Where To Start?

Where do I begin, when it has been nearly a month since I have blogged. Since the last time I posted a blog, I have been extremely busy. It all started with dress rehearsals for the Singing Christmas Tree. We had four performances over three days; December 12, 13, and twice on the 14th. It went fairly well. Each performance had its own quirks and technical difficulties, but it was well received as always. I do enjoy singing in the Tree, but it sure takes a lot out of me during performance week. It was also the first time that Nick took care of all three boys at the same time for any length of time. He did fine, but he admitted to not being able to do it all the time.

Right after that busy weekend, we started the next week off with Nick's surgery on Tuesday, December 16th. The surgery itself only lasted 45-60 minutes, but the recovery has taken much longer. The first couple days were the worst, of course. He kept up with his pain meds which helped him, but made him very sleepy. I was thankful that we have a gate to block the top of the stairs. The hardest part was trying to keep the boys from climbing all over Daddy. I would have to bring them upstairs and lift each one on to the bed one at a time so they could give him a hug. Nick was unable to lift anything over 15 pounds (which of course includes all three boys) for the first forty-eight hours, and then whatever he was comfortable with after that. So for the first few days, I would have to lift each kid up and down from his lap anytime they wanted to sit with him. He is still a bit tender, but at least the boys are able to climb over him more. Nick, especially was afraid to sit on Daddy's lap because he didn't want to hurt him. Anytime Daddy would ask Nick to give him a love, Nick would shake his head no and say, 'owie'. It was very sweet in a sad sort of way. We had to keep assuring him that he wouldn't hurt Daddy and that giving him a love would make him feel better faster.

On December 18th, Ethan turned four months old! No, I hadn't forgotten, and I even got his four month picture; I just haven't posted the comparison pictures until now. Sorry for the delay. Here you will find a very chunky Bubba at four months old. He was such a mellow baby; but even he didn't sleep as well as Ethan does now!
Nick had his four month picture in front of the Christmas tree. By the time he turned four months, he was having more moments where he was a happy baby than before, so it was a nice reprieve.

And here is our little Ethan-man, happy as a lark, still with chubby chubby cheeks. He is an incredibly precious baby. He is very sweet and loving (like Bubba) and he adores his big brothers. If they are in his line of sight, he can't keep his eyes off of them, smiling and laughing all the while. Ethan has been sleeping through the night since the middle of October (less than two months old) and will sleep an average of nine hours a night! I never knew it could be so good!

Ethan had his four month check-up on Monday December 22nd. He weighed 17 pounds putting him in the 85th percentile. That was less than Joey was at four months, and the same as my nephew Jesse was at 12 months! Ethan continues to grow tall; he was 27 inches, still in the 97th percentile for height. We put him in an outfit that Nanny and Papa Buddy got Nick for his first Christmas that was sized for 6-12 months, and it was already short in the arms and legs! Ethan fits very well in the the 6-9 month size for height, it makes me wonder why I try to keep him in smaller clothes for longer than I should. By the time he wears all of the new sized clothes once, he may already out grow them!

Then, of course, came Christmas. We had a very nice Christmas, another white Christmas (surprise!), but again I missed being closer to family. We made a delicious ham dinner with glazed carrots and scalloped potatoes. Then with the left over ham, we made a ham and potato soup.

I have more pictures to share and will go into more detail about the kids later, but I wanted to get a few thoughts down. I was asleep earlier, but Nick woke me up when he came to bed, so now I am wide awake. But since it is after one in the morning, and I know my two older boys will be getting up before I am ready, I should get back to bed and try to sleep some more.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We look forward to seeing you in the coming year.

Mommy Milestone

I have passed a "mommy milestone" today. The choir sang in church today, so I had to put Ethan in the nursery for the first time. I survived; I'm not sure how, but I did. What is really sad is that Ethan never needed me. I kept a close eye on the light display, waiting to see my number pop up calling me to the nursery. I think I kept one hand on my stuff just in case I had to run. But I was never called. In fact, when I went to get the boys when church was over, Ethan was asleep, snug in some one's caring arms. Oh what a sad day!

Maybe I am being a little melodramatic. In fact, I should be (and am) celebrating this occasion, as little as it may seem. As parents, everything we do is to teach our kids to be independent of us, at the same time as being dependent on God. Today in the nursery, Ethan took one tiny step on that road. And I am learning, albeit reluctantly, to let go of my kids.

Seven Years Ago Today

Seven years ago today, Nick helped me pick out my first Christmas tree for my first apartment. It was a Thursday night, two days after our first date. Nick's car was in the shop getting a new transmission, so he had a rental; a tiny Pontiac Sunfire. Although the car was a cute, sporty car, it wasn't exactly a "tree shopping" car.

Unfortunately, we had to do our shopping at a tree lot. Nick figured that, for a small apartment, I would get a small tree, and we should be able to stuff it in the back of the puny car. Little did he know!! Christmas trees are a weakness of mine. No matter how little room I have, I want the tallest, fullest tree possible. After selecting the perfect tree (as perfect as you can get from a tree lot), Nick had to run across the parking lot to the store to buy some rope to tie the tree to the top of the car. The tree was bigger than the Sunfire. Although it took up three quarters of my living room, it was just the tree I wanted.

Today, Nick went to get our Christmas tree. Once again (as in the previous years we've been in Alaska) he had to go to the tree lot at Home Depot. We have been lucky enough the last two years to get decent trees. This year, getting the best one he could, Nick came home with the saddest, skinniest tree we have ever gotten. I know that it is not the tree that makes Christmas, that the tree really has nothing to do with why we really celebrate Christmas. But it is something that has been a special part of my Christmases since I was a small child. Not only will I be thousands of miles from my extended family this year, I will also have to do my best to enjoy a puny tree. There is not even a good side to put in front. We'll just have to pick the least bad. I'm sure, once it's decorated, it will be more bearable; it will probably even be pretty.

I never thought that I would have to spend three Christmases here in Alaska. I naively thought that it would be easy for Nick to get a new position closer to home. There are some days that I fear I will die up here an old lady; that I will never get to be close to family again. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I had no family, to have nobody to miss. But I have a wonderful, loving family. And knowing what my boys are missing out on being close, and what my family is missing by not being able to watch my kids in these most precious years, breaks my heart everyday.

I want to go home.

Roly-Poly Tummy

Ethan is such a joy. He is a very happy baby. I feel bad that he spends so much time in his swing, but he always has a smile for me when I come to get him out. He is getting better at floor time...especially tummy-time. He is so strong. He will lift his head up so high it is almost touching his back. He has also started reaching out and grasping things. Yesterday, for the first time, I got his Pooh keys out and helped him get a hold of them. He was able to keep hold of them and bring them to his mouth to chew on them. He enjoys that very much. He has become a very drooly boy, too. Nick wondered if he was teething already; which is usually the first thought when a baby starts drooling. However, I reminded him that babies start drooling in preparation of eating solid foods; it is the first step in digestion.
While having tummy-time on the floor, Ethan will lift his head, arms, and legs, so that all that is touching the floor is his round little tummy. This, of course, makes him roll back and forth and turn in a circle. It is so funny to watch. I will put him on the floor, and within a few minutes, he has rotated 180 degrees!

They boys and I made a paper chain on Monday to start the Christmas count-down. Each morning we take a link off and Joey counts how many days are left until Christmas. Today there are twenty days left. Joey is getting better and counting to higher numbers. He still skips from fifteen to seventeen, and from nineteen to twenty-one. But he is getting better.

Ethan has his four-month check up scheduled for Monday the 22nd. I am excited to see how much he has grown. He has really filled out lately and is feeling quite solid.

Speaking of doctor's.....Nick will be going in for surgery on the 16th. He will be out of work for the rest of that week, and then he is on vacation for the week of Christmas, so he will have lots of time to recuperate. He will be on light duty for another week when he returns, but as most of his work is done at his desk anyway, it shouldn't be too bad. I think the hardest part of recovery will be keeping the boys from climbing all over him. They will have their Daddy home for so long but not be able to really play with him as they like to.

We will be getting our Christmas tree this weekend, so by Monday we should be all decorated. Maybe that will make me feel more Christmasy. I haven't even listened to much Christmas music. I used to listen to it nearly all year long. Now, I hardly listen to it for more than a couple weeks. I miss feeling like Christmas. It is amazing how much having family around is what makes me feel like Christmas. This will be my third Christmas away, and I have missed my family tremendously each year.

Christmas cards were sent out on Monday, but a handful of them came back needing even more postage than the extra postage we put on, so I will take them to the post office this weekend and get them sent out.

I better go hold Ethan...he sounds as if he needs a snuggle. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

More Snow

While Daddy is shoveling the walk, he makes a big pile right by our front porch that the kids can play in and slide down.

Here is Nick sitting in the pile. We couldn't quite get him to stand up straight in it, and as soon as the picture was taken, he wanted out.

Nick pretty much threw Joey in feet first so that he would sink down as far as possible. He is standing straight, and the snow is up to his chest!

I have always found snow covered trees to be beautiful. Since we have an abundance of both trees and snow around our house, I must say that it can be quite pretty looking out the window. However, too much of a good thing isn't that great, and by the time the snow melts five months from now, I will have seen my fill of it (for the third time.)

Ethan discovered himself in the mirror yesterday. It was the cutest thing to see him holding the mirror and staring at himself. I love that you can see his face in the mirror in this picture. He is so adorable.

Snow Play

Nick is the only one willing to take the boys out in the snow. It is much too cold for me. Unfortunately, that means the boys have to wait for the weekend to play out in the snow; it is already dark by the time Daddy gets home from work. This weekend it snowed a foot or more, so the boys had a blast.

Here they are making snow angels. Nick does a very good job, but then needs help getting up. He is usually "helped" down by Daddy, too. Daddy is just a big kid when it comes to playing in the snow.

Here is Joey making his snow angel. He still loves to help Daddy shovel the walkway. He tends to leave his shovel out in the snow, and then it gets buried. It is like a treasure hunt to find it the next time he goes out. (Unfortunately it is usually Mommy who gets to look for this "treasure" as it is too cold for Joey.)

The boys are having a snowball fight. Don't feel too sorry for Nick, even though his sons are gaining up on him...he still has full advantage. He pegs them pretty good. Nick (the little one) pretty much just scoops a hand (not even a hand'ful') of snow and tosses it, with it landing at his feet. But at least he is making the motion of throwing a snowball at Daddy.

I decided Ethan couldn't be left out, even if he is too small to play in the snow. So I bundled him up in his snowsuit, which is still a bit too big (as it should be, since it is a 12mo size.) He actually filled it out better than I thought he would. I let Daddy hold him for his picture....

but then Daddy thought he should get a picture laying in the snow. He is so cute. Just yesterday, he started looking older to me all of a sudden. I need to call and make an appointment for his four month check up. I can't believe he will be four months soon.

Catching Up

It has taken me several days to recuperate from Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful day. The food was delicious and the company was delightful. Chris, Tiffany, and their sons Tristan and Michael came over to share Thanksgiving with us. The boys played well with Joey and Nick even though they are a few years older. Tiffany is a lot of fun and I enjoyed her company.

Here is a picture of the boys anticipating the feast to come. You can see that Nick has already swiped a carrot off the veggie tray. I rarely get a picture of him with his eyes open anymore...he is always giving his squinty-eyed, cheese-ball grin that results in closed eyes when the flash flashes.
Nick is talking so much more; attempting most words that he hears us say. He will use two or three words together; "up mommom please" or "mine bite please". He is a long way from being understood by everybody, but I am getting pretty good at translating.
Ethan is also growing so fast. He is starting to reach out and grasp things. You can see from this picture that he has grabbed his burp cloth, but he still doesn't have enough control to keep it where he wants it to be. One flail of his arms and the cloth is covering his face! Unfortunately, the cloth doesn't cooperate and land back in his lap with the next flail...it stays firmly in place on his face.

With the temperatures as cold as they are, the boys are bundled up just to get out to the car. Ethan is usually tightly swaddled in a couple blankets. Not tight enough, though; he is still able to wiggle his arms around trying to get the blanket in his mouth. It took forever to get this picture; he kept covering up his face with the blanket. I just thought he looked cute being in a tight bundle with just a chubby little face showing under a hat.

Here is a picture of the boys getting ready to play out in the snow. Nick reminds me of the kid in "A Christmas Story" who can't move his arms or legs from being bundled up so much. They have a lot of fun when they got out in the snow with Daddy. It almost seems more trouble than its worth; it takes 30 minutes to get the boys dressed for outside, and they don't stay out much longer than that since it is so cold. Then it is another 15 minutes to get them stripped out of their snowy clothes making puddles of cold snow-water all over my floor.
Nick is trying to display some independence. He has done a very good job at putting his hat on by himself. He was so proud of himself!