Pictures With Santa

Each year, we have to have our picture taken with Santa. I actually have a framed photo of Katie with Santa, for every single year Christmas since she was born. I consider those photos part of our "Christmas decorations." This year, due to a time crunch and me not knowing the best Santa options in Roanoke --- we just went to the mall.

I didn't love our Santa, but Katie didn't seem to notice a difference. She went up to him (holding my hand nervously at first), then once I sat her on Santa's knee --- she was fine. She talked to him and told him the gifts she had written on her list to him. It was actually the best visit with Santa yet. She's growing up so much, and so quickly!

Polar Express Day

I've written before about how much Katie LOVES to stay in her pajamas.  All Day Long.  Whenever possible.  So, its no surprise that when Polar Express Day rolled around again this year --- which meant she got to wear her jammies to school --- she was a little excited.  And by a little I mean she was counting down the days for 1.5 weeks.

I have to admit, I really enjoy the tradition that her preschool has for Polar Express Day.  They invite parents to participate with their children --- we all enter in our PJs, get our tickets punched, participate in the book reading, then sing Christmas Carols, and enjoy snacks together.

Again this year, I joined Katie in the PJ fun.  Actually, when you are 7.5 months pregnant --- I would agree with Katie that all day pajamas are GREAT!  :-)

Decorating Time!!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we let the decorating begin.  Katie--as I've mentioned before -- loves crafts, decorations, and anything of the sort.  So, she was practically begging to get everything out out of the attic and get started.

We began with the outside lights and wreath.  Next we put up the village --- which is definitely one of Katie's favorites!  Then we progressed to the mantle/fireplace, bookshelves, and finally our tree.

Last year we had a our own version of the Griswald Family Christmas Tree experience/incident.  As a result --- we elected not to head to the woods and cut down our own tree this year.  We kept it simple and picked one off the big tree lot outside Kroger.  I realize this is a little Bah-Humbug of us.....but seriously --- we went through 3 trees last year.

Getting the tree up is always interesting.  But decorating it is the best!  Each year we get up in the morning, have some coffee/hot chocolate and breakfast, stay in our jammies, play lots of Christmas music, and JUST decorate together.  We go through ornaments from the past and talk about them as we put them on the tree.  Katie loves to hear the story behind each one!  And once we are done the tree looks so pretty and makes the house smell like fresh pine.  Definitely one of my favorite parts of the holiday --- and it makes it seem like the Christmas season is officially here!

We started a fun new tradition this year too --- letting Katie have her own little tree in her room.  We headed to the craft store and picked out her little tree....and all sorts of decorations for it.  Of course, she picked PINK!  She goes to bed each night with her tree glowing in her room....

Baby #2

I realized a couple weeks ago that this second pregnancy is FLYING by and I've documented very little of it.  In fact, someone said "So, when do I get to see some baby belly pics on your blog?"  And I thought --- how about never?  LOL!

** 19 Weeks **

The truth is, I'm much bigger this pregnancy than I was last one.  Considering the fact that Katie was 5 lbs and some change --- I'm taking the larger size as a good thing.  But honestly, I'm HUGE!  I've had 2 people in the last week ask me if I was due at Christmas.  Well no, I actually have a good 5-6 weeks to go after that.  And I'm really looking forward to those waddling weeks. :-)

** 26 Weeks **

The other side of me realizes this is my last pregnancy and I want to soak up every single precious moment!!!  I want to remember that I first felt this baby move around 15/16 weeks --- those tiny little flutters/kicks which are the best feeling in the world.  I want to remember that Katie loves talking to her sister and saying good morning to her when she first wakes up --- and that she can't wait to teach her how to sit, laugh, walk, and talk.  I want to remember that I've flown thousands of miles during this pregnancy --- and that this baby has kicked its way through virtually ALL of them.  I want to remember that this baby rarely gets the hiccups, while Katie had them almost every day.  I want to remember that I had to get out of bed at least 3 times each night to go to the bathroom (Okay, maybe not that part!).

** 29 Weeks -- My Birthday! **

So -- I'm taking my pictures and even sharing a few, regardless of how I look.  Because one day, I know there will be a little girl who will enjoy seeing pictures of when she was in mommy's belly.  And then, I won't care about what a HOT MESS I am.  I'll just be grateful I have her.

 ** 30 Weeks **

 ** 32 Weeks **

Elfie Elf

We decided to start the Elf on The Shelf tradition in our house this year.  I actually asked for that as my birthday present in November.  It has been such a fun way to get Katie excited about Christmas -- though I'm not sure she needs any help in that department.

We started reading the book about a week or so before Thanksgiving, so she could grasp the concept of Elf on the Shelf and start thinking about a name.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the book --- the first day that your Elf arrives you must name him/her.

So, our Elf arrived on Thanksgiving Day.  We found him that morning above our dining room table.  His note said "I thought I would 'hang out' for Thanksgiving.  Hope you don't mind.  So happy to be here with you and your family.  Please be sure to give me a good name!"  After some debate and discussion about names our short list came down to Zart, Eli, and Elfie Elf.  Katie picked "Elfie Elf".....because "he's an ELF mommy."

Elf on the Shelf is one of those things that I thought was an AWESOME idea.  But, my ideas do not always translate to Katie excitement.  Fortunately, she warmed quickly to the whole idea.  Elfie has found his way into some odd places....left messages in toothpaste....used Katie's stocking as a sleeping bag....and even went fishing for goldfish in the toilet.  He's quite inventive with the spots he picks.

I've enjoyed the fact that Elfie is a good disciplinarian.  Each day we remind Katie that Elfie is watching to see if she is naughty or nice.  Its amazing how well it works!  So well in fact that the other afternoon I was fussing at Katie for not using her "listening ears".  She turned around to me and said...."Well Mommy, you aren't using your 'nice words' and I hope you know that Elfie can hear you right now."  LOL!

Big Thanks!!

I want to say a special Thank You to some of the folks who sent care packages to Katie for her surgery.  First, Auntie Mary Lynn and Uncle Mike --- you were both so kind to mail a package down to Katie.  The picture below shows her opening her gifts from her hospital room.  She was SOOO excited about the Lalaloopsy and Baby Alive Doll!!  This was the first smile we had seen in several hours!!!

Second I want to say a special Thank You to Katie's Preschool classmates, teachers, and directors.    They went absolutely above and beyond what I could have imagined.  The care package all of you put together included everything from pajamas and fuzzy slippers, to snacks, to art supplies, to a "KATIE" banner --- cheering her on for a successful surgery and recovery.  :-)

All the students got together at lunch time to wish her luck Wednesday (the day prior to surgery).  It was so sweet!  And despite Katie's overall reluctance to have the surgery, you all made her feel special and a little more comfortable.  Love this picture of the Pre-K girls!!!  Priceless!!

Below are a few pictures of Katie enjoying the goodies from her care package.  She actually made us hang the banner up in the hotel room as well as the hospital room --- and its now hanging in her room at home!  She also enjoyed modeling the pajamas and slippers, and munching on snacks once she was back to normal foods.

The art supplies have been an absolute life saver!!  Part of Katie's recovery instructions are no running, climbing, or jumping for 2 weeks.  Art supplies, books, and movies are about the only activities I can use to keep her still......so we have MAXED out on all of these in the past couple weeks.

Once again everyone --- thank you so much for the thoughtful gifts!  You all made Katie's surgery and recovery a little easier.  Below is a little thank you message from Katie herself.

Heart Boo-Boo

I've been an absent blogger once again, but as usual, its for good reason. We have been rather busy in November --- with both some fun, and some not so fun things.  Fair warning, this is a LONG post!  But there are some details here I really needed to document.

In late September Katie had a follow-up with her cardiologist. It was originally scheduled for October, but due to some issues Katie was having (i.e. shortness of breath, lips turning blue, and almost fainting on us) the cardiologist suggested bumping it up. After the check-up the cardiologist confirmed the hole in her heart was getting larger and said, "well, I think its time to get this thing fixed."

So, off we went in late October for our surgical consult at UVA. After discussion about the location and size of the hole, the surgeon told us that Katie would NOT need open heart surgery (AN ABSOLUTE BLESSING) --- and that she was a great candidate for the catheterization procedure. PHEW - Step 1! The second discussion was how the hole would be closed. We elected to use a device called the Gore Helix. The device basically looks like silk paper fan material in the shape of a circle with a small wire around the edge. It was SUCH an odd feeling to look at this device, hold it, bend it --- knowing that one very similar will be inside Katie FOREVER. Amazing technology -- and Step 2 complete! Next was scheduling. Between my work travel, and Matt's clinical rotations, the holidays, and a baby on the way --- scheduling is an absolute MESS for us. Fortunately, we were able to work things out for Thursday November 21st (also a good date for our surgeon). Step 3 Complete! (Inside my head I'm thinking --- okay, now to get my 4 year old ready for this).

Since Katie was the 2nd case of the day, they requested she be at the hospital at 10:30 AM for surgery prep. The plan was for the actual procedure to begin at 11:30, and would take 2-3 hours to complete. Pre-surgery restrictions were that she could have nothing other than clear liquids (i.e. Water, Apple Juice, Gatorade, Jell-O, etc.) the morning of the surgery, and after 8:30 she couldn't have ANYTHING. Not even Water! My initial thought on this one: Hmmm, I'm curious to see how well that goes.

Knowing that we would have to be at the hospital by 10:30, we didn't want to take a chance on traffic Thursday morning. Instead, we elected to stay in a hotel the night before. This was also a bit of a "treat" for Katie because she loves hotels. Things were going great that morning --- I had explained to her that she couldn't have anything to eat or drink after 8:30. We pumped her full of Jell-O and apple juice that morning right up until 8:30 hoping that would last her. Of course as soon as it was time to leave for the hospital, the "I don't want to go mommy!" started to kick in. Despite the fact that we had discussed everything several times in advance, she was still VERY RELUCTANT about even leaving the hotel to go to the hospital. We finally got there, with Katie still complaining and resisting every step.

Strangely, once we got to the hospital --- Katie was unbelievably cooperative. We checked-in right at 10:30 and were escorted to our room for the day. The nurse got all of Katie's vitals, changed her into the gown, ran a baseline EKG, etc. Once all of that was done, it was about 11 - 11:15. Between 11:15 and 11:30 the nurse practitioner, Christine, came to inform us about what to expect for the day procedurally --- and said that the anesthesia team would be in next to explain the process of adminstering Katie's sleep meds. At this point I was thinking, great --- everything is moving along as expected. FAMOUS LAST WORDS!!!

About 2 hours later anesthesia still had not arrived to our room. My patience was wearing rather thin. Finally at 1:30 I started getting upset. We were now 3 hours behind schedule, Katie was starting to say "I'm hungry" and "I'm thirsty". Who could blame her?!?! And what could I say to her except "Sorry, you can't have anything." After asking for an update, we were told that the case before Katie turned out to be extremely difficult and that the surgeons had a VERY hard time getting access to the whole. The nurse indicated that the doctor was "closing up" now and that he should be out to see us soon. I was really concerned at this point. All I could think about was, if we are going to be on a 3-4 hour delay --- an the case before Katie was extremely difficult --- then how focused and ready will the surgeon be for Katie's surgery? Have they eaten? Will they be rested? I just kept thinking...."THIS IS NOT GOOD!" I expressed my concerns to the nurse and she assuaged some of my fears.

Finally around 2:00 the doctor arrived. He apologized for the delay and gave the same explanation about the case preceeding Katie. Me, being me --- I gave my apologies for the hard case before. Then, I asked him if he was going to be okay and ready for Katie's surgery. YEAH! I did! I know that seems like a completely rude question. And I'm pretty sure my mom and Matt couldn't believe I'd said it. But hey --- this is MY CHILD! If you think I want her in anything but ideal conditions for surgery, you are NUTS. Lesson learned here: Always request to be the 1st case of the day if your child has to have surgery. The worst they can say is No.

Okay! So anesthesia finally showed up with Katie's sedative. It was basically the kids equivalent of vicadin --- something to mello her out. Initially, the plan was to have her walk back to the operating room with the nurse (without Matt or I). Fortunately, we didn't have to do that. They allowed me to take her back and I was able to stay with her until she inhaled enough gas to fall asleep. I'm SO GRATEFUL they allowed me to go with her, because that was Katie's biggest fear about the whole procedure. Probably mine too.

So, finally at 3:30 PM Katie's surgery was underway. I came back to our room, sent out a few updates and Matt called some of our family members. Mom then told Matt and I to go get something to eat while we could. I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat the rest of the night because Katie would be in recovery through dinner and then getting admitted to her room after that. The surgical team called us every hour on the hour with updates (so nice of them)! Sometime between 5 and 5:30 they called us and said the doctor was closing up and he'd be out shortly.

When the doctor came out to see us, he said "it went great!" Which is exactly what you want to hear. He told us the hole was a bit larger than they had expected --- 13 mm instead of 9 mm. As a result, he had to test out a couple different size devices to get a good fit. But in the end he found one that worked perfectly for her. Double Phew! Step 4 -- Surgery Complete!

At this point, Matt left the room again to make some calls and update family. As soon as he got back, they called us to the Pediatric Recovery Unit because Katie was coming out of the OR. When we first arrived she was still completely asleep. It took maybe 5 minutes before she started coughing and waking up. As soon as she was coming awake she looked at me and Matt and said "I WANT OUT!" We looked at each other, then back at her and said, "Out of what, Out of Where?" She said "Out of this bed and Out of here!" Oh my!  Not good!  The worst part --- she sat STRAIGHT UP in bed when she said it. While I find this kind of funny now --- at the time it was the WORST possible thing for her. Sitting up made one of her incisions start to bleed (fortunately not too badly).  And that was how her 8 hour bed rest started.  On top of her "I WANT OUT" --- Katie gave EVEYRONE the stink eye after her surgery.  The doctor came out to check on her and she just stared at him with an angry look on her face.  In fact, that's pretty much the look she gave everyone for about 3-4 hours post surgery.  Its kind of funny now, but wasn't at the time.  I almost wish I had a picture of that face.  Clearly, pictures weren't my priority so I don't have much photo documentation of those little moments.

Thursday night was pretty rough, but we made it.  It included 8 Hours of her lying flat on her back and NOT moving her legs, vomiting after attempting food/drink post anesthesia, a 2:45 AM wake-up due to our roommates arrival (a 2 month old with a broken leg), plus either bed pan or bathroom trips every 2 hours.  By far one of the worst parts though was the IV --- she LOATHED the IV.  It would not stay in place, had to be readjusted multiple times (which was painful for her), and the machine went off every 45 minutes throughout the night because the IV continued to shift out of place.  The final straw was that Katie kicked up a little fever during the night.  Fortunately, that one resolved itself by mid-day Friday.  Side note here --- and I hesitate to mention this, because it seems selfish --- being 7 months pregnant and trying to sleep in those hospital chairs is impossible.  Honestly though, it didn't really matter because I was up about every 45 minutes to 1 hour anyways.

Friday morning hospital rounds started at 6:45 --- so we were up early.  Katie had several more tests/procedures to get through too --- Another echo cardiogram to assess blood flow around the device, plus another chest X-ray.  When they checked her heart and lungs on Thursday post surgery, she had a partially collapsed lung (which apparently can happen with anesthesia and surgery).  The Friday chest X-ray confirmed that her lungs were back to normal.  WOHOO!!

The final condition of release was Katie had to hold down food, and be fever free.  When all those conditions were met --- we were released and headed home.  I'm not sure who was more pleased to leave.... me or Katie.  Probably Katie!  I'm wonder what her feelings on hospitals will be going forward, and how much of this she will remember.  Time will tell.  For now, I'm just so grateful that her surgery is complete and that it was a big success!!!

I have to brag a little on Miss Katie Bug.  She was such a little angel, didn't whine, and barely uttered a single complaint during the entire process.  She's been such a trooper through both her surgery and recovering that she's made her mommy and daddy very proud!!!

P.S.  I probably have about 100 type-Os and mistakes in this blog post.  But I'm done editing.  So, just read it as is folks!

Parenting Failure!

Most days, I think that Matt and I do a pretty good job parenting. We are FAR from perfect I realize, but we do try. Well, just when you think you are doing an awesome job, count on your little one to put you in check. My little Katie does have a way with keeping us humble - ha!

Last Friday after preschool, Katie was playing with several friends on the playground. In fact, there is a big group that usually stays after preschool to give the kids some outdoor activity, exercise, and social time. One of Katie's friends Sam knew that Katie had a heart doctor'a appointment the following Wednesday. Sam has spent some time in the hospital/doctor's office himself, so he thought he would do something nice for Katie in preparation for her surgical consult. Such a sweet little boy, he picked out a monkey for Katie to take with her to the appointment --- so that if she got scared the monkey would protect her and keep her safe.

So, out on the playground --- Sam walks over with his mommy and says "Katie, I know you have a doctors appointment coming next Wednesday and I got this for you so you won't be scared." And what did my little one say in response.... "No, I don't like monkeys!" I. AM. Not. Joking. When poor little Sam tried again to give her the monkey she said "No Way!" [SERIOUSLY?!?!?]

I didn't see this personally because mom was picking Katie up from school that day. In fact, mom didn't even know what had happened until Katie later retold the full story to us. Talk about being 100% disappointed in Katie's behavior --- not to mention embarrased. In Katie's defense....we had not discussed the doctor's appointment very much prior to Sam and his mother mentioning it. So, she may have been a bit caught off guard. And Katie is definitely the type to fire back something NOT nice when you catch her off-guard. But those are NOT excuses to do something so unbelievably rude and mean to a sweet little boy who did something so very nice for her. When I asked Katie why she refused the monkey, she said she didn't like it because it had a red bow attached --- and red bows were for boys, not girls. Are you kidding me???

Katie spent the entire afternoon having to explain her behavior to Nana, me, and Matt. She was also asked to write an apology letter and card to Sam. Plus, we took away two of her usual privileges. I have to say, it was a pretty low parenting moment for both Matt and I. I explained to Katie that every single time someone gave her a gift, she must say thank you and be polite. Even if she didn't like the gift. Somehow, I thought we had discussed this simple point of social tact previously --- either we hadn't, or it didn't sink in! Sam and his mom were gone this past week on vacation, so we haven't had a chance to make our apologies yet. I'm really hoping they understand. I'm also hopeful that Katie has learned her lesson. And most of all, I hope that Katie didn't hurt sweet Sam's feelings with her rude behavior. I've never seen Katie be so mean before, and its a truly wretched thing.

Trick or Treating

Our neighborhood is not exactly filled with young kids and families. In fact, we may be the only household under 55! While I love our nice, quiet little environment on normal days ---- its not the best location for Halloween Trick or Treating.

So, we decided to head elsewhere on Halloween night. Several of Katie's preschool friends and their families were headed to the Southwest portion of Roanoke City, on Stanley Ave. The police department actually blocks off the roads so no cars can get through, which makes it kid friendly for walking. We started around 5:30 and the kids were SOOO excited --- practically running from house to house. By 7:00 though, they were pooped. Check out the before and after pics ---- can you tell they are tired??

I love all these kids and families from Katie's preschool. Katie has made wonderful friends, and I dread when we will all go our separate ways --- either through moves or to different Kindergarten classes.

Happy Halloween - 2013

Katie and I have had SUCH a great time this year getting ready for Halloween. We decorated the house together, carved our pumpkin together, and even picked out a Halloween Pinata for her preschool classroom's Halloween party. As she gets older, its been so much fun to celebrate all the holidays. She loves getting into the craft projects, the decorating, and overall traditions --- which makes all the holidays more fun for me too.

As costumes go, this was an interesting year. Initially, Katie wanted to be Rapunzel. Not suprising because most of the summer and early fall she has been in a bit of a princess phase. Unfortunately, about 2 weeks ago --- after we had already purchased her Rapunzel costume --- she changed her mind. At first, I was reluctant to allow her to change her mind. I told her she had already picked out one costume and we were going to buy another one. She said, "we don't have to buy this one mommy. We can make it together!" Now, how can you say No to that?? The conversation went a little something like this:

Me: "Well, if you don't want to be Rapunzel what would you like to be?"
Katie: "I want to be a super hero."
Me: "Which super hero? Super Woman? Bat Woman? Wonder Woman?"
Katie: "I want to be Super Katie."
Me: "Super Katie?"
Katie: "Yes. Me, but with special powers."
Me: SPEECHLESS

All I could think was --- Oh my! We are going to need a custom costume, and I am NOT crafty. My second thought was, where is Auntie Katherine when you need her! :-) After my initial fears/concerns subsided, I decided to be a good sport and make the most of her request. We headed out to the craft store together last weekend to gather supplies. Katie was very helpful, as she LOVES the craft store and doing fun projects. If I do say so myself, the end product didn't turn out too bad. Notice the extra jewels/bling on the cape? Yeah --- totally her idea. What 4 year old girl doesn't like shiny, sparkly things after all.

Fall Preschool Pictures

Preschool pictures are in...and just thought I'd share. I love that the photographer always takes pictures with Katie's glasses on and off. We are actually having family pictures taken this weekend with this same photographer. Should be super fun!!

October Festival

I'm a little behind on my blogging...and trying to get caught on all our October fun. The 2nd weekend in October we headed to Woolwine for the annual October Festival. We try to take Katie each year because its a wonderful chance for her to see family. My grandmother (GiGi), my Aunt Connie, my Cousin Angie and her two children Brayden & Allie are almost always there. Katie loves playing with her cousins and I enjoy seeing my family and folks from home. Matt was actually able to come along with us, which is a rare occassion lately because he has been studying for his cumulative clinical skills final. It is essentially 1 year's worth of medical knowledge crammed into a single test of approximately 300 questions. Additionally, he has to get at least a 75 before he can begin Clinical Rotations in November. Yeah. So, No Pressure. Right?!?!

Okay --- Back to the October Festival. When we arrived this year, I tried to get Katie on the dance floor. She was rather tentative and wouldn't go. I thought that one of her cousins would manage to coerce her onto the floor, but it never happened. One time I went out with her, to see if she would tolerate it. Nope. Not a chance. She 100% ran away from me. Oh well.

She and her cousins actually had more fun chasing one another up and down a hill behind the open chair seating area. By the end of the day, she had tied a jump rope around Brayden's waist and was dragging him down the hill pretending he was a dog.

Potty, Wipe, Flush, Wash

Potty, Wipe, Flush, and Wash. Simple bathroom procedures, right? You would think so. Only for Katie it seems that 3 out of 4 is good enough. Katie will go potty, wipe, and flush --- and forget to wash her hands. Or she will potty, wipe, and wash hands --- but not flush. Or she will potty, flush and wash but not wipe (GROSS!).

I would go into the bathroom with her, but she is fiercely independent. As soon as I walk into the bathroom with her she says, "Mommy, I need my privacy please." Ha! A 4 year who "needs her privacy." I try not to get frustrated. I realize that most of the time she is just in a hurry to be done with the whole potty process and back to her playtime. However, she is 4! Shouldn't we have this down pat by now? Good grief, she's been potty trained for 1.5 years. At home I go behind her and reinforce all 4 --- we even have a chant/song as a reminder. But I sometimes wonder if anyone is checking behind her at school....and what she does/doesn't do there. Eeeck!

She will get this eventually....but, oh boy, in the meantime it is eventful around here. I'm sure all of you are going to really enjoy reading this post. I mean, who isn't interested in the bathroom habits of a 4 year old. :-)

Note: Pictures from this post are obviously not from the bathroom. I figured I would at least spare you that.