I had a very pleasant trip down to CO, flight delayed only slightly. Came inside and immediately started wrapping presents for my operation Shock & Awe the next morning. As I was wrapping Nathan's light saber Lauren woke up (she was sick and not sleeping very well) and came to the living room for a short visit. She sees the light saber and immediately says, "Pchew, pchew". That's my girl. No complete sentences yet but I know my Star Wars noises. Awesome.
Look at all those presents!
Ashlyn looking very pleased with her kid's digital camera (princess edition!). Unfortunately it did not work and had to be returned. Instead of getting something else for Xmas from me she opted for a real camera that would count as this Xmas and her next birthday present from me. It's in the mail and it's purple! Thank you Costco!
BEHOLD the light saber! Sheer joy. This is why I love giving presents.
Me rockin' the polka dot cupcake pajama pants with Lauren and her polka dot art smock. She didn't seem too interested in the color wonder markers that were also her present but I think they will grow on her. She likes to color anything and everything. Permanent markers are her favorite which is why the color wonder markers were requested as a gift by mom. They only show up on color wonder paper! For several days she was sporting some ink on her midriff leftover from some past, unsupervised coloring.
Megan investigates the light up maracas. Thorough taste inspection is mandatory for all objects.
Upon emptying her stocking, Ashlyn encounters pop rocks for the first time. Really entertaining to watch this discovery.
Nathan shows off knitted presents from Oma.
Lauren takes a break from presents to take a ride on mom's legs. Wee! So much fun.
Megan enjoys the flavor of her fingers.Christmas is also Nathan's birthday and he always gets to pick his birthday dinner. For Christmas day dinner we had....
... mac & cheese with lil smokies! Broiled a bit too long but we'll just call it blackened and pretend we're Cajun. Very tasty! Excellent choice Nathan.Onwards to dessert!
Decorating the birthday cupcakes.After dessert comes the birthday presents for Nathan!
The ensemble is now complete and Nathan shows off his Jedi face.
And Erika is off and running with the thank you cards, made herself! The kids were very good about signing themselves (Ashlyn & Nathan for now) and drawing pictures on each thank you note.
It was then decided that we should play in the snow. Due to Lauren being sick the destination was the backyard. And there I found bunny tracks in the snow! Though most likely a boy the kids named the bunny Alicia. I saw Alicia a few times crisscrossing the backyard during my stay.
Uh-oh! Look out! Luckily the zoom on my camera was more powerful than Nathan's throwing arm.
Wee! Swing sets are fun any time of year!And here the pictures end. This is about the time that everyone in the house took turns getting and then staying sick. The highlight was when Nathan was trying to figure out how to best utilize a barf bucket. He was told that if he felt sick while in bed that he should hold the bucket to his face and puke into it as opposed to on himself or the blankets. He took this very literally and while still laying down held the bucket above his face and vomited. Gravity was not kind.
While I was napping in the guest bedroom in the basement, trying to stave off my own illness unsuccessfully, I heard a weird sploosh noise. I was a bit out of it and assumed it was one of the kids upstairs using the bathroom. Soon after Ashlyn comes down to tell me that Lauren is awake and that there is a water spill that she stepped in. I thought it was a juice cup spill or something. Nope. That sploosh was the sewer backing up in to the basement. Yuck. Thank goodness for plumbers! One came out within the hour to chew up some tree roots that apparently had clogged up the line. Then the clean-up began. Luckily the carpet on the floor was all remnant and could be disposed of quickly and the spill wasn't too bad. Still not a nice post-Christmas gift.
On the up side, sissy and I had some craft craziness. I am now stocked up for baby presents. I made some really sweet burp cloths and a play thing called a taggy. Basically, a taggy is a piece of fleece with ribbon loops sticking out of it on all sides. Babies like to grab onto it for full oral inspection of all brightly colored ribbon-type things. There's also a taggy ball that you can put bells in the middle. Haven't made the ball yet but, due to pregnancies lasting as long as they do, I have some time yet.
The day I left CO was the worst day of the cold so far. I went to an urgent care doctor, called my insurance nurse call line, and despite it all suffered greatly. I have never before cried because of a cold. So much pain. Sore throat doesn't even being to explain it. I was very close to going to the ER because I couldn't even swallow for a few hours. Had to spit out saliva which doesn't really help the "push fluids" advice of the doctor. I was amused calling the nurse because she was most concerned with the appearance of hives and asked me (trying to determine if I was going through anaphylaxis) if I was having trouble breathing or swallowing. Well yes, of course I am. I have an upper respiratory tract infection.
The doctor even gave me a note stating that I was not to travel that day due to illness in case it would have some sway with the airlines if I chose not to fly. I flew anyway, assuming that I hadn't been through the worst of it yet. And it is better to be sick at home than anywhere else. Luckily, no burst ear drums during the descent! And the weather gods were with me as I relied on public transportation to get home. Wet ground but nothing falling from the sky. First time on the light rail! Worked like a charm and no scary people despite the holiday and the late hour.
I purchased a humidifier yesterday and was disappointed that you have to soak this one filter thing for 24 hours before use. Here's hoping that tonight is more restful when I can actually use it! Today my goal is to buy some good lotion tissues for my poor nose. And to rest. And eat spicy soup.
Hopefully by tomorrow I will be well enough to trek down south to get Sugar. She's happy playing with Cleo at Ray's. With luck I will be well enough to go to work Monday but I'm doubtful at the moment. Thank goodness for sick time!
All told it was still a good trip. The kids are too cute and I was able to bring lots of smiles so I consider it successful. I helped out mom & dad with some basement organization and got to play with some power tools under the guise of assisting Rick with some shelf construction for the backyard shed. I can't wait to have a bit more space for things like tools and food storage. Oh to have a pantry and back-up freezer!
For now I will revel in my ability to nap and shower for as long as I want and hope it does more than for me than ring up the utility bills.
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