Santa Came!

We had to celebrate our family Christmas a few days early because Drew had to leave before Christmas to drive to Houston for his new job.  Annelise still doesn't fully understand everything about Santa and Christmas, but we talked to her about it and she had an idea.  She knew that Santa brings presents to kids that are good and that if she was good, that he would visit our house.  We left milk and cookies and carrots out for him and sent her off to bed.  (We also tell her about Jesus and whole reason for the season too.)

Santa brought Annelise a kitchen this year!  I've watched her play with kitchens when we've been over at friend's houses, so I had an idea that she would really like it.  I was right!  She came into our room and woke us up in the morning, but then, beelined out to the living room, so I didn't get a chance to get a picture of her face.

She played with the kitchen for a little bit while we waited for Harrison to wake up.  It didn't take too long, and then we all opened presents.

Annelise received a box of triangular crayons, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella in her stocking.

Harrison received an Oball car and an amber necklace, which I immediately put on him.

Rachel and I have started a tradition where we get new pajamas and wear them Christmas Eve, or whenever our "Christmas Eve" is.  This years pjs aren't very Christmas-y, and they were awful fitting.  The pants are extremely uncomfortable even though they look really comfy.

I like to get a family picture in front of the tree Christmas morning.

We went over to Drew's parent's house for dinner that night and so that Drew's grandma could give her presents to the kids and to Drew and I.  Stupidly, I didn't take any pictures.

Thanksgiving Recap

I know that I'm a little behind on the recap, but better late than never, right?  Right!  And I wanted to blog about it so that I can look back and remember.

We decided to go to Georgia this year.  I was very nervous leading up to the trip.  This is the first long drive that Annelise has had since she was a baby, and the very first for Harrison.  We decided to drive overnight to make it easier on the kids.  It's rough for the parents, but I would rather suffer a little than have the kids be miserable.  They were amazing travelers!

I started off driving so that Drew could get a little nap in.  We left about 8 PM.  Annelise was awake for a little bit, and then eventually passed out.  I drove until about 11 PM, and pulled over so that Drew could take over.  The details are a little foggy at this point, but I think Harrison woke up around 3 or so.  We stopped at a gas station to get gas, use the bathroom, and I fed Harrison.  Annelise woke up and was awake for a little bit, but Harrison fell back to sleep pretty quickly.  Drew and I switched driving again right before Chattanooga.  I had the lovely pleasure of driving through the mountains.  In the dark.  Harrison woke up again around 7 I think.  So, I pulled over to feed him.  We got Annelise some breakfast and she was pretty darn crabby about being in her car seat still.  We assured her that we could be at Jess and Eric's soon.  We got to their house around 9 AM, I believe.

We spent the rest of the morning relaxing a little, and visiting with everyone.  Drew, Jen, and their kids were already there.  I showered and got ready to go over to Whitney's house.

I packed up the kids around noon and headed over, while Drew stayed back to take a nap.

Another friend, Carrie, and her daughter, Lilah, also came to visit since they don't live too far from Whitney.  We all met in an online group and have been friends for 7 years or so.  That's just crazy to think about!  We spent the afternoon visiting with them, and then went back to Jess and Eric's.

I was nervous about how naps and nighttimes were going to go since we would all be sharing one room.  Surprisingly, it was not too bad at all!  Annelise slept in her PeaPod very well, and Harrison slept about the same as he usually does.

Thanksgiving was mainly spent eating and hanging out with everyone.  Us girls looked through all the ads, like we do every Thanksgiving, and formulated a plan for shopping that evening.  The kids all played together while we waited for the fantastic dinner that Eric cooked.

I busied myself with taking pictures of the kids.  I just love how they are looking at each other.

Leading up to Thanksgiving, I kept looking for an outfit for Harrison to wear, since it's his first Thanksgiving.  Nothing I found really stood out to me.  Then, I remembered that Annelise wore a onesie that I ordered for her and that it was gender neutral.  She wore pink pants with it.  I figured that I could have Harrison wear it too.  Turns out it's a 9 month onesie and fits him perfectly!  I think it's really special that they both wore the same onesie on their first Thanksgivings.

Just missing Easton.  I think he might have been napping.  I didn't plan on getting all the kids at this time, they just sort of piled in.  Then, once I looked back at them, I'm really sad that Easton isn't there.

Oh these three!  They have my heart!

Jess, Jen, and I went out shopping once the stores opened up.  Here's my feelings about stores opening on Thanksgiving.  I feel like it's called Black Friday for a reason, and the stores should open on Friday, not Thursday.  I don't get into a big fuss because retailers shouldn't work on the holiday and blah, blah, blah because there are plenty of people who have to work on a holiday, such as medical staff, public safety, airlines, etc.  So, I'm not necessarily going to boycott shopping, but I do think it's a little unnecessary for the stores to open on Thursday.

On Friday, the boys went shooting in the afternoon and us girls stayed home with the kids.  When they got up from their naps, we went over to the park for a little bit.  By that time, the guys were back home.  Jess and Jen went to see a movie, but I stayed back because I hadn't seen the second movie in the series that they were going to see.  I have a year to catch myself up so that I can join them next year! :)

Saturday, Drew and Jen and their family went to Christmas for her side of the family.  We said our goodbyes to them since we planned on leaving before they would be getting back.  We took the kids to a place called Catch Air to let them play and run off some energy.  Wes and Annelise had a blast!

Once we got back to Jess and Eric's we packed up and loaded the car.  We left their house around 5:30 PM and drove overnight to get home.  I started out driving and made it about halfway before I had Drew take over.  He finished driving the rest of the way and we arrived home at exactly 5:00 AM.  The kids were fantastic and we only had to stop once for a feeding.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip and we all had a great time.  I just love being able to spend the holiday with family!

Five Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

Another month has flown by!  You have done a lot of fun things this month.  You took your first "vacation"/road trip to Georgia for Thanksgiving.  We drove overnight so that you and Annelise could sleep in the car.  You both were amazing travelers.  On the way down there, you woke up twice to eat, and on the way back home, you only woke up once.  I really think that driving at night helped to make it an easy trip.

You have discovered your feet this month!  At first, you just grabbed your toes while sitting in your Bumbo, but now, you grab them while you're laying on the floor and work so hard to get them to your mouth.  You're a little chubby, so it's hard to get them there, but you make it work.  It's so adorable to watch you play with your feet.

The jumperoo continues to be your favorite toy.  You love to go in there and bounce away.  I'm amazed that you play with it as well as you do.  You can even turn yourself all around in it.  I think that your sister was older than you were before she figured it out.  I love when you look at me while you're in it with a big grin on your face and just start jumping away.

You have grown very vocal this month.  You started squealing when you're happy and "talking" to me some.  Then, you came down with a nasty cold, and you sort of stopped talking.  I miss it!  I want you to talk to me again.  I try to encourage you, but it doesn't help any.  I wonder if your throat hurts some and that's why you've stopped.  Either that, or the congestion makes it hard for you to talk.

Another big change is that you moved to your room to sleep.  You are still sleeping in your Rock N Play, but you have been in your room for naps and overnight for half a month now.  You have done very well.  And honestly, I like having my room back!

Your sleep is still awful!  You wake up twice a night usually.  I'm exhausted from it.  Some nights you go right back to sleep after a quick snack, but some nights it takes a long time to get you back down.  Naps are pretty good, for the most part.  I'm going to start working on transitioning you to your crib.  It's time buddy.  Hopefully my next letter will be talking about what a good crib sleeper you are.  ;)

You visited Santa the other day.  The nice thing about taking you to see Santa at this age is that you really haven't gotten into the "stranger danger" phase, so you didn't really care that he was holding you.  You gave me a big smile once I played with you and we got an adorable picture.

You are still in 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers.  You are right around 18 pounds and 25 1/2 inches.  I have a feeling that you will be moving into 12 month clothes right around or shortly after Christmas.

My boy.  Sometimes I just can't believe how much I love you.  When you smile or laugh at me, my heart just melts into a thousand pieces.  The joy that I get watching you and your sister can't be put into words.

Love always,
Mommy

Sickness Central

Our home has been hit hard with sickness!  Annelise came down with her first stomach bug last Wednesday.  We were getting up and going to get ready for gymnastics class.  I asked her to go out to the kitchen to throw Harrison's diaper away and I hear her cough and small splash.  I figured that wasn't good, so I went to go see what happened.  She had thrown up.  I immediately grabbed a bowl to finish catching it.  I cleaned her up, and took her to the couch to lay down.  Shortly after that, she threw up again.  At first, I thought that her getting sick might have just been a one time thing, but after the second time, I knew that she was sick!  Poor girl was miserable!  She spent the morning throwing up and resting on the couch, nodding in and out of sleep.

She fell asleep for her "nap" and slept for 2-3 hours on the couch.  She woke up right as Drew was getting home from class.  She immediately asked for something to eat, ate a banana, drank some water, and started to run and bounce around like she had never even been sick at all.  I couldn't believe it!

Then, Friday came, and the flu bug hit me!  I woke up nauseous and fought for a while to work my way through it.  I had signed Annelise up for a Kindermusik class and was really excited to take her.  I knew I wasn't going to make it, so I asked Rachel to take her.  I started throwing up shortly after they left.  Thankfully, Harrison napped for majority of the time they were gone.  Once Rachel and Annelise got home, Rachel took care of the kids until Drew got home a little after noon.  I was a mess until about 4.  I was so cold!  I don't think that I have ever been so chilled when I've been sick.  My nose was like ice.  It was so weird.  Once I was able to stop throwing up, I felt much better.  I was so upset that I got sick when I did because I had made plans to go out with a friend.  Inevitably, that's when sickness always hits, right?

Yesterday, Annelise came down with a nasty cold.  She started showing some signs of it Sunday night, and come yesterday morning, it was full blown and awful.  But, a cold doesn't stop her from running around and being rambunctious.  She's feeling a little better today, but still not 100%.

Drew is dealing with the sickness today!  Have I mentioned how much I hate winter?!?!  Is it summer yet?

Four Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

I feel like this past month has been forever.  For some odd reason, it feels like time has slowed down.  Maybe it's listening to me?  This month has seen a huge leap in your awareness and social responsiveness.  I adore watching you watch things.  I can just see your little brain working to process it all.

This month has been the suck for sleep!  Buddy, what happened to my good little sleeper??  You went from sleeping so well at night to waking two and three times.  I'm exhausted!  This sleep regression has been rough.  Naps are still pretty much the same, but there's been a decline in the quality of those too.  I know that we'll get back on track, I'm just anxious for it to happen.  I also need to start working on getting you into your crib to sleep.  Naps are still in your swing, and nights are in the RNP in Mom and Dad's room.  You had your first crib nap this month, and did fairly well.  It lasted about 35-40 minutes. Not too shabby.  I just need to get better at working on it with you.

Your hands are ALWAYS in your mouth.  I keep telling you that I'm going to have to watch you because one day I'll look down and see that you've chomped off a finger.  You are also a horrible drooler.  I've had an amber necklace on you for weeks now, but I haven't seen any improvement in the drooling.  I keep checking your gums, but I don't feel any teeth.  If you teeth like your sister, it'll be a while!

My favorite thing that has happened this month is that you've started giggling!  It's so soft and quiet, but it absolutely melts my heart.  Of course, I make a fool out of myself trying to get you to giggle.  You usually oblige!  I got you to crack up in the bathtub one night.  I was so sad because I wasn't able to get it on video.

I've noticed that your spitting up and colic have gotten a little better.  You still do spit up, but it's not as severe as it used to be.  You also seem to be the most cranky when you're tired, instead of just all the time.  I try to watch for clues that you give when you're tired, but it's hard.

This month brought a bunch of fall firsts for you.  We took you to the pumpkin patch, the apple orchard, and Halloween.  You really didn't care, but I loved being able to take you.  As I watched your sister run around, I kept thinking about what you'll be like next year when you're running around with her.

I can already see such a deep love between you and her.  You both are infatuated with each other. As your mom, I hope that that love continues to grow and strengthen.  I hope that you both are each other's biggest fans.  Annelise always asks to hold you and wants to play with you and love on you.  You watch her with such intense interest.  When you light up and smile as you watch her, my heart skips a beat and I know that having the two of you so close together was worth it.

I transitioned you into 9 month clothing this month.  Yes, you are a big boy!  Everybody always comments about how big you are.  I feel like I got jipped out of my tiny, squishy baby because you seemed to grow up overnight.

My boy, I never once doubted that my heart would expand to love you.  I look forward to each day and watching you grow and learn.

Love always,
Mommy

Happy Halloween!

Costume hunting for Halloween is always an adventure.  Since we live in the frozen tundra northern Illinois, I know that, most likely, it's going to be cold and/or rainy for trick-or-treating.  I really don't like the idea of spending a fortune on a Halloween costume, only to have it be covered up by a coat.  So, I search for warm options.  Drew suggested Annelise's costume this year, and I dressed Harrison up as an accessory.

Annelise is an eskimo and Harrison is a polar bear!  Cute, huh?

We went over to Drew's grandma's house after Annelise woke up from her nap to show off their costumes.  Once we got back home, we bundled Annelise up in some gloves, put Harrison in the stroller with a bunch of blankets and took off to trick-or-treat.  Harrison didn't make it too long before he was screaming and wanted to eat.  I brought him back home and Drew took Annelise house to house.  They didn't go to nearly as many houses as we all went to last year, and I'm sure the cold had everything to do with that.

Apple Orchard

Drew started a three week long training class for work today, so he's working days during the week for the next three weeks.  Today was probably the last pretty warm day that we're going to have, so we decided to take advantage of it and take a quick trip to the apple orchard once Drew got home from class.  We didn't have much time, but you don't exactly need that much time when the whole purpose of the trip is donuts and apples, right?  And, we had to take the annual family picture by the sign!

We took pictures as soon as we got there.  After pictures, we went into the barn and got some donuts, apples, and apple butter.  Then, we stopped and grabbed a bite to eat before letting Annelise run around and play for a little bit.

I was actually starting to get a little worried that we wouldn't make it out there.  Annelise can handle a little bit of chilly weather, but I wouldn't want to take Harrison if it was too cold.  So, I'm really glad that we made it to the apple orchard today.

Rainbow Rice Sensory Activity

A few months ago, I made some rainbow rice for Annelise for a sensory activity.  I figured that it would be a good activity to keep her busy while someone watched her while I was in the hospital with Harrison.  No one actually used it, and it has just sat on the counter since then.  This morning, Harrison went back to sleep just as Annelise was waking up.  I fed her breakfast, and then asked her if she wanted to play with the rainbow rice.  She was entertained for a good 40 minutes until Harrison woke up.  She actually probably would have played longer if I let her.

Rainbow Rice

6 freezer bags
Food coloring
1 5 lb bag of rice
1 bottle of hand sanitizer

1) Put 2 cups of rice into 6 freezer bags.
2) Add 15 drops of food coloring to each bag.  Orange = 8 yellow + 8 red.  Purple = 8 red + 8 blue
3) Add 2 tablespoons of hand sanitizer to each bag.  (I did 20-25 pumps)
4) Mix together and let sit for 20-25 minutes.
5) Heat oven to 170 degrees and dry rice for 15-18 minutes.

Pumpkin Patch

Nothing screams fall more than trips to the Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard.  Today, we all went to the Pumpkin Patch.  Annelise had an absolute blast, Harrison was mainly along for the ride, and Drew and I love seeing the joy on Annelise's face.

The first thing that we did was get a wrist band so that Annelise could ride the ponies and jump on the inflatables.

After watching her ride, I'm fairly certain that she could ride by herself without us next to her.  I just can't get over how fast she's growing up.

After the pony ride, we took the obligatory family picture in front of the pumpkin.

Annelise spotted the inflatables, so we made our way over to them so she could slide and bounce for a little bit.  Harrison and I hung out while Drew stuck close to Annelise.

Drew and I were starting to get hungry, so we sweet talked Annelise into getting out of the bounce house and going and getting some lunch.  After lunch, we took Annelise to look at the animals.  She got a kick out of the ducks, and one of them kept quacking at her.

Then, we picked out our pumpkins.  We decided not to go pick our own this year since it was so windy.  If I would have been able to leave Harrison in the stroller and out of the wind, we would have gone, but I didn't want to make him miserable.

Annelise asked to have a cookie while we were paying for the pumpkins.  I agreed since she had been so good.  We put her in the wagon to ride out to the car.  Once we got out there, Drew looked at me and asked if she had opened the cookie all by herself.  Uh, duh!  I love being able to experience all these firsts again with Harrison.  But, I also know that next year will be even more fun when he's older and able to enjoy them more.