Thanksgiving Week Pt. 2

Thanksgiving Day with my family - small and quiet. Nora opened a few gifts which she enjoyed. 

Able to get a family photo - finally! My Dad has been on a mission for what feels like a year and a half. I make no guarantees if my girls will cooperate!

Friday was the Kron shindig; lots of people and lots of noise! [A lot from my girls] They were able to see their cousins from in and out of town. I couldn’t really relax at either party - just too much Hannah-wrangling and making sure she was eating food. 

Saturday we tried to check out downtown Milford’s holiday event. However, Nora did not want to go into any shop; no candy canes, no hot chocolate, no Santa, nothing. Lame. 

We did put up our Christmas decorations which was fun - Nora helped a lot and then I re-arranged the ornaments once she went to bed - ha!

Always love our cozy Christmas set-up!

Thanksgiving Week Pt. 1

The three days prior to Thanksgiving were awkwardly choppy because our sitter took the week off and Nora still had two days of school. So I stayed home on Tuesday while the grandmothers took Mon/Wed. 

Tuesday was a full day: 

8am: Aunt Katherine arrives
8:20: Mommy & Hannah go for her annual hearing exam [more about that later]
8:30: Aunt K takes Nora to preschool
9:45: Mommy & Hannah arrive home
10:45: Mommy leaves to be the Secret Reader at preschool
11:45: Mommy & Nora arrive home

Aunt Katherine had fun with Snapchat!

Lunch 
Wrangle the cat - er, Hannah, down for a nap. 

At this point I’m trying to be a good Mom and play with Nora, but also - housekeeping. So Nora has me as “Mindy,” her servant. Because obviously she’s the Queen. She throws a party which means she has emptied ALL the small bags of Popchips and PB crackers into a bowl. Ailo is also invited so his food bowl is now in the living room. She has taken my lip pencil to her lips like a clown. 

Remnants of the clown lips.

Laundry waiting.

Dishes waiting.

Forgotten Legos and apple snack.

Nora’s party - complete with dog dish.

The list of chores the Queen gave to me, Mindy.

Hannah naps maybe 1.5 hrs. I do not finish my housework. 

Since I have a random Tuesday off I decide I need to tick some things off my To Do List. So what do I do? Load a four and two year old into the car along with a 60-lb dog to get the mats trimmed out of his hair. 

*I also realized once we were out the door Nora’s mouth was still clown-y.

I manage all three [with a stroller] fairly well. Then we head to the eye store to get Hannah a new glasses strap and lens cleaner. However on the way home, Ailo gets anxious - as he always does in the car - and starts to whimper loudly. 

This sets Hannah off - the only thing that makes her cry are dogs’ noises - and she starts losing it. The drive home was loud and nerve-grating. 

We made it through the day and I’m pretty sure I had a beer that night.

BIG Hannah Accomplishment!

Ack, I posted this over social media but neglected to do so here!

Sooo just before Thanksgiving our big girl decided it’s time to experiment walking on her own - Huzzah!! I’ve been dreaming of this day... wondering when this huge milestone would happen. I was terrified she’d be three, going into preschool and still scooting on her butt!

Granted, this doesn’t mean she’ll be walking all on her own in a week - it will still take some time for her to get consistent. 

We are all so proud of her!! 

Nora 4's Class

We had new photographers for Nora’s preschool photos (which I still think is bizarre those even exist). Unfortunately, the photographer styled Nora’s bangs to split down the middle. Our sitter said they did something to her daughter’s hair also that wasn’t like her. 

*Again, I let Nora choose her outfit and accessories - because why not?

I’m a bit disappointed and Tim and I aren’t even going to get a photo because it just doesn’t look like her! And in this day and age, we have plenty of other great photos of Nora. 

Next up - the school Christmas play. Nora came home with a script and has lines. The most lines in the play as a narrator!! The play includes the morning 3’s, 4’s, and Pre-K class - ! Not sure how she landed this, but I’m proud and now nervous to get her lines down! (The teachers do sit at the front to help out)

I told Nora she’s following in Grandpa Batty’s footsteps of speaking in church. And Mommy’s too - I’ve been known to narrate and win some speech contests... !

Wish Nora luck!

Hannah Updates

Hannah’s gross motor has been doing really well lately; the orthotics seem to be supporting her ankles very well and she’s taking off [with help]! She’s now walking with a push toy all by herself without help turning and most help going between floor surfaces. 

Very low profile!

Being tempted to shift forward with bubbles.

She’s getting good at squatting and we’re getting her to shift her body weight from a leaning position - which will help those independent steps. 

We’re also working on fine motor skills - the coordination of smaller muscles, namely in your hands. For Hannah this is coloring, stacking blocks and rings and putting small items through small holes. 

We also continue to work on communication. Not just signs [I now know colors!] but Hannah communicating her needs instead of just whining - which she does a lot! She can put two signs together - usually a need + “please.” At least she’s learning manners! We also are trying to get her to obey small commands like “Come here, Hannah!” She’s good at “Give Mommy _____.”

Speech Therapy - I sit back and observe - lots of play!

Hannah’s only words are “Dada,” “Yeah” (with no context), and a ton of babbling. We’re working on Ms, Bs and Ps. She can do the M and B-sound; I’ve heard her multiple times. We all know D is just the easiest! 

On our last trip to PT it was very rainy and I drove right into a full (nearly double) rainbow - it was pretty breathtaking and it hugged Cincinnati Children’s Eastgate building. Made me feel warm inside. 

In the Words of Elvis - TCB

Ohhh trying to catch up!

Back on October 14 my parents amazingly took the girls for the day/night so Tim and I could go out for a late anniversary outing. It was bizarre to walk into a quiet home and not rush to get dinner on the table. 

We first hit 50 West Productions - local brewery in Mariemont. We love that place. Second was Mad Tree in Oakley - my favorite beer in town. Crowded, no where to sit. Next we hit Habits in Oakley [our old pre-children neighborhood] for appetizers. We wrapped up with dinner at Sammy’s in Blue Ash - a diner-type place with really good food and an even better beer list. 

Asleep by 11pm and we knew the girls would be back after lunch so we got sh*t done!!

- flu shots
- will documents notarized
- thrift store stop
- Michaels knick knacks
- Lowes
- painted two coats on the garage door and front door [because new siding]

Amazing what you can cram into half a day without kids around. 

As for the house, we’re very happy with the result - grey siding with a super light grey trim. Ochre is the new door color. Not something we want to spend money on, but it had to be done. The neighbors are all thankful - ha! Previous owners sounded like a joke. 

Beer and horror movies

Old door color

New door color

A Trick Turned Treat: Goodbye, G-Tube

Halloween Day, 10:30am: Sitter calls - the tube has popped out again. Nnnngggghhhhh!!! [fists raised to the sky]

I race to her house to get it back in before she has to leave and get girls from preschool. 

I get there around 11am, wash my hands, get the new tube and try - forcefully - to push it back in for a few rounds. It’s not happening - the hole has closed UP. It may have been 45 minutes from the moment Jacob [Alison’s son] walked up to her, g-tube in hand; “Look Mommy!” Ack. That’s how quickly those holes close up. 

I stepped outside to call Tim. In tears. The tube was “supposed” to be in through flu season as a safety net. Tim felt we had to get to the ER. 

I took Hannah and headed to Bethesda North about 15 minutes away - the closest ER. 

On my way, I was a bad driver and used my phone to look up our G.I. clinic and called to see if I could reach Hannah’s doctor or his nurse practitioner. The most immediate person to respond was another NP, but not ours. She looked over Hannah’s history. Based on just her record, this NP suggested we get it back in to be safe during flu season. She also said Bethesda would have no idea how to get a g-tube back in and to head to Children’s Liberty Twp Campus. Sigh. 

I headed onward and not a minute later the NP called back and had talked to OUR NP who knows Hannah and our history said we did NOT have to put the tube back in!! I literally and loudly said, “Oh come ON you guys!” The [not our] NP laughed and confirmed it was basically up to Tim and I at this point.

I was still driving towards the ER, calling Tim as we talked it out. We were on the same page; while the tube was definitely intended to stay as a safety net, we really weren’t using it. Hannah eats very well and is drinking more fluids now. IF she caught the flu and became dehydrated, she would just go to the hospital like any other child. 

I looped back to Alison’s to drop Hannah off and go back to work. Just like that. 70 minutes after the initial call. Two hours of driving around the Tri-State making calls like a mad woman while Hannah just bopped around in her carseat. 

We’re just washing with warm soap and water and covering with gauze. Some spots leak after tubes are removed, but Hannah’s body has shown it will close well, I think. 

The only lingering frustration is that our NP said we still need to do weigh-ins. Gaaaahhhh! I guess I can’t complain - we accidentally avoided another Children’s bill with our lost March 2017 appointment now : ) 

So this evening while Tim took the girls trick-or-treating, I cleaned up the area on the counter where all of Hannah’s accessories sat; breast pump parts, tubes, bottles... and now that spot is clear. For the first time since September of 2014. Just over two years after Hannah arrived - not even realizing a feeding tube was part of the plan. 

December 2014

October 31, 2016

A wave of various emotions ran over me - what a journey. That feeding tube has been the cause of most of my anxiousness the past two years. And now... it’s just - out. So much of our energy went into those tube feeds. I can’t believe it’s done even though we haven’t even been using it! 

So an accidental trick turned into a treat - I guess? 

Happy Halloween : ) 

Mr. Dom Dom

This kid. Seriously, whose is she?

I think I was putting Hannah down for a nap so missed the onset. 

I think Tim was painting a door just outside, so was close to Nora, however that won’t stop her from expressing her inner creativity. 

The video just speaks for itself. 

Annual Family Cabin

Our annual family cabin trip! Since 2013!

This year we found a place in Goshen - which is less than 10 miles from our house. Haha! It was great though - it didn’t feel like we were just down the road. 

The property was super cool - the house was bizarrely unique. Very cabin-y and eclectic.

Plenty of room - we each nearly had a “wing.” The weather was perfect - the kids were able to go outside while monitored next to the pond. Adults could be outside with a fire.

What was unexpected - the absolute awful TWO nights we had with Hannah. We all shared a room - which was not a big deal. We did it in the hotel in Indy with no trouble. Not sure what gave. We can only deduce that Hannah knew we were sleeping in the same room together, therefore decided that she would wake up all night, only to be somewhat soothed by sleeping between Tim and I in a full-size bed. It. Was. Awful. And this was after our weeks of sickness and sleepless night already. 

Amazingly Nora slept through it all in her sleeping bag. 

Despite my sleepless, sad eyes, it was fun. Although hopefully next time Hannah will sleep better b.c she won’t be in a pack-n-play. 

Miss Emma helped the girls make a fairy house - it was adorable!

Lords, Ladies and Foxes

Backing up!

Went to the Ren Fest back on Sept 25th with friends - we thought with her love of Robin Hood, Nora would love it - she did! I think after almost two hours she became overwhelmed though. And Hannah fell asleep in her stroller. Nice time overall!

Little Ewan! 

The two big sisters enjoying the Beowolf mudshow with Miss Emma.

Joust!

Too much mead & turkey legs.

Not sure if I’ve mentioned what Nora wanted to be for Halloween. Robin Hood. She threw me. It was originally going to be Princess Aurora [Sleeping Beauty] but pivoted on me. Challenge accepted! Found a pretty good [not exact] hat at Cappel’s - our home town’s Halloween store. A coworker lent us the fox mask. I found a women’s small green polo that we will cinch with Nora’s own belt. Then we’ll fashion some sort of bow and arrow from what’s in our yard and house!

Nora went to her friend’s for a birthday party [our sitter] - and was asked if she wanted to spend the night - ! Whoa. So since they are one mile away and we know them well, we said “Sure!” It went very smoothly.

This was Nora's costume at age two. Awww!