Sunday, December 30, 2007

Final thoughts on Christmas

Except for possibly a few more pictures or videos, I'll try not to dwell on Christmas past this post. I wanted to write down a few thoughts that I think Trevor thinks has a lot to do with Christmas due to the movies he watches at this time of year. His favorites are the Grinch. Both cartoon and live-action. He did watch the others like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer but he'd always prefer the Grinch.

Which leads to the fact that he thinks that the Grinch comes every Christmas. And takes presents. "But he always gives them back". Which makes it ok, I guess. So it's been interesting to see Trevor try to decide what is going on. What does Christmas mean to him and such. He has been getting a lot of information from preschool on Jesus and his birth, but whenever you ask him about Jesus, he just thinks he is a baby that was born on Christmas day.

And yesterday we got another lovely phrase, this time from a Charlie Brown Christmas. Lucy loves to torment her brother Linus about his blanket. And she even calls it "That stupid blanket" a few times. So now Trevor's blanket is stupid. He obviously does not know anything about the meaning of the word, but for crying out loud - how lovely. That's what he picks up from the show?

Anyway, we hope you had a lovely Christmas and an even more wonderful new year.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Prayers and Positive Thoughts for their family...

One of my good mom friends is now 39 weeks pregnant with her second baby. Julie, her first, was born at 32 weeks gestation, almost completely healthy. So this time around, it has been a bit tougher on her. I feel like I only went through 20% of what she did because Gwen was only 2 weeks later than what I thought she would be.

Add to it that I ALWAYS hear all the wonderful things she is doing to help out her in-laws who are rapidly depleting their own health. And here she is so pregnant and still willing to help out.

Adding to THAT is the fact that she went in today to try to turn baby Kevin, who is breech and was unsuccessful. So she is going in on Tuesday or Wednesday for pre-op for a C-section. Again, I cannot imagine what she is going through.

So I'm asking everyone to send a few prayers and positive thoughts her and her family's way. I'm sure they could use it right about now.

Ann Marie - relax as much as you can and it will all be much easier in a few short months.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Can't say I'm in my 20's any more....

Not that I'm even really sad about it....but no more....I'm a 30 year old. It does sound so much older than 20 something. We had a nice birthday/Christmas yesterday. Woke up to open gifts around 8:00 or so. Then went over to my parents house to continue Christmas and have my birthday dinner.

Trevor seems very uninterested in opening gifts. Which was kind of disappointing, since we got him SO many and thought that we should get a few more for Gwen thinking he would want to open hers as well.

But I guess now that we are at the next day, we can see which ones the winners are. They are mostly his new trains, including his train table. He also likes a few nintendo games as well as his new Leapster games.

So next comes the hard part. Putting everything in it's place, cleaning up the Christmas stuff, and making room where needed. At least we have another week before we are due to "get back into the swing of things".

And for an update on Gwen...she is doing pretty well! If we could all just shake the last of this yucky cold, I think everyone would be happier. Gwen slept from 11pm - 7am and although doesn't take long naps, I guess it can't be expected yet. We are due in for her 3 month pictures in a week or so.

We hope you all are enjoying your holidays! Since Gwen isn't able to ride in the car for long car rides, we won't be able to get to the cabin at least this month. And did I mention I don't like the cold and the snow? We just got dumped on the past week so we are going to have a L-O-N-G winter. Uggggg

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas Eve and presents

Well, two down, one to go! We made it through church yesterday, and traveling to grandma and grandpa's house and then Christmas this morning. I have one big learning so far. Trevor is not all that into opening gifts. And not even because he wants to play with one that he has opened. He just isn't that into it. Which kind of is hard on a mom that loves to indulge her little guy.

But anyway, the highlight of the night: Trevor now has a comedic streak in him and wonderful timing.

We were opening gifts, and after the first one, Trevor was pretty much uninterested. So much for thinking he would help open Gwen's gifts. But we finally bothered him enough to open a gift for her. We made sure he knew it was for her. It was a pink Dora Chair similar to the Tigger chair he has used. So he quickly unwraps the gift while we all are "oohing" and "aaahing".... puts it on his head and says, "It's a HELMET!" He then sent everyone on the floor, laughing.

What a comedian.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Captain Carlos

I don't know how many of you know who Captain Carlos is, but Trevor has started a new topic of conversation among the family. The little ditty is something like: "Hey big brother, look at all this stuff. If you want a snack, they may be good enough. They sure look like fun!"

It's all about the little sister trying to tempt Captain Carlos to eat junk food over healthy food. One of the scenes is between soda vs. orange juice. So whenever Trevor has his orange juice for breakfast, he talks about how he is making a "super choice". But he then thinks that he can pull whatever he wants is a "super choice". Such as cookies. So I've had to explain that cookies are a junk food.

But what gets a little grey are things like McDonalds. It is one of his favorite foods. And while I can see why fries would be a junk food, I disagree with the entire meal. It's not like a cheeseburger is a junk food. So, it can't be a junk food just because it is from McD's. And Trevor thinks it can't be a junk food unless it is a snack. So that disqualifies it already. What do you think???

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Imagination

It is pretty easy to see that 4 years old or around that time is when kids start to develop their imagination play. Trevor has been doing that a lot, and always has fun with it. From Nascar, to Disney Cars, you usually aren't playing the same thing twice. I remember a time when we would play, I would have to do the same thing that I did 230583 times before. Now, I rarely even get the same car that I had before to play with.

And you also know from previous posts that it is pretty cool to see that he might be starting to develop his future career. If it would happen to be a Nascar driver or maybe an actor from watching and reenacting things from the Children's Theater performances. But most recently, he has found another activity. He has always loved his kitchen playset and making food, but that has recently picked up interest again.

Last Wednesday, we were invited to Benihana for "Grandma's" birthday dinner. I'm a big fan of teppinyaki restaurants, and now that I'm over my fear of red meat, I'm good to go! Actually we had brought Trevor to the same restaurant I think two years ago or so. But of course he was a bit of a different mind frame at that time. Now, unfortunately, he isn't the best at trying new foods, so he didn't eat a lot, but he LOVED to watch the chef prepare the food and mix it all up. So that's what he did for the time he was in his seat. He would take a little of his rice, a little of his meat, and even ice chips and use his chop sticks to mix up all the food. Trying to be as creative as the chef was.

And then on Thursday, when we had spaghetti for dinner and again he wanted to mix the food all around. But it is a favorite of his, so at least he ate it too. So we'll have to remember that place again and hopefully he'll eat some food next time!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Happy Holiday Weekend

Ahhh....As we approach Christmas, the days seem to fly by. We had a great weekend here, although being sick wasn't the best thing for us. Hopefully everyone will be on the mend to be better by Christmas. On Saturday, I was able to get just a little bit of cleaning done, and MAN does that feel good. Weird since I don't actually enjoy cleaning, but having a clean area/house sure does feel better than having a messy one!

I also figured out the last Christmas present that I am responsible for. Now onto the wrapping! That also is a big load off my chest!

And finally, yesterday we were able to get out to my parents house. I timed it so Gwen was asleep on the way there, and we tried to do the same for on the way back, but she wasn't sleeping well that day, so she was up and upset for most of the ride back. I am so proud of Trevor for holding it together in the car. He does still plug his ears if it gets too loud, but for most of it, he simply sits and understands that that is what she does in the car.

But being at my parents house was a fun outing for him. Both of the uncles were there, and they all got to play football. Man was THAT a blast from the past. How many days and nights was I there watching them tackle and wrestle with each other? Add to it the fact that my dad pulled out all of the old toys from the closet in the basement, and we had a draft party for any toys that we want. Again, what a blast from the past. I was able to score the speak-n-spell and speak-n-math, a torpedo-like gun for a super nintendo system, some marble maze games, a horse on a stick that Trevor was playing with, a Disney puzzle...of course they all came home in a huge box, and I still have to go through all the toys in the family area before Christmas to make room for the toys to come on Christmas. YIKES.

Anyway, it was a fun weekend, and Thank You to all family members that made it happen. Now, this week we have the fun and interesting preschool Christmas program tomorrow and then under a week before Christmas! Whoo hoo!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The sickies won't go away!

Oh ug. Trevor has been sick with some kind of cold for the past two plus weeks. 'Tis the season, I guess. Russ caught some kind of cold earlier this week. Now I'm not feeling the best either. At least I can feel it coming on. And if I do get something, I can't take Sudafed or any Robitussin with alcohol. Which of course are the only things that make me feel better. Shucks.

And now Gwen is starting to get it as well. She at least doesn't act really upset by it. Actually, she's been sleeping a lot today. But I still feel bad for her. Poor baby. I guess that's what happens to the second born. Trevor didn't catch a cold until he was at least 6 months, and here Gwen is already having 2 by 10 weeks.

So while we take some time to recover, I might need a few days. Hope everyone is close to done with your Christmas shopping!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Star Wars IV: A New Hope

So Russ decided it was time for Trevor to be introduced to the Star Wars movies. (With some selected scenes fast forwarded. Well, if you ever want Trevor to watch something for the first time, he wants to ask you questions about it.

As I hope you all know, the Star Wars movies start out with a crawl. Trevor has seen this before, as Russ has played the Lego's Star Wars games for the Nintendo, and they have them as well. So here is what happened when Russ was reading the crawl, and what Trevor was saying:

Episode IV
A New Hope "That's like the water tower." (We drive by the city New Hope which has a large water tower near the highway on our way to the grandparent's house)
It is a period of civil war.
Rebel spaceships, striking
from a hidden base, have won
their first victory against
the evil Galactic Empire.

During the battle, Rebel
spies managed to steal secret
plans to the Empire's
ultimate weapon, the DEATH
STAR, an armored space
station with enough power to
destroy an entire planet. "Tire planet! That's like on Lightning McQueen"

Pursued by the Empire's
sinister agents, Princess
Leia races home aboard her
starship, custodian of the
stolen plans that can save her
people and restore
freedom to the galaxy..... "No daddy. It's Princess Peach that Mario saves from the galaxy."

We have been playing Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii lately...can you tell? Ahh....the thoughts of a 4 year old.

Monday, December 10, 2007

We meet Santa

I can't believe I made it. Trevor actually had a fever again yesterday and part of the night last night. But woke up without one. Dad still took Trevor to be looked at by the doctor this morning, but said that all he has is another cold, and we are continuing on the same antibiotics as last week. That way, hopefully the ear infection will stay away if this cold lingers.
Anyway, we headed out for an early sitting with Santa. Gwen was her usual peachy self in the car, and I brought my sling to carry her around in. She actually settled down to look at her surroundings, but DID NOT appreciate this big red clothed guy holding her for pictures. Soooo...we have our first "get out the pictures" for date nights at our house.
She was clearly tired at this point because about 5 minutes after we left the Santa portraits, she fell asleep and stayed asleep in my sling for a good 45 minutes. Trevor got to run around a little bit before heading home. And while Gwen did wake up as we were leaving, she did not freak out nearly as bad in the car. I think it was because she was pretty well rested and was interested a little bit in her toys.
So cross that off my to-do list. Now I have to get going on our Christmas cards. Only a few more Christmas gifts left to buy. Then I have to get on wrapping them. Only two more weeks!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Welcome to the World Addison!

Last night, little Miss Addison Ann was welcomed into this world late last night. She was a little later than her sister (although the same "lateness" as little Gwen ;-) ) and very loved. So a big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Megan, Troy, and Ellie! Hope you are ready for the estrogen in a few short years Troy! And hope that Gwendolyn and Addison can be great friends in a few years!

Friday, December 7, 2007

I love that we have a schedule...

I knew things would get easier. I knew that Gwendolyn would fall into a schedule of sleeping during the day. I knew that I would get some time to myself, even if it was to do the dishes or make a meal or something. And while I know it isn't something I can count on every day, I really feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today (so far) has been a wonderful day. We went back to "music class" for the first time since I had Gwen. I allowed myself like 45 minutes to get ready. I could have used an extra 5 minutes or so, but I made it to class on time. Yes, Gwen was screaming from the car ride. And I felt a little silly bouncing her around when she was upset. But I was able to see my beautifully pregnant friend, and Trevor was able to get out of the house, and play for a good 45 minutes.

I'm already thinking about next week, and getting out to the Mall for our Santa pictures on Monday morning. So now, with preschool Tuesday and Thursday, music class on Friday, and "Bubba" time on Wednesday, we have a pretty full week.

But even with all this stuff that is scheduled, and all the car rides that go along with it, I'm not worried. Both Trevor and I have learned to tune her out. And we know that it is just for a short time. She is very easily consoled once she is out of the carseat. I'm also trying to use a sling a little bit around the house so I can carry her in that when we are out of the house. Because for now, the carseat/stroller is not an option. I figure it's still going to be a little while before we can run errands that require longer than a few minutes, but I am seeing improvement in Gwen's ability to tolerate sitting entertaining herself.

And along with that, Gwen is also really falling into that category that needs to be sleeping before 2 hours from her last wake-up. Again, a few weeks ago, she wasn't even able to sleep for more than 15 minutes during the day at a time. Now, when she does go down, she is usually down for a half hour, and is starting to take a longer nap between 3-5pm.

I only need to get a few more Christmas gifts, and that will be done for me. I have a few more cleaning/organizing projects that I want to get done preferably sooner rather than later, but they can wait. Anyway....I have to write times like this down so I don't think that all it ever is is hard. There are bright points, and I think I'm in one right now. YAY for us!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

It is easier....but harder

So a few things have happened this week. Trevor got a cold...poor guy. He was brought in on Monday to check his eye for bacterial pink eye and when the doctor looked in his ear, he said that it already looked red. This meant he already had the start of an ear infection. However since he wasn't complaining, he wouldn't prescribe anything for it. Now, the last time he had an ear infection, he went through two types of antibiotics before having to get shots to relieve his infection. It was NOT fun. Anyway, later that night, the tree was decorated. We have pretty new LED lights that twinkle all day and night and doesn't jack up the energy bill. Deck the Halls!!!

Move to Tuesday....Gwen had her 2 month appt. She is a healthy 12lbs 3oz and 22" long. She was not a happy camper to be poked and prodded, but fell asleep after we got home and slept for 45 minutes or so. Trevor did not go to preschool that day as I was not comfortable sending him if he had a contagious form of Pink Eye. While we were sitting watching The Grinch at 1:45, Trevor looked at me and said his ear hurt. Dang it. I quickly called the doctor's office to try to talk to the pediatric nurses. I was waiting for a phone call back when at 2:00, Trevor looked at the clock and said it was time for his nap. Poor guy. He desperately wanted to sleep and to not be in pain anymore. I gave him some Tylenol cold (as anything that dries him up helps the ear drainage as well) when the doctor called back and quickly sent a prescription to a nearby pharmacy. Trevor woke up at 3:00 and said he felt better. I knew that it just meant hopefully the Tylenol wouldn't wear off soon. He was able to get a dose of the prescription in him before dinner but you really can't tell if it is working for at least another 24 hours. He didn't have a fever yet, but either he would get one, or he would get better.

By the end of the day yesterday, I was sure the prescription was working. Thank goodness! He still isn't sleeping very well, but the fever isn't there, and he seems better. No ear pain at least that he says. So today he was back at school. And tomorrow we are going to try to get to Music Class which he was in before Gwen was born. It's another chance for us to get out of the house, and while Gwen doesn't do very well in the car, it isn't a long car ride.

So wish us luck on our upcoming car rides. Now that Gwendolyn is vaccinated, I'm a bit more comfortable taking her out and about.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Update to our day

Trevor now has an ear infection, but our tree is up and decorated! I am just PRAYING that these antibiotics work on his ear or we are going to have to go the route of shots again. That was NOT fun.

Sometimes you can't get a break

For the second time in a month's time, Trevor is sick. Yes, it is just a cold but while we have a wonderful sleeping newborn, Trevor cannot make it through the night. Poor guy. I actually took him to the doctor yesterday because I knew he had pink eye, but not sure if it was the viral or bacterial kind. They checked his ears, and one was already showing signs of being infected. But because he wasn't complaining about it, they wouldn't do the antibiotics yet. We did have to get eye drops to be on the safe side of his pink eye, but boy is that not fun to administer.

So today we go in for Gwen's 2 month appointment. Trevor was supposed to be at preschool, but with his pink eye, I'm not bringing him in. Hopefully by Thursday he'll be better. And while Gwen has been sleeping great, I worry that the shots are going to throw her into a bad schedule. But I guess I should just be happy for the days that are good.

We are working on getting Christmas decorated here. We have our tree up, but no decorations. If Gwen is able to stay asleep for any time, or at least satisfied, we will be decorating today. Hopefully I can find my Christmas music so it will feel just like Christmas. It's even snowing today!