope you all are enjoying the holidays too!

Happy Birthday Grandpa/Dad

I'd just like to wish a super happy sixtieth birthday to my dad today. Thanks for being my rock and the most amazing grandpa ever! Pretty hot for 60 eh?

It is not all or nothing....

I need to remember that. So often I put a plan into place, then when I make a mistake, I throw the whole plan out the window. I do it every time I'm trying to form a new habit, like daily exercise, not eating sugar, daily laundry, etc. So here I am trying to blog everyday for a month... and I missed yesterday!

I am going to go against all that I am and keep blogging every day for the month. It is a lesson in forgiveness for myself.

Here are a few of my random thoughts for today:

• I found out today that fireman do NOT wear jammies at the firestation. Yes, I had to ask.



• Maddie is only noisy in church if everyone else is quiet.



• I can now run fabulously without any pain in my pelvis.



• Kaia cannot run anymore, it makes her too limpy.



• My mom has become a rockstar.



• Fischer and BFF must wear boots and snow pants if there is even the slightest chance of encountering snow.



• Maddison looks so stinkin' cute in babylegs... I just want to eat her up.



• Fischer just told me to write : "February 27th we should go to Hawaii, for my present and my birthday party."


• That's his birthday, I think he is right! That would be a great present! Ummm, I'd like to go there for my birthday too! Hmmm... someday.


• We're on round two of the fall cold... only a few days of wellness in between. How does this happen when I am so careful to keep our hands washed and sanitized? Maybe because my son licked the doors at JCPenney's.

A month of Halloween

October was such an eventful month, despite how I was feeling. We had a great time celebrating fall and HALLOWEEN!
Fischer and Maddie went to a scarecrow festival with friends and Fischer played played played: bounce houses, giant slides, tunnels, haunted houses, games, treats, pizza, petting zoo and pony rides! Maddie slept through most of it.

They also went to an apple orchard to see how cider was made and a very fun farm with more games, animals, rides, jumping, and slides! Maddie slept through a lot of that too.

Fischer and BFF had a fabulous time at a pumpkin patch, with a maze, a spooky pirate ship, creepy decor and a tractor. Maddie slept through most of that too!

Fischer got into the spirit of Halloween with haunted tattoos (I can't believe I forgot to take a pic of all his tats!), glow in the dark fingernails, and festive toes.

Fischer and BFF put on their costumes to go to a Halloween birthday party with all of their friends. They were so excited! Fischer had been dying to wear his "knight in shining armor" costume next to "Princess Aurora". I don't know how many times he told me that he would be able to save BFF from dragons "cuz why she is a princess and I am a knight in shining armor in real life!" They were so cute together, even if they didn't hold still for pictures.

Maddie and X-man went too. They mostly just wiggled around on a blanket till their legs got tangled together.

On Halloween day, we carved pumpkins as a family - Fischer designed them and wanted to make sure that his and Daddy's looked EXACTLY the same as one another. Fischer and I made pumpkin cookies to take to a friend.... he was in charge of the frosting colors.

Then it was time to dress the knight and the ladybug and meet up with our trick or treating buddies.

Our friend Ann was in town, so Danae, Ann and I rounded up all of our kiddos (which takes 2 minivans now) and drove them to all of the grandparents' houses. First stop was Ann's parents' home.

P7 and Q5 were some kind of Star Wars clones (forgive me for not knowing my Star Wars characters), then their was our knight, I3 was Tinkerbell, BFF was Aurora,

Maddison was a ladybug and X-man was a skeleton (his hat says "bad to the bone").

Next stop was Danae's parents' house.

Then we went to GrandmaBetsy's house.

Finally we stopped at my parents' house to play for a few minutes while Maddie and X-man ate some dinner. Afterward, we picked up pizza, and had dinner at Danae's. Andy met us there and then we all bundled up a little and headed out for door to door trick or treating. We met up with their friends T n' T and they all ran around Danae's neighborhood collecting loot. SO fun! What a great Halloween... and I must say that our little knight did a fantastic job protecting his tiny ladybug from dragons!

Carrot Paint

FYI for next year, if you run out of orange face paint.... use a carrot!

Willow Africa and Daisy Fall

After Maddison was born, Aunt Beth came to the hospital to visit. She brought cute clothes for Maddie and a doll for Fischer. She told Fischer that he could feed "his baby" when Mommy feeds Maddie. He could hold "his baby" when Mommy and Daddy hold Maddie, etc. At the moment, Fischer seemed interested but not overly emotional about the doll. I have to admit that I wasn't really sure what to think about the doll either.

All of that has changed over the past few months. Shortly after we came home with Maddison, he named the doll Willow Africa. He began bringing her everywhere and taking VERY good care of her. He rocked her, held her, put her in the swing and the bouncer chair. He fed her (even attempted nursing her using the Boppy pillow and everything!), he slept with her, kissed her good night, sang to her, read her stories, buckled her into the car... AND Andy and I had to do all of those things (except the nursing part) to Willow also. He would change the story periodically about who her parents were, sometimes he was the dad and I was the mom, sometimes Willow came out of his tummy... but now he has settled in on the fact that Andy and I are Willow's parents and he is sometimes her brother and sometimes her cousin. He LOVES her. Now he has also added Daisy Fall to the family. She was a friend's doll that he chewed on when he was a baby, and we kept and replaced with a new one for his friend, Alexis. Now, according to Fischer, I have three babies (Maddie, Daisy, and Willow). They are all treated by him with the utmost respect. I mean, he kind of freaks out if I toss them to the side or once I had my leg on Willow and he burst into tears that I was "squishing her and she couldn't breathe"! GrandmaBetsy even made little pillows and blankets for them.


Not a great pic, but this is Fischer watching Cinderella with Willow (in blue) and Daisy (in yellow).

Here is Fisch and BFF with Daisy, the day BFF broke the news to Fischer that only "mommies" can breast feed. So he brought the Boppy to BFF and instructed her on how to do it. Luckily, BFF thinks that breastfeeding happens on your love handles (of which she has none) and over your clothes! Phew! Might I add, that BFF insisted upon washing her hands before holding Daisy and Willow for the first time. She and Fischer also had many heated discussions on just how to best make Willow stop crying... she was apparently a very fussy baby in the beginning.

So, I don't know if Fischer has transitioned and adapted so well with Maddison because of his dolls, or just because he is so sweet and tender.... but the unexpected gift of a doll, has been quite the blessing to him. Thanks Aunt Beth!

Now he wants car seats for them for Christmas! Now I must say, that even thought he loves these dolls and cares for them, and he loves the movie Cinderella, and he has a true admiration for pretty dresses and shoes... he does seem to have an opinion on what is for girls and what is for boys. He just doesn't seem to think that these dolls are girlie.

What do big brothers do?

I asked Fischer, "What is a big brother? What do they do? What is important about them?"

Here are his answers:

• "Big brothers follow directions."
• "They look at their babies and make sure they don't get hurt."
• "They love their baby sisters."
• "They love to play hide and seek with their babies."
• "They love to play with their sister when they get older."
• "And that's it!"
  

Super fun back-to-school Swap

Fischer and I participated in another fun swap last month. This was our third one! We were paired with a super cute little guy named "B" and his mom. Fischer and B have lots in common... like teachers for parents, a love of the Cars movie and Cars toys, trains, dogs and firetrucks. In fact, B's daddy is even a volunteer fireman - which Fischer just thinks is absolutely fabulous.

The boys have been emailing each other (with the help of their moms) and asking each other all kinds of questions. B is 4 and Fischer is 3, but I think they'd be fast friends. B's mom had a cute idea for them to send each other images from the Internet on their email. Fischer thought that was so great to see the little pictures on B's letter.

Then the boys put together some fun back-to-school items and sent each other a package. Fischer LOVED his package and was sooo excited to receive it! B sent him all kinds of great loot: crayons, notebook, chalk, paper, calculator, books, etc. His favorite part was the calculator! He keeps forgetting what it is called and I've now heard him refer to it as a 'calendar' and a "time machine".

Today he drew a picture and dictated a letter for B. B had asked to see some of Fischer's toys, like his Lightning McQueen cars, his fire truck and his Legos... so Fischer posed them on the coffee table for a photo shoot. He added some other favorite items in also. His favorite blue blanket made it into all of the pictures. :)

Thank you to the girls over at the Little People Swap for organizing such a fun thing! AND a big thanks to B and his mommy for being such great swap partners!

My itty bitty is SIX weeks old!

Now that I have lost all the readers I ever had... I've finally found a moment to post an update. I am so sorry, but this blog is competing with my sleep. The only times I'm not holding Maddison are the few moments that she sleeps... in which I want to play with Fischer, attempt housework, cook or... at night - SLEEP! Without fail, whenever I go near the computer, Maddie needs me -both of my hands!

I've been wanting to write down everything about Maddie's first month so that I wouldn't forget... but like I said... I've been holding her instead - I guess that could be important too. ;)

Here is our little Maddison at 3 weeks old. Although I was able to get her pictures taken nice an early for her birth announcements, most of the announcements are still sitting on the kitchen table (along with a pile of written thank you notes) because I haven't had a chance or two free hands to address them! Anyway the pictures turned out pretty cute.

She is six weeks old today!! She loves to eat... but never all at once - she likes to draw out feedings for an hour to an hour and a half! She also loves warm baths (she gets that from me) and she loves loves loves the blinds on the window in front of her changing table. Fischer loved his blinds too at this age. She also loves to be held, but not in a Snugli and not in a sling...my next trick will be to attempt to make a Moby wrap. Maybe she'll like that better. She cries more than Fischer ever did, but I think that is because of her reflux and tummy pain - poor baby! She's tried Zantac and Prevacid, but neither have seemed to make much of a difference. She sleeps pretty well at night usually. She'll sleep for 4-6 hours at first and then wake up every two after that.

I do love to cuddle her, especially when she scrunches up her little body and lays her head on my chest or shoulder. I love to feel her tiny breath on my neck or cheek. It is especially cute when she lifts her little bobble head and head butts me! Seriously... awww so sweet. I need to really savor this time, because it will go by so fast... I can get a bit caught up in wanting her to get older to stop some of the crying... but I know I'm really going to miss this cuddly time.

Maddie is pretty silly with her facial expressions - she has us all laughing... and she just started smiling with eye contact - so we feel extra special to receive a big open-eyed gummy smile! Although, she usually saves them all for her daddy! Andy loves to hold her on his lap and make faces at her until she smiles.

Fischer is still loving his baby sister. He loves to talk to her, kiss her, hug her, touch her, sing to her and play peek-a-boo with her. Hopefully soon, she'll smile for him. He is pretty helpful when it comes to Maddison's needs. He is usually quick to run to her when she cries in her bed, or he is johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to binkies and burp cloths.

All and all our family of four is still adjusting, but we are so very blessed to have one another.

TWO weeks

We've survived the first two weeks of postpartum and new baby! Hooray! It was a little rough there in the beginning, but we are settling in nicely now.

When we first arrived home on day 4 my hormones went crazy and I was a weepy mess for a few days. I cried if anyone came over, I cried if anyone left, I cried if I answered the phone and the person on the other end said, "How are you?"... yikes, I was a bit of a mess. Andy was amazing (of course he was), he took care of me, of Maddie, of Fischer, of our house, of the meals and visitors coming each day... everything. He made sure that I was able to sneak in extra naps during the day and was ready with a pep talk at a moments notice... often. I am so thankful that God has given me such an incredible husband and I am so grateful that he is off work for the summer (he is a teacher) and can be here to help.



With the weepiness, I kept thinking that I was just going to stay that way or spiral out of control into a deep depression. Andy kept reminding me that I just feel this way right now, and it doesn't mean anything about the future. I tried to focus on that, and I wanted everyone I talked to to tell me that this was normal and that it would pass.



It passed and I am feeling sooo much better now. I'm still healing from the c-section, but I am much more mobile and a lot less sore. So things are going in the right direction... OH - and a few days ago, I got my ankles back! WAHOO! I can fit into all of my shoes again!



Maddie is doing really well and really GROWING! We went for her 2 week appointment and she weighed 9 lbs, 2 oz already and measured at 21 inches. They said that she was healthy and perfect! Isn't that what every mother wants to hear? She's been out a bit... slept through a few family and friend outings - like the Dinosaur museum, playgroup and the farmer's market.

She has been battling reflux and has to take what appears to be the most disgusting tasting medicine ever - poor baby! She also has a very high pitched gasping sound that she makes quite often. The doctor said it was due to her tiny air passages. It makes it a little unnerving to sleep when you hear her make that sound. We've got her in our room so that we can keep tabs on her.



Fischer is still enjoying her, although he could do without her crying. He went back out to the waiting room at the doctor's office when they were about to prick her heel, so that he wouldn't have to hear her cry.

He takes pride in being able to help her in some way. He knows where all of her things are kept and loves to run grab anything she needs. He has been busy with the commentary on what it is that he thinks she needs at any given time. He also says that his head matches mine and Maddie's matches daddy's. (I'm guessing he means our hair). He also said that Maddie's skin is soft and his and ours is hard. He has a special interest in when her "extension cord" (umbilical cord) is going to fall off. He has also been interested in all of the baby stuff and the fact that it used to all be his... like the swing and the bouncy chair and many of the blankets. He is sharing really well, but seems a bit miffed that he can't sit in the swing or chair anymore.



Andy is tired but has been go-go-going with all that needs to be done around here. He says that new dads get an extra burst of testosterone to keep them going and to take care of their family. He is probably secretly anxious to get back to work!



Thank you for all of the well wishes in the comments and on Facebook, thank you to my friends for all of the delicious dinners and presents, thank you to our families for all of the support and cute girlie gifts, thank you to Ann and Danae for the breast feeding support, thank you to my husband for still being Mr. Wonderful after all of these years, thank you to Fischer for being so flexible, thank you to my hormones for relaxing and letting me be "normal" again and thank you to God for our many blessings.

PS- I'll add some pictures to this post when I find my misplaced camera.

A birth story (not for the faint of heart)

I'm beginning to feel a little anxious about the baby coming. On the one hand, I cannot wait to see her and hold her and to NOT be pregnant anymore.... but on the other hand I'm feeling nervous about the c-section (scheduled for 9 days from today). I know it will all go well, but I can't help feeling a bit of anxiety these days.
The whole labor and delivery HAS to go better than it did with Fischer! I thought I'd recount the events leading to Fischer's birth... I fully realize that Fischer and I may be the only ones interested in this story... and even he won't be till 20 years from now (and even then... probably not).


In fact, do not read on unless you are perfectly OK with TOO MUCH INFORMATION. AND, do not read on if you are pregnant now, especially with your first baby... you don't need these thoughts in your head.

I woke up at 6 am one Sunday morning with "surges" (that's what we called it in the hypnobirthing classes), not contractions. It was still 2 weeks before my due date, so I was sure it was Braxton Hicks or as my mother-in-law called it "practice labor". I went about my day and later went to a home dedication for my mother-in-law who had just moved. All the while feeling surges. As evening came I was busying myself with preparations for school the following day. I was teaching second grade at the time. I spent the evening planning, correcting papers, and thinking about meeting my long-term substitute. She was supposed to be coming in on Monday morning and spending a few days with me and my class so that I could show her the ropes and plan with her for the time that I'd be gone.
Well the surges kept getting more and more painful (although after watching the hypno-birthing videos... you wouldn't think there was ANY pain involved whatsoever - nothing a little sigh or slight grunt couldn't alleviate). So now I'm thinking... um, this could be the real thing. So I start working as quickly as I can to get as much planned and prepped for school the next day. I think I must have packed my bags too. Then I got in the tub to make sure everything was as it should be for the "big show".
Finally, around 1:00 am, I woke Andy and told him it was time to go to the hospital... he had a full on panic attack, so we sat on the couch and held each other until he felt better, and we were off.
At the hospital they checked me and I wasn't even dilated! BUT when they checked me, Fischer's heart rate dropped, so they didn't want me to go back home. They checked us in. So, Andy and I hung out, walked around, and around, and around for hours while I clung to him every few seconds with surges. I tried to go into my hypno exercises, but the pain was really throwing me off! By 9:00 am, they checked me again, and there was NO progression! By this time I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, I'd been having contractions for 27 hours already... I lay in the tub in the birthing room and made the decision to give up my natural-birth aspirations and get some help. Andy had gone home to shower. When he returned, they gave me the epidural... hallelujah! What in the world was I doing to myself before? This was heaven. My mom and Danae came, and we all sat around chatting, I watched The Three Amigos (movie options were limited), and then secretly cursed my mom and Andy while they snacked in my room! I snuck a bite. Everytime they checked me I hadn't progressed. So finally they gave me Pitocin to get things moving. Around 4:00 we started the pushing... and pushing... and pushing...(Andy was huddled by my head on one side and my mom was on the other, My dad and mother-in-law were waiting outside the room) ... two and a half hours later, the nurses and midwife could see Fischer's blond hair, but he wasn't budging. So my midwife called in a "forceps specialist". Well he assessed the situation and announced that with one big push from me and one big yank from him, the baby would be out (a considerable amount of repair would be needed for me- but by this point - 36 1/2 hours later - I didn't care one bit).

This is where things got a little fuzzy until months later when my mother filled me in. Next think I knew I was being wheeled off to surgery to have a c-section. Apparently, when the doc went to give his "one big yank" he braced himself by putting his foot up on the bed - which horrified my mother and she whispered to him "this looks like a law-suit waiting to happen"... and there I went in for surgery, just like that - no yanks, no repair work needed.

In the surgery room, they asked Andy if he wanted them to put up a mirror so that he could see, he responded with a definite "Hell No", and the drape went up in front of us both. I don't know how long it all took, one minute Andy was whispering soothing things in my ear and the next, he was showing me out beautiful baby boy.
After that, everything goes pretty fuzzy.

So you see, although the outcome was nothing short of a beautiful healthy bouncing miracle... the labor was WAY TOO LONG.
So this one has got to be better, right?

All about my dad...

Fischer's thoughts on his Dad:

1. I like when he makes me chocolate milk



2. I like when he makes me water.



3. I like when he plays with me like blocks and Lego's.



4. I like to go to the grocery store with Dad.



5. I like to weed and dig with him.



6. I help him with his hockey laces.



7. Dad's good at putting on my new sandals.



8. Dad's favorite treat is doughnuts.



9. Dad's favorite snack is beer and chips.



10. Dad knows how to make green beans and stuff like that.



11. Dad likes to eat with us.



12. Dad teaches his students at work.



13. Dad likes to make hockey time and work out.



14. Dad saves us from anything.



15. Dad smiles when we are home.



16. Dad smiles when he has doughnut holes and strudel bites.



17. I love my Dad.



18. Happy Father's Day!

Recently...

BFF's baby brother was born on May 2! He is absolutely beautiful! Here is my mom holding him:

Andy bought Fischer his first pair of real hockey gloves! Fischer thinks they are great but has a really hard time actually holding the stick with them on. By the way... only the best hockey players practice in their underwear and fireman rain boots!

Fisch has been wearing his fireman clothes everywhere... then complaining that he doesn't like when people look at him!

Fischer tried out mini-basketball... and HATED it. Then he tried mini-soccer and didn't like that one too much either... begged for basketball, go figure. Hopefully mini T-Ball will go well!

Fischer started survival swimming lessons and SCREAMED and CRIED through the first 5 lessons... then suddenly on the sixth, he was all smiles, high-fives and kept saying "I'm good!" Hooray... Mommy couldn't have taken one more lesson of BOTH of us crying! Here he is practicing his floating in the bathtub.

My wonderful friends threw me the sweetest baby shower... so many cute pink things! It was so much fun!

I seem to have permanently borrowed the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man's feet... I'll spare you the picture! 2 more months!

Kaia had surgery on Monday to remove a lump from her neck... $850 and 2 drain tubes later...