Thursday, December 29, 2005

Ryan's second Christmas and a pregnancy update

We all survived Ryan's first "real" Christmas (cause, come on, he really was just a blob last year!).
Christmas Eve
We tried to keep the day as normal as possible to avoid a melt down later. See, I am a firm believer that regularly scheduled naps and meals make a happier baby! We went to a 4:30 church service at Rob's family church. I am not a huge fan of their services, I guess because I was raised in a very traditional Catholic church that never allowed for Christmas trees or any other secular holiday items. During the service we went to, they sang a very secular holiday song about wrapping presents and decorating trees. It was weird!
Ryan spent the hour in the nursery. Turns out that the grand-daughter of one of Rob's co-workers was also there. Ryan and N. have met before and apparently are a little in love! It seems they spent the entire hour holding hands and kissing each other!!! She actually cried when we tried to take Ryan home! It is cute and touching but scary at the same time!!!
After church we got back in the car and I was hit by a horrible, overwhelming odor that caused me to open the door, puke in the church parking lot, and begin cursing Rob out for leaving food in his car!!! Nope, turns out something is leaking in his car AGAIN and making the rugs all moldy. The fun!!! They can't even look at it until next Monday!!!!
Anyway, we spent the evening at my Dad's. Ryan got this play kitchen that I am pretty sure is bigger than my own kitchen! I honestly don't know where we are going to put it! I am considering taking it back and getting a smaller one. We have a fairly large house, but no room dedictated to toys. This would have to be an outside toy and then he would only get to play with it for like 3 months out of the year! What would you do?
Christmas Day
Honestly, we had to wake Ryan up on Christmas morning!!! We needed to be to my mom's at 9:30 for breakfast and presents and by 7:00 he still wasn't up so I had to get him!
He had a blast! I can't wait to download all our pictures! Some if the toys Santa brought him included: Fridge Phonics, a tricycle, a sit and spin (Daddy bought that one!), many books, a new CD, some bath toys..... I am sure there are more, but I am slightly brain dead from it all!
We headed over to my mom's where he obtained a radio flyer wagon from his Aunt Renee, and countless toys from Grandma. Grandma also had a wooden toy box made for him - very nice, and bought us one of those storage racks with all the different bins. Also nice, but really big! We are in the process of re-arranging our family room since we are getting rid of our HUGE space killing heater that we no longer need now that our furnace is new and the ducts are actually connected! Hopefully we will be able to accomodate the new toy chest/storage thing.
So after breakfast and present, I put Ryan down for a nap in the pack and play at my mom's. What does she do? She proceeds to BITCH the entire time he is napping about how nice it was for us to come over and then put him to sleep!!! Is she serious?!?! Does she not understand that my child NEEDS sleep? NO, she really doesn't. She is always pestering me to take him places during naps or bedtime and when I cave (she is really persistent) he is miserable for DAYS!
I have decided that NO MORE! From now on, family events are planned around Ryan's sleep schedule and if she has a problem with it, tough!
After his nap we headed over to Rob's parent's house for more gifts and dinner (can I tell you how stuffed we were by the end of the day?!?!). Ryan got 84,000 more toys he doesn't need and that I don't have room for.
This year we decided to do a name draw amongst the siblings. It just got so expensive. We all picked names and everything was good. Everyone seemed to stay in the $50 limit although my gift was a $25 gift certificate, a mug and some tea so probably less than $50 but who cares? At least it was less junk to take home.
The day after Christmas Ryan and I napped for a total of 4 delicious hours! Oh, and my mom bitched again because Ryan and I left my gradparents after a half hour because it was nap time.
Since this post is long, I will save the pregnancy update for tomorrow....

Friday, December 23, 2005

A Christmas List

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?
Hot Chocolate - with TONS of mini-marshmallows! Honestly, I think Egg Nog is vile. Even the name makes me CRINGE!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrap, unless they are too big to wrap. This years Ryan's Sit and Spin and Tricycle will remain unwrapped. Actually, Elmo will be riding the tricycle!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored on the tree and white icicles on the house. I would love to someday do a second, smaller, tree with white lights, gold garland, and my collection of Hummel ornaments. Every ormanement made from 1974 to 2000 when they stopped making the series.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope, but I should we need more kisses in our house!

5. When do you put your decorations up?
The day after Thanksgiving (well the couple days after). The tree goes up about 2 and a half weeks before Christmas since we get a real one every year.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
This is so sad, but my favorite holiday dish are little smokies in BBQ sauce. For some reason we only have them at Christmas time. Actually, I am serving them tonight at a party we are having!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Going downtown to see Santa. Of course, when we were little downtown was still a busy place and safe to travel to. They had Santa on a HUGE mountain and there was a monorail to ride. It was so much fun. Now I work downtown and all that remains is the sad looking monorail and there is a seat for Santa, but I have never seen him sit in it....

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I was much older than I would like to admit! I was probably 9 and my best friend told me. I was so devastated. I remember asking my mom who told me the truth but also told me that Santa will always be real if you believe in the Christmas spirit. That, my friends, was the deepest thing my mother has ever said!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We always opened a gift from our parents on Christmas Eve and it was always PJs. We will be doing that with Ryan this year as well.

10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him?
We haven't done this yet. But growing up I remember how interesting it was that my dad and Santa liked all the same cookies!
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
DREAD! I do, however, like a pretty white Christmas but I hate travelling in it.

12. Can you ice skate?
HA! I took lesson at 7 and broke my nose learning, or trying to lear, how to skate backwards!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
It was Tina ballerina! I have tried in vain to find a picture of he ron the internet, but I have had no success! Those of you over 30 may remember her. She had a plastic tiara attached to her head and you could spin her around by it. Creepy, but all I wanted Christmas 1977....
14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Spending time with family and friends and earing cookies!
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
One year my MIL bought an ice cream roll from Friendlys. I LOVE peppermint ice cream!
16. What tops your tree?
For the 3rd year running our tree is topped by a star that looks like it is a gingerbread cookie. It was the only topper Rob and I could agree on the first Christmas we decorated a tree!
17. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?
Giving, but only if I am sure I hit upon the perfect gift, otherwise I get anxious!
18. What is your favorite Christmas Carol?
I love Carol of the Bells, but don't ever ask me to sing it -- you will be sorry!
19. Candy canes?
The most perfect confection EVER! My mom got these chocolate peppermint ones form Hershey this year. Most perfect candy. EVER!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Long time, no update.....

So in addition to being struck by massive waves of exhaustion and naseua, I am also struck with the fact that Chirstmas is in 5 days!!!
5 DAYS PEOPLE!!!
I have mostly finished shopping (I just need to get a gift certificate to Home Depot for Rob), but have I wrapped anything? NOOOO!
I have baked my annual holiday cut outs, but have I frosted them? NOOOO!
I have purchased the rest of the ingredients for the rest of my holiday baking, but have I made them? NOOO (and, honestly, I probably won't)/
UGH!
Yesterday was my first midwife appointment - nothing terribly exciting to report from it. I didn't even have to get a full pelvic exam since I just had my annual exam in October. She does have me on a B6 vitamin and a half a unisom tablet at night to combat the morning sickness. I took this last night at so far have not thrown up today so maybe it is working? I hope so!
Funny Ryan sotry for the day - I got out of the shower this morning and Ryan had on one slipper, no PJ bottoms and was sitting in his toy box. I have no idea how he got in the toy box and I am not sure I want to know! Of course, I had to go get the camera....
Picture to follow when I can post it!

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Sick, sleep, scissors, santa....

Today's post is brought to you by the letter "S"
SICK:
Apparently Ryan's ear infection never quiet went away. 3 weeks later and the doctor said they are still pretty pussy (yum, right before lunch). He is now on Augmentin which I hate. I am not a fan of antibiotics in general, but then I am also not a fan of sick babies so we are giving it to him, twice a day....
Oh, also under SICK, morning sickness has reared it's ugly head already! Again following the same path as when I was pregnant with Ryan -- from 4am to 11am, and then again around dinner time and until I pass out for the night. This morning marks the first time I puked this pregnancy - the joys!
SLEEP
I am assuming the poor ass sleep is coming from the ears and the fact that Ryan is growing 84000 teeth right now! I cna sympathize, but PLEASE sleep! Mommy is not feeling well and Daddy is working super early hours this week. WE NEED SLEEP! Ryan's poor sleep is effecting everyone including the dog, who was reduced to SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR!!!! I assume he will soon figure out how to dial the phone so he can call animal protectives....
SCISSORS
You should never run with them! Seriously though, Ryan and I both got haircuts yesterday. I was the only one who enjoyed it! She only took a half inch off and then FINALLY put some layers in! WE let them grow out to make my wedding do easier and I finally got around to getting a haircut.
Ryan, who has already had 8 or so cuts, was a terror yesterday. Crying, pushing, squirming.....
Final result is great, but getting there was not so easy! I can't believe she still won't charge us for his haircut! He give her $15 any way, but I have to slip it in her purse since she won't take money from me :)
SANTA
Ryan met the man with the beard. He did initially cry, but got over it and sat on his lap for one deer in the headlight picture which I need to scan!
That pretty much sums up the last 24 hours in my life....