M.O.M. Holiday Party, Nutcracker, Pancake Breakfast, 29 Weeks and Henry's Holiday Concert

It's amazing how quickly a week goes by! Last Friday night we had our mom's group (Mom's of Munchkins aka M.O.M.) holiday party. I was a little concerned about it because it overlapped with the kids bedtimes and Mike was out of town still on business when the party was being held. I.E. I was on my own! But in the end it turned out really great. The party was a lot of fun and the kids spent almost the entire time running around with other kids and having a great time. There were all kinds of crafts to do but they were too busy being boys to bother with them. That made me sad but I don't think they feel like they missed out. They were beyond exhausted when we left.

Mike's flight was delayed on Friday night due to weather so poor man didn't get home until almost midnight. But he said the trip was productive and he got all he needed done so I guess in the end that makes it worth the trip.

The next day he slept most of the day away recovering from the New Mexico time change and an exhausting week. The kids on the other hand continued their routine like normal. Up at 6, ready to go! I'm still keeping up with the Elf on the Shelf. I had a rare opportunity because of the holiday party to do something special with the elf. The M.O.M. party provided gifts for the kids but my kids were too busy running around to bother opening them. They didn't even see their gifts so the next day I had Fred help me hand them out. The boys, okay maybe just Henry, were so excited to see presents! They each got two books. Henry got two superhero books and Gabe got a superhero and Mickey Mouse book. It was a big hit!

The rest of the day was pretty low key as Mike slept in and the boys continued their day. In the late afternoon, Mike's parents came down to watch the kids so we could attend a local production of the Nutcracker. We had a really nice dinner and barely made it to the performance on time. The awful thing about local for me is it usually means it's downtown. There are NOT a lot of places for parking downtown. It took forever to find an open spot but we finally did about three blocks away from the hall. Regardless, the performance was really neat. It was an added bonus when we found out one of the dancers is the daughter of Mike's boss. She was very good and only a high school junior!

Sunday was another low-key day. Mike was still tired from his trip and the boys were excited to see Dad home. Mike ended up taking the boys out for a "Daddy and sons" lunch at Arby's. It's one of their favorite places for some reason. They were both good and it was nice for me to have a little break for a few hours.

On Tuesday we spent the morning at a play date. It was a really neat idea on the mom's part. She hosted a "pancake breakfast" where we all could come in PJs and eat breakfast together. The boys loved it. They both ate at least two pancakes each and then enjoyed playing with the new toys later.

That afternoon was even more exciting because our "big boy" beds arrived finally. The men set them up in Henry's room and I worked pretty hard to try and get all the bedding and things washed/ironed before bedtime. Right now the boys are loving their beds. A few days later I'm about ready to give them back, but I know it's a work in progress. The room itself is a work in progress because we need to update the wall clings and add the "Gabriel" wooden letters to the room. But both boys are just so excited to be sleeping in the same room they are hard to settle down. I'm trying something new just about every night but no success yet. Naps are even worse. I have 9 weeks left to get it figured out.. 

Our elf is keeping busy moving around the house every morning. I missed one day when he was in the window reading a book but I think I got the rest. Henry is still just loving this idea. I'm running out of good ideas but he doesn't seem to mind whatever I come up with. 

On Wednesday I had the fun surprise of waking up to Gabe with what appeared to be "pink eye." We made an appointment in the afternoon and sure enough, it's pink eye. I have no idea where he picked it up but it doesn't really matter. Henry has managed to avoid getting it and now that it's Saturday the eye looks all but healed. He'll still be on antibiotics for another week but at least he's not contagious anymore. Poor kid. He didn't even finish his ear drops before getting pink eye. Now he's on two antibiotics! 

Speaking of Gabe, we did hear back from the surgery center and he's schedule for his adnoidectomy on January 2 in the morning. His pre-op is scheduled for December 27th. Poor kid. I'm hoping the surgery will be the beginning of a GOOD year for him health wise. He's been through a lot.

I'm officially 29 weeks and feeling pretty close to done being pregnant. I'm much more uncomfortable now. I think the babies are around 3 pounds each by now. I have a growth ultrasound on December 26th to find out for sure. I'm still measuring 37 weeks surprisingly but the doctor said not to think too much about the measurements. She said a lot can depend on how the babies are positioned that day. Otherwise, their heartbeats are still strong and they like to move a lot. I can't tell who is who but I do know there's a lot going on in there. 

Friday morning we had Henry's Holiday Concert at his school. He's been so excited about this concert. He's been practicing his Christmas songs for awhile and all the hand movements that go with them. He did very well in front of the large crowd, considering. He didn't appear nervous and was very excited to see Mike and I in the crowd. He was pointing and loudly pointing us out to his friends. It was slightly embarrassing when he was the first kid to be moved for disrupting the performance. During one of the songs, Henry's little friend (who I believe also had the same Batman costume as Henry at Halloween and walked with him then - although Henry cannot remember his name!) next to him made some sweeping hand gestures that bumped Henry and the other kid next him. Henry reacted by pointing and we assume telling the kid he's supposed to keep his hands to himself. That results in a "poking" contest between the three of them and poor Henry being moved to the bottom of the stage next to a teacher. He did not appear pleased at all but in the end started following the music and crowd. Poor kid. He seemed really annoyed he was removed from his "posse" =) We did get some photos but we purchased a video to really capture the moment! 

 (Henry being introduced to the crowd)

 (Henry next to his "posse")

 (Shortly after being relocated)

Nanny Crisis, Elf on the Shelf Fun, Ears... Again, 28 weeks & Official Due Date

Monday night I was almost in tears when I read an email from the nanny candidate I wanted to hire. She thanked me for my offer but said the other family she worked for was offering her more hours so she would stay with them. I was distraught all night about it. Mike's out of town in New Mexico so I usually talk with him in the mornings since he gets back later than I'm up to his hotel room. When I spoke with Mike on Tuesday, he asked why I didn't counter the other family's offer with more money. Umm.. I didn't think of it. It seemed such a simple solution I was embarrassed I didn't think of it myself. Anyways, I emailed the girl after I got off the phone with Mike and I was pleasantly surprised when she seemed interested! We arranged for her to come later in the day to meet the boys (at this point she had only interviewed with me) before she would make her decision.

I knew the boys were on "review" so to speak. I've been there. I've done the nanny bit before. You pick your families based on the kids, not the parents (except in extreme situations). I was worried but both boys did AWESOME. Henry asked her to play games with him nicely. Gabe (who is usually very shy around strangers) brought her a book and backed himself into her lap. Neither boy fought while she was here and overall I think they were very well behaved! At the end of the "interview" she left me with the impression she will talk to the family on Friday and let them know she's accepting our position. However, I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. The other family can do what we did and offer her more. The offer I made is our final offer. We couldn't counter again. So, fingers crossed!!

Our Elf "Fred" is continuing to do silly things all around the house. Henry is really enjoying whatever he does. He tells his preschool teachers about "Silly Fred" and all his antics. It's also an important conversation to tell Daddy before we go to bed at night. As annoying as it is to do this little game, I can see Henry really enjoys it and that totally makes it worth the effort. Gabe is too young to understand this year but next year I'm sure he will be equally as excited. Although next year will be interesting with four in the mix!

 

 

Thursday I had a busy day of errands and Gabe's recheck appointment. As you may remember, a few weeks ago Gabe had a right ear infection. We've been treating the ear infection and this was a follow up to make sure the infection was gone. The right ear is great. The left ear is messed up again. That basically solidified the need for surgery considering it's been less than a month since his last left ear infection. Since having the tubes put in in September, he hasn't has a clear stretch yet with no infections. This is very unusual and as the ENT put it, we have a secondary problem. I haven't received a call yet but the surgery center should be calling me soon to schedule his adenoid removal. I got a handout from the doctor about adenoids but I couldn't find anything online from our doctor's office but I found something else that kind of describes what's happening and what they're going to do if you're interesting in reading about it.

Adenoidectomy

The surgery schedule is about three weeks out so we're expecting to go at the end of the month or first week of January. Happy Birthday, Gabe! =) Adenoid removal surgery.

Thursday also marked my 28th week. I'm still feeling pretty good. I have some "swelling" issues when I'm on my feet too long or don't sit down often. It's more annoying than concerning. The doctor did notice at my last appointment but she didn't seem concerned. I'm also getting bigger and more uncomfortable but at least the babies are growing strong. I got a call from my OBGYN scheduling my C-section for Wednesday, February 19th. I'll be about 38.5 weeks. Hoping we all make it that far!

Here are a few random photos of the boys playing. I got a "Superhero Squad" coloring book for Henry and he was sharing it with Gabe. They had a lot of fun scribbling! The other photos are of Gabe dressed up in a "tube" pretending to be a monster while Henry was eating breakfast. The photos don't do the situation justice. It was hilarious =)

 

 

27 Week U/S, Thanksgiving, Frozen & Elf on a Shelf

I had my latest growth u/s last week. The babies are both doing well and growing strong. They are both in the 50% for weight at 2 pounds 2 oz. They can't really measure length but the guess is they're about 15" long by now. Baby A is ahead of the game is lodged tightly in my pelvic bone. Poor girl is also unaware I'm having a c-section so her intentions are good but unnecessary! We were lucky she peeked out long enough for one good head shot. She's the reason I feel I have a bowling bowl between my legs many a day. Baby B is up higher now and resting comfortably by my right rib. He is breech so he's basically facing Baby A's feet. I feel a lot of movement now but it's really hard to tell if it's hands or feet making the movement. I'm also struggling with water retention. I remember doing this briefly with both boys but not until literally the last two weeks before delivery. This will be an interesting 10 weeks for me! About the only cure is more water and keep my feet up. The former is at least possible. The latter, not so much.

(For some reason I can't get these to flip correctly in Blogger!!)

This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house. Since I'm getting bigger, family is nice enough to do a lot of the meal prep for me =) I just had to handle the turkey and ham. I was pretty excited to try out the new dishes I got from cousin Tiffani. She had Grandma Marian's china but didn't have room for it anymore so I got it. I still have the set from Mike's Grandma too so now I can rotate them throughout the holidays. They're both very nice sets. The meal was wonderful and it was great to see family. The boys were pretty well behaved considering but by the end of the day they were pretty worn out and overtired. Poor Gabe had to scream for about a half hour before he was worn out enough to pass out. They both slept in the next day!

After Thanksgiving we pretty much had a day of rest. I did clean up a little from everyone being here. No one was messy per se but I had to take down the big table and put away dishes, etc. After all that was done, Mike and I decided to treat Henry to the movie "Frozen." He got the book from Grandma Marilyn and was pretty excited to go to the theater again. Gabe is a little young for the movie so he stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Dozeman. The theater was packed with other people who had similar  ideas as us but Henry sat still through the whole movie and really enjoyed the experience. He got an "Olaf" souvenir cup to take home and he's still using it today as much as he can. Luckily the Olaf comes off so he can also play with him once the cup is done.

And finally, our Elf from "Elf on the Shelf" arrived from Santa yesterday. Henry and Daddy named him "Fred." I'm not sure I'm happy with the names but it's their choice =) Henry is surprisingly all about him. He's still trying to get the concept but with each question he seems to get a bit more. Today was the first day Fred reported to Santa how Henry and Gabe are behaving. He came back and quickly found our candy dish! Henry thought that was so funny. At first he was concerned Fred should not eat candy before breakfast but I assured him that Fred most likely ate with Santa this morning and the candy is his dessert. I hope Fred can find enough new places and new things to do during this countdown to Christmas!