This is What Christmas Looks Like

At least, this is what it looks like in our household this year. Yesterday I had called the nurse at our peds office and after listing of a litany of symptoms she had said it sounded bad but to keep doing what I was doing (humidifier, Tylenol, fluids, etc) and if wheezing came into it to head to the dr at that point.



Baby girl was worse today with the added bonus of shallow breathing so we decided to take her into the med center. How do you not have mommy guilt when they point out the pneumonia on her chest x-ray? Because I 'should have known' sooner and been more worried and fretted more. However, my girl did have some great doctors, nurses and techs today. The x-ray tech had a Furby talking to her to keep the baby distracted and all of the doctors were very friendly, patient and great with my girl. In spite of working on a holiday, everyone was fantastic.

After a trip to the med center, a long visit at the children's ER, several pulse and heart checks, a few unpleasant temp readings, more doses of Motrin & Tylenol and a big pink bottle of Amoxy from the pharmacy, we are home and the babe is tucked into her bed to await Santa tomorrow.

She's hoping he brings her piles of presents and something to make her sick go away.

In Which We Are Cold, Sick and Stuck

Ok Michiganers (is that what we call ourselves? Michiganites? Michigites?) have we had enough snow yet? Because this is really getting out of control and someone should do something. I don't think I've seen this much snow in January or February, let alone December.

Frankly, I'm ok with it, but I don't have anywhere to go and can stay hunkered down in my jammies all day. I would seriously revolt if I had to leave the house. Those of you who work, maybe you could send in a memo? "End snow please. Thanks." Or something like that.

My kid is still super sick. Snotty all over the place, achy, wimpery, feverish and coughing. All she wants to do is snuggle and cry and while I love the snuggling part, I just feel so bad for the little rascal.

We're currently wrapping presents (baby is playing with ribbons and tape) and listening to Christmas music. Merry Mixmas, to be exact. Loving this album this year.

Our ornament winner is....

Here are your random numbers:

4 

Timestamp: 2008-12-23 18:34:38 UTC

Dawn, you are the winner!! You'll definitely appreciate this ornament. It's not much, but it's a happy tree addition. I'll send it out for you first thing...Friday.

Happy Christmas, my bloggy friends!

Free Book & Ornament Giveaway

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

4 

Timestamp: 2008-12-20 16:47:45 UTC

Joy, you are the winner of the book!! Email me your address and I'll get it shipped out to you on Monday. Just in time for Christmas.

Now, your next assignment, dear internets, should you choose to accept it, is to tell me your favorite Christmas present you've ever received. Everyone can play along here! I'll go first.

My dollhouse.

Me in my footie pajamas in front of the dollhouse that was bigger than I was.

Note the fantastic 80s glasses. (not the best picture, I know, but it's a photo of a photo, what can ya do)

It was originally my aunt's dollhouse and had been in Grandma's basement for me to play with for years. One day it was gone. Missing. Just like that. I asked and everyone said that my aunt had sold it. SOLD it?! How could she possibly?!

I'll be honest. I found my present before Christmas. My mom had sent me into her closet to get something or other and apparently she forgot she had hidden this huge dollhouse in the back. Sure, she covered it up with a blanket, but really? That was supposed to deter me?

Regardless, I was still (as you can all see by the maniacal look on my face) completely ecstatic on Christmas morn. For years I would play with this dollhouse, rearrange the furniture, vacuum the rooms and generally adore this toy.

Then, I became a teenager (ok, I was probably at least 16 or 17 at the time) and I gave the dollhouse back to my aunt to use with her daughter. When she was done with it, it came back to me. I may have had to plead and cajole and beg my aunt not to sell it, but instead to let me use it for whenever I would have a child. And maybe to play with it a little in the meanwhile. And maybe to redecorate, and wallpaper.

The house is in my basement now. Wrapped carefully in blankets to keep it safe and dust-free. Someday it will come out again. To finish the renovations and get it nice and spiffy for my baby girl. The trick will be hiding it from her for 8 or 10 years.

Randi's favorite toys are the ones that aren't. For example, see here this cooking pot. Bring along a large spoon and it becomes an amazing drum. She's going to love the wrapping paper and boxes this year.






"I just have to push it over here where there are better acoustics."

"Stop laughing. Music is serious business."








Now, tell me your favorite gift ever received! Could be from childhood, or it could be from last year. One of your lucky comments will win a little Christmas ornament!

Comment by Monday night to enter!

It's Thursday and I Love Stuff

I have had a cold for the past 4 weeks now. It's not surprising that it has lingered so long since I don't ever get enough sleep and for me, that is key to my health.





Now, a while ago I talked about the beauty of Zicam. You can't fault the Zicam. The key to that product is also it's largest flaw. It depends upon you taking it at the right time. Human error is always highest. Doggone it, I knew better.

My colds always progress in exactly the same manner. Sore throat and sneezing. Congestion and runny noses. Finally, after about a week I'll get a barking cough for another week.

Fortunately, this year there is a new fantastic product for those of us suffering with that annoying, yet common, cold.

Unfortunately for me, this cough has lasted for about three weeks and I kind of think I got a new cold as well or something.

Regardless, one day I saw a commercial for Delsym. I generally am a sucker for commercials. Especially for a product that says that it will prevent coughing for 12 hours. Generally, when I get a cold, there will be a couple days when my hubby has to sleep in the spare room because of my coughing.


It's bad. And uncontrollable. I use Vicks VapoRub (I still love you, Vicks!), cough drops, Nyquil (never actually helps me sleep and I hate the taste), and my humidifier runs on high. In spite of all this, I still wake up to coughing fits. Fits, I tell you!

Until Delsym. This Thursday, I declare that I am in love with Delsym. It WORKS. I have not once woken up coughing with my three week cough.

I could even likely sleep through the night if it weren't for my sweet babboo. She's darn cute but has us currently in the middle of a new round of sleep training.

Santa Who?!

"Hey look! It's Santa!"









"What!? Santa's not real!? Waaahhh!!









We really haven't talked about the Santa or no Santa issue a whole lot. I kind of think we'll keep him around for stockings and the "it's a good story" aspect of it all. I mean, the guy is really generous. That's not a bad thing at all.


Since baby girl has 4 different Christmas-y outfits this year, Saturday she got all dressed up for pictures and the subsequent oohs and ahhs at church. So fancy.






I just picked up my pictures from the drugstore to put in Christmas cards. Tonight I'll be watching some tv and addressing envelopes. If you haven't gotten a card from us before but you'd like to, please email me your address and I'll put you on the list!

One more thing. You've got until Thursday night to leave a comment on the book post (see one post below) to be entered to win! I'll announce the winner on Friday. At which point I'll be having a contest to win a Christmas ornament! YAY for free stuff, huh?

Books and Winners and Real Girls

I meant to do this much sooner so forgive my behind-the-times-ness. It's been winter cold central around this crazy household. Snot is flying everywhere.

According to the random number generator,

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

8 

Timestamp: 2008-12-11 16:11:03 UTC

Luanne is our t-shirt winner!! Yay!! If you'd email me your mailing address, I will send you your shirt asap.

Along with that, I have another giveaway for you all! Hoo-ray for free stuff, right?!

I talked a little bit before about Dove and what they are doing as a campaign for girls across the country. Last time I reminded you all of how beautiful YOU are. (Cuz, geez, you're gorgeous!) What I need you to do this time is read the Real Girls, Real Pressure report. It's not very long and honestly it's amazing to me. As I usually work with elementary girls (who are surprisingly already feeling way too much pressure) the crisis isn't quite as apparent as if I were in contact with teens more frequently.

When I was in high school I know I totally felt the need to be better. To be "perfect." To be like everyone else (aka: what the media told me I should be). However, coming 15 years later and looking at our culture now it is so much more prevalent and difficult to be a tween now. The media is much more all-surrounding and impossible to ignore.

Take a minute to read the report and then leave me a comment about something that you didn't know before to be entered to win this book. It's a really good read and a great tool for encouraging yourself, someone else or even for the guys to read. Our brains are seriously ridiculous sometimes with the pressures we allow to be placed on us.

And remember: You are freaking gorgeous. :)

Month Eleven

This month was a whole bunch of crazy.
We flew to Seattle for a fun week with our favorite new West Coast buds. Your first flight (without Daddy), first ferry ride and first Canada/America joint Thanksgiving!









You had plenty of airport adventures, but were quite the little trooper with all the time changes, schedule changes and complete change of scenery!










You find great joy in climbing up the stairs this month! We're slowly teaching you how to carefully slide back down so you don't crack your noggin on the hard wood floors at the bottom. Most of the time you are just trying to chase the cat who is forever running away from you. She doesn't seem to understand that you just want to play.








Wait. Baby's come from where?! Eew.









The huge open mouth smile has been new lately. Especially when I'm pushing you around the house on your little wagon. I'm pretty sure you're likely to catch a whole lot of flies.










Oh, that's so embarrassing. I hate it when I blink in pictures. You are so funny about your food lately. Some days you love chowing down on a rice cake and other days you won't have anything to do with it. I swear you change your food preferences every other meal. Don't tell, but I've been sneaking the veggies in with the bites of cottage cheese or yogurt. Those are your favorites no matter what.


"Ha ha! That's a funny joke, Daddy." Your Daddy can always make you giggle. He plays the best games of peek-a-boo ever!







You seem to be recognizing some things in books. At least the kitties. You turn the pages slowly and just stare intently at every page.










Yay! It's your favorite puppy! He barks at you and licks your face and you love to bark back at him and bury your little face in his fur. Poor guy gets so wet.




I'm afraid we're going to have fewer and fewer chances to take walks nowadays. It's so snowy out and super duper cold. Fortunately, you can be bundled up warm and cozy in your snow suit when the weather breaks enough for Mama to brave the wind and ice.









I seriously think you have started posing for pictures. You absolutely know that when we break out the camera it's time to ham it up and smile as big as you can.









Could you get any cuter?










Even though most people believe you are always perfectly happy and sweet you've definitely got your sad and cranky moments. Especially when you don't get a long enough nap. But no matter what, Mama can always make you happy if I give you a few more cuddles and kisses.





Or else bribe you with a snack. That always helps too.