Holiday Haps

Tyler and Kathryn got married. It was a great day. It would have been even better if we didn't have sick kids. Sick kids + wedding, luncheon, and reception= chaos and exhaustion; nonetheless, we are so happy to have her as part of the fam.


This cute little guy and his mom spent some time in the hospital thanks to RSV. Just about all of us are dealing with some sort of illness, but the baby got the worst of it. It is heartbreaking to watch your little baby suffer.


We had our traditional paella dinner (my brother had to cook it in the garage because it is free-zing in WA...and check out my sister-in-law three weeks after giving birth, why can't I look that great?). The Foxes came over to help us eat it and it was great catching up with them.

Happy 2008!

Chubby Cheeks

Ian weighs 12 pounds. He put on 5 pounds in five weeks and there is no sign that he is going to slow down anytime soon. He is proficient in cooing and I can't get enough. If only he could sleep through the night. We are having a great time at Grandma's house, despite some nasty colds and freezing cold weather. Brrr.

Santa Drama

We just got back from our church Christmas breakfast. Max ate lots of bacon because he was allergic to everything else. The Scoville boys both got their picture taken with Santa. One was a happy baby, one was a cry baby.

Max has had so much blood work done lately, so many shots, and other medical procedures that he is scared of EVERYONE. Even Santa. He is 18 months old and is finally suffering from separation anxiety.

Coping...

Motherhood is amazing. It intensifies so many emotions (fear, happiness, exhaustion, exhilaration...) and, for me, puts so many things into perspective. I've learned to let go. To surrender when situations are out of my control. To accept and love my children no matter what they do.


After Ian was born, he decided not to eat. I spent 48 straight hours trying to get him to nurse (Max never had any problems in this department). Finally, after logging several hours with a lactation consultant, he latched on and started eating. A few seconds later the toilet in my room came to life and started spewing like a fire hose. Within minutes the whole wing of the hospital was flooding and I was ordered to evacuate. I informed the staff that I finally got my baby to eat, and that I wasn't going to move so much as an inch until he was finished. I would rather wade through raw sewage than risk breaking his latch. Before long they unplugged my bed and started pushing me (half-dressed and still nursing) through the sewage to sanitary safety. I was so happy Ian was finally eating that nothing else mattered. Not even raw sewage. Perspective.


Max has had many close calls. After surviving a nasty fall and a four inch skull fracture, I was so happy to have him around that I never once minded waking up at night to feed him. After this horrible day, every tantrum-filled day feels like a happy holiday.

Luckily for me, I've had a taste of how bad it can be. That's why it's no big deal that Max commits the following offenses on a daily basis:

-opens the dishwasher and throws breakables onto the floor, shattering them
-takes all of the clothes out of all of our dressers and makes strategic piles
-climbs onto the couch and tries to jump off the back
-undecorates the lower half of the Christmas tree
-undoes the child locks on kitchen drawers and distributes measuring cups, dish towels, etc. around the house
-takes all of the diapers out of the baskets in the change table and throws them around the house
-takes all the books out of our bookcase
-opens the pantry and dumps the contents of the cereal boxes onto the floor

Perspective is a good thing.

3 weeks

Ian has survived the first 3 weeks, despite Max's attempts to take him out of the picture. He has not only survived, but thrived. This baby has gained over 3 pounds in the past three weeks. I have been in mourning as I pack away the newborn clothes and diapers and pull the 3-6 month clothes out of storage...