mERry christmas

We like to put the 'ER' in Merry Christmas...wouldn't be exciting if we didn't. It never fails that every year that we're up here we're either at the hospital or going to a funeral. Campbell has been really battling a yucky chest cold. We've been giving him breathing treatments left and right for almost a month now. We took him to a clinic here on Tuesday and they gave him another treatment, checked his oxygen level and it was at 100% so they sent us home to continue the nebulizing treatments. I swear when my boys outgrow needing breathing treatments we are going to have a ceremonial bonfire to torch that thing. I can't stand it!

So my otherwise ridiculously happy and smiling baby was just as fussy as could be on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We kept giving him Motrin but he still wasn't getting rid of his fever. I heard him let out a little cry and went to check on him and he was breathing so fast so I counted and he was taking 54 breaths per minute and his stomach was really distended every time he took a breath. We took his temp and Justin pulled it out from under his arm after it jumped to 102 within seconds. We call the nurse back in TX and they said we needed to have him checked out. We head to the ER on Christmas night at 11:00, they get us right in. They immediately take his temp...it's 104.7! I start tearing up. Fevers make me panic. I know it's a normal body response to an illness but they make me so nervous.

They load him with Tylenol to get his fever down. Next came chest x-rays, another breathing treatment along with some serious whacks to his back to get him to break up the mucous, nasal swap to test for RSV, and the blood work. There were four nurses holding him down trying to draw his blood. He and I were both crying. At about 2:30 a.m. all tests came back normal. No pneumonia, no RSV...just a really nasty upper respiratory infection. AND after all that, they said all we could do was just keep doing what we're doing...breathing treatments...AGH! So much for that bonfire anytime soon.

So it's not exactly an ideal first Christmas for our sweet little guy but I'm so thankful everything is OK with him.

Stupid Dog

I'll fully admit that Bandit was totally our kid before our kids. He has definitely been demoted on the priority scale that's for sure. The stupid dog (God love him) has caused more anxiety than anything else in my life. We went to Europe 4 years ago, only for him to run away the first time the housesitter came to let him out. There was a full-fledge Bandit alert for him and all our friends were looking for him only for him to come bouncing back two weeks later on his own. The following Christmas we brought him with us to Kentucky so he wouldn't run away...what did he do? Run away, of course! A month after we had Campbell, he decided it had been four long years since he'd had an adventure. So he went for just a short little day trip when our cleaning ladies accidentally let him out, but once again he came back on his own accord.

We discovered that Bandit loves our neighbors so we switch dog sitting duty with each other's dogs while we're out of town. Over the years, it's been a perfect match. Well yesterday our neighbor called to say Bandit had run away. Either he's got a little girlfriend that he sneaks off to see or he has some major emotional problems that he can't take it when we're not there. At this point, I'm thinking you know maybe it's just not meant to be with this crazy dog. Justin and I were bummed of course but also thinking of how nice it will be to not have to get up early in the morning to let him out or deal with accidents in the house. Sure enough, our neighbor calls today to say that he came back home and was barking at the front door. He comes home every time on his own (minus the time he ran away in Kentucky and we found him). I'm picturing that he's running away like he's some rebellious teenager, meets his girlfriend for some wild rendevous, and then realizes after a couple of hours just how cush his life is at home and heads home.

As much as he drives me crazy, I still love that crazy dog. Now let's just see if he runs away again before we get home...

Roommates

We're here in Kentucky visiting Gram and Pop and having a great time. All-in all, the trip here was pretty good. Campbell decided to spike a fever on the plane and had some fussy moments but I'll take 2 hours worth of a little fussiness compared to the best 17 hour car ride. I definitely knew to bring some Benadryl to drug Cam but lesson learned to bring Tylenol on the plane ride back home.

I love that my in-laws are practically a daycare with their house set up. It makes traveling so much easier and less stressful. They have a grandkids' bedroom with a crib and a twin bed so last night was the first night that the boys have slept in the same room. We put on Christmas music but had two episodes of Nolan crying hysterically because he heard Manheim Steamroller and apparently that music is the equivalent of watching a horror movie to him. That was quickly followed by another crying episode because he needed to potty. At this point, I give him the "You need to be brave" speech because I'm so exhausted after our traveling day. I asked him if he knows what brave means and he responds, "it means to be quiet." Well, close enough! Campbell screams two hours later but amazingly enough during all of this crying and all these wake up calls, they don't wake each other up! Who needs sleep anyway? Oh wait...I do!

Best Christmas pageant ever

Have I mentioned that I love Christmas? Every year the boys' daycare puts on an adorable Christmas program. Nolan has been everything from an angel, to a sheep, to a shepherd this year. My mom, the seamstress, will not be outdone by any other grandma when it comes to costumes. This year was a hit. Last year not so much...what's the saying a picture is worth a thousand words?

Nolan last year as a sheep

So Nolan has turned into quite the performer. He had antlers on and even a little dance number. Campbell played an ever-so-fitting angel. They had two cribs decorated with tulle and ribbon and during the nativity scene rolled their cribs down the aisle with all the babies and their halos....cutest EVER! Nolan has taken his new role as a shepherd to heart. Now when I say, "Goodnight, angel," he corrects me and says, "I'm not an angel, I'm a shepherd!"

Smooth Talker

Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day. Not so much the time leading up to it though. The baths, teeth brushing, putting on jammies are more of a chore than anything. But as soon as Nolan is in that bed and I'm lying down with him reading books, I just treasure that time with him. Books are read, prayers are said and then if I'm not exhausted by the 30-45 minutes that it takes getting ready for bed, we sing songs. Tonight was one of those nights that reminds me of how much I love bedtime. It went something like this:

Nolan: Mommy will you be my partner?

Me: Partner? For what?

Nolan: For Christmas

Me: You want me to be your partner for Christmas?

Nolan: Yea. Will you be my partner in my heart?

I don't really remember my response because I was about to squeeze him to pieces. He's got a way with words and all I can say is someday he really is going to sweep some girl off her feet with that smooth talking.

Giggle on command

There is just something about hearing a baby laugh that will put anyone in a good mood. Campbell is the most ticklish baby ever, not to mention he thinks that I'm a stand up comic. He will laugh seriously at just about anything. He just melts my heart! It reminds me of one of my favorite videos of Nolan laughing (see post from September 26, 2008). This is exactly the reason why I race out the door at work to see my boys. It's like Christmas everyday to go see them!

Candy Cane Twins

Ok, I know that sometimes it freaks me out how much Nolan and Campbell look alike as babies but this is just spooky...

Campbell

Nolan

Santa's watching mommy too

Justin comes home the other day and says, "You're so busted!" Apparently, Nolan told Daddy on the way to school one morning, "That F150 was going too slow and made mommy go crazy! When cars go too slow, she says C'MON!" Guess I should be on my best behavior for Santa and Nolan...boy they sure are sponges, aren't they?

Christmas cookies

Christmas FFF #2-making sugar cookies

My mom makes some mean sugar cookies. We usually have them all gobbled up after we've made a couple of dozen. So I took the boys over to my brother's house and my mom, sister-in-law, and my niece Aspen cooked sugar cookies and decorated them. I couldn't believe how long Nolan's attention stayed on baking these cookies. He is a true baker! He helped roll the dough, cut the cookies, wait for them to bake, ice and even decorate them! Pretty good for a 3 year old.

Here's our little baker with apron and chef hat and all...

How cute is this mini roller...can you tell that Grandma loves to bake with her grandkids?

My niece Aspen getting so excited about baking!

Aunt Becky and Grandma helping roll the dough

Now the good stuff...icing!

Santa and his reindeer

I think I spotted Santa and his reindeer...

The Dirty Thirty

Yep the big 3-0! Can't believe it's actually here. I must say it's the first birthday where it's really hit me. I can't complain too much about the last 30 years. Everyone keeps telling me that the 30s are great. I really hope they're right. It's hard to believe that I've known Justin now for a decade. We had a date night last night and my parents watched the boys. We went to dinner without bouncing a baby on a knee or threatening a 3 year old to eat or else. Then we went to the Jubilee Theatre, an African American theater, for a great musical called "Uncle Duz Christmas". I loved it and it was taking everything in me to not sing along or jump on stage and dance. When we got home both my parents were snoring dead asleep on our couches. Guess the boys wore them out. Looks like they got a dose of my life everyday!

Tonight we enjoyed our awesome downtown and went to see Santa. Nolan by this time is a pro with Santa and Cam of course was oblivious to the whole thing and wouldn't you know my professional spitter upper yacked all over Santa and his pretty suit and white gloves. Santa said in all his 7 years of coming to downtown Fort Worth, he's never had a kid do that. That Campbell sure is a trailblazer of all sorts...

He knows when you are sleeping...

My sister learned to use Santa as leverage for her three girls and I must say that it's been working. When Nolan is acting up I tell him that I'm going to call Santa Claus. I sometimes get out the phone and "call" Santa when Nolan isn't being such a good little boy. I also call Santa when he's being especially great and being a good helper. One time I even got Granddad in on the act and actually called. Nolan talked to "Santa" and he was amazed and even said that Santa was really funny. One day after being the sweetest little boy, I told him how proud I was of him for being such a good helper and he looks up in the sky behind him like someone's spying on him and says, "Is Santa watching?"

One of the things that is endearing about this stage is how honest Nolan is about himself. This week he confessed that he got put in time out at school for pushing one of his friends, Cayden, at school. I told him how that wasn't a very good choice and Santa wouldn't be very proud. So the next day when I picked him up he volunteered how he didn't push Cayden that particular day. So when we get home he says, "Can you call Santa and tell him that I didn't push Cayden today?" I wonder what I'm going to do after Christmas...

Not so pretty in pink...

Pink eye that is. Nolan has had it 3 times in the past month and finally passed it on to Campbell. Sunday morning poor bubba couldn't open his eyes. Then guess who gets it? ME! Oh, and in both eyes. By Monday night, I couldn't see and seeing any light was like looking directly into the sun. Lucky for me, Justin works for Alcon and I have an array of antibiotics for my eye at my fingertips. I called in a sick day on Tuesday and drive to meet him squinting the entire way. So my drug dealer husband meets me in the Whataburger parking lot and I immediately give myself a good dose of drugs. Everyone is staring at me in Whataburger because it looks like I've been crying for days and I keep wiping my eyes. As I'm eating lunch, tears are pouring down onto my burger and I seriously can't see! Here I am in the parking lot, blind as a bat, and can't drive home! I sit there thinking that maybe the drops need time to settle but I still couldn't see after a good hour of taking the drops. So Justin drives me to the doctor and my mom meets me there so she can take me home afterwards. Turns out I am having a huge allergy attack on top of pink eye. She gives me a steroid shot, some Allegra and tells me to keep doing the eye drops.

Justin picks up the boys from school and thankfully my parents come save the day and help feed the family and get them ready for bed. I drug myself with some Nyquil and I'm in bed by 8:00. Next day, still can't see and I look like I've been stung in the eye with bees. Later that night, Campbell has transferred pink eye to his other eye and is up all night. Justin gets the superstar dad award for handling him most of the night with breathing treatments, meds, and rocking. This morning I woke up and could see out of one eye. I drive to school looking like a pirate and I make it until 11:00 before I can't make it anymore. I meet Justin at our pediatrician's office. I beg her to make our family better. She writes prescriptions and I immediately get them filled. Within one hour, I can tell a huge difference. HALLELUJAH! Wow, who would have thought that pink eye would have knocked me out for so long. I thought about posting a picture of my eyes, but then I thought that might not be so good when I'm famous. It could be incriminating and people might think Justin is beating me.