Christmas 2011

You wait a whole year for Christmas and then it is over so fast! Every year I say that I am going to take time to really enjoy Christmas, but with all the places to go and things to do it really does leave me feeling really exhausted. Then I regret not taking the time to do the things that I wanted to do. I guess I'll say it again, maybe next year.

The girls were good this year, so Santa came to visit. Kristen got the easy bake oven she has been wanting. Lauren got her little people zoo she has been wanting. We took out a few things for them to play with, but had to put the majority of it up since we are still at Paul's mom's house. It will be like Christmas all over again for the girls when we move in to our new house.

I didn't take as many pictures this year, but here are some from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Here are some from Christmas Eve







Here are some pictures of Kristen getting things ready for Santa. Lauren had fallen asleep on the way home and did not want to wake up for the Pre-Santa festivities.

Putting out Reindeer food for the Reindeer.


Milk and Cookies for Santa



Kristen wanted her picture taken with Eric, our Elf on a Shelf. She cried Christmas morning when he wasn't there. In fact, Oswald our Beta, died on Christmas Day and I thought Kristen would be very upset. Well, she was more upset that Eric wasn't there than Oswald, who has been part of our family for several months.



Here are some pictures from Christmas morning.









Here are the handprint snowman ornaments the girls made. I thought they turned out good.

Lauren's

Kristen's



We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

The House & Pregnancy

So, the house is coming along nicely. Paul has done A LOT of work on it and I know he is exhausted! He goes there straight from work and works until 8 or 9 at night. The painting is almost completed. We painted the whole house. Walls, doors, trim and ceilings. He has pulled up all of the carpet and the laminate in the foyer and play room. He has also pulled up the slate that was in the living room that a wood stove sat on. The locks have been replaced and our refrigerator, washer and dryer have been delivered. All I have done is clean one bath tub, the stove and microwave and lined some of the cabinets. My work will come when we start unpacking and putting things away. Once the house is completed I will post some before and after pictures. Here are some of the girls entertaining themselves while we were working.

Kristen was very happy to get to "help" paint the wall.


Lauren was just happy to be doing something her big sister got to do.


Kristen made some pajamas out of a plastic bag she found. It was very creative and I was impressed. By the way, she posed like this all on her own without any coaching.


Of course you have to have snacks at the new house!



Today I am 31 weeks pregnant and have actually breathed a little sigh of relief. I think I might actually make it! I did find out I have gestational diabetes...SHOCKER. I had it with both Kristen and Lauren. I go next week to the Diabetic Clinic and will be put on pills, which is better than insulin shots. They will also start fetal monitoring when I go in for my appointment on January 5th. I will be seeing the Perinatologist every week and my doctor every two weeks. Not sure just yet how often I will have to go to the Diabetic Clinic. It will kind of be like when Lauren was released from the NICU. I felt like I was going to see a doctor every day. Glad it's me and not her though.

4D Ultrasound Pictures

Today I went in for my 28 week appointment and they did a 4D scan of the baby. It is so neat to see and amazing how far technology has come. Here are some pictures from today. Kristen said after they were finished that she really hopes that her little brother isn't yellow because it is a very ugly color.


Our baby boy is measuring very big. He is already 3 pounds 5 ounces. I go for the first part of my gestional diabetes testing in the morning. I am SURE it will be positive.

Merry Christmas

We took the girls to the Bass Pro Shop for our annual free picture with Santa. This year Kristen was really excited to see Santa. Lauren said she was, but wasn't a big Santa fan once we got there (as you can tell). Kristen told Santa that she wanted an Easy bake oven and a baby doll, so hopefully she has been good enough to get those things. Paul had told her a while back that if Santa didn't bring her the easy bake oven he would buy it for her. Well, we have an elf on the shelf who Kristen has named Eric. He didn't move one night (because we forgot) so I told her it was because they weren't very good and didn't go to bed when they were supposed to. I then told her she had to be good or Santa wouldn't bring her the easy bake oven. Well, she looked at me and said that Daddy told her if Santa didn't bring it he would buy it for her. Nothing gets past that kid.

The Christmas Spirit

I have to say that it is a little hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I am surprised that I have almost completed my Christmas shopping. I thought I would be out at the last minute trying to get it done, but I have been able to do a lot over the last week. Plus I had several gifts already purchased. I wish we would have been in our new house this year, but God had other plans and it doesn't look like we will close this week as we expected. Hopefully the week of Decemeber 5th. Please do a lot of praying because we are ready to get started on painting and putting the floor down so we can be in very soon after Christmas. I am very anxious to get in! We took advantage of the black Friday sales and bought our refrigerator, washer and dryer. Those were the only appliances it didn't come with and I am glad we have that out of the way.

Tonight we did put up the Christmas tree. Paul's mom told us we could put up the Christmas tree if we wanted too. I am so glad she did because Kristen really enjoyed it. Lauren kept bringing the ornaments back to me saying "It's not working" and getting another one. She put a few on, but was over it pretty quickly. Kristen did a good job at actually spreading the ornaments out and really took time picking out the place she wanted them to go. She was very excited when Paul's mom brought out presents to put under the tree. Of course she wanted to open them today and keeps asking how many days until Christmas. It is going to be a very long 28 days. Here are some pictures from tonight. Next year I might ask Santa for a new camera that takes better, clearer pictures.

Diva Degas

Poor Degas. He just doesn't stand a chance.

Button GONE

(This is my bandage job...I AM NOT AN EXPERT as you can see, but at least it did stay on all night long. Kristen was impressed because she said it looked like a cross.)

Yesterday I took Lauren to her appointment to get her button taken out. I wasn't 100% sure they were taking it out. It just depended on how it looked and if the hole was small enough. She was in the smallest Mic-KEY button they have, so I was very optimistic. The doctor she saw was the doctor everyone recommended at the feeding clinic at Children's Hospital, but had left when we started going there. She was very nice and I really liked her. She was very personable and came in to actually talk to us and have Lauren warm up to her a little bit before actually taking the button out. Lauren did so good and barely cried at all. Of course it wasn't an overly painful experience, but at least she felt comfortable enough with the situation to not be upset. She has to take prevacid for a month to cut down on stomach acid and I have to change the bandage twice a day. Right now she has to eat small meals and not drink too much. She can have smaller more frequent meals so the food passes by the hole in her stomach so it can heal. She is doing good and I have asked her several times if it hurts and she says no. She is allowed to have baths, but I don't think I am going to immerse her in the water because just thinking about soapy dirty bath water getting into that hole gives me the heebie jeebies. So the button removal was a success, although she did wake up this morning stuttering.

It's Ours

Well, almost. We heard back today that the bank accepted our offer. This isn't the original house we put an offer on. I had my eye on this property, but it was out of our price range. I went in to check the listings again to see if there were any new listings in our price range and was surprised to see that this house had dropped and we could now go and look at it. I prayed that I would not be disappointed and we would like this house. This was the first house I was actually excited about going and seeing. Well, I did fall in love with it. I could see my stuff in it and my kids playing there. I could see myself making dinner in the kitchen and doing laundry in the laundry room. It was our house, I just had to convince Paul because he was still attached to the other house. After I threatened divorce he finally came around...just kidding. He saw the positives and the fact that this house is better for our family. It is bigger, has an extra office that we will use as a play room, is a split rancher, has a big kitchen with lots of counter and cabinet space, has a pantry, has an actual laundry room, has a wood stove and is on 2 acres. We withdrew our offer on the other house and put in an offer on this house last Wednesday and found out today that we got it. I am so happy. Our closing is set for November 28th and our loan person is going to try to get it closed by that date, if not then pretty soon after. We have some things we want to do before moving in, so we hope to be in by Christmas. Throughout this process God really taught me a lesson about patience. There were times I thought I would literally go insane if we didn't find a house and close fast. I realized that country song is true. Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. He knew which house we needed and knew we needed to wait to save some money so we could do the things we wanted to before moving in. I serve an Awesome God!

Trick Or Treat

What a horrible night for Trick or Treating! It didn't rain all day long, but as soon as we go to walk out the door it started pouring down rain. I think the girls both liked trick or treating, but it definitely would have been more fun without the rain and juggling umbrellas. Thanks to Aunt Kelly, Meme and Aunt Lou the girls really got some candy. I think overall we might have went to about 10 houses, that was all.

Kristen woke up so excited about Halloween. She wanted to get her costume on first thing that morning. She asked all day long when she could go trick or treating and even practiced all on her own saying "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you." This year both girls got to pick out their costume. It's funny because what I was SURE they would want to go as, they didn't. Originally Kristen said she wanted to go as Minnie Mouse. This really surprised me because she doesn't really like Minnie Mouse or Micky Mouse. When we got to the store she saw this catarina costume that she wanted but it was in, what I thought, to be a size too big. It was a girls small 4-6. She is in the weird 5T stage where she isn't really a toddler, but not in the girls either. Well, she decided on Minnie Mouse but all I could find it in was a 4T. We got it and when we got home I tried it on her. Well, it was too small. She didn't like it either, so we took it back and she was able to get the catarina costume in the girls small, which was basically a black ballerina cat. She was happy. From the minute we went to look at costumes Lauren picked up a cowgirl costume and that was all she wanted. They both looked cute. Here are some picture before going out.

Happy Halloween

Updates

Not much to really update. It seems as if we are in a waiting period on everything. We did go see a Pediatric Surgeon to get Lauren's button removed. Her GI doctor had told us she already had the smallest MIC-Key button in, but as it turns out there is a size smaller (which I had thought). Anyways, Apria was supposed to ship out the button and a week passed with me receiving nothing. Turns out, the person working on Lauren's order quit so it was just sitting on her desk. They got everything straight and when we received the button it was the wrong size. They had sent us a size bigger! After getting that straight, we did receive the correct button and I plan on putting it in after bath tomorrow night. They did say it would leak for about a week, so that should be fun. If it leaks longer than a week we have to call because that means that her stomach isn't closing up. As long and it stops leaking within a week, we will then go and see the doctor again in a month. Lauren is very attached to her button and now when you ask her about getting it out she says, "No, it my button." It is really sad when things like that become normal to such a small child.

We are also still waiting to hear something back from the bank on the offer we put in on the house. The realtor on that house said he hopes to hear something this week, but we have been told that before. We are still looking at other houses, but haven't found any that we like. I am very ready to get somewhere and get settled. The other night I was a little depressed. I do want to be in a house (preferably the house we put the offer in on) by Christmas. I realized November is almost here and the chances of that happening are not looking good. But, I continue to pray and I am sure God is getting really tired of hearing the same prayer.

On a more positive note, I had an appointment yesterday and things are still going good with this pregnancy. This little guy is so active! Much more active than Kristen or Lauren. In fact, the ultrasound technician said that it was a good thing that they didn't have to get measurements this week because he is not sitting still. I hope this isn't a preview of toddler years! This has been a really stressful time in my pregnancy because this is the time when everything went downhill in my pregnancy with Lauren. I have been really nervous and expecting the worse even though I am diligently praying for the best. The NICU and a 1 pound 4 ounce baby are still very fresh in my mind and I don't want another one of my children to have to fight everyday to live. In the hospital every night when I would pray I would thank God for another day of being pregnant. When Lauren was born, every night I would thank God for another day of life for her. Now, with this pregnancy I find myself every night thanking God for another day of being pregnant (even though the heartburn is starting to get really annoying). I don't take life and pregnancy for granted that is for sure!

Lauren's 1st Dentist Appointment

Yesterday the whole Harris clan went to the dentist. Paul said people must think we are crazy for scheduling everyone at the same time. I told him, no that meant we are smart. We do not have to make multiple trips! Kristen was so excited to go to the dentist and kept asking all day when we were going. She did good, although this time she didn't want them to use the brush on her teeth, so they brushed them with a regular toothbrush and put some fluoride on them. Lauren sat in a little yellow chair to watch. When the dentist would ask her if she was going next she would smile and shake her little head yes. I was optimistic and thought maybe she would do it with minimal crying. I was wrong. I ended up having to sit in the chair with her. The dentist had to take the only picture because Paul was getting his teeth cleaned and that left no one for picture taking. After a little while of talking she finally let them brush her teeth with a regular toothbrush. Then they put fluoride on her teeth. Surprisingly she let the dentist look in her mouth at her teeth. Both girls were happy to get to pick a prize from the prize box. Here are some pictures.

The girls before their appointment. Kristen was posing.



Kristen in the chair before getting her teeth cleaned. She is so excited.


Lauren not liking the dentist too much. (My hair looks a crazy mess...it had been raining all day)


On another note, I started my progesterone shots last week. I was not prepared for the needle that was coming with these shots. I thought it would be like the insulin shots I gave myself during my pregnancy with Kristen. Well, I was wrong. Today was the first day I was all on my own giving the shot. The nurse helped me last week. I gave it this morning so that it hopefully wouldn't be really sore. We had some errands to run, so I thought all of the walking might help. I did end up sticking myself twice because I thought I was in the wrong place, but it ended up that I wasn't, so I fully expect a very big bruise and a very sore leg tomorrow after I wake up. That is when it really bothered me last week. It is sore like a flu shot, which I got yesterday so now I will have a sore arm and leg. Anyways, I thought I would post a picture so that everyone can sympathize with me on Thursday's when I have to give this shot. Only 16 more shots to go!



Here is a random picture of the girls the first night in our new "temporary" home. They were exhausted and I thought this was a cute picture.



Last but not least, here is a picture of of Lauren's black eye. She fell down the steps outside and ended up skinning up her forehead, neck and back. Two days later a black eye appeared. I was getting groceries out of the trunk so I don't know what happened. I asked Kristen and she said that she didn't know because she was ringing the door bell and not looking. So, it is a mystery, but with clumsy Lauren there is no telling how it happened.

A New Chapter

Today we went to sign the papers for the sale of our house. I tell you, it was very hard to leave that place. I cried like a baby and I doubt it had anything to do with the pregnancy hormones. While I was packing there were times that I thought once I was done I would be so relieved that the packing was over that I wouldn't be all that emotional. It didn't feel like home by the time we had most of our house packed. It did make me realize that the things that made our house a home were all going with us. It was hard to see the house empty. I am glad it didn't really affect my kids. I really prayed that Kristen would adapt well, because she really hates change and LOVED being in "her house". Kristen actually said she like the house that way because she could hear her voice (she was echoing). So, right now we are homeless. Well, we don't own a home and are staying with Paul's mom and step-dad. I am so thankful for them opening their house to us and for all of the others that offered their home to us. I have realized that we have an AWESOME family. We put an offer in on a house that is a short sale, but haven't heard anything yet. We are just praying that we will hear something soon.

Here is a picture of our family, minus Degas, for the last time in front of our old house.

The Fair

So we went to the fair again this year (over a month ago). Both girls enjoyed it and so did we. Atleast this year it wasn't so hot. Here are some pictures.