2012 in Review

At the end of a day if someone asks you how your day was, it's so easy for the negative things to come to mind faster than all the positive things. It's that way for 2012 for me. What comes to mind first was that I spent about 18 weeks in a hospital or Ronald McDonald House. Those experiences were emotionally traumatic. When we drove to Hershey a couple of weeks ago to visit Christmas Candylane, I found myself trembling and almost in tears as we neared the place where we spent 4 weeks in April while Ian was in the feeding clinic. It really shocked me how sudden and strong my reaction was. I wasn't expecting it. I was thinking about the kids riding rides and all of a sudden I was struggling to keep the tears from flowing. Similarly, when I took Ian and Oliver to the Pediatrician a couple of weeks ago, we were across from the hospital where Paul took me on May 30. I shed a few tears in that waiting room as I recalled how scary it was when they kept saying they might have to take the baby (at 22w0d) to save my life. The good news is that God worked two miracles this year through these hard times. First, Ian learned to chew. I was beginning to wonder how many years I would be serving him pureed food. Second, Oliver joined our family and is doing so well. It was a hard year, but we're starting 2013 as a family of five, of which four of us are now chewing solid food. Here are some of the highlights from the past year:

1. Ian was daytime potty trained in January.

2. We found out I was pregnant and froze one blastocyst in January.

3. The Giants won the Superbowl in February.

4. Ian was promoted from the nursery to Sunday School and Wee Worship in February.

5. The kids and I went to Maryland in March as I spoke at a conference in DC.

6. I turned 40 in April.

7. The kids and I spent 4 weeks in Hershey in April for the intensive feeding program.

8. We found out baby #3 was a boy in May.

9. Ian was promoted to a twin size bed after we got back from our trip to Grand Cayman with Paul's parents in May.

10. My hospitalization and 10 weeks of bed rest began on May 30. Oliver had one transfusion in June and another in July.

11. Nadia participated in her first ballet recital and gymnastics showcase in June.

12. Nadia celebrated her fourth birthday at Friendly's in Lancaster and by seeing Jonah at Sight and Sound.

13. Nadia and Ian spent the majority of July with Paul's parents and one week in Maryland at my family reunion.

14. Oliver was born on 8-7-12!

15. Nadia performed in her first musical on August 11 (our 11th anniversary) and 12.

16. Oliver was discharged from the NICU on Septemnber 2!

17. We traded Paul's Civic for our first minivan in September.

18. In September Nadia started taking tap dance in addition to her second year of ballet and Cubbies. In October she started her third year of gymnastics.

19. Ian ate his first bite of cake, started his first gymnastics class, and was nighttime potty trained in October.

20. Oliver got off the oxygen and apnea monitor in October.

21. Nadia accepted Christ as her personal Savior in October.

22. Nadia learned to write her name in November, and by the end of December she could write 24 letters of the alphabet. Earlier in the year she learned to identify all of the uppercase and lowercase letters and say what sound the letter makes.

23. Oliver started sleeping through the night and got off the nipple shield in November.

24. Paul wrote his dissertation and applied for 18 jobs (5 that started in January and 13 in August). December 11 was his last day at PSU for 2012, and he only needs to go in a couple of times in 2013 as his defense has been scheduled for 1-18-13.  

25. Ian concluded his weekly OT sessions (that took place for 23 months) the day before he turned 3 years old.

26. Oliver's baby dedication and Ian's third birthday party were held on December 9.

27. I taught two evening classses on campus in the spring, two online classes in the summer, was on leave during the fall, and resigned from my job that I had since August 2004 in December (effective January 27, 2013).

                                                28. Other special events included a trip to Reptiland, several trips to Knoebels, Disney on Ice in Hershey, Barnum & Bailey circus in Wilkes Barre, Hershey Park's Christmas Candylane, and several productions at the Community Theatre League and Community Arts Centre in Williamsport.

29. Nadia learned to buckle her own seatbelt, do a 100 piece jigsaw puzzle, and count to 40. Ian learned how to walk up and down the steps, do a 12 piece jigsaw puzzle, drink from an open cup, do a forward tuck roll, and feed himself with a fork and spoon.

30. This year Nadia was really into princesses while Ian enjoyed pirates, cars, trains, trucks, and Larry Boy.

 

Oliver's First Christmas!

Oliver didn't sleep well on Sunday night. I guess he was too excited about opening gifts on Monday morning. Just kidding of course! I thought Nadia and Ian might get up earlier than usual from excitement about unwrapping their gifts as we let them put the wrapped gifts under the tree on Sunday night, but they got up at their usual time on Monday, and what really shocked me was that Ian ate his breakfast (a bagel) at his usual slow pace even though he knew we were opening gifts right after we ate. I was the more impatient one Monday morning as I couldn't wait to see their faces! Nadia had pancakes and scrambled eggs once more on Tuesday morning, and it's really rare that I make a hot breakfast so that was a special treat two days in a row. We did our family gift exchange on Monday morning. It was a little bit difficult for Ian and Nadia to wait for someone to open a gift before it was their turn again, but they did pretty well.

I was snapping pictures with my camera, but I didn't think to take a video. I wish I thought of that more often as it would have been fun to record some of her screams of joy when she opened certain gifts such as her Ariel doll and her Sweetpea doll that came with four dresses to change her clothes. Paul's parents gave me a video camera for Christmas. It was Nadia's musical in August that created that desire to own a video camera and a telephoto lens. My parents gave me a telephoto lens so I got the two gifts I most wanted this year - two things I never had a desire to own prior to having kids, but ones that will come in handy with our kids over the coming years. I am grateful. Ian's favorite gift from Paul and I was definitely his Larrymobile. He wanted it with him 24 hours a day. We allowed him to take the two little figurines (Larry and Archibald) to bed but not the car. His favorite gift from Paul's parents was an alligator flashlight that says tick tock (Peter Pan). Nadia's favorite gift from my parents was a Rapunzel doll. I didn't get anything for Oliver, but other family members got him some toys and clothes. He was oblivious of course!

Tuesday morning we woke up to a White Christmas! I thought the kids would want to play in the snow for a few minutes, but they were so anxious to see both sets of grandparents that they skipped going in the snow. Our goal had been to leave at 9am, but we didn't actually make it out the door until 9:45am. First we drove to Paul's parents house and had our gift exchange with his side of the family and also enjoyed a delicous ham dinner that his mom had prepared. Ian carried each of his presents to a spot right beside Pop Pop, and that's where he opened all of his presents. He got a new pirate costume, trains, helicopters, a truck, etc. Nadia got two castles, a Cinderella doll, etc. She had to look at every single page of her new princess book before she'd open another one of her presents. After spending 4 hours with his family, we loaded up the van and drove to MD. The trip took a bit longer than it should have because we had a long detour trying to get gas near Baltimore. All three kids were asleep at one point. Oliver did a great job on his first trip to Maryland.

Soon after we arrived we gathered around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts with my parents and my sister, Wendy, and her family. Nadia and Rachel gave each other lots of hugs, and they really enjoyed each other's company for the next three days. After the gift exchange we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and ate white birthday cake. Maurice (who lives in Brazil) joined in these festivities via Skype. Wednesday morning my sister's family of 5, my dad, Nadia, and Paul headed out to go bowling. They said Nadia celebrated each and every pin that went down (even though she only got about 25 pins down over the course of the entire game). I stayed back with Grandma, Ian, and Oliver. That evening we went Christmas caroling in my parents' neighborhood and then most of the family watched the first half of "Finding Nemo," which proved to be a mistake as the movie gave Nadia nightmares on Wednesday night and again on Thursday night. Be sure not to say the name "Darla" around Nadia unless you want her to burst into tears. Go figure!

 

Thursday morning Wendy did a little photo shoot of our kids. It was her Christmas gift to Paul and I. I can't wait to see the pictures! She took individual ones of each child and also some of the three of them together. I will treasure those for sure!!! Thursday afternoon nine of us went ice skating. I was going to stay back so I could nurse Oliver, but Paul wanted me to join in on the ice skating. I enjoyed it, but it was hard for me to accept that Oliver was getting a feeding of only formula as usually the only time that happens is on Wednesday night when I have choir rehearsal. It also happened last Sunday morning during the choir cantata. It was Nadia's second time ice skating and Ian's first time ice skating. She loved it! I skated several times around the rink with four of the five children (all but Susie). The adults were pooped by the end. Wendy sat out since she's due to have another baby girl in early April. Ian wasn't so sure about the ice skating. Thursday night we had pizza for dinner. My mom made a homemade one so Ian could have some without cheese.

 



Rachel (who is 13 months younger) and Nadia gave each other MANY hugs

My sister and her family left after lunch on Friday. They took the train to VA to be with her husband's family in Williamsburg. We went out to Chick-Fil-A for dinner on Friday night. It turns out that Ian can't have their nuggets (whereas McD's don't have any milk or egg in them). After the kids spent some time in the playland, my dad and Paul went home with the kids while my mom and I made a quick trip into Target to shop their Christmas clearance section. We only had 4 stocking holders for the mantle. I was going to buy one more pair, but then we saw some that were much prettier (with picture frames attached) so I splurged and bought 6 of them. Even though those weren't sold in pairs (like the others were), I bought 6 just in case that froze embryo results in me giving birth one last time. It was the first purchase I made with that blastocyst in mind. I think Nadia and Ian are going to love some of the ornaments I bought them for next year (princesses, pirates, etc.).



Grandpa lifted Nadia to see the Zamboni

Saturday morning we left my parents' house to drive to Paul's youngest cousin's wedding south of Harrisburg, but a section of the Interstate was closed, and that delayed our arrival by more than an hour, which meant we missed the wedding. We didn't attempt to go to the church but just kept driving through the snow until we arrived at the Hershey Hotel where the reception was being held. I definitely felt underdressed although the rest of my family was dressed appropriately. I also wished I had packed some make-up. Oh well. During the dinner I was deeply regretting that we brought the kids. I kept thinking Paul should have gone alone, and I should have stayed home with the kids, but then they had fun during the dancing portion of the reception. Nadia enjoyed the kid's meal they served her as well as the chocolate cake, hot chocolate, and the table full of all different kinds of candy. Everyone enjoyed watching Nadia dance. During the slow songs she would do ballet style dancing, and with the other songs she was jumping and running around. People she had never met before were taking pictures and videos of her with their cell phones. She would have danced all night if we had let her! We left at 8pm and got home at 10pm. We managed to transfer all three sleeping kids from the van to their beds very smoothly. I expected Oliver to get me up during the night (as he had done a couple of times in Maryland), but he slept 11 hours straight for the second time ever! I think Oliver deserves a medal for being such a good boy yesterday given we spent 6 hours in the van.

 



Nadia dancing with her Great Aunt Debbie (bride's mother)

I was supposed to teach Sunday School this morning for the first time in 10 months, but I woke up with pink eye in my right eye. I found someone to substitute for me, and I tried to get a doctor to call in a prescription for me, but I was told I have to wait to be seen tomorrow morning. I wish I had saved my drops from the last bout. I will save them this time! Today was a busy day as Paul shoveled the 6 inches of snow that were covering our driveway, we took the kids out to play in the snow, and I was trying to straighten up the house (which included unpacking suitcases, doing laundry, taking down some Christmas decorations, trying to find places to put new toys, etc.). I didn't finish, but I decided to take the time to write this post anyhow. Nadia and I made a big batch of cookies also. I think the kids would rather see the Christmas stuff stay up here, but I am ready for less clutter. I'm sure next year Ian will call the dvd by the proper name. This month he's called the "Crippled Lamb" the "Purple Lamb." Oops! Well I have lots more pictures to share, but I'll save them for later this week. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of Christ and enjoying special moments with your family. I wish my siblings didn't live so far away. I am bummed that we probably won't see my sister or her kids again until next Christmas, but I do get to see her more than my sister who lives in Turkey. My brother will probably come back for a brief visit next summer.


Adam (who will be 6 in February) and Nadia playing Dominoes

 

Aunt Wendy, Susie (age 8), and Oliver (4 months)

 

Foto Friday

Baby's First Christmas! This bib has been worn by all 3 of our kids.

Nine of us went ice skating on 12/27/12

Oliver and his Great Gram on 12/25/12

Susie (age 8) reading to Grandma's 17.5 year old cat (Patches)

Drayton skating with Adam and Susie

Nadia's 2nd time ice skating

 

Ian's first time ice skating!

 

Eight family members went bowling on 12/26/12



More pictures and text to follow this weekend!

 

4.5 Years Old!

Nadia will be five years old in exactly six months. Shudder. My preschooler is on her way to becoming a Kindergartner. That thought would likely bring me to tears if I wasn't planning to homeschool her. Whew. Here are 54 facts about Nadia - one for each month of her life.

1. She prefers to wear dresses, which is fine by me.

2. She says she doesn't like jumpers (which sometimes she calls "hoppers" ha ha), but the fairy/castle jumper is her favorite dress! I have to be creative. One jumper (that is made like a sweater) I call her "sweater dress" and then it's okay. I pointed out how wonderful the pockets were in a denim jumper, and then she wanted to wear it.

3. She would wear her princess footed pjs every night if we let her. Actually she prefers her princess nightgown, but we don't let her wear nightgowns in the winter because her bedroom is the coldest one in the house.

4. She is absolutely crazy about the color pink. Just call her Pinkalicious (or Gigi, the character created by Sheila Walsh).

5. It's been months since she's taken a nap in her bed. She still falls asleep occasionally in the car. When Ian has a nap, she has what we call a "quiet time." That is a misnomer. I should call it "room time" because it's anything but quiet. She either is chattering away (telling stories with her princesses) or is listening to a book on a CD.

6. She loves being able to run a CD player for music or books on CD.

7. She adores Oliver and wishes he would stay a baby. I told her that no one stays a baby and that everyone was a baby at one point. When I told her that I used to be a baby, she responded, "No way!". Ha ha!

8. She can't wait to become five years old because she wants to be in Sparks with Madeline (our neighbor who is 1 year older than her - they were in Cubbies together last year). She's disappointed though that they don't serve snacks in Sparks like they do in Cubbies.

9. Food is generally the highlight for Nadia. After she comes back from something (ex. Cubbies or VBS), the first thing she tells us is what food and drink was served.

10. She's very aware of girls versus boys right now. She thinks she should only play with girls (in Sunday School and such), listen to CD's that feature girls singing, read books about girls, etc. She tells Ian he's supposed to play with boys, but he doesn't really care.

11. She often reminds me that she's a Christian now. On several occasions she's told Ian that he has to pray and ask Jesus to forgive his sins if he wants to go to Heaven. Ian then starts to pray his usual "Dear God, thank you for xyz Amen" prayer. It thrills my soul that she is trying to lead her brother to the Lord (even though he's definitely too young to understand).

12. She loves to help me. Her current chores include: putting away clean silverwear from the dishwasher, setting the table, helping fold clean laundry (she's learned to fold washcloths and hand towels), making her bed, bringing down the small trash cans from upstairs on Monday night, and helping clean up the toys. She receives a smile on her magnetic chore chart when she completes these tasks.

13. She drinks milk, apple juice, water, and cranapple juice.

14. One of her favorite snacks continues to be pretzels and raisins mixed together.

15. Raisins help her eat carrots, green beans, and peas.

16. She would watch tv for hours on end if I would let her. She enjoys quite a variety of tv shows (the three stations they watch are PBS, NickJr, and Disney Junior) and dvds (Veggies Tales, Disney princess movies, Gigi, Hermie & Wormie, etc.). She enjoys selecting one DVD to check out from the library each week.

17. She loves doing puzzles. She can handle up to 100 pieces. We haven't given her one with more pieces than that yet so maybe she could handle more than 100 pieces. For some reason, the middle of the puzzle is easier for her than the edge.

18. She loves playing games, especially if she wins. We play memory, Candyland, dominoes, etc.

19. She is obsessed with princesses - Belle, Tiana, Jasmine, Ariel, Rapunzel, etc.

20. She can write 24 letters of the alphabet. The two she hasn't learned yet are "R" and "S".

21. She's definitely a Steelers fan. She says boys root for the Giants.

22. She still doesn't like having her hair brushed.

23. She's almost completely independent with getting herself dressed and undressed. I need to teach her how to do things like button and snap. She does come up with some pretty "interesting" outfits though. I should have taken some pictures of some of the combinations such as when she wore a a turtleneck over a cardigan. Oops!

24. She still sneezes huge strings of boogies out of her nose every day. I can't wait until this ends as it's really gross.

25. She often asks me to read Berenstain Bears or Amelia Bedelia books.

26. She's definitely a chocoholic. For example, she won't eat a piece of chocolate cake if it has white icing. It has to have chocolate icing.

27. She can eat carrots, peas, and green beans without tears if we give her some raisins to eat with the vegetables.

28. She loves to run around and play with Ian although the two of them also fight a lot. She has a LONG way to go in learning to share.

29. She is completely independent with getting in and out of the minivan. She opens the door, climbs in her seat, closes the door, and buckles her seatbelt.

30. She loves to sing!

31. She's getting very close to being able to do a headstand at gymnastics.

32. She's purchased two princesses with her own money thus far ($7.50 plus tax).

33. At McDonald's lately she's been having McNuggets (no sauce), fries (with ketchup), apple juice, and ice cream.

34. Her favorite flavor of hard ice cream is cookies and cream.

35. For breakfast she either picks a raisin bagel or a bowl of cold cereal. This morning she had scrambled eggs and gingerbread pancakes. Yum!

36. Her favorite meals for dinner include pizza, fish sticks, and pasta (spaghetti, ravioli, macaroni and cheese, etc.). Yesterday she ate a 6 inch meatball sub from Subway for dinner.

37. On Saturday the kids were introduced to the concept of a commercial as we watched a couple of Christmas specials (ex. the Grinch). They had to deal with them again today when we watched "The Polar Express" for the first time. She really, really doesn't like them! I muted the tv during the commercials because I don't think the content is always appropriate for preschoolers.

38. I asked Nadia which present that she opened today was her favorite, and she responded that she liked all of them. Aww.... It's very obvious that Ian's favorite gift today was the Larrymobile.

39. When she's sitting beside me on the couch she often reaches up and plays with my hair.

40. Last year Nadia used her AWANA shares to buy herself a very large present (a huge stuffed animal and a blanket) and small presents for Paul, Ian, and I (for example she gave me a ball). I am not sure if the change was from her initiative or if an adult guided her, but this year she bought herself a small gift (princess Pez candy) and selected nicer gifts for the rest of her family. She gave me two really nice pairs of socks, Paul a collapsible water container, Ian a book and Duplo Legoes, and Oliver a tiny doll.

41. She really wants a baby sister, but she's also nervous that either she'll end up with another brother and/or I might have another extended stay in the hospital.

42. She can now draw a stick figure and a few shapes. She's getting a little better with coloring also.

43. She still goes through millions of tissues and napkins a week.

44. She's gotten very good at her Leapster games. She can handle level 3 (most difficult).

45. She loves to paint, use glue, etc. She's getting better at using scissors although she still has a LONG way to go in that skill.

46. She loves to play outside, even in the winter. I haven't succeeded in teacher her how to pump her legs on the swing yet. I have to push her.

47. It's quite obvious she's a first born child. We have to remind her not to boss Ian around. The upside of it is that at times she helps him out. When I let Ian pick something, she tries to manipulate him to select her choice. Lovely.

48. I'm working on teaching her to count to 100. Most of the time she can count at least to 40 without mistakes.

49. She loves her grandparents oh so very much!

50. Her princesses and her dragon pillow are her most prized possessions.

51. We're going to have to break out the thumb guards again as this habit is not going away easily.

52. At the end of taking a bubble bath with Ian and Oliver she likes me to turn on the shower to rinse out her hair.

53. She enjoys ballet/tap and gymnastics, but she still likes Cubbies the best.

54. Although she's not as affectionate as Ian, she does love hugs and kisses.

Take Two

I saw on Facebook that our town's business association was hosting a "Breakfast with Santa" this morning from 9-12. I thought we'd take the kids at 9am because I had choir rehearsal from 10-12 as we're presenting our cantata tomorrow morning. We arrived promptly at 9am. A few minutes later the breakfast was ready. I thought we'd need to pay, but it turned out it was free. They were collecting cans of food for Neighbors helping Neighbors. Oops! They had crafts for the kids (making snowmen out of pretzels and marshmallows, coloring, decorating construction paper Christmas trees with pom poms, etc. It turns out Santa wasn't due to arrive until 10:30am. Oops! We left at 9:40 so I could leave for choir right after we got home. I had gotten the kids dressed up for the photos, and they were looking forward to seeing Santa again. I promised them I'd take them back to his house (at the grocery store) after lunch. It turned out the man who was wearing the Santa costume last night was the same one wearing it this afternoon. He remembered the kids. They enjoyed sitting on his lap one more time. I don't mind making this an annual tradition if the kids want to and it's free. Paul asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I very sincerely said that I don't need any gifts from him. I have three beautiful children (and one frozen blastocyst). What more could I ask for?

Last night I put Oliver down at 7:45 - earlier than usual. It was a mistake as he got up at 4:45. I put him back down at 6:00 and he slept another 2.25 hours, but I've been up since 4:45am. I think we'll stick with a 9pm bedtime for him as then he usually gets up around 7am. We got some good news in the mail today. The insurance paid for some bloodwork I had done in May that they originally rejected. This was thanks to a letter my OB wrote. We're down to about $1,200 woth of bloodwork that they haven't claimed responsibility for yet. This is a big relief as the total used to be over $9,000. Now to see how long it will take to get refunds from the hospital.

 

Santa's Lap

Santa Claus can be such a controversial subject even amongst those who believe that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Some completely eliminate him from their celebration, and others tell their children that he is real and include many Santa related traditions in their celebrations. I have taken a middle road approach. We sing both religious songs (ex. Angels we have heard on high) as well as secular Christmas songs (ex. Santa Claus is coming to town) in our house. We watch religious Christmas dvd's (ex. Max Lucado's "Crippled Lamb") as well as secular Christmas dvds (ex. Rudolph). We read religious Christmas books as well as secular Christmas books that focus on Rudolph and Santa. I've told the kids every year that Santa is not real just like Cinderella and Snow White aren't real. I contemplated getting the classic photo on Santa's lap a couple of years ago until I saw how expensive it was at the mall. Well out of the blue a couple of weeks ago Ian told me he wanted to sit on Santa's lap. I have no idea where he got this idea.

I wasn't opposed to letting him do that if it wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg. I found out that in our town Santa sits in his "house" (a decorated shed) right beside our grocery store several nights during the month of December. Paul's parents came up to our house to celebrate Paul's dad's birthday today (which was yesterday). Paul grilled steaks. I made biscuits, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Nadia and I made oatmeal raisin cookies (his favorite). After dinner, we went to visit Santa (while Paul picked up a few items at the grocery store). They loved it. I should add that I don't have any problems with those who totally eliminate Santa or totally include Santa in their Christmas celebrations. I think it's a personal decision each family has to make. I am glad that I found a free way for Ian to get his wish to sit on Santa's lap. Nadia told Santa she wanted princesses for Christmas. Ian didn't say a word, and of course Oliver was oblivious. Nadia wore her new princess snow boots that her grandparents got her. As her shirt says (above) "Who needs Santa when you've got Grandma". Very true!

 

I took these pictures to document that yes we have done several Christmas crafts this month. I will never win the award for doing the most or the fanciest crafts with my kids, but I have done a few this month. This week we made Christmas cards (some with crayons and some with tempera paint) as well as gingerbread men (they enjoyed using glue for that one). We do such projects while Oliver naps. Yay for having a baby who naps in his crib!!! As of this evening, I am done wrapping gifts, and actually I've not only finished buying and wrapping Christmas gifts but also the next few months of birthday gifts as well. Yahoo!

Paul completed two more applications today bringing his total to 18 that he has submitted thus far. Ian still has his cold, but his cough is getting better. Oliver's fever only lasted two days (Tuesday/Wednesday). Yesterday his nose wasn't as runny as it was the previous two days, and today it was even a bit better than yesterday. He's definitely on the mend - PTL!

 

 

 

His First Fever

Oliver had a 101.7 degree fever yesterday, and he also had a lot of mucus coming out of his little nose. I was concerned because the NICU doctors said that what could be a cold for another baby would quickly become pnumonia for Oliver due to his lung disease. I called the pediatrician on call, and he said to give him 2ml of Tylenol. He didn't go to bed until 11pm and then he was up two times between 11pm and 7pm. I was up with him from 3:15-4:15am, and Paul took care of him when he got up at midnight. In August I was sleeping for one hour and then nursing and pumping for an hour. I went a few weeks of never getting more sleeping more than one hour at a time, and then after that I went quite a few weeks of never getting more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. Last night was a reminder of how very grateful I am that this isn't the norm right now.

 

Yesterday he was very fussy, but today he was back to his sweet, smiling self even though he still had a fever today and a very runny nose. I think the fever is from the immunizations, and the runny nose I think is from Ian (who has had a cold since last Thursday). Thus far Oliver doesn't have any cough. I'm praying his runny nose clears up asap. Whether I get to sleep tonight is a VERY insignificant thing. What matters most to me is that Oliver doesn't get really sick and have to be hospitalized again. After spending about 18 weeks at the hospital or in a Ronald McDonald House this year, I am wanting to stay away from hospitals as much as possible!!! His first nap today was really long. I actually woke him up after he had been sleeping for 3.5 hours. I absolutely hate to wake a sleeping baby, but I don't want him to mix up his days and nights after he's been doing so well the last few weeks. His second nap was super short (25 minutes) so I think there is a good chance he'll sleep better tonight, but I am happy to nurse him or rock him if he needs that during the night tonight. I hope he's back to full health asap. It breaks my heart to see a small baby not feeling well. Even Ian could tell he had a fever. Before Paul or I said anything, Ian said yesterday "Oliver is very hot." Yep, he was very hot. My poor baby!

 

Two bits of happy news to report would be #1 that Paul's advisor approved his first chapter today (pending some very minor revisions). Paul was so relieved!!! #2 would be that I discovered on Monday that Ian could do a 12 piece jigsaw puzzle all by himself! Way to go, Ian!