So my Grandpa’s heart cath went well. They put in 3 stents, so he’ll be staying another night. My parents did go up (they left at 3:30 in the morning and got to the house about 6:30), so Grandma now has someone with her. Actually, my Uncle Ben and Aunt Cindy also drove in from PA this morning, too, so that was good.

My grandpa was in surgery when they got to the hospital, but when he was out the doctor let them know that things had gone well. He even showed them pictures of my grandpa’s heart (before and after pics, of course), and he was glad that someone was with Grandma now. He said Grandpa was really worried about her and that he’d been really relieved to hear that people were coming in to be with them.

And then my dad, Ben and the doctor all conferred and determined unanimously that my grandfather is stubborn as a mule. Since the doctor diagnosed it, I guess it’s official now.

Anyway, my parents will be up with my grandparents for another night, at least. Thanks for all your prayers on their behalf!

The Good:
The babies slept through the night last night. Alex did make some noise a couple of times, but I didn’t have to get up at all. Thank you Jesus!

My parents came up last night to play with babies so I could have a break and get something done. They’re awesome! I decided to take down my Christmas decorations. My house looks normal again (which is slightly sad), but it is so nice to have that done! And Alex was very concerned this morning about where the tree went!

Alex does seem to be feeling better, finally. The white stuff really wasn’t making life much better for most of yesterday, and I have to admit, I was getting discouraged. But I think we may be on the upswing, for sure, now. Shwew!

Erin is still sleeping! Poor little thing hasn’t had a good night’s sleep or a good nap in days, thanks to poor Alex. I’m sure she’ll be catching up now!

The Not-So-Good
My Dad called his parents last night while they were at my house. Apparently my grandpa had a doctor’s appointment yesterday to look over the results of a stress test he had last week before Christmas. He told no one about the stress test (which was to look at why he short of breath and having chest pains), and then cleaned the snow off his driveway TWICE in the last two days. So when he went to his appointment, he was having chest pains again.

The result: the doctor admitted him to the hospital for a heart cath this morning (at 8:00) to look at things for sure. So he’s having surgery this morning.

The complications: my grandma is pretty senile. She answered the phone last night when my dad called and had no idea where Grandpa was, only that people could call this random phone number to talk to him. So she has been alone in the house all night. And while someone is coming to get her this morning, to take her to the hospital, my dad is very concerned that no one is with her.

So I’m sure my parents will be heading up there today (they’re probably already on their way or already there this morning). And I’d appreciate your prayers for my grandpa’s surgery/recovery, my grandmother’s safety, and wisdom while they make decisions in the next couple of days. Thanks!

So a quick trip to the pediatrician yesterday revealed that Alex has another ear infection, now in his right ear.

There was just a bit of infection in that ear when we started the antibiotics last week. The left ear was the big one. I figured the amoxicillan would knock out that little bit first thing, but no. It seems that the left ear reacted immediately to the pink stuff while the right just festered and then exploded yesterday.

I have no idea how an infection like that grows while he’s taking antibiotics. But now he’s on the white stuff and hopefully we’ll see great improvement in the next day or so.

Sadly, last night wasn’t a great night for sleep again, though. I discovered at the doctor’s office that I can give him more Motrin than I had been giving. So I upped his dose. But in the middle of the night, he still screamed for over an hour after getting the full dose.

I was getting really frustrated when I had to go back in at 2:30 to calm him down again. It would seem I’m less than forgiving when I’m not getting enough sleep. Thankfully, God helped me deal with my anger at my little man. And, when he popped right back up to cry when I put him down that time, I pulled the door behind me and let him scream (sorry about that, Erin). He finally did go down by himself around 3:00, I think.

I really need this medicine to work so we can all get back to sleeping normally. And I need a break from my needy children, I think. It might help my attitude some. We shall see if something can be arranged.

Sorry for my whiny post. Hope your Tuesday goes well!

Front Page (above the fold):
Headline: No One Sleeps
Synopsis: Apparently, my children were two days off in their attempt to stay up and wait for Santa’s arrival. Last night, we were up most of the night with Alex’s fussiness. I have no idea why…teeth, sleep regression, hunger? But my longest stretch of sleep was from 3 am to 6 am. I am so ready to go back to sleeping through the night again. It’s been a week, and I’m tired!

Front Page (right hand column)
Headline: Babies Enjoy New Presents
Synopsis: After days of gift-getting on their “second” Christmas (they don’t remember the first, obviously!), the twins are enjoying all their new goodies. They got some noisy toys and some quiet ones. No, scratch that. They got some noisy toys and some non-electronic ones (puzzles, blocks, etc). None of their toys are quiet because they make so much noise playing with them. But it’s fun to watch them play with age-appropriate toys now.

Sports Section
Headline: Rose Bowl Is On
Synopsis: We are going to my in-laws on Jan. 1 for a couple of days. We haven’t done Christmas with them yet because of everyone’s schedules. And I was really concerned that I wouldn’t be able to watch OSU in the Rose Bowl. For a number of reasons. But it looks, now, as if everything should work out for me to watch at least some of the game. So “GO Bucks!”

Life and Arts Section
Headline: One Great Party
Synopsis: The weekend was pretty much one extended party for us. We had a Christmas Eve gathering with the Edlunds, then spent Christmas Day with my family. Then last night, we had a birthday party for my sister which was a lot of fun, too. Thankfully, though, we are done with parties for a few days. I’m ready for a normal routine again!

Headline: ISO…Family Traditions
Synopsis: So my children are now a year old, and I realized that we don’t really have any family Christmas traditions yet. In Eric’s family, everyone prayed before gifts were opened. Other people read the Christmas story, have a birthday party for Jesus (with cake), or gather as a family to play games and watch movies. Eric and I decided that we would like to have something that is for us, but that isn’t “over the top.” I’m leaning toward doing Advent as well as reading a Christmas reading/having someone pray before gifts. And maybe having a little item that shows up every year in someone’s stocking to determine who gets to pray. Of course, my kids are too young to get it at this age, but I want to start something that they will say “we’ve always done that” about. But I’d also love to hear some other ideas. So what traditions did you have growing up? What do you do now? What do you wish you could do, but don’t?

It’s Christmas Eve.

All is well.

The babies are feeling better.

Alex was his normal jolly self after 3 doses of antibiotic.

Erin’s teething seems to be managed just fine with Motrin.

Last night, we finally slept all night again.

All is well.

And it’s Christmas Eve.

Jesus has come. He has gone. He is coming again.

All is well. Merry Christmas!

About 10:00 this morning, when Alex was up from an (only) hour-long nap and refusing to be happy anywhere but in my arms, I realized that maybe his bad night was from an ear infection.

Long story short, I got an appointment this afternoon and yep…one for sure and one just beginning. Poor little guy was miserable last night (and most of today). And he’s exhuasted. So are we.

But babies are now in bed (with Alex all medicated) and we’ll be turning in early tonight, too. Good thing. I’m really tired. Days where the kids are super-needy are hard. Hopefully, though, we will be on the up-and-up tomorrow!

Happy Tuesday!

You know…where a bunch of events or circumstances combine in an overwhelming maelstrom, despite the miniscule chances that they would all happen at the same time in the same place.

Yeah…that’s what happened at our house last night.

The issues:
Both babies have colds.
Alex still has a bit of a cough.
We went shopping with my mom yesterday, so the babies’ naps were off.
Because of said shopping, we also didn’t have normal eating times (or drinking opportunities).
Last night, we dropped another feeding (the bedtime one) and replaced it with a snack.

So all of those things, plus maybe one or two others, meant that Alex was up for over 2 hours starting just after midnight. And he was awake again at 5:00 a.m.

It was a rough night.

But we survived. And today should be better for naps and such. And I’m upping Alex’s food portions. And hopefully, we’ll all sleep better tonight. Hopefully.

A few comparison pics…Happy Monday!

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

And…see how they grow!

One Month:

Three Months:

Six Months:

Now (Sorry, I couldn’t find 9 months…)

Me, that is.

The babies are still slogging through colds/croup. Alex does pretty well when he’s upright and on medication. Sleeping is another story, of course. Eric has a slightly stuffy nose, but she’s mostly “suffering” from lack of equal attention from her momma. Yesterday afternoon was not fun.

In any case, I hit a wall last night. After days of little to no help (Eric had to travel for work this week) and adding sickness on top of it, I couldn’t go anymore. I was tired and had been pushing all my crap down because I just had to get through. I really, really wanted to be angry and frustrated. And since the babies’ issues aren’t really their fault, Eric was starting to be my target.

So instead of cleaning my kitchen and tidying up, I went to bed and read a book. About 45 minutes later, I remembered to pray about my frustrations, and well, God reminded me to be thankful, even in my circumstances. Shortly thereafter, I was able to let go of my desire to be angry at someone. I slept pretty well, even with Alex’s noises through the night. And Eric stayed home from work this morning so I could go to the Moms’ group at my church where we watched a video by Anita Renfroe (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=anita+renfroe&search_type=&aq=f). Very funny.

By the time I got home, I was better. And that was compounded by the fact that Eric had cleaned the kitchen for me. He’s so great.

And so, on the Friday of a VERY long week, I can honestly say that I’m better today. Thanks for listening.

You know, I always wondered why people would describe it as a “barking” cough.

At 11:30 last night, I understood.

Poor little Alex went to bed just fine and woke up 3 hours later with a nasty cough. So I guess we’ve begun our first battle with croup. After some Motrin and after being upright now for a couple of hours, he seems to be doing fine.

But it looks like my evening out just got cancelled. I doubt Eric will want to handle “sick” bedtime on his own. Oh well. Maybe next month.