Christmas!

This was a different kind of Christmas for us for sure.  The plan was that, because we had done our Lewistown celebration last week, we were going to tuck in at home without the stress of holiday travel on the actual holiday weekend.  As much as I struggled with not being in Lewistown with our family on Christmas Eve, I was really liking the idea of not needing to pack up, load up, and then undo it all when we returned late on Christmas Eve as we have in years past.

It's funny how things work out sometimes, because if that hadn't been our original plan, it certainly would have been once things unravelled at our house late last week.

Joshua ended up being the member of our family who needed a holiday trip to the doctor's office.  For anyone keeping score, we've been to Lewisburg Pediatrics on the days either before or after most of the major holidays in 2011.  Normally it's Lauren who is the culprit, but the goopy, bright red eye that he woke up with on Saturday morning was an obvious issue.  And, although I haven't attended medical school, even I knew he had pinkeye.  Sadly, the doctor's office felt it necessary to collect their $75 to write us the prescription for the drops he needed.  They also advised that we were under quarantine for 48 hours, which pretty much eliminated the few activities we were planning for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day--- church.  I was sad, but we decided we'd make the best of it and tuck in at home without the pressure of having to go anywhere.

Once again-- good move.  Because I was the next one struck.  I cannot honestly recall the last time I have been as sick as I was on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (and Monday and Tuesday and today...and I have a feeling I'm in for it for a while yet) with what started as a head cold.  (The same one that had us in the doctor's office with the kids the past two weeks.  Seriously....I'm counting on catching a break here at some point.  And hopefully soon!)  Despite my begging, I was told by the OB and the second opinion I sought at the pharmacy that there is no over the counter remedy that I could safely try to relieve any of the congestion.  So, given my 37 week pregnant self, I was told to suck it up, put on my big girl panties and suffer through.  Which is what I did.  Suffer.

The good news is that the kids had an absolute blast on Christmas.  They were sweet, well behaved, patient and had a wonderful time with all of the things that Santa brought for them.  I only wish I was feeling a little better to be able to enjoy it even more.  But we did snap some pictures...

Now that they're a little  older, we started hiding the Christmas pickle on the tree on Christmas Eve for them to look for.  They looked and looked until they finally found it.  And Joshua emerged victorious and claimed the $5 prize.  Wonder how long we'll get away with a $5 price tag for the winner?  I don't know how inflation affects these things- nor the tooth fairy, but we've yet to get to that stage.

Bless Joshua's little heart, he was wide awake at 6:00 ready to come downstairs.  Lauren and I had had an awful night, so there was no way I was waking her up that early, so we had to stall him.  Talk about tough work.  We did let him open his stocking and pick one gift, which luckily was something we could play for a while until it was in the safe range to wake up Lauren without being met by a grouchy bear.  It didn't take them both long to dig in to their piles!

One of Joshua's favorite gifts was a pretend office set.  It has been set up one of our end tables since the moment he opened it.  He absolutely loves to pretend things, and if you give him tools to use to make it even more realistic, he just couldn't be happier.  This little set came with a laptop, checks, post its, a stapler, an "I'm the Boss" coffee cup, a name badge and a few other things.  It was fun watching him having a good time with it.

Lauren was very intrigued with her doll house and got right to work setting up all the rooms and putting everyone in their places.  Her first order of business was to get the bathroom functional.  She said sister had to use the potty.  Cracked me up- but obviously, her recent potty training experience has that as an A1 priority in her mind.  And I love it!  We are still going strong with the potty stuff and we're so proud of her!

This was the scene after all of the paper was cleared away.  They both claimed spots on the floor and played for hours.  It was fun to see them having so much fun.

Later in the afternoon Grandma and Grandpa arrived to exchange gits with the kids.  Joshua loved this Batman costume and has had it on quite a bit since he got it.  They also picked out an apron for Lauren that she has really liked to wear.  There must be something about our kids and costumes--- they just love getting dressed up and pretending.  For Lauren, I think the thrill is mostly the rise she gets out of people making a fuss over how cute she looks. 

Sunday evening was more of the same.  We had a ham dinner, just the 4 of us, and got early tubs and tucked in after a long day. 

Monday was exciting too as we were looking forward to Nana, Pap, Aunt Libby, Uncle Zig and Brooke coming for a visit to celebrate together.  We had piles of gifts for everyone and were planning to heat up Nana's leftovers from their Christmas dinner for the annual post-holiday waffle supper.  (All of our favorite!)  It was a great day despite the fact that I still felt pretty lousy, but watching the kids rip into their gifts and squeal when they found something they liked was a real treat.  We were so grateful for all of the packing that went into getting everything here from Lewistown.  It may have been much easier for us to do the travelling, but we were thankful not to have had to this time.

Yesterday I was finally able to get to a doctor to find out what I have been plagued with, and was told I had a nasty sinus infection.  So thankfully, I'm on day 2 of a z-pack praying for some relief soon.  I was also advised to take some Sudafed for my congestion until the antibiotic does its thing.  Which made me want to smack the nurse at the OB office as well as the pharmacist at Walmart who said I had no options.  I guess it's not really recommended to take anything, but at this stage, getting rest and being able to provide oxygen to my unborn daughter is paramount to any questionable risks of the medicine.  And so, I have taken two doses and can report at least a little bit of air flow through my nose at the current time.  Baby steps, folks, but I'm praying for some relief soon.  Either that or that a Mack truck will come barrelling through and put me out of my misery.

So now that Christmas is over, we're getting into full baby swing now.  The nursery is cleaned up and ready to go.  My only major chore left to do there is to wash the load of newborn clothes so that things are fresh and ready to wear.  My next doctor's appointment is tomorrow afternoon with a non-stress test to make sure all still appears well.  Movement of the baby has definitely slowed down, and practice contractions have picked up big time, so I can feel that it's getting close.  I just hope we beat her to the punch with a scheduled delivery, but I also would prefer to be recovered from this plague before I'm trying to recover from a c-section on top of the world's worst head cold.  But stay tuned.  It's getting exciting now.

We hope that everyone had a healthier holiday than we did, and that you were able to spend lots of time with those you love.  I can't believe Christmas has come and gone already and we're able to embark on a brand new year within a few days.  I love the newness of this time of the year, and I can only imagine that welcoming a brand new life into our family is going to intensify the feelings of renewal that I love so much.  Wishing you all blessings as we round out 2011!

And so it begins!

I feel like Christmas has already begun, and I so love this time of the year.  Ever since I was a kid, I claimed that Christmas Eve was my favorite day of the year.  I'm sure that as a small child, Santa's arrival and the onslaught of presents was a big part of that, but over the years, I realized that it was the people I was with that made it really special.  So, as we've grown and moved and had babies and inlaws and miles between our homes, even when the date of the gathering has had to change, it's still my favorite day of the year.  This past Saturday was no exception.  I absolutely loved seeing kids getting excited about spending the day with their cousins.  We don't get everyone together nearly often enough, but I still knew they would have a blast together.  And they surely did!

We are set for a quiet Christmas Eve (quiet in terms of no travelling, because I'm sure it'll be anything but quiet at our house) and then a homebound Christmas Day/Day After with family in Turbotville.  I had to laugh as I was travelling down 522 on Saturday morning with the kids in the back of the van.  The thought occurred to me that this would be the last trip to Lewistown with only two children in the van.  The next time we do it, we'll be loaded up with all three, and knowing my luck, 2 of them will be screaming their heads off.  I can hardly wait.  (Sarcasm totally intended!)

As the weeks fly by, the double anticipation is really something. It's kind of hard to describe.  While all of our focus right now is on getting ready for Christmas- cookies baked for school parties, presents loaded into the van to be smuggled into the basement, last minute errands run, meal plans set and cooking started for the weekend, etc.- there's this looming question mark of whether the baby is going to hold off for our schedule or dictate one of her very own.  And anyone who has spent more than 34 seconds in my presence and knows the control freak that I am knows that, even as much joking as I've been doing about a 2011 tax deduction and a 2011 health insurance deductible, I wouldn't exactly be graceful about a surprise middle-of-the-night delivery.  Although, with God's sense of humor, I know it's a distinct possibility, particularly since my c-section is scheduled for the literal day before my original due date.  However, on all accounts from last week's biophysical profile and non stress test, the baby looks awesome.  She is between 5.5-6 lb and they don't anticipate her to get much bigger than 7-7.5 before delivery.  She scored 10/10 on the biophysical profile, an indicator of her health apparently, and really showed off on the non stress test with tons of activity and great heartrate patterns.  My numbers look better this pregnancy than they have in either of the other two and it seems we are all systems go for riding out the rest of this roller coaster ride.  But.......and there's always a but.......they still always warn me that at this point, anything can change on a dime, and anything can happen in a heartbeat.  Comforting.  Especially when you pride yourself on planning every nanosecond of your life.  I'm taking this as a lesson in reality that is about to hit me square between the eyes when I suddenly become the mother of three.

And so....we wait.  For Christmas.  For the miracle of Christmas that always amazes me- in how real and profoundly the message of God's packaging of our salvation in the perfect, most unexpected way feels when I allow myself time to really reflect on it.  For the looks on the faces of our two most precious blessings when they see the treasures they have waiting for them under the tree.  And for the most amazing gift that is headed our way in just a short time- the face of our third blessing.  There is so much to look forward to.  I don't know if my heart can hold this much joy.  But I can't wait to find out what it feels like.

I'll leave you with some pictures of the weekend's festivities in Lewistown.



 Getting 5 children to look at the same spot at the same time = mission impossible.

 Joshua and Lauren wasted no time digging into their gifts!  And they love them!

 That is what I call a mess of Richards! 

 Although rotated incorrectly, please turn your head to see what a disaster this photo attempt was.  Joshua could not be more bored.  Anna was making silly faces.  Lauren is dazed and confused about what we're even trying to do.  Brooke was about to split.  The only one who cooperated was Ridge.  Bless his sweet little heart.  These were all of Grandma's great-grandchildren, minus Jordan and Olivia in Tennessee.  What a crew.

 My generation of cousins.  I especially like that the flash didn't work on this, so you can't really see how big my 36 week belly is.  Yikes.

Pap read the kids "Twas the Night Before Christmas" which used to be a family tradition.  I only wish I could scan in a photo of what it used to look like when we were kids-- all of us sitting nicely in our Christmas dresses around Pap on the floor, listening intently.  In this frame, at least Lauren was listening.  But make no mistake, she headed for the hills only moments later.  The kids kind of listened, but it was a funny contrast to the memories I have as a kid.  Let's just say, my generation still listened intently!

Brace Yourselves...

I have for you today what could possibly be the most unexciting post of all time.  While time has clearly been racing by in recent days (which quickly turn to weeks!), there hasn't been much blog worthy stuff to write about.  But in the spirit of trying to keep things up to date, as well as remember what has been going on, I plug away with what may be a very boring update.

Let's see...

We visited Santa at the American Heritage Crafters Winter Festival a few weeks ago.  Joshua loved it.  Lauren...wouldn't have a thing to do with him or his elves.  The closest she got was to walk up and snatch a mini candy cane or six from the basket.  We did get a photoof Joshua, but it didn't fulfill my wish of a picture of both kids on Santa's lap.  On a positive note, there was no line, so we didn't waste a huge portion of a Saturday morning for this epic Christmas fail.

We have celebrated two office Christmas parties in recent weeks.  One was at a local Amish family's home that works as a restaurant as well.  Talk about a cultural experience!  Turbotville is heavily populated with Amish people, so much so that I feel in the minority most times that I visit the local grocery store and find that my Sienna minivan is the only non-buggy, non-horse driven mode of transportation in the parking lot.  But since living here, I've heard much about this restaurant and the yummy food.  It did not disappoint.  Later last week we celebrated with Jason's team at  Ciro's.  We had fun, but if I can wallow for just one moment, going there just isn't the same when you can't eat pasta...or tiramisu.  I've already placed my order for Chicken Marsala and tiramisu to be delivered to the hospital as my first meal post-delivery when (hopefully) this diabetes nonsense is long gone.

After the Ciro's party, Joshua took a turn into the sick department, which left me begging for a break from the all-too-frequent-lately trips to Lewisburg Pediatrics.  But there was no denying his ear infection given the fever and all of the crying.  So, after spending most of  Friday dealing with two major house fire claims, we were able to get him looked at.  Sure enough- ear infection.  Gladly, with some antibiotic, he perked up quickly and has been on the mend ever since.

Because he was feeling so much better, we stuck with our plan to head to Lewistown on Saturday/Sunday to give Daddy some quiet time at the house to prepare for his test next Monday.  It was a whirlwind trip, but I somehow felt like I owed the kids their time with Nana and Pap that they missed  when we had to high tail it home after Thanksgiving.  It was a very low key trip-- nothing really planned, but we had lots of time to just play together and have fun.  The kids giggled-- and just listening to that for even a second made it worth the work to gather up our stuff, throw it in the van and travel the hour+ to get there.  We did end up going out to the park in town to walk around a Christmas lights display on Saturday night.  It was too cold for our original idea of taking the gang to Hershey for Candy Lane, so we improvised and made out just fine.  The kids enjoyed some ice cream after we returned back to Nana's house.

We have having a great time with Clocky, our assigned elf from the North Pole.  Ever since Thanksgiving weekend, he has been showing up in a different spot in our house every morning.  We're told he flies back to report to Santa how the kids are behaving each day.  The first words out of Joshua's mouth every morning have something to do with where Clocky landed today, and he immediately sets off on a search for him.  I appreciate the enthusiasm Clocky has sparked in getting Joshua up and out of bed in the morning to get ready for school.  As I've found myself dragging a little more each day, I appreciate any boost I can get in motivating the kids to cooperate!  The highlight so far has been that Clocky even left Joshua a "get well" note last week when he wasn't feeling so well.  Joshua carried that note around with him for days, reading it over and over again.  Christmas magic with kids is just about the best thing...EVER!  At this point, Lauren isn't quite sure what to make of Clocky, but she does appreciate his hiding spots each day.  Usually she'll find him after waking up and then giggle and say, "That silly Clocky!"

Upon our return home from Lewistown, the kids were pleasantly surprised to find a big box that had been left for them from a really sweet couple from our church.  They apparently were looking for a home for their reindeer and thought we might be able to get some enjoyment out of it.  My Dad assured me that they were just trying to unload it on someone and saw a sucker in me.  Perhaps that's true, but the kids really have had fun with it.  I had to really chuckle when in true Joshua fashion, he pulled up in his sleigh on Monday afternoon.  Thankfully, for the sake of a photo, he let his sister jump in for a quick ride.

Early this week, Lauren and Grandma both joined the sick club, leaving me at home with the kids on Monday.  It may have been a blessing with as rotten as Lauren was feeling, but we still had some time for some silliness with costumes.  Thankfully they are both feeling much better, and the rest of the week seems to be going according to schedule.  For now.  

Today, I have my weekly appointment with the doctor to check on the baby.  They're doing an ultrasound to check growth and to make sure she's doing OK with the gestational diabetes issues.  Then I have another non stress test and then my regular appointment with the doctor.  So, I guess I'll pack a bag and plan to be there for the duration this afternoon.  All of that will take sweet forever.  But, tomorrow I will be 36 weeks, so I guess that means things are getting pretty serious.  It's so hard to believe that in a matter of weeks, we'll be welcoming a new baby into the family and starting to figure out what it's like to be a family of 5.  I'm not sure we're ready, but we certainly are excited and feeling blessed beyond measure.

I'll try to update on the doctor's appointment tomorrow if there's anything more interesting than all of this!

Since we last spoke...

So much has happened since the last time I took the time to post.  Life seems to be moving along at a furious pace these days.  I get the distinct feeling that it isn't likely to slow down very soon either.  So we're buckled up for whatever is heading our way, I guess.

I'm not quite sure where to start, so I guess I will let the camera dictate what comes first in this post.  I have had a goal of having the nursery all put together for the new baby before Thanksgiving.  And given the fact that we are starting from scratch on this nursery (since our other nursery furniture is still in good use in Lauren's room), it was a tall order.  We finally decided on the furniture and got it ordered, and were thrilled to have it delivered (and assembled...that was Jason's favorite part) by the kind delivery people.  To say I am in love with it is an understatement.  With Lauren, I steered away from all of the pinks and purples, and went with her ladybug theme.  I still love her room, but this time, I have been magnetically drawn to all things pink and purple, and the nursery certainly reflects that.  It has since transformed into a lavender heaven in there, with the bedding and a few accessories ready to finish up the decor.  We finally found a rocker that will work and managed to get it home just before the holiday.  I know from our previous experience that I will be spending many hours in that room, in that particular chair, so I'm happy that it is in place.  The kids and I have been working on a few little art projects for the walls, but now that the lavender gingham curtains are hung, that's really all that remains of the work that needs to be done in the nursery. The picture below is a "before" with the furniture just having been delivered.  I'll post an "after" soon.

Joshua and I had a chance to attend his Thanksgiving party at school on the day before Thanksgiving.  We had a great time making Indian vests, Pilgrim hats and even making our own butter that the kids shook and shook until it churned itself into butter.  We had some special Thanksgiving songs and snacks, too.  The picture below is of all the kids and their creations.  I had to laugh at Joshua's creativity.  As the other kids were just cutting random shapes and gluing them onto their vests in no particular order (this was their instruction from the teacher- just to have fun and go to town with any shapes and any design they wanted), Joshua insisted on turning his vest into a depiction of the story they had just heard about the first Thanksgiving. 

After the party was over, both of the kids were literally off the walls excited about our trip to Nana and Pap's that afternoon.  It had been a few months since we had been there for a visit, and I had promised 3 nights to stay there to play.  I wasn't sure how we were going to last from 11:00 after school until 4:00 when Jason was scheduled to get home from work so we coudl leave.  At one point around 3:00, Joshua asked if I would call Daddy and ask him to drive separately to meet us there because he couldn't wait one second longer to go.  Luckily, it takes me sweet forever to get things packed up to go away these days, so I was able to busy the three of us with little jobs that passed the time before Jason arrived home.  And bless Joshua's heart, no sooner had Jason cleared the doorway and his coat was on and he was headed for the van.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at home with everyone.  Mom and Dad outdid themselves once again with a delicious meal.  With the inclusion of a walk around the development, I was even able to eat a few things that aren't looked upon favorably for the gestational diabetes diet.  The kids were having a great time playing and everything was going great until...

Lauren woke up from her nap SCREAMING bloody murder, kicking her legs and pulling at her ears saying they hurt.  And by the way she was screaming, there was no question that this was an ear infection.  I can usually set my watch by her getting an ear infection following a cold, and this one came right on time- just with the added complication of the fact that it's a national holiday and there are no doctors or pharmacies open to get her any help.  So I dosed her heavily with Tylenol and we decided that we would make the return trek home to get her to the doctor on Friday.  The kids were disappointed to miss out on a whole day of play time with Brooke, and time with Nana and Pap and Aunt Libby, but there really was nothing else that we could do.  One peek in that ear and the doctor told us it was a bad one- she was surprised it hadn't ruptured.  And so we left with a script for some antibiotic, and a warning that on Lauren's next visit for an ear problem, we'll get the special prize of a referral to the ENT for some tubes.  And yes, I am freaked out at the idea of it.  But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

So we spent the rest of our holiday weekend decking the halls at our house.  Joshua was a huge help decorating the tree.

And when we called for Lauren to come and help us put the ornaments on, this is what we found in the playroom.  Poor baby had had it. 

With the tree in place, we decided that Sunday would be a good opportunity for an attempt at getting a cooperative picture of the two kids for our Christmas cards.  I leave you with this sneak peek of them dancing like chickens when I asked them to stand still and smile.  And that, my friends, is why I started early with these attempts.  I guess you'll have to wait and see if we got even one usable picture of both of them cooperating.

I can't believe I nearly forgot to add in a small little Christmas miracle that arrived a few weeks early.  The week of Thanksgiving, Lauren decided that she was ready to be done with diapers, and within about 48 hours, was potty trained.  I'm not claiming total victory at this point, because there are still accidents occasionally, but for the most part, she has figured out how it all works and knows when she needs to go.  I have joked ever since finding out about the new baby coming that I only one want baby in diapers at a time.  The just over two years between Lauren and the newest baby, though, didn't bode well for my dream coming true.  But it appears that, with the exception of a night time diaper, Miss Lauren has delivered.  We are so proud of her. 

It seems the calendar is filling up awfully quickly with parties and dinners and events and Santa visits and everything else that I absolutely love about the holiday season.  Add to that that I am dealing with weekly doctor's appointments now for the baby, non stress tests every week and ultrasouds pretty regularly to keep an eye on the littlest one, and we've got quite a full calendar book these days.  I don't know whether it's normal holiday hustle and bustle or whether the nesting of the final weeks of pregnancy is really starting to hit me, but I'm approaching panic level about getting things done for Christmas.  Everything that I decide I need to do is prefaced with "just in case" and is usually followed by "something happens and the baby comes early".   I guess it's my way of trying to impose some kind of artificial control over something I have absolutely none over.  Discussions have happened lately about when it's too early to put the baby seat in the van, and when we should have a bag packed for the hospital and what our Plan B looks like if this baby is to decide she prefers to name the date of her arrival as opposed to us giving her eviction papers.  All of that points to the fact that the time is drawing near.  And we are beyond excited.  Even these two.

I'll try not to make it so long for the next post.  But stay tuned.  There aren't too many dull moments around here.